Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre

The Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre will reopen in 2025! Tucked inside the newly renovated Hellems Arts and Sciences Building is the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre, named after the first female professor at the University of Colorado and the first woman in the U.S. to teach at a state university. The Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre was officially completed in 1939, but no plays were staged there until 1944, when Shakespeare teacher and bibliographer James Sandoe was asked to direct a play for the coming summer. Because the Department of the Navy occupied the indoor University Theatre during World War II, Sandoe decided to try out the new Mary Rippon complex with a production of "Romeo and Juliet", thereby starting the tradition that would grow into the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Relax in comfort with complimentary seatbacks at all outdoor Colorado Shakespeare Festival shows. Enjoying outdoor theatre We perform rain or shine! Attending an outdoor show in the Boulder foothills can be unpredictable. Come prepared to enjoy the adventure by reviewing our weather policy and attire suggestions below. Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre Entry The Hellems Building opens one hour prior to all performances for ticketed patrons, with seating in the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre to begin approximately 30 minutes prior to the show. Please have your tickets easily accessible for scanning at the exterior doors. Prior to the building opening, restrooms can be found near the box office in the University Theatre Building.  Map to venue