Entry No. 29 — the Denver file — filed under: theater
Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center
“almost no non-Latino Denverite has ever bothered to see, which is exactly why you should”
The oldest theater company of any kind in Denver — founded in 1972 by CU-Denver students as a protest against a remedial-reading requirement — and the third-oldest Chicano theater company in the country. It now lives in the 1921 Cameron Movie Theater at 721 Santa Fe, a 320-seat main house plus a small studio and gallery. The work is Colorado-specific Chicano storytelling that almost no non-Latino Denverite has ever bothered to see, which is exactly why you should.
The story
In 1972, administrators at the University of Colorado Denver decided incoming Chicano students belonged in mandatory remedial reading courses before taking standard classes. Spanish professor Rowena Rivera found the requirement demeaning, bypassed the mandate, and launched an "Intro to Chicano Theater" course instead, assigning Luis Valdez's Actos and guiding students to write and stage original work. What began as a quiet act of academic rebellion quickly spilled into the streets as Su Teatro, a nomadic activist troupe performing agitprop skits on picket lines, in public parks, and at political rallies across the Southwest.
Over half a century later, Su Teatro stands as Denver's oldest continuously operating theater company of any kind, and the third-oldest Chicano theater company in the nation. Executive artistic director Anthony J. Garcia—who joined as a teenage guitarist in 1972—spent decades steering the troupe through rented halls and an abandoned schoolhouse in Elyria before anchoring the company in its permanent home in 2010: the 1921 Cameron Movie Theater building on Santa Fe Drive, a space that had previously spent decades operating as a meatpacking plant, photography studio, and live theater center.
While high-ticket downtown venues cycle through touring Broadway shows, Su Teatro stays stubbornly focused on original, bilingual, Colorado-rooted Chicano storytelling that most non-Latino Denverites somehow miss entirely. Inside, the facility holds the 320-seat Martinez Performing Arts Hall main stage, a 134-seat black box studio called the Frank Trujillo Salon de Arte, and an integrated gallery. Beyond its mainstage theater season, the center doubles as a neighborhood cultural anchor, running the XicanIndie FilmFest, WordFest, and the long-running Chicano Music Festival.
What it's like
Head to the corner of 7th and Santa Fe Drive and look mid-block for the restored marquee. Inside, the energy is community-first and completely stripped of pretense, with an art gallery in the lobby that opens before curtain call. The box office opens an hour before showtime, and seating opens thirty minutes prior. If you visit on a First Friday, street parking disappears fast and the strip gets mobbed, so taking the light rail to the nearby 10th & Osage station saves you the gridlock. Arrive an hour early, browse the lobby art, and grab dinner at one of the Chicano or New Mexican spots down the block before taking your seat.
The move: Grab tickets to a mainstage show, then walk it off in the surrounding arts district. It's a real night out at a genuinely historic venue most locals couldn't point you to.
📍 Before you go Su Teatro sits right on the corner of 7th and Santa Fe Drive, in the restored brick building that anchors the Art District on Santa Fe — look for the marquee mid-block, not some hidden entrance. There's an on-site parking lot, but the district fills fast on First Fridays, when the whole strip turns into an evening gallery walk; the light rail's 10th & Osage station is a short walk if you'd rather skip driving. Aim your visit around a performance and arrive early to browse the surrounding galleries and grab dinner at one of the Chicano or New Mexican spots nearby. Showtimes shift by season, so check the calendar before you commit.
- 📍 Santa Fe Arts District / La Alma
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 721 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204 (former Cameron Movie Theater, built 1921)
Hours: Performance-driven: showtimes vary by production run, so check the current season calendar — the building itself is a permanent fixture.
Pair it with
- Room for Friends … a wine bar! — Pair a mainstage performance with a pre-show glass of wine in a living-room-style storefront right down Santa Fe Drive.
- Denver Art Society — Walk a few steps down the block to browse an artist-run co-op gallery where creators volunteer instead of dealing with curator gatekeeping.
- The Wytch's Brew — Stop in before your show for Persian tea and botanical blends inside a working metaphysical shop on the same strip.
- 910Arts (former 7-Up bottling plant turned artist live-work complex) — Combine an evening play with an afternoon stroll through a converted 1920s 7-Up bottling plant turned artist live-work complex two blocks north.
Good to know
How was Su Teatro originally founded?
It was created in 1972 at CU Denver when professor Rowena Rivera and Chicano students protested a mandatory remedial reading policy by starting a Chicano theater class and performing activist drama instead.
What is the history of the 721 Santa Fe Drive building?
Built in 1921 as the Cameron Movie Theater, the building was converted into a meatpacking plant in the 1950s, later became a photography studio and the Denver Civic Theatre, and was acquired by Su Teatro in 2010.
What kinds of productions and events take place here?
Su Teatro stages original bilingual plays focused on Colorado Chicano history and Latinx experiences, along with annual events like the Chicano Music Festival, WordFest, and the XicanIndie FilmFest.
What are the performance spaces inside?
The venue features the main 320-seat Martinez Performing Arts Hall, the 134-seat Frank Trujillo Salon de Arte black box studio, and an adjacent art gallery space.
How should I plan my arrival and parking?
The venue has an on-site parking lot, but street parking fills up quickly during Santa Fe Arts District events; the RTD Light Rail stop at 10th & Osage is a short walk away.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Wikipedia · Official site · denversartdistrict.org · denverarchitecture.org
last checked: 2026-06-07