Creation of original Off-Center productions concludes after 15 years as company cites budget pressures, market uncertainty.
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts announced Tuesday it will no longer develop and produce new immersive theatre experiences, marking the end of a 15-year experiment that helped position Denver as a national leader in the art form.
The shift in strategy comes as DCPA faces budget challenges, economic uncertainty and unpredictable ticket-buying patterns, along with a limited supply of new immersive content and lack of production partners willing to share financial risk, according to an open letter from President and CEO Janice Sinden released October 7.
The decision affects Off-Center, the company’s immersive theater division co-founded in 2010 by Charlie Miller and Emily Tarquin. According to the letter, the division welcomed more than 653,000 audience members across 70 unique productions and generated over $80 million in economic impact.
Miller, who served as Off-Center’s executive director and curator for 17 years, will depart the company at the end of March. He’ll continue working on collaborations related to signature productions Camp Christmas and Theater of the Mind through his departure.
While DCPA will no longer create new immersive work, the organization said it remains open to presenting established immersive projects developed elsewhere.
The company plans to present nearly 35 productions across its other programming divisions in the coming season, maintaining its commitment to innovative theater through different formats.
Off-Center’s significant productions included Sweet & Lucky, Camp Christmas and Theater of the Mind.
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