Theatre Aspen began in 1983, when founder Kent Reed came to Aspen with a vision of creating a professional theatre company in the mountains. With a $2,500 loan from Aspen Community Theatre, the company staged its first productions in the unfinished basement of the Hotel Jerome as Theatre Under the Jerome.
When the hotel’s restoration began in 1987, the company lost its performance space. Renamed the Aspen Theatre Company, it performed in several local venues before receiving City approval to erect a summer tent near the Rio Grande Trail. That move began Theatre Aspen’s enduring identity as a theatre in the park.
The organization became Aspen Theatre in the Park in 1992 and raised funds for a new performance tent. In 1998, it established the Aspen School of Theatre Arts to expand theatre education for young people.
Renamed Theatre Aspen in 2005, the organization has grown into one of Aspen’s leading cultural institutions, presenting professional productions, developing new work, supporting emerging artists and providing accessible programming and education for the community.
