By Kelly Van Oosbree
– Photo by RDG Photography
2025 was an extraordinary year for Platte Valley Theatre Arts and Platte Valley Youth Theatre—one filled with vibrant storytelling, community connection, and artistic growth.
Our year began with two joyful PVYT productions, Finding Nemo Kids and Seussical Jr., featuring 60 youth performers and many more working behind the scenes. These visually stunning shows showcased the talent, hard work, and tremendous growth of our young artists, who dazzled audiences with their confidence and skill.
In the spring, we brought laughter to The Armory with Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage—a brand-new comedy and only the second production of the play in Colorado. With an exceptional set designed by award-winning Arvada Center designer Brian Mallgrave, the show was a standout highlight of our season.
From left to right: Cory Wendling, Alex Jacobsen, and Jordann Zbylski
Summer brought a major milestone: our first summertime musical in nearly a decade, The Bridges of Madison County. With a cast of 16 deeply committed adult performers and 8 outstanding musicians, the production was breathtaking—musically rich, emotionally resonant, and beautifully executed.
This fall, PVTA stepped boldly into a new genre with Nick Dear’s Frankenstein. Featuring a cast of 18 employing a range of dialects, movement styles, and intense character work, the production delivered a gripping audio-visual experience that thrilled audiences and expanded our creative boundaries.
We closed our mainstage season with our free Theatre for Young Audiences production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Performed by two incredible actors, this intimate retelling captivated young audiences, many of whom experienced live theatre for the very first time.
Pictured: Carter Edward Smith and Rachel D. Graham
In December, we continued the journey of one of our most beloved TYA pieces, The Tomato Plant Girl. First premiered by PVTA at The Armory in 2023 and later performed in Evergreen in 2024, this charming production reached its largest audience yet in 2025 when we brought it to Parker. Presented at The Schoolhouse Theatre in collaboration with Parker Arts and supported by SCFD funding, the show was seen by hundreds of Douglas County schoolchildren—whose excitement and delight reaffirmed the power of accessible youth theatre.
Alongside our shows, we offered youth theatre classes throughout the year, continued to deepen our engagement with local families, and once again sold out our annual fundraiser, Brighton on Broadway, which was both highly entertaining and a tremendous success. We also launched our Big Read program thanks to a generous grant from the National Endowment for the Arts—an exciting new initiative that will enrich the community for years to come.
This year’s accomplishments were strengthened by key partnerships and community support. We are profoundly grateful to the City of Brighton and their Creative Community Arts Grant, which helped make our 2025 season possible. We extend heartfelt thanks as well to the skilled and generous staff at The Armory Performing Arts Center, to First Presbyterian Church of Brighton for providing essential rehearsal space, and to SCFD for their invaluable financial support. Our all-volunteer Board of Directors truly shined this year, guiding our mission with passion and dedication.
We are immensely proud of the work we accomplished in 2025—and we can’t wait to share an even more inspiring 2026 season with you.