Colorado Ballet Launches 'Fill The Theater' Fundraising Initiative

Colorado Ballet announces that the company is launching a new fundraising initiative during this holiday season to virtually fill every seat in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with a gift to support the organization during this challenging time in which they will not see any ticket sales revenue from The Nutcracker.

With the spirit of holiday giving in mind, Colorado Ballet invites all patrons and the general arts-loving public to consider making a tax-deductible gift in lieu of their Nutcracker ticket purchase. Colorado Ballet seeks to virtually fill the theater with a goal of receiving 2080 gifts to represent the 2080 seats in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House by December 31. Funds raised will enable Colorado Ballet to continue presenting world-class ballet, including next season's production of The Nutcracker, as well as educational and community programs.

In giving back to the community, Colorado Ballet has partnered with Rocky Mountain PBS and PNC Bank to bring a special broadcast of The Nutcracker into patrons' homes during the holidays.

"Countless families and friends throughout Colorado attend The Nutcracker as a special part of their holiday traditions," stated Artistic Director Gil Boggs. "We couldn't be more thrilled to enable families to keep those traditions alive during these challenging times by offering our production of The Nutcracker to the community free of charge in a special broadcast on Rocky Mountain PBS for our patrons to view from the safety of their homes this holiday season."

The Rocky Mountain PBS broadcast will air six times over the holiday season, premiering on Thanksgiving at 7pm and concluding on December 25 at midnight. It will also be available for free online streaming until Christmas. View all of the details and more information online.

With an average of 28 sold-out performances of The Nutcracker annually, ticket sales from this production alone typically make up over 50 percent of Colorado Ballet's annual ticketing revenue, bringing in approximately $3 million each holiday season. Colorado Ballet's inability to present mainstage productions at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House this season totals a loss of more than $5 million dollars.

In light of this need, Colorado Ballet has launched a Relief & Recovery Fund. With a fundraising goal of $3 million, this fund will help to cover a significant portion of the lost ticketing revenue and ensure that Colorado Ballet will be able to present productions next season and emerge from this crisis as the vibrant performing arts organization it grew to become over the past 60 years. Visit Colorado Ballet's Relief and Recovery website.