CREEDE – Creede Repertory Theatre (CRT) Artistic Director Emily Van Fleet sat down with the Mineral County Miner to talk about the coming 60th season at the small-town theatre and is excited to bring a new twist to the productions audiences have come to love time and again. 

Van Fleet was brought on board earlier this year and has since spent her time learning the ropes of the theatre and making plans for the coming season. 

“We are very excited for our 60th season. We will have the classic repertory audiences have grown to love while adding a new twist to our schedules. We are excited to focus on the future while honoring the past,” she said. 

Van Fleet is working with CRT staff to create a wider outreach program that will cultivate more connections with locations outside of Creede. 

“We have a special relationship with the San Luis Valley and to Creede so we want to share that as much as we can. We want to focus on a wider outreach and bring productions to other locations outside of Creede and have a larger impact on the communities we love,” she said. 

While expanding their outreach, one main thing the theatre would like to do is gain more recognition nationally. 

“The secret is out about our theatre, and we will be working to enhance our efforts for national recognition. We have such an amazing theatre tucked away in a beautiful place and we want people to know that there is so much to enjoy here while diving into the world of small-town theatres,” she said. 

Van Fleet and her team at CRT are highlighting the many things to do in and around Creede for those who would like to plan a trip this coming season. 

“We want people to make the effort to come and to know that it is beyond worth the drive to get here,” she said. 

The new season will kick off with the full schedule earlier than normal beginning in June and running with the entire production schedule through Labor Day weekend. Van Fleet has also scheduled for musical story telling in the Ruth Humphrey Theatre as well as huge changes to the production model.  

“We wanted people coming at the beginning of the season in Creede to have a chance to see any play and for those coming later to be able to have the same chance, so we decided to open the full schedule for the coming season from beginning to end,” she said. 

In addition to the schedule and production changes, the team will also be offering a new time for their popular Boomtown Improv productions. 

“We had a lot of feedback asking that the Boomtown Improv to be held at an earlier time, so we have changed the time from 9 p.m. to 7 p.m. so more audiences have a chance to enjoy this beloved production,” she said. 

Though many changes are on the docket for the coming year, each one was selected to better serve audiences. For a full schedule of CRT’s 60th season, visit www.creederep.org.