Bozeman Magazine

Empty ( ) Space Company to Showcase Closer on Stage

Filling Empty ( ) Space with Reflection and Truth

This September, Empty ( ) Space Company, led by Bradford Rosenbloom and Evan Wilmes, will present us with the deeply moving and provocative story Closer by playwright Patrick Marber. Closer premiered on Broadway in January, 1999 and was nominated for…

Is Bozeman the Next Destination For Comedy?

After living in New York City and performing comedy there for 15 years, I believe that most of what makes a great comedian is their wanting to be a great comedian. I want to be a great comedian. There, I said it. Did it happen? Am I hilarious? Do I…

Last Best Comedy: The Best Medicine This Summer

Angie Ripple

Tucked beneath Main Street in the basement level of the historic Bozeman Hotel is Last Best Comedy, Montana’s only dedicated comedy club. Since opening its doors in 2021, the venue has become a gathering place for stand-up comics, improvisers…

76 Trombones: The Music Man Arrives at the Ellen

Angie Ripple

Just as Professor Harold Hill dreamt of leading a grand marching band with 76 trombones, John Ludin and the team at Montana TheatreWorks dreamt of bringing the Bozeman community together this summer for an uplifting, bright, light, funny, and…

Top 10 Out Loud Activities

Missy Glenn

The Gallatin Valley is not only an outdoor recreational paradise—it’s also full of all kinds of “diamond in the rough” activities. As our community develops and grows, it is fun to also see the growth in culture, arts, and…

An Englishman in Big Sky

I’ve never met an actual cowboy. Growing up in Slough, a town outside of London, England, I met a fair few cowboy builders and mechanics but never an actual rooting, tooting, lassoing cowboy (imagine rooting or tooting said in an English…

The Ellen Theatre Presents: A Christmas Carol

Mary Lane

After the success of their summer production of Cabaret, Montana Theatre Works and The Ellen Theatre will be reprising A Christmas Carol for the fourth time since 2008, with Mary Jo Ludin directing this year’s show.A Christmas Carol was the…

Top 10 Holiday Traditions for Local Businesses & Organizations

Josi Hinds

The holidays are here! It’s time to break out the hot cocoa, the decorations and festive music, and gather family and friends to celebrate the season. It also means it’s time to take part in traditions that make this time of year extra…

A Different Nutcracker

Yellowstone Ballet Company’s version of The Nutcracker is “different, in a good way,” says one of last year’s attendees. Besides the enchantment you expect from a full-length ballet, there is a bit of fun—enjoyment that…

What the Constitution Means to Me

Cara Wilder

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our…

Livingston Fringe Festival

Kevin Brustuen

This fall, a brand-new regional event, The Livingston Fringe Festival will debut September 22nd, and will continue through September 28th.  The Festival brings 12 plays, written by 14 local playwrights and featuring 40 actors, to nine Livingston…

Cabaret at the Ellen Theatre

Angie Ripple

This July 10–27, the Ellen Theatre lights up with Cabaret — a boundary-pushing Broadway classic set in the shadowy, glittering cabarets of 1930s Berlin. Montana TheatreWorks celebrates its 30th summer season with a production that’s…

Open Letter from Directors of Arts and Cultural Institutions Across Montana

Across Montana, an extraordinary thing occurs daily—people of all ages, backgrounds, and political affiliations visit museums, galleries, and art centers, discovering inspiration, connection, awe, and joy through arts and culture.We have the…

In Praise of Trees

Kevin Brustuen

Richard Powers, in his 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Overstory, says: “You and the tree in your backyard come from a common ancestor. A billion and a half years ago, the two of you parted ways. But even now, after an immense journey…

Constellations Contemplative Performance Fills the Empty ( ) Space

As the community emerges from the winter months, Empty ( ) Space Company will provide nourishment for our hearts and minds, and appreciation for the life experiences that shape us and our communities. The curtain rises this March for a production of…

Truthiness, Alternative Facts, Fake News

The Minutes

Cara Wilder

These days, our political discourse is colored by the notion that an objective truth does not exist; a truth that one can independently determine through common sense or reasonable diligence. Instead, truth is what one side tells you, and anything…

Songs & Dances of Love & the Epic Journey of Frederick Davis From the Streets to the Stage

Get in the mood for Valentine’s day and experience different shades of love through song, dance, and the epic journey of Frederick Davis - From the Streets to the Stage in Yellowstone Ballet Company’s Songs & Dances of Love Saturday…

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street At The Ellen Theater

Kevin Brustuen

Opera Montana brings Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd to the Ellen Theatre stage in January. This beloved musical opens on January 30, 2025, and offers eight performances over two weekends, closing with a Sunday matinee on February 9. The story…

Annie at the Ellen

Sydney Jones

This December, Montana TheatreWorks and The Ellen Theatre present ten wonderful performances of the beloved Broadway musical, Annie. Opening Wednesday, December 11th and running Wednesday through Sunday through December 22nd, the show offers a…

Connecting Community

Angie Ripple

I recently came across a quote that really hit home with me: “Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.” As I reflect on my journey as the founder of this local publication…

The Broads Are Back

25 Years of Writing Feminist Comedy… Has Anything Changed?

Twenty-five years ago, the two of us were privy to our cousins having a very, very important and slightly heated conversation. They were new parents and figuring out what to call “it”… the “pee pee,” or the “wee…

Comedian and podcaster DAVE SMITH appearing at EMERSON Crawford Theatre in January

David Smith is an American stand-up comedian, podcaster, and libertarian political commentator. He has frequently appeared on Fox News Channel’s Kennedy  and The Greg Gutfeld Show. Additionally he was a recurring panelist on CNN’s…

Arcadia

Kevin Brustuen

Beth Burroughs, Chair of the Math Department at Montana State University, recently spoke to a roomful of actors and designers working for Bozeman Actors Theatre (BAT): “Don’t be afraid of math. Most people think of mathematics as dealing…

Taking on September the Bobcat Way

Jessica Cairoli, photos by Angie Ripple

September is a busy time of year in Gallatin Valley, with summer drawing to a close and back to school activities in full swing; even for those of us who aren’t going back. You don’t have to be one of the over 16,000 Montana State…

Every Brilliant Thing Sheds Light on Depression

Under the direction of Gordon Carpenter, Independent Theatre (in association with Suffer Out Loud and Active Minds MSU) presents Hugh Burroughs in Duncan Macmillan’s award-winning interactive comedy, Every Brilliant Thing. Performances will…

Top 10 Things You MUST Do When Visiting Bozeman this Summer

Sierra Holmes

The gray clouds have dispersed, the sun is hot, snow has melted, and you look up at the beautiful Bridger range framed by a blue sky. Summertime is amazing, and is made even better by being surrounded by the beautiful scenery we have here in Montana…

Shakespeare in the Parks Summer Tour

Kevin Brustuen

Joel Jahnke, retired Artistic Director of Montana Shakespeare in the Parks (MSIP), likes to tell a story that happened to him in the early days of MSIP’s summer tour, a story that made him realize that MSIP was onto something big. It was 1980…

The Bear Necessities: Shakespearean Animal Encounters

Kevin Brustuen

Montana InSite Theatre will present Animal Encounters: Shakespeare on the Rise in Bozeman’s Story Mill Park on June 28th, and at Tippet Rise in Fishtail, Montana, on June 29th and 30th.One of the most famous stage directions in all of theatre…

Certain Death and Other Considerations

Kevin Brustuen

Headlines in the news talk constantly about disasters ready to befall us every day in the form of climate change, economic woes, perilous politics, and a threatened reshaping of world order. The continual flow of negative news about the future is…