Dairy Arts Center

Orwell: 2+2=5 | Dec 3-7
2025-12-07 13:30 - 15:00 (America/Denver) | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
George Orwell was one of the most radical and visionary authors of the 20th Century, whose 1940s novels, such as 1984 and Animal Farm, foretold a chilling, all-too-believable authoritarian future that has become scarily prescient in our modern era. Acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro), working in collaboration with the Orwell Estate, seamlessly interweaves historical clips, readings from Orwell’s diary, cinematic references, and dynamic modern day footage to craft not only a definitive portrait of the writer himself, but an entirely fresh take on how remarkably relevant and prophetic his work has become. Featuring award-winning actor Damian Lewis as the voice of Orwell. (Raoul Peck, 2025, USA/France, 1:59, R)

BETC: Every Brilliant Thing | Dec. 5-28
2025-12-07 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-12-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Grace Gamm Theatre, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Why is life worth living? Can you count the ways?
Ice cream? Lazy afternoons in the park? Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose?
Every Brilliant Thing is a deeply funny and life-affirming play that begins with a child grappling with their mother’s attempted suicide.
The child makes a list of brilliant, joy-giving things and leaves it on Mom’s hospital pillow. Number six on the list? “Me.” This award-winning delight of a show lifts up the good in all of us.

Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance: RATCRACKER | Dec. 5-13
2025-12-07 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-12-13 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Frequent Flyers® Aerial Dance’ crowd-pleaser RATCRACKER returns! This wild aerial tail turns the Nutcracker literally on its head!
When the infamous rats “take down” the Nutcracker they carry Clara and the audience into a world where flight and fantasy become reality, as everyone enters Rat World. Instead of traditional ballet, dancers soar on dance trapeze, Spanish web, stilts, bungee, rope and harness, aerial fabric, and even a flying bed for this topsy-turvy journey into the Rat Kingdom.
Ratcracker is set to an eclectic Nutcracker-inspired Duke Ellington score that is sure to delight and enthrall adults and children of all ages.The show is performed by Frequent Flyers’ professional company, Intensive Training Program and Student Company.
Come swing into the holidays with Frequent Flyers as the Rat Queen and her minions reveal the wonders of Rat World!
For info and/or to donate to our non-profit, please visit: https://frequentflyers.org/ratcracker/

The Upstart Crow Theatre Company: A Few Good Men | Dec. 3-14
2025-12-07 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-08 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-11 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2025-12-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Carsen Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302, United States
TICKETS
By Aaron Sorkin
This riveting courtroom drama pits honor against duty in a high-stakes military trial. When two Marines are accused of murder at Guantanamo Bay, a young Navy lawyer must uncover the truth hidden beneath orders, loyalty, and the chain of command. Smart, sharp, and unforgettable, “A Few Good Men” explores power, justice, and the courage it takes to stand up for what’s right when the most dangerous weapon is the truth.
SPECIAL EVENTS

Free Final Dress Rehearsal: Wednesday December 3. No ticket required.
Pay What You Can Nights: Thursday December 4 & 11. No ticket required
Benefit Performance & Industry Night, Monday December 8
Talkback: Saturday December 13. Stay in the Carsen Theater after the show for an informal conversation with the cast and crew.

For Season Tickets, please visit: www.TheUpstartCrow.org/Season-Tickets … Current Season Ticket Holders, please make your reservation at: www.TheUpstartCrow.org/Reservations

An Officer and a Spy | Dec 3-7
2025-12-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
On January 5, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young promising officer, is degraded for spying for Germany and is sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island. Among the witnesses to his humiliation is Georges Picquart, who is promoted to run the military counter-intelligence unit that tracked him down. But when Picquart discovers that secrets are still being handed over to the Germans, he is drawn into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit and corruption that threatens not just his honour but his life. (Roman Polanski, 2019, France, 2:12, NR)

AFROTŌPIA Screening & Conversation with Director David Mboussou
2025-12-08 18:00 - 21:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
The Afrotōpia Event Series features two free public screenings of Afrotōpia (Gabon 2025), followed by conversations with director David Mboussou and invited scholars.
Afrotōpia tells the story of Ezekiel, a 25-year-old aspiring filmmaker whose father, Maurice, is a powerful businessman opposed to his artistic goals. Forced into the family’s logging business due to financial pressure, Ezekiel is sent on a work assignment where he uncovers Maurice’s plan to exploit a sacred forest—the last refuge of an Indigenous community. As he digs deeper, he discovers a buried colonial-era family tragedy and must choose between loyalty to his father, his desire for personal freedom, and the survival of his people.
More details at colorado.edu/wgst/afrotopia-event-series.

Musical Vanguards at the Dairy presents the Jacob Jolliff Band
2025-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Jacob Jolliff is one of the world’s premier contemporary mandolinists. In 2011, he graduated from Berklee College of Music, having studied there on a full scholarship. The following year, in 2012, he won the USA’s National Mandolin Championship in Winfield, KS. A fixture of the bluegrass scene, he has performed and collaborated with Béla Fleck, Tony Trischka, Michael Daves, Grant Gordy, Wes Corbett, and Alex Hargreaves, to name a few. Additionally, throughout his 20s, he toured as a member of the groups Joy Kills Sorrow and Yonder Mountain String Band. Currently, his focus is on his own ensemble, The Jacob Jolliff Band—one of the most cutting-edge progressive bluegrass groups on the scene today. They’ve released three albums, the most recent of which, “Instrumentals, Vol. 2: Mandolin Mysteries,” dropped in May 2024. The band plays a combination of complex original instrumental music and vocal repertoire that spans from trad bluegrass to unlikely pop covers. Improvisation and the ensemble interplay are at the forefront.

Continuum Artist Talk
2025-12-09 17:00 - 20:00 | McMahon Gallery, Walnut Street, Boulder, Colorado, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Join us for an evening of conversation and reflection with exhibiting artists Kaori Takamura, Kristen Letts Kovak, Lina Pin, Laura Mackie, and Lisa Berley as they share insights into their creative practices and the themes woven throughout Continuum — identity, memory, the body, aging, loss, and connection. There will be a 45 minute panel discussion followed by audience Q&A and the opportunity to explore the exhibition.
The evening will also highlight The Continuum Intergenerational Arts Project, a collaborative initiative pairing student and senior artists to explore creativity across generations.
Free and open to the public. RSVP required due to limited capacity.

Household Films presents Family Reunion
2025-12-09 18:00 - 20:30 | Gordon Gamm Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS

We’re back at the Dairy to showcase another year of passionate filmmaking! A gathering of Colorado filmmakers at the intersection of storytelling and advertising to celebrate four unique, powerful, and passion-driven short films from Biz Young & Adam Zax, Brennah Rosenthal & Evan Swinehart, Brendan Young, and Evan Forrest Mann. There will be a Q&A panel following the screening, free drinks, some great giveaways, and of course, time to connect with each other.

Reception in lobby will start at 6pm. Presentation in the Gordon Gamm Theater will start at 7pm.

Sentimental Value | Dec 10-14
2025-12-10 16:30 - 18:00, 2025-12-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-12-12 15:00 - 16:30, 2025-12-13 17:30 - 19:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with their father — and deal with an American star dropped right into the middle of their complex family dynamics. (Joachim Trier, 2025, Norway, 2:13, R)

Checkpoint Zoo | Dec 10-13
2025-12-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-12-11 16:30 - 18:00, 2025-12-12 18:00 - 19:30, 2025-12-13 15:00 - 16:30 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
A gripping documentary set during the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when Kharkiv’s beloved Feldman Ecopark Zoo found itself caught in the crossfire between advancing Russian forces and Ukrainian defenders. Home to over 5,000 animals, the approaching front line left the zoo’s creatures trapped in their cages with little food and water, facing starvation and increasing danger as the Russian army approached. The zoo’s founder, Oleksandr Feldman, posted a desperate plea to social media asking for help. Miraculously, the post went viral, and zoos from across Ukraine and all of Europe volunteered to house the remaining animals. Encouraged by the response, the zoo staff and these volunteers resolved to do the impossible – they would sneak back into Feldman Ecopark and evacuate thousands of animals, including many dangerous predators, and bring them to safety. In doing so, they put themselves in incredible danger, risking their lives to save innocent animals. (Joshua Zeman, 2024, UK, 1:43, NR)

Chainsaws Were Singing | Dec 12
2025-12-12 20:30 - 22:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
Maria is having one of the worst days of her life. Her parents died. Her dog, too. She was fired from her job. She was beaten by thugs in the street. But all of her troubles melt away when she locks eyes with Tom in the midst of his suicide attempt. Soon, the gobsmacked young lovers are hand-in-hand, bounding across sun-dappled meadows and expressing their undying love through song. Their courtship is cut short when a spree killer with a chainsaw and his own musical backstory takes Maria captive to feed his grotesque family of cannibals, consisting of his overbearing mother, artistically inclined little brother, and incestuous cousins Pepe and Kevin. Vowing to come to his lady’s rescue, Tom teams up with Jaan, a goodhearted, goofy passerby with nothing but time on his hands and a song in his heart. The two head deep into the woods, embarking on a madcap quest full of blood, guts, and toe-tapping show tunes. Along the way, they’ll encounter some trigger-happy, pastry-loving cops, a helpful little hedgehog, a shitload of exploding cars, and a cult that worships a talking fridge full of nauseating contents. Nearly 10 years in the making, this bastard child of Stephen Sondheim and Lloyd Kaufman is an utterly indescribable Estonian odyssey. (Sander Maran, 2024, Estonia, 1:57, NR)

Dairy Comedy in The Boe
2025-12-13 20:30 - 22:00 | Boedecker Theater, Walnut Street, Boulder, CO, 80302, United States
TICKETS
John Novosad grew up in Boulder. His Dry Bar special was released on YouTube in December of 2024 and has over 2 million views. Making his network television debut on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, John followed that up with a second performance on the Ferguson show. He’s also appeared on Bryon Allen’s nationally syndicated ComedyTV. John’s album, “Jokes I Can Only Tell Here,” was released via the Laugh Button in the spring of 2022 where it hit over 1 million views on their Youtube channel.
Katie Bowman is an a comedic performance and visual artist based out of Denver. Bowman strives to connect with the audience with bits about her life as a social underdog using voices and act outs. She just released her first comedy album, Neurodivergent Nightmare that hit number one on Itunes and Amazon the week it came out.
Brad Galli: Comedian. Food Runner. Former Sock Salesman.
Linus Leas is a Cambodian American comic who started comedy in Asia doing shows for expats and locals alike. He was a featured performer for the comedy group “Shenzhen Now”. Linus’ comedy explores his unique experiences of what it means to be an Asian American.
And your host, the founder of the Boulder Comedy Festival, Zoe Rogers.
