Betsy Stage

The Betsy Stage! Serving up Elizabethan theater with such a brilliant twist!
The concept: Free theater… with an honor bar! This theater runs on donations. Tickets are free, but must be reserved. Call or Email Shannon off their website, and she will get you set up! Bring some cash to make a donation or buy yourself some wine!
The Plays: Brilliant adaptations of Shakespeare. We saw Hamlet, and it was mind bending what they did to it, but the twists were great and the setting (a family of performing Gypsies) was relevant and provocative. Plus fun, ’cause there were contortionists, dancers, singing, cool gypsy music, magic tricks… LOVED it!
The Stage: I think we were in some sort of storage unit. but the set created a magical world for the play to unfold, avant grade, mixed media, minstrels in the corner… Fabulous!
This is the kind of off beat bohemian theater I would expect to find in New York or Paris, but yay! It’s just off South Broadway!
Definitely put this place in your theater roster!

If you’re like me, and you’re a big fan of the theatre, and if you’ve lived in Denver for a long-​time, you might be surprised to find that the Betsy Stage exists. I have gone to many many theatres throughout the Metro area, but somehow had never even heard of the Betsy Stage until recently. Now that I have heard of it, I’m quite glad that I did.
First things first: their shows are free! Do make sure to make a reservation, and do consider giving them a donation in order to keep such a unique establishment going. The Betsy Stage specializes in doing Shakespeare with a twist. They adapt the plays in-​house, and seem to have a pretty talented team of writers working on the Bard. For instance, I just saw their rendition of Hamlet, which was removed from its historical context and re-​imagined as the in-​fighting of a family of touring gypsies. It was certainly a creative way to bring an added element of fun to a production that many of us have seen many times before. The idea was creative, and the show was fun. There were times when the adaptation didn’t quite work perfectly (e.g. the language occasionally felt stilted and some of the ‘big lines’ from Shakespeare came across (through the lips of surprising characters at times, as a bit forced). This is less a major criticism than simply the reality that it’s exceedingly difficult to out-​do Shakespeare.
This is a small and intimate theatre, but while one may expect high school theatre rejects, the cast was accomplished with many meaningful productions under their belts. Everything about Betsy Stage is professional and well-​run.
Moving forward, I will certainly be keeping an eye on the Betsy Stage, and will be enjoying more of their quality theatre productions at a price that cannot be beat.

This is my new favorite theatre. Their adaptations of Shakespeare are flawless and brilliant. I was introduced to this company a few months ago, and it has been one of my favorite topics of conversation ever since. Macbeth, or Beth was superb, I saw it twice. Hamlet was amazing, and I will see it again. Art will save the world. Oh and did I mention, the shows are free with a reservation. I love this theatre.