BETC announces 2025-2026 20th anniversary season

The season features six productions across two venues, including acclaimed works by Pulitzer-winner John Patrick Shanley and rising star Lucas Hnath.

The Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company (BETC) has unveiled an ambitious lineup for its milestone 20th season, featuring a blend of regional premieres, critically acclaimed works, and special events spanning from August 2025 through May 2026.

The 2025-2026 season opens with Cry It Out, a smart comedy by Molly Smith Metzler exploring parenthood and class in America. The production runs August 1-3 at The Savoy Denver before moving to the Boulder Dairy Arts Center from August 8-24. The play centers on two new mothers from different socioeconomic backgrounds who form an unlikely friendship in the yard between their houses — as far as their baby monitors will reach.

Mid-August brings a limited engagement of Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words, a one-woman show featuring BETC favorite Tamara Meneghini. Fresh from success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the production weaves the monarch’s own words with passages from Shakespeare to reveal the humanity and complexities of female leadership. Performances run August 12-13 and 19-20 at the Dairy Arts Center.

For the fall, BETC presents Lucas Hnath’s The Thin Place, a spooky exploration of the boundary between the living and the dead. This New York Times Critics’ Pick will transform theaters into intimate séances at The Savoy Denver (September 12-28) and the Dairy Arts Center (October 3-26).

The holiday season brings Every Brilliant Thing, Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe’s life-affirming play about finding joy in the smallest things, running December 5-28 at the Dairy Arts Center. BETC will also host a special New Year’s Eve Spectacular on December 31, featuring the King Penny Radio Show followed by hors d’oeuvres, champagne, dancing and a 9 p.m. ball drop.

Early 2026 features the regional premiere of Brooklyn Laundry by John Patrick Shanley (known for Moonstruck and Doubt). This romantic dramedy about three sisters and a laundromat operator will run at The Savoy Denver (January 30-February 15) before moving to the Dairy Arts Center (February 20-March 15). A special Valentine’s Day performance of Matthew Barber’s romantic comedy “Fireflies” will be presented on February 14 at the Dairy Arts Center, complete with champagne and roses.

The season concludes with Amy Herzog’s Mary Jane, a profound story of a single mother facing her child’s chronic illness with remarkable resilience. The New York Times called it “the most profound and harrowing of all Amy Herzog plays.” This regional premiere runs May 1-24 at the Dairy Arts Center.

Throughout the season, families can enjoy the improvisational children’s series “MAD LIBrarians” at the New Local Annex in the Boulder Public Library, where audience members help create unique stories at each performance. (Schedule TBD)

Season tickets and additional information are available through the BETC website or by calling the box office.

Season lineup

August 2025

• Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler
  • August 1-3: The Savoy Denver
  • August 8-24: Boulder Dairy Arts Center
• Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words by Carole Levin and Tammy Meneghini
  • August 12-13 & 19-20: Boulder Dairy Arts Center

SEPTEMBER 2025

• The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
  • September 12-28: The Savoy Denver

OCTOBER 2025

• The Thin Place by Lucas Hnath
  • October 3-26: Boulder Dairy Arts Center

DECEMBER 2025

• Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan MacMillan, with Jonny Donahoe
  • December 5-28: Boulder Dairy Arts Center
• New Year’s Eve Spectacular featuring King Penny Radio Show
  • December 31: Boulder Dairy Arts Center

JANUARY 2026

• Brooklyn Laundry by John Patrick Shanley (REGIONAL PREMIERE)
  • January 30-February 15: The Savoy Denver

FEBRUARY 2026

• Brooklyn Laundry by John Patrick Shanley (REGIONAL PREMIERE)
  • February 20-March 15: Boulder Dairy Arts Center
• Fireflies by Matthew Barber (Special Valentine’s Day Performance)
  • February 14: Boulder Dairy Arts Center

MAY 2026

• Mary Jane by Amy Herzog (REGIONAL PREMIERE)
  • May 1-24: Boulder Dairy Arts Center

RECURRING THROUGHOUT THE SEASON

• MAD LIBrarians (Family-friendly improvisation)
  • Weekends throughout the season
  • New Local Annex, Boulder Public Library