After a day of playing in the river, hiking a local peak, angling for that wall-worthy brown trout or stirring up some mud with the fat tires of a mountain bike, take advantage of the numerous opportunities in Pagosa for the musically minded and the theater lover.
The summer season opens up restaurant patios and beer gardens for local, regional and national talent, while area establishments host bands almost every night during the summer. Doors open wide to allow a refreshing blast of cool air for patrons and a taste of the excitement indoors for those strolling by.
More than that, area stages come alive with comedies, dramas and musicals, making Pagosa Springs a premier destination for theater.
Get your groove on
While our nationally renowned music festival (listed elsewhere in this guide) may grab most of the glory, a quick glance at events listed inside the front page of The PREVIEW section (published each week in The Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper) will show that the local music scene ranges from acoustic performances to Zydeco — and everything in between.
Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts
The Thingamajig Theatre Company in residence at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts (PSCA) has achieved a reputation for featuring Broadway-quality productions, earning the distinction as one of Colorado’s premiere venues for professional theater.
Thingamajig Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a constituent member of the Theatre Communication Group, the national organization for professional American theater.
Co-founded in 2011 by Tim and Laura Moore, the award-winning Thingamajig Theatre Company brings in professional talent from around the nation to perform in, direct and design its shows, as well as cultivating local talent.
Thingamajig provides educational opportunities for youth and teens in our community, including theater camps and master classes.
The summer 2024 Broadway in the Mountains season will feature the musicals “Jimmy Buffets Escape to Margaritaville,” “Beautiful the Carole King Musical,” “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” and “Finding Nemo KIDS!”
For event and theater information or to purchase tickets, check out the PSCA website, www.pagosacenter.org, or call (970) 731-SHOW (7469).
Curtains Up Pagosa
Pagosa Springs has an outstanding and unique community theater organization. Curtains Up Pagosa (CUP), established in 1989, typically presents two excellent productions each year.
Each production includes an auditioned volunteer cast that is accompanied by a live pit orchestra of talented local and professional musicians.
This summer, CUP will be present “Once Upon a Mattress,” a music comedy based on the story of the princess and the pea, in June.
The nonprofit organization puts on musicals, concerts and other events.
The organization strives not only to entertain residents and visitors with the very best of community theater in Pagosa, but also to support local public schools by providing funding for arts programs. That support manifests in its stage productions, with cast members ranging in age from those young to those better classified as young at heart, and also in the scholarships CUP awards for students going on to study performing arts after high school. This support includes local student scholarships for private voice, dance and instrumental lessons.
For more information about the show and tickets, watch The PREVIEW section of The Pagosa Springs SUN newspaper. For more information about the organization, visit www.curtainsuppagosa.org.
Pagosa Springs Instrumental Music Society
The Pagosa Springs Community Band formed in 2011 and is part of the Pagosa Springs Instrumental Music Society (PSIMS), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
The group’s motto is “Music for Life,” and the band includes talented community musicians of all ages.
PSIMS exists to develop musical ability and to raise awareness of the importance of music to people of all ages. The group celebrates the joy of music through teaching and performance opportunities for musicians of all levels of ability in our community.
The band puts on four concerts per year. The Fourth of July outdoor concert features patriotic music we know and love from Sousa marches to “America the Beautiful.” The fall concert that showcases the group’s talented directors and the songs selected by the directors will ring familiar to your ear. The festive Heralds of Christmas Concert, held close to the holidays, is a traditional family favorite and features the talented soloists and the brass ensemble with songs of the season. The Band-o-Rama concert in the spring features the Community Band sharing the stage with our middle school and high school bands. It is truly a wonderful musical experience to hear the progression of talent in our local musicians.