Buntport Theater

Season 23

125 “NO”s

March, 2024

A comedy rife with gawping, gabbing, and a little stinky cheese.

A pink background with the torso of a marble statue holding a club. The words Naughty Bits are in front of the statue.

Naughty Bits

October, 2023

Three story-lines are brought together through their connection to a Roman marble statue of Hercules.

Season 22

A photo of a small town with stars aboce and the words BEST TOWN

Best Town

May, 2023

A new play about stars, isolation, the magic of libraries, and Laura Ashley curtains.

A woman in a white shirt sits cross-legged on the floor, looking despondent. She has a coffee cup in front of her. She is surrounded by an unfinished prairie scene, including a taxidermied badger facing off with a taxidermied rattlesnake. Behind all of them is a painted backdrop with a distant mountain.

Coyote. Badger. Rattlesnake

September, 2022

Written in collaboration with the incredible Ellen K. Graham, the show takes place behind-the-scenes in a museum nature diorama. Join Carroll and Glenn as they painstakingly re-create a moment in the lives of three animals. Working on this outmoded intersection of science and art, they are confronted with their own humanity. Being alive among the dead – real among the fake – can be taxing.

Season 21

4 fantastical creatures sit on a bench together.

Public Domain Theatre Festival

June, 2022

Buntport Theater joined The Catamounts and Su Teatro– in the presentation of original adaptations of public domain works in select outdoor spaces around the Boulder Public Library and around Westminster Station Park on its second and third.

A line drawing of Tommy Lee Jones at a table with the words Tommy Lee Jones Goes to Opera Alone in the upper left corner. THe background is light bue

Tommy Lee Jones Goes To Opera Alone

February, 2022

TIME FOR PIE

A near life-size version of Tommy Lee Jones waxes poetic about cowboy boots, his life as a movie star and his love of opera – particularly Puccini’s Turandot.

Season 20

Space People In Space

May, 2021

A short original comedy about the people on the forefront of the colonization of Mars. Riffing on current events (several international rovers landing/scheduled to land on Mars and the billionaire class getting into the space business), this silly show follows a flight of ordinary folks looking to start a new life on the red planet.

Four grasshoppers are on a Zoom call. Their faces are close to the screens and each has a different room behind them. In a yellow font it says “The Grasshoppers”.

The Grasshoppers

October, 2020

The Grasshoppers is a mini drive-in [live] theater experience (a.k.a a short play performed outdoors while the audience remains in the safety of their cars).

Season 19

Looking down from above, we see a giant white Rat lying in a rope hammock rubbing his big old belly in green light.

Universe 92

September, 2019

Using real scientific experiments as a jumping off point, Universe 92 is a comedy featuring three animal behaviorists, a giant rat in a hammock, and a Roomba.

Season 18

Three awkward men in front of a window grate. On the left is an intense man with a buzz cut and black turtleneck. In the center, a man in a suit and large glasses purses his lips. On the right is a man with a space t-shirt on he is holding a fish bowl with a goldfish in it

Something is Rotten

May, 2019

THE SMELL IS THE SOCK

Join the oddballs George, Julius and Harold as they present their interpretation of Hamlet. Using a packed trunk, the shirts on their backs and the socks on their hands, these three men hope to bring Shakespeare to the people. Why? Well, they are in disagreement about that.

A female art museum security guard stands next to Rembrandt’s painting of Danae. The picture is a close up so we can clearly see both Danae’ face and the museum guards.

The Rembrandt Room

February, 2019

A dark comedy featuring one woman standing next to one masterpiece for who knows how long.

Two people are standing, knees bent in action. The woman is angrily talking, the man looks confused and surprised. They are standing a dry prairie scene, where a taxidermied badger and rattlesnake are facing off. The backdrop is a painted scene with distant mountains.

Coyote. Badger. Rattlesnake.

November, 2018
This new comedy looks behind-the-scenes of a museum nature diorama. Join Carroll and Glenn as they painstakingly re-create a moment in the lives of three animals. Working on this outmoded intersection of science and art, they are confronted with their own humanity. Being alive among the dead – real among the fake – can be taxing.

Season 17

A man dressed in a suite of armor stands in front of a painting of a wizard. The man is wearing the lip expanders you might wear at the dentist’s office during a procedure.

Remembering A Knight To Remember

April, 2018

A haphazard quest disguised as play

Do you remember Buntport’s 2012 ridiculous comedy A Knight to Remember? No need to. We’re bringing it back for you. Sort of. Featuring real armor, a fake horse, and seven overhead projectors.

Close up of a page in a book. Underlined in the book is part of a sentence that says “least it was peaceful: regular, ordered, and…”. In the margins next to the underlined sentence someone wrote in capital letters, “ explanation point, question mark WHAT EVER”.A woman dressed in an apron and wearing a hat is looking up at the camera and holding a book open with her right hand. She looks a little disappointed with what has been written in the margins of the book.

The Book Handlers

February, 2018

INTELLECTUAL NONSENSE

Do you have a large library full of beautiful but unread books? Never fear! The Book Handlers are here to make your books look worn-in and well-read. Look cultured, cultivated, literate without all the fuss of actually having to read anything. A satire inspired by a short story by Brian O’Nolan.

Season 16

A broken plastic rocking horse sits on a hardwood floor. It has two discarded, broken baby dolls around it.

The Crud

May, 2017

HOARDER’S DELIGHT

An absurd fairy tale about both the crud on your floor and the crud in your head.

an older bearded man in a bright fuchsia suit looks sternly at the camera. He is surrounded by darkness and has a lightning bolt lapel pin.

The Zeus Problem

February, 2017

RE-WRITING THE AUTHOR

A dark comedy about a god and the mess he made.

season 15

A woman in full camp counselor regalia stands posed in front of a fake river made of blue bubble pop. Behind her two male campers stand holding one another. A Resusci Annie sits alone in a camp chair to the left.

Greetings from Camp Katabasis

May, 2016

HELL AND FAREWELL

A comedic journey to the edge of nothing, featuring the deadpan acting style of a Resusci-Annie doll.

A female art museum security guard sits on an upholstered bench in front of a life size nude painting of Danae (the mother of Perseus) by Rembrandt. She’s speaking out and gesturing back to the painting.

The Rembrandt Room

April, 2016

A dark comedy featuring one woman standing next to one masterpiece for who knows how long. 

A group of people are crowded into a bathroom. A band with instruments sits in the bath tub. Two people, seemingly entwined, attempt to brush their teeth in the foreground.

10 Myths on the Proper Application of Beauty Products

March, 2016

RIDING SIDESADDLE

An adaptation of local author Miriam Suzanne’s novel Riding SideSaddle*, which is printed on 250 interchangeable index cards and is an “open source” text, meant to be added to, adapted, morphed into something new. Pretty much like a Buntport play.

Season 14

A life-size puppet of Tommy Lee Jones sits at a diner table that is surrounded by a yellow and white checkered floor surrounded by darkness. A waitress stands next to the table as if she is about to take his order.

Tommy Lee Jones Goes To Opera Alone

January, 2015

TIME FOR PIE

A near life-size version of Tommy Lee Jones waxes poetic about cowboy boots, his life as a movie star and his love of opera – particularly Puccini’s Turandot.

Four people stand on a pink carpet. Their bodies are pixelated out so only their faces and bare or socked feet are showing.

Naughty Bits

September, 2014

HERACLES, WITHOUT A MEMBER

Three story-lines are brought together through their connection to a Roman marble statue of Hercules.

Season 13

Four motley people squeeze their faces into the frame. Behind them is a road sign for Guaranty Bank

Peggy Jo and the Desolate Nothing

May, 2014

A NEW KIND OF DRAG

Created in conjunction with square product theatre.

Peggy Jo Tallas started robbing banks in the 1990s, ostensibly to help pay for her mother’s medical expenses.

A large rabbit wearing a ratty robe and bunny slippers slumps in a lazy boy recliner. The floor is covered in newspaper.

Jugged Rabbit Stew

February, 2014

THE SINGING MAGICIAN

Alec the Amazing and All-Powerful Magician and his assistant Mystical Marla have had to put their magic shows on hold because Snowball, the white rabbit that is supposed to emerge from the top hat, is depressed.

A woman with a large bouffant hairdo and a leopard-print caftan holds a bottle and glass. Behind her, a man with a mustached stands in front of a slatted wooden door with a family portrait hanging above.

Electra Onion Eater

November, 2013

THAT’S A WEEPY ONE

Electra Onion Eater is a modern adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra. Murder begets murder in a classic Greek tragedy twisted into a Buntportian comedy.

Season 12

A man dressed in rags and tied with thick rope to a platform is comforted by a man carrying a tape recorder who is dressed for summer holiday.

Wake

January, 2013

A CORRUPTION OF THE TEMPEST

On an island enchanted by the spirit Ariel, Prospero, his daughter Miranda and their slave Caliban, await a passing ship, peopled with men from their home of Milan. Only, in Buntport’s riff on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the ship doesn’t come.

A woman strikes a strong pose, arms akimbo, center stage. The room she stands in is entirely red and decorated with her portraits.

Sweet Tooth

October, 2012

SING AND FLOSS DAILY

A musical about what it means to curate your life down to the most grotesque details.

Season 11

Five people dressed as clowns with bald caps and multi-patterned clothes look into the camera inquisitively.

The Roast Beef Situation

May, 2012

SAY WHAT?

A satirical clowning-based story of Carlo Delpini who was thrown into a London prison for saying the words “roast beef” onstage

The life-size puppet of Tommy Lee Jones is sitting at a diner table. His left hand, made of wood, is held to his chest and his right arm is resting on the diner table.

Tommy Lee Jones Goes to Opera Alone

March, 2012

TIME FOR PIE

A near life-size version of Tommy Lee Jones waxes poetic about cowboy boots, his life as a movie star and his love of opera – particularly Puccini’s Turandot.

Percy Shelley sits on the edge of a bathtub reading from a book to his wife Mary Shelley who is sitting in the bathtub hanging onto his arm and looking longingly off in the distance.

My Hideous Progeny

September, 2011

A MODERN PROMETHEUS

A fever-dream of a production that weaves through different moments of Mary Shelley’s life and work.

Season 10

A woman in blond pigtails leans over blowing a raspberry in the face of Cinderella, who looks upset and holds a broom.

< Cinderella

May, 2011

A WORDLESS TALE

< Cinderella (can be read as Less than Cinderella, although we wouldn’t push the issue) is Buntport’s take on the age-old fairy story.

In the foreground is a woman’s face looking forward and frowning. In the distance a man sits looking concerned. He is seated at a very small desk that is suspended by wires to the ceiling. Behind the man is a large mural portrait of an imposing man on the wall.

The 30th of Baydak

April, 2011

WALKING IN TURKMENISTANLAND

An original production inspired by the goings-on of present day Turkmenistan and Bohumil Hrabal’s novel Too Loud a Solitude.

Close-up of an unhappy looking man in stark lighting. He has many pairs of ice skates draped over his shoulders.

Kafka on Ice

January, 2011

EVEN DESPAIR IS MAGICAL ON ICE

A play that is, in fact, what it sounds like: Kafka’s life and work set on ice…

Close up of a man with a large goatee trying to speak with a woman who is wearing a small chalkboard mask. Drawn on the chalkboard mask is a nose and mouth. The woman seems to be smoking a long piece of chalk like a cigarette and is pushing the goateed man back with a large eraser.

Quixote

December, 2010

IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS

Quixote, the first show created by Buntport Theater, is a transformative action piece satirizing academic life.

A man sits at a desk singing earnestly into a microphone. The walls behind him are covered in papers, letters, and postcards.

Seal. Stamp. Send. Bang.

October, 2010

Using the post office as a central metaphor for mankind’s interconnectedness, Seal. Stamp. Send. Bang. follows four different protagonists through an “ordinary” day.

A man in a red top, black suspenders, and glasses looks out inquisitively. Behind him are several hanging buckets in front of a red curtain.

Moby Dick Unread

September, 2010

THAR SHE BLOWS

Four performers, one boat on wheels and a few buckets of water add up to all 135 chapters of Melville’s classic novel.

Season 9

A large rabbit wearing a ratty robe and bunny slippers squats on a floor covered with newspapers. The rabbit holds a microphone and sings.

Jugged Rabbit Stew

June, 2010

THE SINGING MAGICIAN

Alec the Amazing and All-Powerful Magician and his assistant Mystical Marla have had to put their magic shows on hold because Snowball, the white rabbit that is supposed to emerge from the top hat, is depressed.

A man with a large mustache, dressed in a suit, and wearing a hospital gown sits at his desk. The man holds a glass of whiskey while deciding what to write. His expression is wry…or maybe just serious.

The World is Mine

February, 2010

BEING EUGENE O’NEILL

Part 1930’s screwball comedy, part O’Neill tragedy, The World is Mine is an absurd dramedy a la’ Buntport.

Three awkward men sit in front of a chainlink fence. On the left is a smiling man with a space t-shirt on he is holding a fish bowl with a goldfish. In the center, a man in a suit and large glasses purses his lips. On the right is an intense man with a buzz cut and black turtleneck.

Something Is Rotten

December, 2009

THE SMELL IS THE SOCK

Join the oddballs George, Julius and Harold as they present their interpretation of Hamlet.

A minister kneels, reaching skyward, and places his hand on the chest of a man laying on the floor. Behind the two men is a giant wall made of jars filled with sundry objects.

Indiana, Indiana

September, 2009

A NOVEL ADAPTATION

An adaptation of the novel by Laird Hunt.

Nestled on a farm in the heartland, Noah Summers spends his time drifting through memories.

Season 8

A man in a pig nose, red long johns, and a vest looks out, while a woman in red long johns, suspenders, and glasses smiles at him. Behind them a pea green window hangs.

The Squabble

May, 2009

THERE WILL BE MUD

Two fast friends cause chaos in a small village by blowing most things way out of proportion. Based on the Gogol short story.

Close-up of a postal worker with long blond braids leaning on a blue mailbox while smiling. In the background is a brick wall with a curtained window.

Seal. Stamp. Send. Bang.

March, 2009

Using the post office as a central metaphor for mankind’s interconnectedness, Seal. Stamp. Send. Bang. follows four different protagonists through an “ordinary” day.

A woman dressed as a white cow in a polka dot dress stands, surrounded by darkness.

Anywhere But Rome

November, 2008

ON THE ROAD WITH OVID

Ovid, the Roman poet, is in exile. He has packed a couple of the beings he has written about: Tiresias, the blind prophet, and Io, a woman who has been turned into a cow.

A man with a mustache and curly blond hair stands regally in a musketeer outfit. In the background there is a silhouette of another musketeer holding a sword, surrounded by projected text.

Musketeer

August, 2008

ALL FOR ONE (LIBRARY BOOK)

In 1844, famed author Alexandre Dumas checked a book out from the Marseilles Public Library, based his novel The Three Musketeers on that book, and then never returned it.

Season 7

Closeup of two people dressed in 1940s garb scrunch their faces at the camera.

McGuinn & Murry

May, 2008

GUMSHOE HIJINKS

In the 1940’s, people smoked cigarettes, conducted witty repartee and solved crimes. Or so it sometimes seems, anyway.

A man with sideburns and a large cowboy hat is talking. Over his shoulder is a plastic owl staring at the camera. A woman standing with her hands on her knees is smiling at the man.

Titus Andronicus: The Musical

December, 2007

SHAKESPEARE’S ONLY MUSICAL DRAMEDY

P.S. McGoldstein and his van-o-players take on the Bard’s bloodiest play!

In the foreground, a couple holds each other while smiling in a strained way. She is pregnant and he wears a bow tie. In the background, three other people argue. Strangely, they are all standing in a room that is upside down. Pink carpet covers the ceiling.

Vote for Uncle Marty

September, 2007

TOPSY-TURVY POLITICAL COMEDY

A political satire in an upside-down world about the right man for the job, depending on what the job is.

Season 6

Three sailors sit in a small sailboat. A fourth sits on the edge of the boat, wearing bright yellow waders

Moby Dick Unread

April, 2007

THAR SHE BLOWS

Four performers, one boat on wheels and a few buckets of water add up to all 135 chapters of Melville’s classic novel.

Two women holding teacups gossip at a small cafe table. One wears a hat, the other is in curlers.

Winter In Graupel Bay

December, 2006

It’s winter solstice in the small town of Graupel Bay (inexplicably located nowhere near a body of water).

Close-up of three awkward men in front of a window grate. On the left is an intense man with a buzz cut and black turtleneck. In the center, a man in a suit and large glasses purses his lips. On the right is a smiling man with a space t-shirt on

Something Is Rotten

September, 2006

THE SMELL IS THE SOCK

Join the oddballs George, Julius and Harold as they present their interpretation of Hamlet.

Season 5

A woman and three men in 1800s funeral attire are looking forward in front of a red curtain.

A Synopsis Of Butchery

April, 2006

A MOTHER’S ANGUISH

A black comedy sparked by an unusual crisis of faith. An intimate look at what we can believe, if anything.

Season 4

A man writing at a desk concentrates as a large beetle looms behind him.

Kafka On Ice

October, 2004

EVEN DESPAIR IS MAGICAL ON ICE

A play that is, in fact, what it sounds like: Kafka’s life and work set on ice…

A woman, her body facing sideways but looking at the camera poses with elbows up holds a bat straight up near her face. A man right in front of the woman holds a sword in the same position

MacBlank

October, 2004

MACBETH IS A CURSED PLAY

A mockumentary-style production detailing an attempt at mounting Shakespeare’s cursed play.

Season 3

Close up of two 1940’s. The man with a cigarette dangling from his lips and the woman looking at him with big eyes.

McGuinn & Murry

January, 2004

GUMSHOE HIJINKS

In the 1940’s, people smoked cigarettes, conducted witty repartee and solved crimes. Or so it sometimes seems, anyway.

Close up on a dopey looking cop wearing sunglasses and holding his six shooter up to his face.

Idiot Box

December, 2003

TV OR NOT TV

A series of sketch comedy, centered around our love/hate relationship with television.

A very tall and homely Cinderella sits on the floor looking forlorn with a huge blond curly wig and a mop bucket and sponge.

< Cinderella

September, 2003

A WORDLESS TALE

< Cinderella (can be read as Less than Cinderella, although we wouldn’t push the issue) is Buntport’s take on the age-old fairy story.

Four people wearing business casual attire stand together. All of them are looking up. One is holding a large yellow envelope.

Elevator

September, 2003

JUST A SHORT TRIP

Elevator is a one-act that is comprised entirely of one elevator ride – just an average two minute ride to the thirtieth floor of an office building on what very well could be a perfectly normal day of work.

Season 2

A man in a brown suit stands looking thoughtfully up and to his left. He is standing in front of a large mural of a man’s face with dark hair.

The 30th of Baydak

June, 2003

WALKING IN TURKMENISTANLAND

An original production inspired by the goings-on of present day Turkmenistan and Bohumil Hrabal’s novel Too Loud a Solitude.

Close-up of a man with large sideburns. He is bug-eyed and grimacing. In the background, out of focus, in the front of a yellow van.

Titus Andronicus: The Musical!

February, 2003

SHAKESPEARE’S ONLY MUSICAL DRAMEDY

P.S. McGoldstein and his van-o-players take on the Bard’s bloodiest play!

A tall man wearing black rimmed glasses and a plaid blazer with an oversized flower boutonnière lectures in front of a red curtain backdrop.

The Odyssey: A Walking Tour

October, 2002

The Odyssey: A Walking Tour was just that. The audience was split into two and led around the space on simultaneous tours, both of which chronicled different adventures on Odysseus’ long journey home.

Season 1

A baby, with antlers and black deer nose, sits in a highchair with a cup of tea.

Donner: a documentary

December, 2001

MEMOIRS OF THE FIFTH REINDEER

A documentary-style dark comedy about the reindeer Donner (neé Donder) and his battle with the corporate world of North Pole Inc.

A man sits dejected peeling a potato. Behind him books hang from pieces of rope. Two women stand beside him dressed in rags and wearing cuffs made of plaster.

Ward #6

August, 2001

An adaptation of Chekhov’s short story, Ward #6 is a drama about two intersecting lives.

Three people are posed in outrageous costumes looking up at the camera. One woman wears Mad Max style armor and a camouflage tank top. One woman is dressed in a hazmat suit. The man is dressed in super hero attire.

Fin

June, 2001

IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

The world has been inexplainably destroyed. Three friends are left with only one mix tape, a game of Scrabble™ and each other.

A student sits in front of a large chalkboard. The class seated behind him is drawn in chalk. The chalk students have real arms that poke out from behind the chalkboard.

Quixote

July, 1998

IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS

Quixote, the first show created by Buntport Theater, is a transformative action piece satirizing academic life.