Ellie Caulkins Opera House 
1385 Curtis Street, Denver, CO 80204 

Colorado Ballet's professional Company performs its season productions at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, managed by Denver Arts and Venues.  

The Ellie Caulkins Opera House, known simply as “The Ellie,” is a world-class acoustical hall designed in the lyric style. It seats 2,100 and encompasses four levels: the balcony, loge, mezzanine and orchestra. 

This magnificent space is humidified and provides state-of-the-art technical support as well as acoustical excellence and clean sight lines.  

The Ellie Caulkins box office is located directly to the right of the main entrance doors and opens 90 minutes prior to the start of each performance. The box office is not occupied by Colorado Ballet staff outside of this timeframe. 

Please be ready to present a photo ID if picking up tickets at Will Call. If you have misplaced your tickets or are having difficulty accessing your Digital Tickets, please stop by the box office and we will be happy to assist you. If Digital Tickets delivery is selected, a $5 per ticket fee will be charged if physical tickets are requested for printing at the box office the day of the performance.

Arts Complex Garage: Accessed from Arapahoe Street between 13th and 14th streets or underneath the Arts Complex on 13th Street between Arapahoe and Champa.  

Accessible parking on Levels 3–5. Patrons should take the elevator to Level 3 to enter the theatres. Note: There may be several performances at different venues in the Arts Complex at the same time, so check the Arts Complex calendar overlapping performances and plan ahead.   

Colorado Convention Center Garage: Located on northbound Speer Boulevard at Champa Connected via walkway along 13th Street. Patrons should use the Z elevators on the Champa side to "Street Level." Then, cross Champa at the signal and follow the 13th Street sidewalk to the Arts Complex. Take the Parking Garage elevators to Level 3 to enter the theatres. 

Additional Options: Curtis Hotel Garage, located directly across from the DCPA at 1405 Curtis Street (garage entrance on the left). Towne Park valet parking at the Four Seasons Hotel 1111 14th street, the corner of 14th and Lawrence Four Seasons valet. 

The ART District Connector provides a link between some of Denver’s most visited cultural sites such as the Santa Fe Art District, Denver Theatre District, and RiNo Arts District. Launched in January 2025, the route serves the Baker, Five Points, and Elyrea / Swansea neighborhoods, connecting the between the Alameda and 40th & Colorado rail stations.  

H3: Directions 
From the North: 
Take I-25 south toward Denver. Take Speer Blvd. South – Exit 212A. Turn left on Arapahoe St. Turn right on 13th Street. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is located on the south side of the Denver Performing Arts Complex between 14th St. and the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre. 
 
From the South: 
Take I-25 north towards Denver. Take the Auraria Pkwy./CO-33- Exit 210B. Auraria Parkway becomes Colorado Avalanche Blvd. Turn right on Speer Blvd. Turn left on Arapahoe St. and right on 13th St. 

From the North: 
Take I-25 south toward Denver. Take Speer Blvd. South – Exit 212A. Turn left on Arapahoe St. Turn right on 13th Street. The Ellie Caulkins Opera House is located on the south side of the Denver Performing Arts Complex between 14th St. and the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre. 
 
From the South: 
Take I-25 north towards Denver. Take the Auraria Pkwy./CO-33- Exit 210B. Auraria Parkway becomes Colorado Avalanche Blvd. Turn right on Speer Blvd. Turn left on Arapahoe St. and right on 13th St.

To provide for the safety of all guests and employees at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House and the entire Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver Arts & Venues provides enhanced state-of-the-art touchless security screenings upon venue entry. 
 
We encourage you to arrive 45 to 60 minutes prior to the start of your performance(s) to allow for enough time to be comfortably screened and seated. 

Select items are prohibited on the premises. Please visit the Denver Arts Complex website for a complete and current list of permitted items. 

Armstrong Center for Dance 
1075 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204   

Colorado Ballet and Colorado Ballet Academy perform smaller productions in our Black Box Theater at The Armstrong Center for Dance. The Black Box Theater features 135 seats for performances and up to 177 seats for lecture-style events. Mainstage performances happen at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, not at the Armstrong. 

Colorado Ballet’s The Armstrong Center for Dance is located at the corner of Santa Fe Drive and 11th Avenue in Denver. Travel towards downtown Denver on I-25 and take the Santa Fe Drive exit (Exit 207B). 

Go north on Santa Fe Drive until you reach 11th Avenue. Colorado Ballet’s parking lot, which can be entered from 11th street, is reserved for dancers and staff. Street parking is available on Santa Fe Drive and Kalamath Street between 10th and 11th Avenues.

Buy tickets directly through coloradoballet.org. 

We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Colorado Ballet Gift Certificates. We no longer accept cash or checks at the Ellie Box Office for performances. 

Our confirmation emails come from Tickets@ColoradoBallet.org and are often rerouted to your spam/junk/promotions folder (especially if you have Gmail). Make sure to check those folders or search your email for "Tickets@ColoradoBallet.org.” 

If you do not receive a confirmation number (in the form of a confirmation page or email) after submitting payment information, or if you experience an error message or service interruption after submitting payment information, it is your responsibility to confirm whether your order has been successfully placed by contacting Colorado Ballet ticketing at 303-339-1637 or tickets@coloradoballet.org. Only you are aware of any problems that may occur during the purchase process. We will not be responsible for losses (monetary or otherwise) if the assumption is made that an order was not placed because the order confirmation was not received. If you are unsure if an order was placed, please contact us prior to re-purchasing as no refund will be given. 

If you have digital tickets, they will be available online 24 hours before your performance. Log in to your account to access and present barcodes for scanning. 

If you log into your online account more than 24 hours before your performance, you will see only your Upcoming Performances listed. 

Step 1: On your smart phone, navigate to coloradoballet.org via your web browser and click the circular Account icon at the top of the page. 

Step 2: Login to your account by providing your email address and password. If you do not remember your password, you may click Forgot Password and follow the provided steps to reset it.  

Step 3: Upon logging in, you will be taken to your Upcoming Performances, or performances where you have purchased tickets. Your Digital Tickets will be available on your smart phone 24 hours prior to your performance. 

Step 4: Once your tickets are available, click View Tickets to display your Digital Tickets.   

Step 5: Please be sure to scroll all the way through your Digital Ticket page and present all barcodes for scanning. Please turn up your smart phone’s brightness level to ensure ease of ticket scanning.

Season subscribers enjoy free exchanges (24-hour notice required). Single ticket buyers may request ticket exchanges for a $10 per order fee, subject to availability. All exchange requests must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled performance time, unless otherwise prohibited due to a force majeure event. Exchange seating is not guaranteed and will be based on current availability at the time of the request.  

Ballet offers ticket refunds only in the event of a full performance cancellation. Please note that service and handling fees are non-refundable under any circumstances. Colorado Ballet is not responsible for any travel or other expenses incurred in connection with a canceled or postponed event.  

If tickets were purchased through a third-party seller or ticketing platform, you must contact that party directly for any refund inquiries.  

Subscribers and single ticket holders may opt to receive ticket credit in lieu of an exchange. Ticket credit is valid only within the season in which it was issued and expires at the end of Colorado Ballet’s fiscal year (June 30).  

If you are unable to use your tickets and are unwilling or unable to exchange them, you may donate your tickets back to Colorado Ballet as a tax-deductible donation in the amount paid for the tickets. Donations must be requested no later than 24 hours prior to the scheduled performance time, unless prohibited by force majeure. A tax donation acknowledgment letter will be issued within two weeks of the donation for your records.  

Tickets purchased for commercial or unauthorized resale purposes, or in violation of Colorado Ballet’s ticketing policies, are not eligible for exchange or refund and may be subject to cancellation without notice. By purchasing tickets, you agree not to attempt to evade or circumvent the refund or exchange policies stated herein. You agree not to seek a refund or exchange directly from Colorado Ballet when such is prohibited. You agree not to initiate a credit card chargeback or dispute related to your ticket purchase. If a chargeback is initiated, Colorado Ballet reserves the right to cancel the associated tickets and may prohibit future purchases using the same credit card or associated account. 

When purchasing tickets on our site, you are limited to 10 tickets for each production (also known as a "ticket limit"). This ticket limit is posted during the purchase process and is verified with every transaction. This policy is in effect to discourage unfair ticket buying practices. We reserve the right to cancel any or all orders and tickets without notice to you if the posted limits are exceeded. This includes orders associated with the same name, e-mail address, billing address, credit card number or other information. Companies and groups requesting 10 or more tickets should contact the Colorado Ballet ticketing office at 303-339-1637 or tickets@coloradoballet.org.

We include all service fees within the price of your ticket. A $5 per ticket handling fee will be applied for all ticket purchases with Standard Mail or Will Call as the selected ticket delivery method. If Digital Tickets delivery is selected, a $5 per ticket fee will be charged only if physical tickets are requested for printing at the box office the day of the performance. 

Colorado Ballet sells tickets on its website, coloradoballet.org. Colorado Ballet does not partner with or endorse other ticketing vendors, and we cannot guarantee the quality of ticketing services through other ticketing vendors. Because we do not guarantee the authenticity of tickets purchased from any non-authorized third party vendor (such as brokers or individuals), we recommend that you purchase tickets directly through us or from our authorized partners. 

Colorado Ballet cannot re-print or refund tickets obtained from unauthorized sources. If bought through an unauthorized seller, tickets may be stolen or counterfeit, and if so, are void. 

Should a ballet performance be canceled or postponed for any reason, we will attempt to contact all ticket holders for that performance and will provide appropriate accommodations. 

Colorado Ballet performances will only be canceled due to weather if the City of Denver officially closes due to weather. Otherwise, performances will occur, rain, snow or shine. Please contact us at 303-339-1637 or tickets@coloradoballet.org should you have any questions or concerns. 

We typically recommend family-friendly productions including The Nutcracker for ages 5 and up. For some of our more mature productions, like Dracula, we recommend 6th grade and up. We expect our young patrons to be quiet and courteous during the performance. Most of our ballets include at least one intermission. For productions at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, booster seats are available from the ushers. 

Cameras and recording are devices are not allowed during performance. You are welcome to take photos in the lobby or theater before the performance, during intermission and after the performance. However, you cannot take photos during the performance. For photos of our performances, please enjoy the images posted on our Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages. 

-Subscribers: Subscribers save 25% on additional single tickets, including to The Nutcracker. 
-Local Dance Students: For some performances, we offer a 15% off discount for dance students currently enrolled in local classes. Contact the ticketing office at 303-837-8888 ext. 2 or tickets@coloradoballet.org. 
-College Students: Save with a College Pass. 
-Group discounts: Groups of 10 or more save 20%. To order, call 303-837-8888 ext. 2 or email tickets@coloradoballet.org. 
-Military: Active duty and retired military save 15%. To order, call 303-837-8888 ext. 2 or email tickets@coloradoballet.org. 
-We do not offer rush and/or discounted senior tickets. 

If attending a story ballet at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, you will see a synopsis in your program. Please note: The Figaro seatback titling system will be unavailable during the 2025-2026 season.

Performance length varies depending on the ballet. Colorado Ballet's annual production of The Nutcracker runs approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes including the 20-minute intermission. We will e-mail out performance run times to other ballets in the Know Before You Go e-mail, which goes out several days before each performance. 

Children 2 and younger may sit on a lap. All patrons entering the Ellie will still need to be ticketed. Please reach out to our Patron Services team to reserve your complimentary lap seat ticket at Tickets@ColoradoBallet.org. 

Parking and traffic in Denver can be tricky, so we recommend that you arrive early. For performances at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, outside doors into the lobby will open one hour before the production begins and inside doors into the theater will open 30 minutes before the production begins. The Ellie Box Office will open 90 minutes before curtain time. 

There is no assigned late seating. Latecomers will be seated at the discretion of house management, but may be required to wait in the lobby until intermission. Television monitors display the performance and are located in the lobby. All patrons (all ages) attending Colorado Ballet performance require a ticket. Lap seating is not permitted. 

Our performances have no dress code. Some patrons take the opportunity to dress up while others dress more casually. Typically, we encourage patrons to wear business causal attire, but we just want you to be comfortable in your seat. For performances during cold weather, a coat check is available on the left side of the lobby, so please remember to bring a jacket. 

Yes. You will receive a performance program from an usher when you enter the theater through the lobby doors. The programs are free and will have each performance's casting included inside the program. 

For performances at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, merchandise will be available for purchase in the main lobby at the Boutique gift shop. Beverages and snacks are available for purchase at two bars in the main lobby and at the bar in the loge lobby. Outside food and drinks are not permitted in the venue and you will not be allowed to bring food and drinks into the theater. If you do not want to wait in line for a beverage at one of the Ellie Caulkins Opera House bars during intermission, you may pre-order one. Simply stop by one of the Ellie bars (two in the main lobby, one in the Loge lobby) before the performance and place your order. Your beverage will be waiting for you at the bar at the start of intermission. 

All bags and persons entering the performance venue are subject to search. Denver Performing Arts Complex management reserves the right to refuse any item deemed a potential safety or security risk or with the potential to be a distraction to the event being held. Prohibited items include: 

ALL OUTSIDE FOOD AND BEVERAGES (exceptions: factory-sealed water bottles and Prelude + Post beverages in plastic cups with lids) 
Marijuana and drugs without a prescription 
Laser pointers (will be confiscated and patron subject to ejection) 
Coolers (hard sided and soft sided) 
Audio or video recording devices, GoPros, professional cameras or cameras with removable lenses 
Weapons or items construed as weapons (e.g. guns, knives, chains) 
Bullhorns or noisemakers 
Commercial signage 
Animals (except service animals) 
Bicycles, skateboards, inline skates, scooters and hoverboards 
Remote control flying devices or UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) 
Bags and backpacks larger than 12” x 17” x 12” (must fit under your designated seat) 

We are able to donate one pair of tickets to a 501 (c)(3) organization we are currently working with.  If you are looking for donation fulfillment, please reach out to your current contact with Colorado Ballet directly. 

Colorado Ballet reserves the right, without refund of any amount paid, to refuse admission to, or eject, any patron whose conduct management deems disorderly, who uses vulgar or abusive language or who fails to comply with Colorado Ballet rules. 

Patrons voluntarily assume all risks and danger incidental to the event for which the ticket is issued, whether occurring before, during or after the event, and you waive any claims for personal injury or death against us, management, facilities, leagues, artists, other participants, and all of our respective parents, affiliated entities, agents, officers, directors, owners and employees on behalf of yourself and any accompanying minor. You bear all risks of inclement weather.