Help

You may purchase season tickets or single tickets online!

If you’d like to order tickets over the phone or have more questions, please call the box office at 303-492-8008 Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Yes, we offer great discounts as one of the benefits of season tickets.

Single ticket discounts for students, seniors and members of the CU community are also available.

Groups of 10 or more also receive discounts.

CU Presents charges a 10% service fee (or a $10 + 2% season ticket fee) for single tickets purchased online or by phone. No fee is charged for group sales or for purchases made in person at the CU Presents Box Office or at the performance. (Please note: Due to the campus response to COVID-19, the box office is currently closed for walk-up business.)

Revenue from these fees funds essential operating needs (such as ticketing software, staffing and infrastructure), which allows us to provide patrons with outstanding service.

Visit our exchange and refund policy page.

Unfortunately we are not able to offer exchanges or refunds after the performance.

Please go to Your visit for more information including directions, parking, public transportation and more.

CU Presents events will be held as scheduled unless the CU Boulder campus is closed. Campus closures will be announced on the CU Boulder website. In the event the campus is closed and an event is canceled, CU Presents will try to reschedule the event and contact ticket purchasers. If the event cannot be rescheduled, ticket holders should call the box office at 303-492-8008 to arrange for ticket credit.

Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre rain policy (Colorado Shakespeare Festival):

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival performs rain or shine. Unless the CU Boulder campus is closed, we will not cancel a Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre performance prior to its scheduled start time. We do not stop performances in a light rain unless weather conditions become threatening to performers or the audience, at which point we will hold the show to see if the weather will clear. If we cancel a performance before intermission due to weather, you may exchange tickets at the box office within one week of the rain-out for a ticket to another performance in the same season, subject to availability. We do not provide exchanges for shows canceled after intermission. Open umbrellas, or anything that might block another patron’s view, are prohibited during a performance.

Boulder fire regulations require everyone, regardless of age, to have a ticket in order to enter the auditorium. Please consider the content of the show and use your discretion about whether your child will enjoy a 90+ minute performance without disruption.

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival does not permit children under 5 at any performance.

Each of our venues has specific accessibility policies, please visit our accessibility page for more information.

CU Presents does not allow unauthorized photography or recording of any kind at its performances.

Please silence and turn off all mobile devices, watches, etc. before a performance begins. Patrons texting or using mobile devices during the performance may be asked to leave the theatre.

In some venues for some performances, mobile devices can be used for accessibility accommodations. Please visit our accessibility page for more information.

Late seating is at the discretion of the house manager based on the performers’ instructions and will occur at an appropriate moment during the performance. Due to the intimate nature of the venues, there is no late seating in the Loft Theatre, Music Theatre and ATLAS Black Box.

Many people ask us what proper dress is for CU Presents. We recommend that you wear whatever you would feel comfortable in for an evening out at a nice restaurant in Boulder.

Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre (Colorado Shakespeare Festival)

The Colorado Shakespeare Festival performs rain or shine. While the weather in Boulder is typically warm during CSF’s summer season, evenings can be chilly, and occasional rain showers and thunderstorms occur. We recommend that you wear what makes you feel comfortable for show-going, whether it’s shorts and a t-shirt or a suit and tie. For early shows, we advise light dress and a warmer layer, such as a sweater or wind jacket. We also encourage patrons to prepare for unexpected showers with light rain gear, as open umbrellas are not allowed in the theatre. Open umbrellas, or anything that might block another patron’s view, are prohibited during a performance.

Many people have scent sensitivities or are highly allergic to perfumes. Because a concert experience places people in an enclosed environment, consider avoiding perfumes, cologne, after-shave and scented lotions.

Light snacks and beverages are for sale at all Artist Series, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Department of Theatre & Dance University Theatre and Macky Eklund Opera events.

Food is not for sale at Takács Quartet and Eklund Opera Music Theatre concerts.

See the available picnicking options for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

Smoking is not permitted anywhere on the CU Boulder campus.

CU Presents has openings for staff, student and volunteer positions year-round.

Learn more about CU Presents job opportunities

Your generous support allows CU Presents to stage hundreds of performances each year, to bring some of the world’s best artists to CU Boulder stages and to expand important education and outreach initiatives. Contribute to one of our many series and programs today, or become a corporate sponsor.

During this time of uncertainty, your gift of any size helps support the people and activities of CU Presents.

Learn more about donations

CU Presents is the home of performing arts on the beautiful University of Colorado Boulder campus. With hundreds of concerts, plays, recitals and more on our stages each year, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Learn more about CU Presents

There will be some small differences to the productions to protect our company members. While the 2021 productions will feature full staging, costumes, props, lighting and sound, they will feature a minimalist scenic treatment.

Bring your mask to campus. Audience members and staff are required to wear face masks over their noses and mouths before, during and after the performance.

In addition, we ask that you maintain 6 feet physical distance from other patrons at all times. We’ll help. Here is how we’ll make it a bit easier to spread out:

• We’re encouraging the use of contactless ticketing options. Protect yourself and our team by choosing print-at-home or mobile tickets—electronic delivery of your tickets will limit the number of people visiting will call at the performance.
• We’ll open outdoor entrances to the Mary Rippon to prevent large crowds from congregating in the halls of Hellems.
• This season, we’re sticking to simple service: There will be no onsite concessions or merchandise sales in the gardens or venue. Bring your own meal from home—distanced outdoor picnicking on the grounds is still encouraged before the performance!
• Our staff will pre-place sanitized, complimentary seatbacks in the Mary Rippon.
• This year, we welcome you to come and go as you please. We’ll leave the Hellems bathrooms open throughout the performance to prevent long lines and crowding during intermission.

Please note: In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the festival, we will comply with all contact tracing information requests from health authorities.

The CSF company will participate in additional training ahead of the festival opening. We’ll provide PPE for staff, perform regular health checks, and provide sick leave to ensure those who need to stay home can do so confidently.

Please note: In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the festival, we will comply with all contact tracing information requests from health authorities.

Obviously, the Mary Rippon comes with built-in ventilation! For the rest of the festival grounds, however, here’s how we’re getting ready:

• We’ll open outdoor entrances to the Mary Rippon to prevent large crowds from congregating in the halls of Hellems.
• This season, we’re sticking to simple service: There will be no onsite concessions or merchandise sales in the gardens or venue. Bring your own meal from home—distanced outdoor picnicking on the grounds is still encouraged before the performance!
• We’ll move services outdoors whenever possible.
• Our staff will pre-place sanitized, complimentary seatbacks in the Mary Rippon.
• Once in the venue, we welcome you to come and go as you please. We’ll leave the Hellems bathrooms open throughout the performance to prevent long lines and crowding during intermission.

As you can imagine, the requirement of physical distancing has forced our box office to adjust our approach to seating patrons.

Throughout the fall and winter, tickets will be sold as general admission; the date and time of purchase will reserve your spot in line for seating priority later. Currently, there are only enough seats on sale to allow for all patrons to be separated by six feet of physical distance if necessary next summer. With such a limited capacity, we encourage you to order as soon as possible to secure your spot in line before the festival sells out!

In the spring, the box office will seat patrons by household based on physical distancing guidelines at that time. For your health and the health of fellow audience members, we ask that you refrain from purchasing tickets outside your household, as we will do our best to seat household orders in a single group.

Below are a few additional details on our seating process:

• When you buy your seats, we’ll note the section and price level you’ve purchased. You will receive an order confirmation and be charged for seats, but your seating will not be finalized. You may make any specific seating requests at that time by calling the box office at 303-492-8008 or emailing cupresents@colorado.edu with your order number.
• We will seat you in best available seating at least three weeks prior to the performance based on the up-to-date state, local and university guidelines, taking any seating requests into account.
• We will seat patrons based on the date they order their tickets, so the earlier you buy, the better your seating options in your chosen section when we call.
• To minimize gathering and in-person interactions at will call, all tickets will be mailed or emailed to patrons in advance of the performance.

We know all these procedures can be confusing, so please feel free to call the box office at 303-492-8008 or email cupresents@colorado.edu if you have questions or requests!

During the COVID-19 crisis, we’d like to reassure ticket buyers that if an event is canceled by CU Presents or the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, we will reach out to ticket holders to offer refunds and other options.

Please note: In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the festival, we will comply with all contact tracing information requests from health authorities.

If you are sick, please stay home. The box office will work with you to find the best option so you don’t lose your purchase.

Please note: In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the festival, we will comply with all contact tracing information requests from health authorities.

In the event that someone tests positive for COVID-19 after attending the festival, we will comply with all contact tracing information requests from health authorities.

Please note: During the COVID-19 crisis, we’d like to reassure ticket buyers that if an event is canceled by CU Presents or the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, we will reach out to ticket holders to offer refunds and other options.

Preview performances afford audiences a reduced ticket price for a “sneak peek” of the completed production. Be the first audience to see the play in its entirety with directors and designers in the house. Preview performances are the night prior to opening night.

Most CSF plays run between two and three hours, with intermission.

Most people catch on to the rhythm of the language after five to 10 minutes. A free program contains synopses, character listings and information provided by directors.

Colorado Shakespeare Festival is a non-profit, professional theatre company launched by and in association with the University of Colorado Boulder. The university supports the work of CSF in many ways, providing performance and rehearsal space, access to costumes and scene shops, and marketing and box office services.

CSF relies in part on state funds. Ticket sales, tax-deductible donations from patrons and educational programs provide 90 percent of the support for CSF. The university provides about 10 percent of the budgeted revenue, in exchange for integration with and support of the academic mission of the CU Boulder College of Arts and Sciences.

Professional actors, directors, designers and technicians, hired from around the country and overseas, make up the majority of the CSF company. As part of our ongoing commitment to the educational mission of the University of Colorado Boulder, CSF also provides internships and employment experience to CU students in performing arts and other programs, including roles in the productions.