Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
Overview
Expert Summary
Detailed Insights
The Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre offers an exceptional family entertainment experience, known for bringing high-quality, 'brilliant' and 'unforgettable' productions like 'Back to the Future: The Musical' and 'Hamilton' to life on stage. Its unique value lies in combining top-tier theatrical performances with a well-maintained, comfortable venue, ensuring 'incredible views' from every seat and a 'warm and welcoming atmosphere' that makes both children and adults 'feel like a kid again'.
Key Highlights
- ✓Stages brilliant, iconic, and immersive productions (e.g., DeLorean on stage for Back to the Future).
- ✓Beautiful, well-maintained, clean, and organized venue with a warm atmosphere.
- ✓Friendly, helpful, and plentiful staff who assist with directions and general experience.
- ✓Offers incredible views of the stage from all seating areas, even the very last row of the balcony.
- ✓Convenient option to order food and drinks ahead of time to avoid long intermission lines.
- ✓Easy access to bathrooms, enhancing overall convenience.
- ✓Reusable wine cups with lids available for drinks (helpful for spill prevention).
- ✓Located in a vibrant cluster of theaters downtown.
Standout Features
- ⭐High-quality, immersive theatrical productions with impressive stage elements.
- ⭐Excellent sightlines from all seats in the house, including the balcony.
- ⭐Efficient and friendly staff presence throughout the venue.
- ⭐Pre-ordering system for food and drinks to bypass intermission queues.
- ⭐Clean, well-maintained facilities and bathrooms.
- ⭐Durable, lidded drinkware for purchases.
- ⭐Prime downtown location within the art district's theater cluster.
Perfect For
Ideal For
💡Pro Tips from Reviews
- →Check their official website for the latest production schedules and to plan your visit.
- →Utilize the pre-order option for food and drinks to save time during intermission.
- →Don't hesitate to purchase balcony seats, as reviews confirm they offer excellent views.
- →If a popular, iconic show is playing, book tickets in advance to ensure availability.
Price & Value
While specific pricing is not mentioned, the reviews consistently highlight the high quality of productions and the venue experience. The 'incredible view' from even the last row of the balcony suggests good value for money, as potentially lower-priced seats still offer a premium viewing experience. Convenience features like pre-ordering food also add to the overall value.
♿Accessibility & Special Needs
- •Easy access to bathrooms is noted, which implies general accessibility.
- •Many staff members are available to help direct patrons, which can assist those needing guidance.
- •No specific accommodations for sensory needs or mobility assistance beyond general access were explicitly mentioned in the reviews.
🍎Food & Drink Policy
- •Food and drinks are readily available for purchase on-site.
- •Option to order food and drinks ahead of time to avoid lines.
- •Reusable, lidded cups are provided for purchased drinks.
🚗Parking Info
- •Parking is described as 'relatively easy', despite its downtown location amongst other theaters.
👥Crowd Levels
- •Intermissions can lead to 'long lines' for food and drinks, suggesting peak busy periods. The pre-ordering option helps manage this.
🛡️Safety Features
- •The venue is described as 'clean and organized'.
- •Staff are 'incredibly friendly and helpful' and 'many staff members available to help direct you', contributing to a safe and guided experience.
Pricing/Package/Events
Events & Schedule
Special Events(Last 2 months - Next 6 months)
Happiest Man on Earth
Sep 28 - Nov 2
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Morrissey
Oct 2
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Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Oct 3 - Nov 2
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Dracula (Colorado Ballet)
Oct 3-12
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Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4
Oct 3-5
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Twilight in Concert
Oct 5
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Shucked
Oct 7-19
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BLACKSTAR Symphony: The Music of David Bowie
Oct 9
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Cirque Cinema with Troupe Vertigo
Oct 11
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Denver Jazz Orchestra (Part of the 'Major Mondays' large ensemble series)
Oct 14
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The Witcher in Concert
Oct 15
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Mahler Symphony No. 9 with Andrew Litton
Oct 17-19
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The Lion King
Oct 23 - Nov 16
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Goodnight Moon
Oct 25, 2025 - Jan 25, 2026
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Halloween Spooktacular!
Oct 26
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Disney in Concert: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Oct 31 - Nov 1
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La traviata
Nov 1-9
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Mozart Violin Concerto No. 4 with Paul Huang
Nov 7-9
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Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Nov 8, 2025 - May 10, 2026
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DeVotchKa with the Colorado Symphony
Nov 15
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Robert Plant's Saving Grace ft. Suzi Dian (Roar In The Fall)
Nov 15
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A Gentle Caress from the Rising Sun
Nov 16
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STOMP
Nov 19-22
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A Christmas Carol
Nov 21 - Dec 28
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The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with Soyoung Yoon
Nov 21-23
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Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Nov 28-29
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A Drag Queen Christmas
Nov 29
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A Holiday Evening with Ingrid Michaelson
Nov 30
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Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical
Dec 3-7
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Celtic Woman: White Christmas Symphony Tour
Dec 4
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A Charlie Brown Christmas - LIVE!
Dec 6-7
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A Colorado Christmas
Dec 12-14
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A Conversation with Alicia Silverstone, Plus a 30th Anniversary Screening of CLUELESS
Dec 13
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Holiday Brass
Dec 16
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The Notebook
Dec 16-28
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Handel's Messiah – Awakening
Dec 19-21
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Elf in Concert
Dec 22-23
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A Night in Vienna
Dec 31
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Dolly Parton's Threads: My Songs in Symphony
Jan 3-4
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SIX
Jan 7-11
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Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Jan 9-11
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute and Humanitarian Awards
Jan 13
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Cowboys and East Indians
Jan 16 - Mar 1
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The Choir of Man
Jan 16-17
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The Simon and Garfunkel Story
Jan 24-25
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Godspeed
Jan 30 - Feb 22
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Richard Thomas in Mark Twain Tonight!
Jan 31
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Dirty Dancing in Concert
Feb 4
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Water for Elephants
Feb 11-22
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Colorado New Play Summit
Feb 14-15
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PlayStation | The Concert
Feb 24
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Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN
Feb 27 - Mar 1
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The Phantom of the Opera
Mar 18 - Apr 5
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Krewe of Olympus Carnival Ball XII
Mar 29
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Next to Normal
Apr 3 - May 4
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Hell's Kitchen
Apr 14-26
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English
Apr 17 - May 31
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Somewhere
May 1-31
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Madama Butterfly
May 2-10
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Hadestown
May 5-10
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MJ
May 13-17
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The Sound of Music
July 29 - Aug 2
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Beetlejuice
Aug 4-9
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Monty Python's Spamalot
Aug 11-23
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The Outsiders
Sep 8-27
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Sunset Cinema presented by Coca-Cola (Free Outdoor Movie Series)
Summer series, specific dates provided for each film
FREE (registration required via Eventbrite)
Annual outdoor movie series in Sculpture Park, in partnership with Denver Film. Features pre-show entertainment, photo booth, food trucks, craft cocktails, and cinema snacks for purchase. Guests can dress up as characters and bring chairs/blankets.
Forrest Gump (Sunset Cinema)
June 24
FREE
Film (1994, PG-13, 2 hr 22 min). Pre-Show: Themed set from The Diamond Empire Band. Food Trucks: Radical Sasquatch Dumpling Company, What Would Cheesus Do?, Momo Sushi On The Go, Mile High City Sliders, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.
The Greatest Showman (Sunset Cinema)
July 8
FREE
Film (2017, PG, 1 hr 45 min). Pre-Show: Soundtrack performance and singalong with Denver Gay Men's Chorus. Food Trucks: Roll It Up Sushi Truck, Cirque Kitchen and Spirits, Toby's New Orleans Poboys.
The Princess Bride (Sunset Cinema)
July 15
FREE
Film (1987, PG, 1 hr 38 min). Pre-Show: Songs and shanties by The Crimson Pirates. Food Trucks: Pierogi Posse, Ecos de Mexico, The Bamboo Skewer, What Would Cheesus Do?.
The Goonies (Sunset Cinema)
Aug 5
FREE
Film (1985, PG, 1 hr 54 min). Pre-Show: Flashback '80s set from DJ Cyn. Food Trucks: Fritay Haitian, Ecos de Mexico, Biker Jim's Gourmet Dogs, Sauvage.
Bridesmaids (Sunset Cinema)
Aug 19
FREE
Film (2011, R, 2 hr 5 min). Pre-Show: All-female improv set from Chaos Bloom Improv Theater. Food Trucks: Sauvage, Radical Sasquatch Dumpling Company, Downtown Fingers, and Darleen'z Dillaz.
The Big Eat 2025
Thursday, July 24
Presented by EatDenver, held in The Galleria.
Beethoven and Brews at the 'Plex
Saturday, Sept 6
Presented by Colorado Symphony, held in Sculpture Park.
🍎Food Policy
- • For Sunset Cinema events: Food for personal consumption and non-alcoholic beverages in factory-sealed plastic containers (32 oz. or less) are permitted.
- • Pets that are not trained service animals are not allowed inside the theatres.
- • Service animals (dogs or miniature horses individually trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities) are welcome. Emotional support, therapy, comfort animals are not considered service animals and will not be admitted.
- • Service animals must be leashed, harnessed, or tethered and under the control of the person at all times. Aggressive, erratic, or non-housebroken service animals will not be admitted or may be asked to be removed.
🛡️Safety Policy
- • All guests are encouraged to arrive early to factor in downtown traffic, parking, security, and getting to seats.
- • Bags are subject to search upon entry for Sunset Cinema events (and likely other events).
- • Transport wheelchairs may not be removed from the Arts Complex.
📅Booking Policy
- • Four resident companies (Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Colorado Symphony, Colorado Ballet, Opera Colorado) manage their individual ticket sales and are the only authorized ticket providers for their events.
- • Other events at the Arts Complex are ticketed by AXS.com.
- • Accessible tickets are available for online purchase or by contacting the appropriate box office.
- • Patrons requiring accessible seating accommodations must request them at the time of purchase.
- • Patrons may purchase up to three (3) companion seats adjacent to their accessible seat pending availability.
- • Unsold accessible seating may be released for sale to individuals without disabilities when all non-accessible tickets have been sold (either overall, in a designated seating area, or in a designated price category).
- • AXS Mobile Delivery is the primary admission method for AXS ticketed events. Patrons must download the AXS app (iOS or Android) and have their AXS Mobile ID displayed for scanning at entry doors.
- • Requests for accommodations (ASL interpreter, open captioning, etc.) may require 2-3 weeks to arrange; patrons are recommended to contact the appropriate box office as soon as possible.
🚗Parking Information
- • On-site Arts Complex Garage, primary entrance on Arapahoe Street between 13th and 14th streets (use 1352 Arapahoe Street for navigation).
- • No free parking.
- • Garage height clearance: 6'10".
- • Accessible parking on all levels near elevators.
- • Electric Vehicle (EV) charging spots available on Level 4 (limited to four hours).
- • Garage payment options: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Apple Pay, Google Pay. Cash NOT accepted on entry/exit, but accepted at Pay-On-Foot machines in the Galleria during hourly rate timeframes.
- • Reverse ATM (cash-to-card machine) located in the Galleria near 14th Street elevators.
- • Event Rate (Pay upon Entrance): $17. Applies all day Saturday and Sunday, and begins two hours before large events (check monthly calendar for specific start times).
- • Standard Rates (Pay upon Exit): < 1 hr: $6, 1-2 hrs: $8, 2-5 hrs: $12, 5-8 hrs: $16, 8-12 hrs: $18, 12-24 hrs: $22, Each additional 12 hrs: $12, Lost Ticket: $30.
- • Early Bird Rate: $10 (in by 7:30 a.m. & out by 6 p.m.).
- • Overnight parking: "New Day" begins at 4:00 a.m.; vehicles exiting after 4:00 a.m. will incur additional charges.
- • Monthly Parking: $195/month, available Mon-Fri 4 a.m. – 6 p.m., minimum one-month contract, 30-day cancellation notice (contact rdurand@metropolis.io for information).
- • Parking Garage Office: Located in the Galleria across from the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex, open Mon-Fri, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
What People Say
What's Great
- Clean and well-maintained facilities (mentioned in 2 reviews)
- Friendly and helpful staff (mentioned in 8 reviews)
- Spacious play areas (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Areas for Improvement
- Parking can be challenging (mentioned in 2 reviews)
Recent Reviews
Kimberly Anderson
3 months agoI had the absolute pleasure of seeing Back to the Future: The Musical at the Buell Theatre in Denver, and what an unforgettable experience it was! This brilliant production brought the iconic movie to life in such a fun and inventive way. Seeing the DeLorean on stage was pure magic—I felt like a kid again! From start to finish, I couldn’t stop smiling. The Buell Theatre itself was the perfect venue for the show. It’s a beautiful, well-maintained space with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, making the experience even better. Everything was clean and organized, and the seating offered great views of the stage. If you’re considering seeing a show at the Buell, I can’t recommend it enough. And if Back to the Future is still playing—don’t miss it! It’s an electrifying trip down memory lane.
EA S
5 months agoWe were in town when we spontaneously stopped in for a show and experienced Hamilton. Nice little theater in the art district. Three levels of foyers. Balcony seats provide a good view.
A D
a month agoSaw Life of Pi here and it was great! I’d love to see other shows here at some point. They seem like they’ve got a stacked lineup for upcoming shows!
Victoria Eliason
2 weeks agoThe theater was really nice, and I saw a great show Easy to get food/drinks. I liked the wine cup was reusable and had a lid! Easy access to bathrooms. Friendly staff. Easy to exit and relatively easy parking. Had a great time and look forward to going back.
Jessica Vasquez
7 months agoWe were in the very last row of the balcony and still had an incredible view of the concert. There isn't a bad seat in the house. They had many staff members available to help direct you to your comfortable seats! We were here for the Avatar: The Last Airbender concert. I also found it very convenient that you can order food and drinks ahead of time. This helps avoid the long lines during intermission. This theatre is located amongst a cluster of theaters all next to each other in downtown! I'll be checking out future shows here! Check out what productions and performance are happening on their website.