Out of the Box: Denver's First Permanent Immersive Studio Could Open in 2025

"We're about to expand Denver's immersive art scene by 10,000 square feet," says Steve Wargo, co-founder of the Denver Immersive Repertory Theater. This ambitious new project aims to cement Denver as a national hub for immersive entertainment by establishing the city's first dedicated, year-round immersive production studio and venue in a sprawling, 10,000-square-foot two-level building at 15th and Blake streets.

DIRT is currently converting the former Patagonia store into a versatile venue. Plans call for a performance space that seamlessly combines cutting-edge immersive experiences and high-quality bar service. The project has been in development for months, with a planned soft launch by late 2025 and full operations expected in 2026.

"To the best of our knowledge, no one has built a dedicated venue for long-term live immersive work anywhere," Wargo says. "So what we're building is an open box where we'll be able to create whatever open-world immersive experience we want and then tear it down and build something new when it runs its course. There will be a dedicated bar and hospitality experience grafted onto everything we do because we want to fuse nightlife and immersive entertainment in a symbiotic way."

DIRT is the brainchild of Wargo and Blair Russell, two theater veterans who met during the pandemic and quickly bonded over their shared vision for immersive storytelling. Wargo, a recent Denver transplant, brings over two decades of experience in immersive and environmental theater. Russell, a Tony-nominated producer, has worked on acclaimed projects such as Slave Play and EPIC: The Musical, with a focus on expanding the boundaries of live performance.
The duo’s partnership began over virtual coffee during the industry’s pandemic-induced pause. “We clicked immediately,” says Wargo. “We had a shared vision of what immersive performance could be and wanted to find ways to keep creating during uncertain times.”

This prompted the duo to develop "live binaural audio radio play experiences," which Russell describes as "the most immersive that you can get virtually. As things started to open up, we started to expand and expand and wanted to bring that to IRL. Because we both had backgrounds and connections in Denver, it was already on our radar when we were considering where to do a project like this."

Although they looked at other spots such as Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh Durham, Santa Fe and Salt Lake City, Denver’s distinct creative economy made it the clear choice. Each founder brings distinct expertise to the venture. As head of creative, Wargo will oversee the artistic and storytelling aspects of DIRT’s productions, while Russell, as head of operations, focuses on business development and logistical execution.

The 2022 Denver Immersive Gathering, which featured local leaders and artists promoting the city as a center for creativity, was pivotal for the pair. “We heard from the mayor and others that Denver wanted to be the immersive hub of the universe,” recalls Russell. “So, we took them at their word.”

Wargo also points to what he calls Denver’s “three-legged stool” advantage as a major reason for DIRT's location: “There’s an audience hungry for adventurous experiences, solid infrastructure with plenty of available space and a growing economy."

DIRT’s potential was already on display at the inaugural Immersive Invitational in November, where their performance of The Unnatural History Wing was awarded Best Use of Criteria. “The invitational gave us the chance to showcase our approach and meet a bunch of other immersive creators,” says Wargo. “It reaffirmed that Denver was the right place for this venture.”

At its core, DIRT is about crafting performances that invite audiences to become active participants in the storytelling process. “Immersive, to me, means full use of space,” explains Wargo. “It’s about sensory interaction, plot interaction and space interaction — leading with experience rather than narrative.”

DIRT's productions will have open-world, choose-your-own-adventure designs, allowing audience members to roam freely. The venue’s flexibility will enable continual reinvention: Each show will offer a completely new experience, from dark fantasies to bright, playful escapades.

“It would be impossible to experience everything in one sitting," Wargo says. "We want this to be an accessible place where people feel comfortable and want to return. So you will not be able to experience everything. In one night, you might be able to come do the burlesque show, sit in one room or try to run around and follow one character."

The first production will embody this ethos with 224 scenes spread across twelve meticulously designed environments. A neo-burlesque vaudeville show integrated into the bar area will offer a parallel experience, further emphasizing DIRT’s fusion of performance and hospitality. “Even if you’re just at the bar, the larger show will intrude on your evening in surprising ways,” notes Wargo.

DIRT’s impact should extend beyond artistic ambitions to meaningful economic contributions. The company intends to hire between forty and fifty people, including performers, hospitality staff and production teams, all of whom will be recruited locally. This commitment to creating stable, long-term jobs is complemented by the establishment of a permanent repertory acting troupe, a rarity in the immersive entertainment world.

"We will have a core group of actors that I have trained in an immersive technique, as I understand it, so that we can transition from one show to the next while also keeping those people employed in between show changes," Wargo says. "We're going to be salarying our actors; it is a full-time job. The first show has 21 actors, so the goal is to offer 21 local actors a job that hopefully doesn’t end anytime soon."

With the venue's design and vision firmly in place, DIRT is now focused on navigating construction timelines, securing necessary permits and solidifying funding there a combination of private investment, crowdfunding and grants. The company has already received a grant from Denver Arts & Venues to support its initial efforts and continues to pursue other opportunities. "We're always looking for more partners and investors, both local and national," Russell notes.

“We’re on track for a soft launch in late 2025,” he continues. “Auditions for our first production are expected to begin around Labor Day, assuming the permitting and construction process stays on schedule.”

DIRT’s launch coincides with a period of exciting growth for Denver’s immersive scene; the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Off-Center has announced plans to establish a dedicated immersive venue in the next two years.

“At this phase in Denver’s creative development, everything is additive; more is more and more is great," Wargo says. "When the DCPA gets its new facility up and running, actors from everywhere who are interested in this work are going to start flocking here because there's going to be jobs. There's going to be literal jobs in the immersive space here, so I can’t wait to get this open and see the DCPA follow us, because more is more and it helps legitimize what we're up to."

Russell echoes this sentiment. “People always think, ‘Why is every lamp seller on the same street?’ Well, if you think you need a lamp, you're going to go to that street," he says. "It doesn't matter that there are five different places — everybody's going to that street, and I think Denver can become the same place for immersive. For performers and audiences, Denver can be a destination. In the same way Orlando's a destination for theme parks, Denver can be a destination for immersive.”