Denver has been trying for years to become the place for immersive art and immersive experiences, and it’s shown results — not just with places like Meow Wolf and Casa Bonita, but also with shows like “Camp Christmas” and “Carne y arena.”
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) has been central to supporting and staging those original shows and others, including the renowned David Byrne’s Theater of the Mind, through its Off-Center immersive production arm.
Established in 2010, Off-Center was a spearhead for establishing Denver as the immersive hub, staging some 70 original immersive productions. It had a dedicated space and worked around the state.
But now the DCPA and the larger scene are facing a big change. Off-Center will close and DCPA will stop producing original works, instead focusing on presenting immersive shows from other outfits. Off-Center's co-founder, Charlie Miller is leaving as well.
“Off the top, it's a loss. I don't think anyone thinks it's a good thing, generally speaking,” said David Thomas, the co-founder of Immersive Denver, an organization that aims to connect and advocate for immersive artists in Denver and Colorado.
He was one person that Denverite interviewed about the next step for the immersive scene after this substantial change.
Immersive art is a multisensory experience that puts the viewer in the space of the show, like a Disney ride, but instead of being in a seat, people get to choose their own pacing and story experience.
Thomas said that despite the excitement, some regional arts organizations have struggled to make it work.
“As immersive started to blow up, Denver had several big benefits. Meow Wolf put a lot of eyes on Denver,” Thomas said.
So did the renovation of Casa Bonita, the surreal restaurant experience in Lakewood, and the work of groups like Off-Center.
“By the time we had run the Denver Immersive gathering in 2023, all eyes were on Denver for all of these factors. So that still exists," he explained. “But in this world, attention only lasts as long as there's heat.”
He added that outside of DCPA, and even outside Denver, artists throughout the immersive world are looking at where they fit and who their audience is.
“It's been kind of a soul-searching time nationally and even internationally for immersive. So it's not surprising to me that the DCPA is making decisions based on that kind of era of uncertainty,” Thomas said. “But we're looking to the future right now.”
‘That’s the thing about this immersive stuff: You’ve got to be really, really, adaptable.’
Lonnie Hanzon has been creating immersive art since 1985. He’s the artist behind “Camp Christmas,” an immersive experience he, in partnership with DCPA, has put on since 2019. However, Hanzon said that this year, his studio, Hanzon Studio, is taking the lead on more aspects of the production and operation.
Camp Christmas is an art installation that takes people on a walk-through Christmas extravaganza. People can meet Santa and earn “Merry badges.” There will be different themed nights, bars and food as well.
This year, the holiday experience-turned-tradition is returning to Stanley Marketplace. Hanzon said decisions about next year will be based, as always, on how this season goes.
“We're actually really approaching it from a community standpoint and totally new financial structures, but that's what you got to do to keep this stuff going. You adapt,” Hanzon said. “That's the thing about this immersive stuff, you've got to be really, really adaptable.”
It’s no secret that the economy is unstable, both nationally and locally. That uncertainty can affect just about anything, Hanzon said, especially the arts.
“It's a time right now that the world is very contractive. Everybody wants to be safe right now. Everybody's waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Hanzon said. "It's a very fearful time, but when the going gets tough, the artists get going.”
But Hanzon said he doesn’t believe the closure of Off-Center is the end of Denver’s immersive hub, but the beginning of a new chapter for the art form.
The first era of immersive “definitely seems to be coming to an end, both nationally and internationally,” Hanzon said.
Denver’s immersive hub is still growing elsewhere.
While one of the staples of the Denver immersive community is closing, others are looking to build and expand.
The Denver Immersive Repertory Theater (DIRT) is currently under construction in Lower Downton. The two behind the theater, Steve Wargo and Blair Russell, came to Denver from New York.
“We came out for that because Denver was sort of like a flashing red light on our dashboard,” Wargo told Denverite in August. “So we came out and we spent the weekend and we were mightily impressed with the city and the potential we saw here. And also just this fervent love for immersive work.”
The theater is set to open early 2026, with a 380-page show, 11 character arcs simultaneously happening, a cabaret lounge, a cocktail bar — all within a two-floor theater.
Another immersive experience is opening this week. OddKnock’s First Test Kitchen is running from Oct. 23-26. The website calls it “a rolling residency for physical theater artists to dive in.”
It will occupy an empty, 3,700-square-foot storefront in the River North area. Over the span of four months, they’ll produce three “work-in-progress” showcases, according to their website.
As for Miller, the co-founder and executive director of Off-Center, many people in the Denver Immersive space said they aren’t too worried about him.
“Charlie Miller is a force. He's not just a producer,” Hanzon said.
He noted that Miller was in Montreal at the Immersive Immersive, an international version of the conference that happened in Denver. Miller is the co-founder and director of that organization.
“We've all been a huge fan of the work Charlie Miller's done,” Thomas said. “Charlie's an amazing guy and we expect big things out of him, with or without Off-Center.”
According to the people in Denver's immersive arts, this is a time of change, a time of development, and a time for a pulse check — but the scene is far from dead.
“Soul searching always is the thing that comes before progress,” Thomas said. ”I think there's a real pain happening now, but that's temporary and the success will be the next thing we experience.”
