Fort Collins is full of creativity in many forms, and performing arts is no exception. FoCo is home to a variety of theaters that showcase plays and musicals. Here are three places you can see live shows around the city.

1. Bas Bleu Theatre

Located at 401 Pine St., Bas Bleu Theatre has a wide range of live performances, from comedy acts to plays, and allows audiences to be thoroughly entertained by the art they show. 

Bas Bleu Theatre is a nonprofit organization whose mission, according to its website, is to inspire and foster audiences and artists with its outstanding theater and “intimate salon setting.”

With their season running from early September all the way to April, Bas Bleu Theatre alternate shows throughout the season. The 2023-24 season will have six shows, most of which will run for about a three-week period. The season will start with “Native Gardens” by Karen Zacarias, opening Sept. 8. In this contemporary comedy, a group of neighbors’ small argument regarding a fence soon boils over into discussions of race, taste, class and privilege. 

2. The Lincoln Center

If you’re looking for a more traditional form of live theater, The Lincoln Center is the place to find it. Established in 1978 as a performing arts center, the Lincoln Center was originally a middle school called Lincoln Junior High back in the ’30s. 

Ticketing and Brand Development Manager Victoria Erickson experienced how the Lincoln Center has given Fort Collins residents a way to experience high-production theater right in the city’s center. 

“The quality of our shows definitely speaks for themselves,” Erickson said. “We are able to give a show you would pay high for in a city such as Denver.”

The Lincoln Center can be found at 417 W. Magnolia St. They have a large performance variety on their website, and the shows range from plays to live ballets. Performances last from around early September to the middle of July.

3. Fossil Ridge Theatre

High school theater is a great way to see a well-produced show for a lower price, and Fossil Ridge Theatre is the place to do it. With a dedicated staff and a crew of talented performers, Fossil Ridge puts on both fall and spring shows, allowing students within the community to show off their work. 

John Garner, the technical theater director at Fossil Ridge, believes high school theater not only benefits the students he works with but also the surrounding community. 

“It has a different feel to it than professional theater and fills a need for the students along with providing a service to the community,” Garner said. “Live performance art educates our students and gives them a path to career work.”

The 2023 fall play “Mockingbird,” adapted by Julie Jensen from the book by Kathryn Erskine, tells the story of Caitlin, an 11-year-old girl on the autism spectrum, after a tragic mass shooting.

Overall, local live shows, no matter what genre, can be an entertaining experience for many. It creates an opportunity to spend time observing the talent within the community as well as supporting local theater organizations.

Reach Katherine Borsting at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @katbor2025.