About Local Listens:

In an increasingly-digital world, Local Listens intentionally gathers community members in a room, face-to-face, for important, informative, and illuminating conversations. These story circles, held at the beginning of every season, inspire short plays that are presented at the conclusion of the season. In order to enrich the experience for you, our audience, throughout the season we showcase a traveling portrait gallery featuring story circle participants. Each portrait is accompanied with an audio recording of a story the subject shared. Listen to these stories and discover the humans behind these complex issues. A resource guide is provided, offering unbiased context.

Research shows that people understand, remember, and act on complex social issues more effectively when they are conveyed through lived experience rather than abstract data. Stories increase empathy, reduce resistance to difficult topics, and foster shared understanding across differences making them a powerful tool for civic dialogue and social change.

Local Listens seeks to build bridges across the chasm of community divides. 

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Interested in supporting this project? Email Executive Director Misha S. Zimmerman HERE.

Local LISTENS:
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Local Listens is a community-inspired new play initiative that focuses on a single social issue for one year. This year, we will explore housing in Boulder County, examining the diverse experiences and perspectives within our community to find common ground.

Beginning in July 2026 we will host facilitated story circles, bringing together a wide range of community voices—including renters, homeowners, developers, landlords, lenders, and individuals experiencing housing insecurity—to share lived experiences.

These conversations will then be developed into two original plays that will be presented in staged readings at the end of the season.

Story Circle Dates TBA soon.

Community partners include:

All Roads

The Coalition of Manufactured home Owners in Boulder (C-MOB)

The Boulder Chamber

Create Boulder.