In 1999, founders Jeanie Balch, Karen Brown, and Amy Austin saw a need for more musical theatre opportunities for young people in Boulder County. They partnered with Coal Creek Community Theatre in Louisville to produce their first show, Sneakers, with a cast of elementary and middle school students. The response made it clear: this was something the community wanted.
From that first production, CenterStage grew to meet the demand. More shows, then classes, workshops, and summer camps. The organization earned nonprofit status in 2004 and began staging full-scale musicals at venues across Boulder County, including the Dairy Arts Center and the Louisville Center for the Arts. In 2012, CenterStage launched Tapestry Theatre, a program that casts actors with disabilities in leading roles alongside peer ensemble members. Tapestry filled a gap that no one else in the region was addressing, and it continues to grow today.
In 2018, CenterStage opened its own 70-seat Black Box Theatre in downtown Louisville, giving the community a dedicated space for youth theatre. When the pandemic forced theatres to close in 2020, the company pivoted to virtual productions and outdoor performances to keep serving its students, and by 2022 was back to producing eight shows in a single summer.
Today, CenterStage is led by Executive Artistic Director Steve Wilson, who brings over 25 years of nonprofit arts experience to the organization. The company produces more than 15 shows every season, puts over 400 young performers on stage each year, and serves audiences of 5,000 and growing.
serving Boulder County
take the stage each year
given by our community every year
in seats annually
CenterStage Theatre Company creates artistic productions and programs that enlighten, educate, and entertain our community. We inspire and nurture a passion for the performing arts by providing opportunities for all ages and abilities.
CenterStage Theatre Company will be an essential organization, recognizable in the community for our artistic excellence and creation of connections that last beyond our productions and programs. We will change societal perceptions by recognizing commonalities over differences.
These principles guide everything we do, on stage and off.
We welcome all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, and we work to make every person feel physically and emotionally safe the moment they walk through our doors.
We hold our work to a high standard, because young people rise to the bar you set for them.
We love the performing arts and the creative process. We encourage innovation, experimentation, and the courage to try something new.
Theatre builds people. We value honesty, integrity, respect, grit, and the willingness to adapt. Our students carry these qualities with them long after the curtain closes.
We are more than a theatre company. We are a community built on shared experiences and lasting connections.
Looking Ahead
CenterStage is growing! Every year brings more productions, more students, and more ways to bring theatre into the lives of young people across Boulder County. We are expanding our programming, building deeper roots in the Louisville community, and dreaming big about what comes next.
The City of Louisville is exploring plans for a new performing arts complex, and CenterStage is in the conversation as a potential resident program. A permanent home for arts and culture in Louisville would mean more than a building. It would mean more access, more programs, and more opportunities for families right here in our community. The effort is being led by Friends of Louisville Arts, Sciences, and Humanities (FLASH), and we'd love for you to be part of it.
Whether you take the stage, take a seat, give, or spread the word, you help make our community stronger.
