Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company announces Fall 2020 season and challenges audiences with digital membership

The award-winning contemporary theatre company offers two virtual performances as well as a wealth of exclusive content

For Boulder Ensemble Theatre Co. (BETC)’s fall 2020 season, the theatre group ‘Breaks Out’ with new artful experiences through virtual performances and offers a BETC Membership with exclusive benefits. In the wake of COVID-19, the production group has reimagined what theatre could look like in a time of social distancing and used the opportunity to craft new experiences for audience members by bringing the stage to the safety of their homes.

For the last half of the year, through virtual craftsmanship and award-winning talent, BETC takes on Colorado native Steven Dietz’s The Nina Variations, the premiere of a documentary theatre event about the current state of Colorado, temporarily titled CO-2020, a new Lit Club focused on BIPOC and LGBTQ authors, and more.

“Fall 2020 is unlike anything we’ve done as a company,” said, BETC Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director, Stephen Weitz. “It’s the nature of the arts to respond and reflect the world and its inhabitants. These plays and programs challenge our audience to break out of the stagnation and boredom induced by the necessary safety measures for COVID-19; to break out of the traditional voices and form of theatre. This is a year to face challenges and break the creative mold; BETC has embraced this philosophy.”

BETC’s Fall 2020 Programs:

• The Nina Variations by Steven Dietz, August 17-30:
  • Colorado native Steven Dietz reimagines Anton Chekhov’s 1896 The Seagull and its star-crossed lovers, Nina and Treplev.  Dietz reinvigorates the play’s final scene in 43 alternative versions as the characters puzzle over what love is, whether they’re in it, and how to escape from it. Tickets go on sale July 28, 2020.
• CO-2020, October 19-November 1:
  • BETC’s first piece of devised theater will debut October 19, 2020 as a collaborative project drawing from interviews with Colorado citizens and public officials. The project will explore the seismic events of 2020 including COVID-19 and the nation’s confrontation with systemic racism. Rather than working from a traditional script, this project will be derived from the experiences of a diverse selection of CO citizens to create an insightful reflection of the state. This world premiere documentary theatre event is partially funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Generations Competition:
  • Each year, BETC runs a nationwide competition for parent playwrights where the winner receives a week in residence with a team of BETC artists to develop and hone their script. This year, the residency will be virtual with a virtual public reading of the winning script.
• (inter)Gen Playwriting Program:
  • High school students and older adults, 50+, will partner and participate in a free ten-session playwriting program to create short plays inspired by one another’s life experiences. At the end of each session, readings of their plays will be performed by BETC actors and streamed online.
• Lit Club:
  • From August-December, BETC Members have the exclusive opportunity to take part in a monthly script reading and discussion group cocktail-hour featuring a virtual discussion with playwrights, directors, and other artists who have worked on past productions of these shows.  Selected material will focus on BIPOC and LGBTQ playwrights.
• Science Shorts:
  • Supported by Colorado University’s Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts program, this special online event will feature readings of four short plays by Colorado playwrights and discussions from the scientists who inspired their work.

Tickets for the two full length plays are available through BETC Membership or as a single ticket buyer. Memberships are now available, and single tickets for The Nina Variations will go on sale July 28, 2020.

Memberships are $150 per individual and $250 per household. Single tickets start at $25. Tickets: www.betc.org or 303-444-7328. For more details on the Fall 2020 season, visit betc.org/2020-2021.