2025-2026 THEATRE SEASON

Celebrating the Creative Spirit through Quality Theatre in Durango, CO

Live theatre reflects life, entertains us, and confronts us with the joys and struggles of humanity. Engaging with theatre means that we have to slow down enough to allow a new experience to enter. Unlike film or television, theatre offers captivating immediacy and authenticity. There are no rewinds or fast-forwards here—just the raw, unfiltered experience of being present in the moment, swept up in the breathtaking drama, humor, and emotion unfolding onstage. It’s a reminder that, in a world driven by screens and algorithms, there’s still immense value in gathering together to share in the joy of storytelling.

MERELY PLAYERS’ established reputation for theatrical excellence propels us into another dazzling season for our region. As ever, we remain committed to offering exciting, high-quality theatrical experiences; and we promise you the lively creativity, joyful energy, memorable design, fine scripts, and outstanding talent that our company is known for.  We invite you to experience all that this season has to offer by joining the Merely Family as a Season Subscriber.

 SEASON SUBSCRIBER PERKS:

* Tickets are discounted in flex packages.

* Use your flex passes in any combination throughout the season. See every production, bring a big group to a single show, or give a few as gifts.

* You get an exclusive window to buy tickets, thus avoiding disappointment when we are sold out.

* Your name is listed in each program.

* Subscribers have the option of ordering online for each show or accessing personal attention with our subscriber phone line. Need more tickets for a guest? Need help redeeming your flex passes? We’ve got you covered.

* We understand that life can be unpredictable. Ticket exchanges and cancellations are free 48 hours before the selected performance, subject to availability. Non-subscribers incur change and cancellation fees.

* You get the satisfaction of helping to keep professional quality theatre in our community with Durango’s most long-standing theatrical troupe.

EXPERIENCE

the magic and creativity of MERELY PLAYERS

HAMLET

“This above all: to thine own self be true.”

Haunted by grief and a ghostly visitation, Hamlet is thrust into a spiral of doubt, fury, sorrow, and vengeance.  Caught between action and paralysis, the prince searches for meaning in a world that seems to be falling apart.  With language that soars and questions that cut to the bone, this masterwork wrestles with what it means to be human. Widely regarded as the greatest play ever written, William Shakespeare’s towering and timely classic still speaks urgently to our time.  Conor Sheehan appears as Hamlet. Get thee to the Underground and see this stunning show.

We are renowned for making Shakespeare’s works understandable and accessible in our exciting productions. Ticket holders may attend free Preshow Plot chats, which are offered before each performance. Recommended for teens and adults.

OCTOBER 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, 11, 2025 at 7:00 pm

OCTOBER 5 and 12 at 2:00 pm

 IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY

 “Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”

George Bailey dreamed of going to college and traveling the world. Years later, his life begins to feel crushingly ordinary. One Christmas Eve, bruised by quiet desperation, George reaches his breaking point. Would the world be better off without him? Joe Landry’s inventive adaptation of the beloved holiday classic is set in a 1940s radio studio, where a team of actors and live foley artists capture this heartwarming story and remind us how much one life matters. This nostalgic and redemptive celebration of the holiday spirit is our Christmas gift to you. Appropriate for all ages.

DECEMBER 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13, 2025 at 7:00 pm

DECEMBER 7 and 14 at 2:00 pm

SILENT SKY

“I insist on the exceptional.”

 When Henrietta Leavitt is hired to chart the stars at Harvard Observatory, she’s not even allowed to touch a telescope. But her tireless work measuring the light of distant stars leads to a discovery that will change the way we understand the universe. As her career soars, Henrietta must balance her dedication to science with the pull of home, family, and the possibility of love. Lauren Gunderson’s luminous play is the true and moving story of a brilliant woman who pushed against the limitations of her time—and reached for the stars. It’s simply heavenly. Appropriate for all ages.

FEBRUARY 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 2026 at 7:00 pm

FEBRUARY 15 and 22 at 2:00 pm

INTO THE WOODS

 “Into the woods you go again to take another journey.”

Once upon a time, James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim took everyone’s favorite fairytale characters and brought them together into an enchanting and award-winning musical. We are overjoyed to bring it to Durango this season. Staged with imagination, puppetry, passion, and Merely Players’ bold and sparkling creativity, the show brilliantly weaves music and life lessons into an unforgettable tale.  It’s an adventurous world of glass slippers, beanstalks, giants, magic, and witches – where wishes are granted and happily ever after is not always what it seems.  Anything can happen in the woods. Parental discretion advised.

APRIL 24, 25, 30, MAY 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 2026 at 7:00 pm

APRIL 26, MAY 3, 10 at 2:00 pm

FLEX PASS PACKAGES

Tickets in flex packages are discounted, without any additional ticket fees. Plus, subscribers have an exclusive window to order tickets.

Flex Passes – Flex passes offer discount and maximum flexibility. When you buy digital ticket punch passes, you can use the tickets however you wish. You can use them all for one show, or divide them up among the shows any way you wish.

Gift Card – Let us know if your order is a gift, and we will send a card notifying the recipient.

INDIVIDUAL TICKET ORDERS

We are also offering individual tickets for our productions at this time. If you wish to design your own package or need tickets in addition to those in your package, this is the most inexpensive time to get them, as these prepaid tickets incur no ticket vendor fees. If you order tickets to at least 2 of our shows, you qualify as a subscriber.

Merely Underground is a small space, and we want to ensure that as many people can see our play as possible. To maximize audience capacity, we have built risers and have several seating options. All seats have a great view of the stage.

HELPING

Live theatre is a dynamic, expensive venture, and our costs keep rising. Ticket sales pay for only a fraction of what it costs to produce quality shows.  Scenery, costumes, publicity, actor and artist salaries, royalties, rent, administrative fees, and technical elements all create financial demands.  The level of theatre we can produce is directly tied to the donations we receive. We humbly ask that you consider contributing to Merely Players, a 501(c)(3) organization.  Theatre adds vitality and variety to a community, and your tax-deductible donation helps to ensure that we can continue to thrive.

Each donor will be listed in our programs in one of these Giving groups:

ARTISTIC: All season subscribers

DYNAMIC: $10 – $49 over the subscription package amount

IMAGINATIVE: $50 -$99 over the subscription package amount

CREATIVE:  $100-$249 over the subscription package amount

INNOVATIVE: $250-$499 over the subscription package amount

VISIONARY: $500 – $999 over the subscription package amount

INSPIRING:  $1000 – $4999 over the subscription package amount

EXTRAORDINARY: $5000 – $9999 above the subscription package amount

SUPERLATIVE – $10000 or more above the subscription package amount

We are grateful for any donation you can make. We truly appreciate your consideration and generosity.If you wish, you can set up a monthly donation HERE:

All seats will be assigned. Tickets are not mailed. You can pick them up at WILL CALL on the night of the performance.