Applause Magazine, April 20 -May 27, 2018

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VOLUME XXIX • NUMBER 6 • APR – MAY 2018

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APPLAUSE

SIGHTLINE

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BY JANICE SINDEN

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Our ongoing success would not be possible without exemplary leadership throughout our history. I extend my gratitude — and that of our Board of Trustees, artists and staff — to past DCPA President Lester Ward (see page 8). Attorney by trade and theatre aficionado at heart, Lester has been involved with the DCPA since its inception serving as advisor, President, Chief Operating Officer, Trustee and benefactor for 46 years. He also served as President of the Helen G. Bonfils Foundation and, as of December, ensured that the DCPA is debt-free. As he retires from his service to the Denver Center, we are left better and stronger than at any time in our history. Thank you, Lester, for your guidance, passion, love and loyalty. We look forward to seeing you in the audience for years to come.

On that note, we also look forward to seeing all of you — our valued patrons — for the balance of this season and the many exciting shows to come.

Janice Sinden, President & CEO Denver Center for the Performing Arts

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We will finish our season on a high note with Disney’s Aladdin, The Who’s Tommy and On Your Feet!, along with six more titles between now and July.

Off-Center will offer up three collaborative pieces that tap heavily into the talented pool of artists in our local community, while our Theatre for Young Audiences program will entertain PreK through third graders with the charming story of Corduroy.

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EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Rob Silk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: John Moore SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Adam Obendorf ART DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone SENIOR DESIGNERS: Casey Eickhoff, Brenda Elliott CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Sylvie Drake, Hope Grandon

Greetings and welcome to the DCPA! We are at that pivotal moment of our season where we are reflecting on our past success and anticipating what’s to come. You joined us for the incredible runs of Hamilton and Frozen, the exciting new voices showcased in our New Play Summit (see pages 16-17), the launch of our Theatre for Young Audiences program that engaged 19,000 students in its first year, and our record-breaking Saturday Night Alive gala, which raised more than $1.1 million for DCPA arts and education (see pages 34-35).

Looking even further ahead, we have lined up a whopping 32 titles for our 2018/19 season. We play host to the North American tour launch of Tony Award-winning Dear Evan Hansen and present the legendary Betty Buckley in Hello, Dolly! as part of our Broadway season. Chris Coleman will not only debut his first season selections as DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director (see pages 26-27), he also will direct two productions — Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! and the classic love story by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina.

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VO LU M E X X I X • N U M B E R 6 • A P R – M AY 2 0 1 8

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Martin Semple, Chairman Daniel L. Ritchie, Immediate Past Chairman William Dean Singleton, Secretary/Treasurer Robert Slosky, Vice Chairman Dr. Patricia Baca Joy S. Burns Isabelle Clark Navin Dimond L. Roger Hutson Robert C. Newman Alan Salazar Hassan Salem Richard M. Sapkin Tara Smith June Travis Ken Tuchman Tina Walls Dr. Reginald L. Washington Judi Wolf Sylvia Young

HELEN G. BONFILS FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES William Dean Singleton, President Martin Semple, Vice President Judi Wolf, Secretary/Treasurer Lester L. Ward, President Emeritus Roger Hutson David Miller Robert C. Newman Daniel L. Ritchie Hassan Salem Robert Slosky June Travis Dr. Reginald L. Washington

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UPCOMING

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FORMER DCPA PRESIDENT LESTER WARD

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Lester Ward and his wife, Ros

If the late Donald R. Seawell was the dapper, larger-than-life showman as the founder of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, attorney Lester Ward was the genial partner applauding from the wings.

But make no mistake, Seawell said in 2004: “Lester Ward has been an integral part of the DCPA since its inception.”

Ward’s 46-year history with the DCPA is in many ways the history of the DCPA itself. And he says with utter sincerity: “There were really no dark days because I thoroughly enjoyed every day here.”

Ward, 87, retired December 31 as the DCPA’s longest-serving board member.

In 1989, he was named the DCPA’s first-ever President and Chief Operating Officer — positions he held until his partial retirement in 2004, after which he later became president of the Bonfils Foundation in 2007.

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Ward, a Pueblo native, served Seawell as the DCPA’s attorney from its inception in 1972. He helped create the DCPA Theatre Company and open the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex in 1979. Ward fostered the development of DCPA Education, supervised the building of the Seawell Ballroom, and worked with the city to open The Buell Theatre in 1990.

But of all of Ward’s accomplishments, he said, the most lasting may be the least publicly known: As of December, the Bonfils Foundation — and by extension, the Denver Center — are debt-free.

That’s when the Bonfils Foundation finished paying back $37 million in bonds (and $13 million in interest) to pay for DCPA building expansions and capital improvements.

“I can say that the Denver Center is in terrific financial shape,” Ward said, “and I am so excited for its future.”

Read more at denvercenter.org/news-center.

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1 DCPA President & CEO Janice Sinden and Chairman Martin Semple present Lester with a special “Tony” Award upon his retirement. 2 Lester Ward receives the first distribution from the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District.

3 Governor Bill Owens, former DCPA Trustee Glen Jones, DCPA Founder Donald Seawell and Lester Ward at The Jones Theatre dedication. 4 Donald Seawell, former DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director Donovan Marley, former DCPA Executive Vice President Barbara Mackay and Lester Ward. 5 Volunteer Billie Begaii, Donald Seawell, Honorary Trustee Cleo Parker Robinson and Lester Ward at the Seawell Ballroom dedication.

6 Lester’s caricature graces the wall at Denver’s downtown restaurant, The Palm.

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This Is Modern Art Now – Apr 15 First Date Now – Apr 22 Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill Now – Apr 23 Native Gardens Now – May 6 Disney's Aladdin Apr 7 – 28 The Who’s Tommy Apr 20 – May 27 Human Error May 18 – Jun 24 Remote Denver May 22 – July 1 School of Rock May 29 – Jun 10 The Book of Mormon Jun 13 – Jul 1 Mixed Taste Jul 11 – Aug 22 Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man Jul 12 – Aug 5 Les Misérables Jul 25 – Aug 5 On Your Feet!

Aug 8 – 19 Vietgone Aug 24 – Sep 30 Beautiful - The Carole King Musical Sep 4 – 9 Oklahoma!

Sep 7 – Oct 14 The Improvised Shakespeare Company Sep 13 – 30 The Constant Wife Sep 21 – Oct 21 Dear Evan Hansen Sep 25 – Oct 13 Corduroy Oct 5 – Dec 9 Love Never Dies Oct 23 – 28 Xanadu Nov 3, 2018 – Apr 28, 2019 Come From Away Nov 13 – 25 A Christmas Carol Nov 21 – Dec 24 The SantaLand Diaries Nov 23 – Dec 24 Irving Berlin’s White Christmas Dec 5 – 15 Cirque Eloize - Hotel Dec 19 – 23 A Bronx Tale Jan 8 – 20, 2019 Last Night and the Night Before Jan 18 – Feb 24, 2019 Rock of Ages Jan 25 – 27, 2019 Anna Karenina Jan 25 – Feb 24, 2019 The Whistleblower Feb 8 – Mar 10, 2019 Bat Out of Hell Feb 6 – 17, 2019 The Play That Goes Wrong Mar 5 – 17, 2019 Hello, Dolly!

Mar 27 – Apr 7, 2019 Cats Apr 24 – 28, 2019 Sweat Apr 26 – May 26, 2019 Wicked May 8 – Jun 9, 2019 Fiddler on the Roof Jun 11 – 16, 2019 Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Jul 9 – 28, 2019 Anastasia Aug 7 – 18, 2019

FOR A COMPLETE LIST, VISIT DENVERCENTER.ORG Tickets for some shows are currently unavailable.

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TOMMY: R

Remember The Who’s Tommy? Remember when it played Denver’s Buell Theatre in 1994? Maybe you were too young.

BREAKING NEW GROUND, AGAIN B Y S Y LV I E D R A K E

The show was very young then too, known mostly by hearsay or from the 1969 rock concept album on which it is based. It had made waves by elevating the life of a deaf, mute and blind boy whose prodigious talent at pinball makes him a celebrity. By applying what was then a lot of new technology to his fertile imagination, director Des McAnuff’s 1992 transfer of that iconic album to the La Jolla Playhouse (San Diego) stage took musical theatre to a whole other level of innovation.

At the time, The Who was a British rock group seeking broader recognition, so the album’s breakthrough in London — and the rock opera created in La Jolla — became sensations. Rock operas were still uncommon. There had been Hair (1968) and Jesus Christ Superstar (1970), both huge, to say nothing of The Rocky Horror Show that exploded on several London stages in 1973 before spreading across the globe with its enduring popularity.

Tommy was different. Its La Jolla opening with its flashy tech effects, its combination of heartbreaking story and unrestrained flamboyance, was a big surprise. The tools were the same, but watching the astonishing fall and rise of a traumatized child on stage offered a deeper and deeply thrilling experience. The subsequent 1993 Broadway run set box office records, and the show traveled to Denver the following year on the wings of great press and five Tony Awards.

Today’s DCPA Theatre Company revival is a homegrown incarnation, with a live band and reinvented staging by director Sam Buntrock, whose Frankenstein at the DCPA and whose West End direction of Sunday In the Park With George scored high marks.

“I’ve never directed Tommy before,” he told Applause in an email interview earlier this spring. “In the ’60s Townsend wrote the score to be performed in concert. In the ’90s he worked with Des McAnuff to transform it into a big and brilliant stage musical. I suspect mine will be a more emotionally driven, intimate version of the show. I’m approaching that version through the lens of contemporary theatrical conventions.

“Audiences have become accustomed to simpler, more distilled storytelling, the sort whose thrills are precise and unexpected.

With Tommy I’m excited to stage a fantastical show that has, at its heart, a rich and emotionally authentic story.”

Among the new ideas Buntrock brings to his staging is younger casting, including that of Andy Mientus (of TV’s “Smash” and Dear West Theatre’s Spring Awakening) as Tommy.

Illustration by Kyle Malone

“Of course, there are children written into the fabric of the show — four-year-old and ten-year-old Tommy,” Buntrock continued. “These two are givens, though our four-year-old may play a larger part than people expect.

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“The only other child is a teenaged Kevin. The story spans some 20 years and Kevin is one of the characters that features through most of the timeline. So if he interacts with ten-year-old Tommy, and then adult Tommy, [it’s] powerful to see him grow up too. How that doubling works and what the payoff is, are both things conceived in service of creating a credible family on stage.”

Pete Townshend, The Who’s lead guitarist who composed most of the score for Tommy, told Applause magazine in 1994, “that story is, in a APPLAUSE APPLAUSE • APR • APR – MAY – MAY 2018 2018 • 303.893.4100 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG • DENVERCENTER.ORG

sense, my life brought up to date. I didn’t quite realize how autobiographical it was. Not just of me, but of the people around me at the time…everybody in the group. Not only was it an important step for us artistically, it also was the critical financial breakthrough for a group [that], up to that point, had been known for wearing funny clothes and pop-art outfits and smashing guitars.”

COSTUME COLUMN

“See me, feel me, touch me, heal me…”

Almost 50 years on, the Tommy story, and especially its score, still resonate.

Four-year-old Tommy is thrown into a catatonic state after he witnesses a traumatic family event reflected in a mirror. It makes him instantly deaf, dumb and blind. This triple whammy brings him the wrong kinds of attention; he struggles through childhood, badgered and abused — until he discovers he has a freakish talent for winning at pinball.

It’s Costume Designer and DCPA Costume Crafts Director Kevin Copenhaver’s job to take these lines, sung by the title character in The Who’s Tommy, and make his dream of being seen a reality.

In late adolescence, when he’s accidentally present as his mother, in a moment of despair, smashes the same mirror that caused his catatonia, Tommy is magically healed. The revitalized pinball wizard becomes an international star before evolving into a sentient, responsive and compassionate human being.

All this melodrama, married to its stunning musical score, results in a rock opera whose alchemy is practically addictive.

One of the challenges facing Copenhaver is that Tommy is played by three different actors.

Tommy begins the play at four years old, ages to 10 and finishes the production in his 20s.

“With Tommy, with his prone passivity, we have a hero we can all project ourselves upon. Yes, it’s magnified and melodramatic, but it’s rock and roll, so what do you expect?”

Copenhaver’s approach is to offer the audience a recognizable visual cue, such as a repeating color, that always connects back to Tommy to help the audience track his character as the actors change.

Tommy marks a creative reunion for Copenhaver and director Sam Buntrock. Last season, the two collaborated on the Theatre Company’s production of Frankenstein.

— SAM BUNTROCK, Director

“I really appreciate that Sam is an incredibly visual director,” said Copenhaver. “I find that we’re drawn to similar films and artists.

Sam has an amazing background in illustration and immediately that gave us a beautiful shared visual vocabulary and I’m very much looking forward to tackling this fantastical rock musical with him.”

When asked if he agrees that what continues to make the show so gripping is this melding of music, magic, mystery, mysticism and melodrama, Buntrock demurred.

“Yes. In part. It remains so gripping because it is one of the greatest musical scores ever written,” he said. “It’s not faux musical theatre rock and roll, it’s… rock and roll. All those ‘m’s are intrinsic to what Townshend was exploring when he wrote it.

“Ultimately,” he added, “it’s a deeply honest exploration of [Townshend’s] own childhood. With Tommy, with his prone passivity, we have a hero we can all project ourselves upon. Yes, it’s magnified and melodramatic, but it’s rock and roll, so what do you expect? And despite this, I think it has something profound to say about our relationship to our childhood selves.”

Theatre, being a primary champion of human understanding, often takes the lead in reversing secretive old-fashioned attitudes. Tommy is an example of art shining a light into the darkness and, in former theatre critic Frank Rich’s words, “…spreading catharsis like wildfire through the cheering house.”

THE WHO’S TOMMY APR 20 – MAY 27 • STAGE THEATRE ASL, Audio-described & Closed Captioned performance: May 6, 1:30pm

Costume designs by Kevin Copenhaver

Sylvie Drake is a former theatre critic and columnist for the Los Angeles Times, a translator, a contributor to culturalweekly.com and American Theatre magazine, and a former Director of Media Relations and Publications for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

SHAKESPEARE…

IN A PARKING LOT?

BY S U Z A N N E YO E

HELP YOUR CHILD PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS THIS SPRING AND SUMMER

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Jeans. Teens. Asphalt. And a pickup truck.

Sounds like the scene in a high school parking lot, right? It is…sort of. It’s also the set for Shakespeare.

I can hear your thoughts as you reread that opening — it’s a what?

Each fall and spring, DCPA Education takes the show on the road through its Shakespeare in the Parking Lot program. Professional teaching artists pack up their limited props and costumes, climb into a truck and visit more than 30 schools throughout the metro Denver area.

They perform an adaptation of Romeo and Juliet or A Midsummer Night’s Dream in front of the entire student body. Yes, in the parking lot and on a truck. Then they go into classrooms to connect themes from the play (think bullying, drug use and overbearing parents) with issues teens face in their daily lives.

It’s raw. It’s relevant. It’s touring schools right now. And it will encourage more than 15,000 students to apply 400-year-old stories to their very own lives.

To learn more about Shakespeare in the Parking Lot and DCPA Education, visit denvercenter.org/education.

VIEW OUR FULL CLASS SCHEDULE AT: DENVERCENTER.ORG/EDUCATION

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Photos by John Moore

DCPA Teaching Artists Justin Walvoord and Chloe McLeod perform from A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the 2017 Denver Public Schools Shakespeare Festival as part of DCPA Education’s popular Shakespeare in the Parking Lot program.

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A SHOWCASE OF NEW WORK The cast of Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue.

BY JOHN MOORE

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Perhaps more so than ever, the Denver Center’s 13th annual Colorado New Play Summit explored complex contemporary social issues through the lens of real stories taken from both the recent and distant past. The Space Shuttle Challenger explosion, a forgotten pre-Civil War slave trial and a headline-grabbing drunk-driving tragedy were among the real-life inspirations for the four featured readings: Barbara Seyda’s Celia, A Slave; Kemp Powers’ Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue; David Jacobi’s The Couches, and Sigrid Gilmer’s Mama Metallica.

But history of another kind was made when the topic of gender identity was addressed on a Denver Center stage for the first time, and it came from an unlikely source: Noah Jackson’s Wine Colored Lip Gloss told the story of a nonbinary teenager during readings of DCPA Education’s three student playwriting finalists.

“It means so much to me that the Denver Center allowed my story to be heard,” said Jackson, who attends Girls Athletic Leadership School. “I had someone come up to me in tears saying that my play touched her so much. I am just over the moon that people are actually feeling the words that I have worked so hard on.”

The Colorado New Play Summit has grown into one of the nation’s premier showcases of new plays. Since 2006, it has developed 54 new plays, leading to 31 fully produced world premieres on the Theatre Company’s mainstage seasons.

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Incoming Artistic Director Chris Coleman told the Friday night crowd the Summit was “a great calling card” for the job he is about to embrace. “New play development is creativity at its most pure,” he said. “There is enormous joy and heartache in watching something come out of nothing.”

This year’s Summit drew industry leaders from 33 local and national theatre organizations, with more than 150 directors, actors, artistic leaders, educators and others from 12 states attending or taking part. More than 800 attended at least one reading. Attendees also were treated to three fullystaged world premieres: American Mariachi, The Great Leap and Zoey’s Perfect Wedding.

American Mariachi and The Great Leap are both coproductions — the former moved to the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and the latter moved to the Seattle Repertory Theatre at the end of March with their Denver creative teams intact.

“My play would not exist without the Denver Center,” said The Great Leap playwright Lauren Yee. “Not just because it’s a commission, but also because of the way the Colorado New Play Summit launches you into the national consciousness. This is an event the whole new play development world looks to every year for leadership and inspiration.”

Read an expanded version of this report on the DCPA NewsCenter at denvercenter.org/news-center.

APPLAUSE • APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

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PHOTOS: 1. Artistic staff Doug Langworthy and Grady Soapes. 2. Actor Lee Sherman. 3. Cast of Mama Metallica. 4. DCPA commissioned playwright and Denver native Max Posner, The Catamounts Executive Director Sara Horle, and The Wild Party Director Amanda Berg Wilson. 5. Teen playwright Noah Jackson. 6. Commissioned playwright Mfoniso Udofia. 7. Director Nataki Garrett. 8. Quinn Marchman and Tobie Windham rehearse Christa McAuliffe’s Eyes Were Blue. 9. Tasha Lawrence and Cesar J. Rosado rehearse The Couches.

10. The cast of Celia, A Slave. 11. Cast and crew of American Mariachi. 12. Director Mike Donahue and actor Nija Okoro. 13. Women’s Voices Fund members and beneficiaries. 14. Playwrights Slam participants Mfoniso Udofia, Ricardo A. Bracho, Luis Quintero, José Cruz González and Max Posner. Photos by John Moore and Adams VisComm.

DCPA TEAM

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Dawn Williams................................Director, Event Sales & Marketing Janice Sinden..............................President & CEO Juan Loya, Carmen Molina, Blanca Maggie Lamb........................Executive Assistant Primero, Judith Primero, Angeles to the CEO Reyes Soto.................................................Custodians BROADWAY & CABARET

MARKETING, SALES & PATRON SERVICES

John Ekeberg.Executive Director Broadway Alicia Bruce................................. General Manager Lisa Mallory.......................................Vice President, Marketing & Sales Ashley Brown...........................Business Manager Abel Becerra.........Technical Director, Cabaret Eric Boone...........................Front End Developer Heidi Bosk...............Associate Director of PR & Integrated Marketing DEVELOPMENT Jonalyn Bradshaw.....................Education Sales Shawn Bayer........................... Associate Director Coordinator Megan Fevurly.............Development Manager Nathan Brunetti.....Email Marketing Manager Katie Imhoff...................Development Manager Flora Jane DiRienzo........Director of Strategic Melissa Olson..............Development Associate Partnerships Marc Ravenhill........................ Associate Director Casey Eickhoff..........Senior Graphic Designer David Zupancic.......Director of Development Brenda Elliott.............Senior Graphic Designer Brianna Firestone...........Director of Customer EDUCATION Experience & Loyalty Hope Grandon................PR & Events Manager Allison Watrous.....................Executive Director, Brittany Gutierrez.................... Communications Education Coordinator Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski..... Associate Director Donna Hendricks..........Executive Assistant to of Education and Curriculum Management Marketing & Broadway Stuart Barr.........Education Technical Director Jeff Hovorka....Director of Sales & Marketing Claudia Carson...........................Teaching Artist & Jennifer Kemps...............Group Sales Manager Education Program Coordinator - Emily Kent...........................Director of Marketing Playwriting & Bobby G David Lenk.......................................Video Producer Leslie Channell........................Business Manager Emily Lozow......Marketing & Digital Manager Melissa Sumner.. Office Manager & Registrar Adam Lundeen...........Marketing Technologist Linda Eller........................................................Librarian Kyle Malone.............................................Art Director Tim McCracken..............................Head of Acting Carolyn Michaels....................................Copywriter Andre Rodriguez......................Teaching Artist & Cheyenne Michaels.. Marketing Coordinator Education Program John Moore....................... Senior Arts Journalist Coordinator - Shakespeare Adam Obendorf..................Senior Art Director David Saphier....Teaching Artist & Education Julie Rada......................Audience Development Program Coordinator Associate In School Programming Joseph Schurwonn.................Financial Analyst Elizabeth Schmit...................Assistant Registrar Andrew Sanders........................Project Manager Rachel Taylor......Teaching Artist & Education Rob Silk................Director of Creative Services Program Coordinator - Austin Walker....................... Marketing Assistant Literacy Engagement and Suzanne Yoe......Director of Communications Resiliency Programming & Cultural Affairs Justin Walvoord........................Teaching Artist & Education Program Coordinator - THEATRE SERVICES Teacher Professional Development Carol Krueger........Theatre Services Manager Chloe McCleod, Joelle Montoya, Maggy Stacy, Robyn Yamada.............Teaching Artists Ethan Aumann, Nora Caley, Samantha Egle, Jahnice Jones, Hadley Kamminga-Peck, LeiLani Lynch, Aaron McMullen, Gregory FACILITIES & EVENT SERVICES Melton, Douglas Murphey, Joyce Murphey, Clay Courter......................................Vice President, Margaret Ohlander, Dylan Phibbs, Valerie Facilities & Event Services Schaefer, Lauren Veselak Dwight Barela, Zachary Brent, Mica Ward..................................Theatre Company Clint Flinchpaugh, House Managers Michael Kimbrough................................ Engineers Quentin Crump .....................Security Specialist TICKETING SERVICES Jane Deegan............................Facilities & Events Office Manager Jennifer Lopez.........................................Director of Ticketing Services Tom Duffin...........Manager, Event Technology Colin Dieck.......... Event Technology Specialist Kirk Petersen..................Assoc. Dir. of Ticketing Services – Patron Relations Stori Heleen........ Event Technology Specialist Jaymes Kimbrough..............Event Technology Micah White....................Assoc. 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Ally Beacom, Malcolm Brown, Rena Bugg, Keenan Coke, Kelcee Covert, Jennifer Gray, Shari Hansen, Joel Innes, Noah Jungferman, Alia Kempton, Daniel Lindsey, Gustavo Márquez, Clayton Nickell, Zach Page, Gunnar Reinig, Liz Sieroslawski, Brad Steinmeyer, Andrew Sullivan, Tomas Waples, Cindy Yeast......................Ticket Agents SHARED SERVICES Vicky Miles........................Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Jeffrey.................. Director of Financial Planning & Analysis Julie Schumaker..................Executive Assistant to the CFO & Board Liaison ACCOUNTING Jennifer Siemers.........Director of Accounting Michaele Davidson..............Senior Accountant Linda Erickson........................Senior Accountant Juliette Hidahl............................Accounting Clerk Kim Stewart................................Staff Accountant HUMAN RESOURCES Shaunda Van Wert.......................Vice President, Human Resources Brian Carter.....Director of Human Resources Jamie Hawkins..............................HR Coordinator Karen Jewell.........Director, Human Resources Jill Martinez...................................Payroll Specialist Monica Robles...................Mailroom Supervisor INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Yovani Pina........................................Vice President, Information Technology Rick Bennett........................................ Director of IT Simone Gordon................ IT Program Manager Christopher Hoge...............................................VoIP/ System Administrator Paul Howell..................................................Help Desk Bobby Jiminez................Senior AudienceView Analyst Jacob Parker........................Software Developer David Tschan....................................... Director of IT John H. Voorheis.....Manager of Infrastructure THEATRE COMPANY ADMINISTRATION Charles Varin...........................Managing Director Ryan Meisheid.....Associate Managing Director Allison Taylor Brinkhoff.....Company Manager Katie Grayson...Assistant Company Manager ARTISTIC Chris Coleman.............................. Artistic Director Nataki Garrett........Associate Artistic Director Charlie Miller.........Associate Artistic Director/ Off-Center Curator Douglas Langworthy............Literary Director/ Director of New Play Development Melissa Cashion.........................Artistic Producer Grady Soapes.....................Associate Producer/ Director of Casting Chad Henry............................... Literary Associate PRODUCTION Jeff Gifford......................Director of Production Kate Coltun..........................Production Manager Matthew Campbell.........Assistant Production Manager Julie Brou..............................Production & Artistic Office Manager

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Scenic Design Lisa M. Orzolek....... Director of Scenic Design Kevin Nelson, Nicholas Renaud..........................Scenic Design Assistants Lighting Design Charles R. MacLeod..........Director of Lighting Lily Bradford............Lighting Design Assistant Reid Tennis+.....................Production Electrician Multimedia Gregory W. Towle..........Projection Supervisor Topher Blair........................Multimedia Specialist Sound Design Craig Breitenbach..................Director of Sound Alex Billman+, Frank Haas+, Tyler Nelson+...........................Sound Technicians Stage Management Kurt Van Raden..Production Stage Manager Christoper C. Ewing....Senior Stage Manager Kailey Buttrick, Rachel Ducat, Heidi Echtenkamp, Corin Ferris, Rick Mireles, Kristen O’Connor, D. Lynn Reiland...........................Stage Managers Scene Shop Eric Moore...................................Technical Director Robert L. Orzolek...............Associate Technical Director Albert “Stub” Allison.........Assistant Technical Director Louis Fernandez III....................Lead Technician Tyler Clark, Brian “Marco” Markiewicz, Wynn Pastor, Kyle Scoggins, Kyle Simpson Mara Zimmerman................Scenic Technicians Prop Shop Robin Lu Payne....................Properties Director Eileen S. Garcia...................Assistant Properties Director Jamie Stewart Curl, David Hoth, Georgina Kayes, Katie Webster..................Props Artisans Paint Shop Jana L. Mitchell...................Charge Scenic Artist Melanie Rentschler...............Lead Scenic Artist Kristin Hamer MacFarlane............Scenic Artist Costume Shop Janet S. MacLeod.................Costume Director/ Costume Design Associate Meghan Anderson Doyle......................Costume Design Associate Carolyn Plemitscher, Jackie Scott..... Drapers Cathie Gagnon..........................................First Hand Sheila P. Morris..................................................... Tailor Costume Crafts Kevin Copenhaver.... Costume Crafts Director Chris Campbell.......Costume Crafts Assistant Wigs Diana Ben-Kiki........................................Wig Master House Crew Doug Taylor+.................Supervising Stagehand Jim Berman+, Jennifer Guethlein+, Stephen D. Mazzeno+, Miles Stasica+, Tyler Stauffer+, Matt Wagner+.....Stagehands Kyle Moore+.........................Assistant Stagehand Wardrobe Brenda Lawson............... Director of Wardrobe Taylor Malott^, Jessica A. Rayburn^....................Wig Assistants Robin Appleton^, Amber Donner^, Anthony Mattivi^, Tim Nelson^, Lisa Parsons Wagner^, Alan Richards^..............................................Dressers + Member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 7 ^Member of I.A.T.S.E. Local 719

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BY CHRIS HEWITT

S

Since Aladdin opened on Broadway more than four years ago, one number has earned a standing ovation almost every night: “Friend Like Me.” Director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw knew from the beginning that “Friend Like Me” would have to be a showstopper — the song was nominated for an Oscar in the animated movie version, largely due to the late Robin Williams’ bravura performance of it.

But how do you create the kind of number that brings an audience to its feet? Nicholaw talks about what went into the showstopper.

1. WATCH THE MOVIE “You start with that. Because the song was in the film and people know it so well already, you just have to deliver. Plus, the song does all the right things in terms of the relationship between Aladdin and the Genie, and in terms of where it comes, near the end of the first act,” says Nicholaw of “Friend Like Me,” in which the Genie demonstrates how his skills can help Aladdin.

But, having studied the song in the movie, Nicholaw knew he had to throw that take on it out the window because animation can do a lot of things that actual humans cannot.

“You have to make it theatrical. The thing that was easy to do in the movie was that the Genie could shape-shift: become Ed Sullivan or a lamp or different objects. So, I had to figure out how to do that with an ensemble,” says Nicholaw.

20

2. START FRESH “As a director, I would usually start at the top of the show but, as a choreographer, I knew I had to start with that number, because it is going to have the most impact,” says Nicholaw, a Tony nominee for his Aladdin choreography and a winner for directing The Book of Mormon.

So he began pondering what might have the same effect on stage that “Friend Like Me” had in the movie. The answer? Just as Robin Williams throws everything at his movie performance of the song — impressions, accents, vaudeville-style jokes, pop culture references — Nicholaw would throw everything into staging “Friend Like Me.” 3. MORE IS MORE What Nicholaw threw in includes, but is not limited to magic tricks, tap dancing, gymnastics, quick changes, a chorus line, sly nods to other Disney stories, a Vegas-style lounge act and lighting flashpots.

“We first did it in [a pilot production] in Seattle and it just didn’t work. I don’t think anything from Seattle is still in there. But I started to think, ‘What if we thought of the number as constantly changing the TV channel?’ So the ensemble changes costumes, like, four times, during the number, and there’s magic happening all the time and we keep having these different looks,” says Nicholaw.

The constantly shifting look of “Friend Like Me” is also reflected in the dance moves.

“It’s really about: What are different, fun dance styles?

APPLAUSE • APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

Arabian Nights Women. Disney’s Aladdin Original Broadway Company. ©Disney. Photo by Deen van Meer.

HOW TO CREATE ALADDIN’S SHOWSTOPPER ON STAGE?

Let’s do some ballroom! The cheesiest sort of recognizable ballroom. And let’s put in tap! Turkish! Greek! Bollywood! Let’s give the Genie some gags! And a magic trick for Aladdin! Let’s put in a medley of other songs and use that almost as a nightclub act for the Genie!” says Nicholaw.

COMING UP FROM BROADWAY:

SCHOOL OF ROCK

4. GO WITH THE FLOW Of course, “changing the channel constantly” creates challenges for the performers. Aladdin stays shirtless for almost all of “Friend Like Me” but many members of the ensemble switch in and out of clothes — and shoes — at a lightning pace. That’s where the aforementioned nightclub act came in handy.

School of Rock — the hit filmturned-Broadway musical — will bring down the house when it tours Denver (May 29 – June 10).

What part would you play in the band?

“We made sure everyone had time to do the changes, but it does get crazy backstage,” says Nicholaw. “Really, the nightclub medley idea and the little trick we do was basically an idea to give the dancers enough time to change into their tap shoes. It was: ‘OK, how do we get them off stage so they can change?’”

With this show, you had to make sure [“Friend Like Me”] wasn’t just stopping the show to dance. It has to also tell the story.

LAWRENCE — the insecure keyboardist TOMIKA — the reluctant starlet ZACK — the budding composer with a mean electric guitar FREDDY — the straight-laced percussionist MARCY and SHONELLE — the rockin’ vocalists

— Director/choreographer CASEY NICHOLAW

KATIE — the classically trained bass guitarist 5. FIT THE NUMBER INTO THE REST OF THE SHOW

MASON — the rebellious techie

Nicholaw says there have been times in his career when he has created, and then cut, numbers that were sensational but didn’t quite do the job they needed to do in their shows.

JAMES — the protective head of security SUMMER — the firecracker band manager

“Every show is different. Every show has different needs and, sometimes, they reveal them to you right away and, sometimes, they don’t. It’s like dominoes. You find one piece and it affects everything else,” says Nicholaw. “With this show, you had to make sure the number wasn’t just stopping the show to dance. It has to also tell the story.”

BILLY — the stylist who makes uniforms chic

As Aladdin moved to its second and final, pre-Broadway run in Toronto, Nicholaw made some changes to the scenes before and after “Friend Like Me,” making sure the show’s momentum built the way he wanted it to. But, other than minor adjustments to tailor the song to the individual talents of each actor who plays the Genie, “Friend Like Me” has not changed since well before the show hit Broadway.

“Some numbers never feel done and you keep tinkering. But when they work, you just feel that the pieces are working,” says Nicholaw, who estimates that it took about a year for “Friend Like Me” to get from his head to the dancer’s feet.

Nicholaw still pops in on Aladdin every once in a while, largely to make sure the energy level is as high as it needs to be in “Friend Like Me,” and he reports that audiences across the country are eating it up.

“It’s unbelievable, honestly,” says Nicholaw. “I remember when we did it that first time and everybody was standing afterwards. I almost lost it. No, I did lose it. I was sobbing like a baby.”

Or like someone who knows he figured out how to stop the show.

Used with permission of Pioneer Press Copyright© 2018. All rights reserved.

DISNEY’S ALADDIN APR 7 – 28 • BUELL THEATRE ASL, Audio-described & Open-Captioned performance: Apr 22, 2pm

The cast of the School of Rock Tour. Photo: © Matthew Murphy.

6. KNOW WHEN YOU’RE DONE

ANNOUNCING OUR BROADWAY

2018/ 19 SEASON DEAR EVAN HANSEN SEP 25 – OCT 13, 2018 BUELL THEATRE

XANADU NOV 3, 2018 - APR 28, 2019 GARNER GALLERIA THEATRE

COME FROM AWAY NOV 13 – 25, 2018 BUELL THEATRE

A BRONX TALE JAN 8 – 20, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG MAR 5 – 17, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

HELLO, DOLLY! MAR 27 – APR 7, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

ROALD DAHL’S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY JULY 9 – 28, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

ANASTASIA AUG 7 - 18, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

2018/19 SUBSCRIBERS GET PRIORITY ACCESS TO THESE ADDITIONAL SHOWS

LOVE NEVER DIES OCT 23 – 28, 2018 BUELL THEATRE

IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS DEC 5 – 15, 2018 BUELL THEATRE

ROCK OF AGES JAN 25 – 27, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

CATS APR 24 – 28, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

WICKED MAY 8 – JUNE 9, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF JUN 11 – 16, 2019 BUELL THEATRE

SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR AS LOW AS 8 PAYMENTS OF $55.13 Due to the nature of live theatrical bookings, all productions, prices and dates are subject to change. 4- and 8-payment plans include a $10 per package payment plan fee.

DENVERCENTER.ORG 22

APPLAUSE • APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

2018/19 SEASON SPONSORS

LOGO WITH SUBDIVISIONS

THE WHO’S TOMMY

presents

THE WHO’S

TOMMY MUSIC AND LYRICS BY

Pete Townshend

BOOK BY

Pete Townshend AND Des McAnuff

ADDITIONAL MUSIC AND LYRICS BY

John Entwistle AND Keith Moon With Joe Beauregard*, Samuel Bird, Charl Brown*, Carson Elrod*, Katie Drinkard*, Lulu Fall*, David Hess*, Sara Kapner*, Gareth Keegan*, Charlie Korman*, Andy Mientus*, Betsy Morgan*, Corbin Payne, Terence Reddick*, Tristan C. Regini, Timothy John Smith*, Olivia Sullivent, Erin Willis*, Radley Wright, Owen Zitek

SCENIC DESIGN BY Jason Sherwood

COSTUME DESIGN BY Kevin Copenhaver

LIGHTING DESIGN BY David Weiner

SOUND DESIGN BY Ken Travis

PROJECTION DESIGN BY Alex Basco Koch

VOICE AND DIALECT BY Kathryn G. Maes, PhD.

FIGHT DIRECTION BY Geoffrey Kent

CASTING BY Telsey + Company / Rachel Hoffman, CSA, and Rebecca Scholl, CSA; and Grady Soapes

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION Jeff Gifford

STAGE MANAGER Kurt Van Raden*

MUSIC DIRECTION BY Gregg Coffin CHOREOGRAPHY BY Katie Spelman

DIRECTED BY Sam Buntrock Originally produced on Broadway by Pace Theatrical Group and Dodger Productions with Kardana Productions.

The Who’s Tommy is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).

All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited.

THE STAGE THEATRE • APRIL 20 – MAY 27, 2018 SEASON SPONSORS

PRODUCING PARTNERS

Ruth Krebs & Peter Mannetti Jim and Kristin Bender

THE WHO’S TOMMY

CAST

(In Order of Appearance) Mrs. Walker............................................................................................................................................................BETSY MORGAN* Captain Walker......................................................................................................................................................CHARL BROWN* Minister...............................................................................................................................................................................DAVID HESS* Lover...................................................................................................................................................................... GARETH KEEGAN* Tommy, Age 4....................................................................................................................SAMUEL BIRD, RADLEY WRIGHT Tommy....................................................................................................................................................................... ANDY MIENTUS* Judge..................................................................................................................................................................................DAVID HESS* Tommy, Age 10..............................................................................................................................................................OWEN ZITEK Uncle Ernie............................................................................................................................................................. CARSON ELROD* Young Cousin Kevin....................................................................................................................................CHARLIE KORMAN * Cousin Kevin .................................................................................................................................................... GARETH KEEGAN* Hawker ..................................................................................................................................................... TIMOTHY JOHN SMITH* The Gypsy............................................................................................................................................................................ LULU FALL* Specialist ..........................................................................................................................................................................DAVID HESS* Sally Simpson...........................................................................................................................................................SARA KAPNER* Ensemble ........................................................................................................................................................ JOE BEAUREGARD*, LULU FALL*, DAVID HESS*, SARA KAPNER*, CHARLIE KORMAN*, TERANCE REDDICK*, TIMOTHY JOHN SMITH*, OLIVIA SULLIVENT, ERIN WILLIS* UNDERSTUDIES Understudies never substitute for the listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance.

JOE BEAUREGARD* (Captain Walker), KATIE DRINKARD* (Mrs. Walker/Swing), CORBIN PAYNE (Swing), TRISTAN C. REGINI (Youth Understudy), TIMOTHY JOHN SMITH* (Uncle Ernie), ERIN WILLIS* (The Gypsy)

Dance Captain................................................................................................................................................ JOE BEAUREGARD* Fight Captain............................................................................................................................................................ CORBIN PAYNE Assistant to the Director...................................................................................................BETTINA MUELLER-TUESCHER Assistant Choreographer................................................................................................................................ DIANA DRESSER Associate Music Director...............................................................................................................................ANGELA STEINER Assistant to the Music Director ...............................................................................................................JORDAN ORTMAN Copyist................................................................................................................................................................ PIETER ORLANDINI Stage Manager.................................................................................................................................................KURT VAN RADEN* Assistant Stage Managers...........................................................................CORIN FERRIS*, MICHAEL G. MORALES* Stage Management Apprentices.........................................................................MARISHA BECERRA, AMY LEGORE Children’s Supervisor ........................................................................................................................ LAUREN LACASSE *Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

THE ORCHESTRA Conductor/Keyboard 1....................................................................................................................................ANGELA STEINER Keyboard 2.................................................................................................................................................................. DAN GRAEBER French Horn...................................................................................................................................... MATTHEW SCHEFFELMAN Guitar 1...........................................................................................................................................................................DAVID DEVINE Guitar 2................................................................................................................................................................DANIEL SCHWINDT Bass..............................................................................................................................................................JASON TYLER VAUGHN Drums/Percussion.......................................................................................................................................................SHAWN KING Music Contractor...........................................................................................................................................................JIM HARVEY Orchestra musicians are represented by the Denver Musicians Association; AFM Local 20-623

ACT ONE 1941 Overture “Captain Walker”...................................................................................................................................................................... Officers “It’s A Boy”........................................................................................................................................................ Nurses, Mrs. Walker 1945 “Twenty-One”...................................................................................................................Mrs. Walker, Lover, Captain Walker “Amazing Journey”.................................................................................................................................................................. Tommy “Sparks” (instrumental) 1950 “Amazing Journey (Reprise).............................................................................................................................................. Tommy “Christmas”.................................................................................................................................Mr. and Mrs. Walker, Ensemble “See Me, Feel Me”..................................................................................................................................................................... Tommy “Do You Think It’s Alright”........................................................................................................................ Mr. and Mrs. Walker “Fiddle About”................................................................................................................................................................... Uncle Ernie “See Me, Feel Me (Reprise”................................................................................................................................................. Tommy “Cousin Kevin”........................................................................................................................................Cousin Kevin, Ensemble “Sensation”............................................................................................................................................................Tommy, Ensemble “Sparks (Reprise)” “Eyesight to the Blind”.................................................................................................................................. Hawker, Ensemble “Acid Queen”........................................................................................................................................................................ The Gypsy 1960 “Pinball Wizard”.....................................................................................................................................Cousin Kevin, Ensemble “Underture” “There’s A Doctor”........................................................................................................................................ Mr. and Mrs. Walker “Go to the Mirror!”................................................................. Specialist, Specialist’s Assistant, Mr. and Mrs. Walker “Listening to You”................................................................................ Tommy, Tommy (Age 10) and Tommy (Age 4) “Tommy, Can You Hear Me?”.........................................................................................................................................Ensemble “I Believe My Own Eyes”............................................................................................................................ Mr. and Mrs. Walker “Smash the Mirror”..........................................................................................................................................................Mrs. Walker “I’m Free”....................................................................................................................................................................................... Tommy “Miracle Cure”........................................................................................................................................................................Ensemble 1961-63 “Sensation (Reprise)”.............................................................................................................................Tommy and Ensemble “I’m Free” (Reprise) / “Pinball Wizard” (Reprise)..................................................................Tommy and Ensemble “Tommy’s Holiday Camp”............................................................................................................................................ Uncle Ernie “Sally Simpson”......................Cousin Kevin, Sally Simpson, Mr. Simpson and Mrs. Simpson and Ensemble “Welcome”....................................................................................................................................................Tommy and Ensemble “Sally Simpson’s Question”................................................................................................................Sally Simpson, Tommy “We’re Not Gonna Take It”...................................................................................................................Tommy and Ensemble “See Me, Feel Me” (Final Reprise) / “Listening to You” (Reprise)................................Tommy and Ensemble

The Who’s Tommy will be presented without an intermission.

THE WHO’S TOMMY

SCENES AND MUSICAL NUMBERS

THE WHO’S TOMMY

WHO’S WHO ACTING COMPANY JOE BEAUREGARD (Ensemble/Dance Captain). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Kinky Boots (first national tour), Newsies (Pioneer Theatre), Tarzan (Disney Cruise lines). Odyssey Dance Company (SLC Utah). TV/Film: Isn’t It Romantic, Move The Film, “90210,” “Plain Jane.” Music videos: Beekeeper’s Daughter (All American Rejects), Reverence/Nation (Tim Armstrong), Showgirl and The Clown (Heartour).

SAMUEL BIRD (Tommy, Age 4 at select performances).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Other Theaters: Beauty and the Beast (The Beast, Mizel Arts and Culture Center), Les Miserables (Revolutionary, Neighborhood Music), Wicked (Guard). Training: DCPA Education, Rocky Mountain Ballet Academy. Sam is a first grader at Denver Jewish Day School and loves to spend any free moment he has singing and dancing.

CHARL BROWN (Captain Walker).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Broadway: Motown The Musical (Smokey Robinson, Tony Award nomination), Jersey Boys (Hal Miller & Others), Sister Act (Officer Eddie Souther, TJ, U/S, Ensemble). West End: Motown The Musical (Smokey Robinson). OffBroadway: Walmartopia (Pearson/ Lawrence). European Tour: Hair (HUD). Las Vegas: Jersey Boys (Hal).

Regional: Ever After (Captain Laurent, Papermill Playhouse), Johnny Baseball (Tim Wyatt, ART), Dreamgirls (Curtis Taylor Jr., SDMT), Ragtime (Coalhouse, Performance Riverside), Six Degrees of Separation (Paul, Long Beach Playhouse), JC Superstar (Judas, Music Westwood,) A Chorus Line (Richie, Starlight Theater), Star Wars Trilogy in 30 Minutes (Lando Calrissian, Edinburgh Fringe Festival). TV/Film: “Madam Secretary.”

KATIE DRINKARD (Swing). At the Theatre Company: Debut. At OffCenter: Mae in LaChiusa’s The Wild Party this past fall.

At DCPA Cabaret: Forbidden Broadway. Regional credits include Million Dollar Quartet, Chasing Rainbows and Titanic.

Training: BFA, Ithaca College. www.katiedrinkard.com @katiedrinkard CARSON ELROD (Uncle Ernie).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Broadway: Peter And The Starcatcher, Reckless, Noises Off. Other New York credits: The Merry Widow (Metropolitan Opera.) Off-Broadway: Important Hats of the 20th Century, The Explorer’s Club, Comic Potential, House/Garden (Manhattan Theatre Club); Lives Of The Saints, All In The Timing (Primary Stages); The Liar, The Heir Apparent (Classic Stage Company); Cavedweller, (New York Theatre Workshop); The Tempest, Measure For Measure, All’s Well That Ends Well (Public Theatre/ NYSF). Regional: Williamstown, Barrington Stage, Yale Rep, La Jolla Playhouse. TV/FILM “30Rock,” “Elementary,” “High Maintenance,” Wedding Crashers, Kissing Jessica Stein. Training: MFA, NYU. Full bio at www.carsonelrod.com. #FairWageOnstage LULU FALL (The Gypsy). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Other Theatres: Broadway: Hair (Ensemble), Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Ensemble). National Tours: Hair (Ensemble). Off-Broadway: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Ensemble), Pretty Filthy (Brown Sugar), Hadestown (Fate). Regional: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 (Ensemble, ART, Cambridge), Smokey Joe’s Café, (Brenda, Capital Repertory Theatre, Albany), Crown (Swing, Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.); Passing Strange (Ensemble, Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C.).

Select Workshops: August Rush

(Ensemble, Developmental Lab, NY), 15 Minutes (Ensemble, NYSAF); Annie Golden Bounty Hunter, (Janessa, NY). Tv/Film: “Black Rest” (HBO). www.lulufall.com DAVID HESS (Minister/Judge/ Specialist/ Ensemble). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Broadway: Sunset Boulevard (Jonesy), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney/Judge Turpin standby), Annie Get Your Gun (Frank Butler/Buffalo Bill standby). First national tours: The Bridges of Madison County (Charlie), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney), Ragtime (Admiral Peary, Whitman). Carnegie Hall/Royal Albert Hall: Kristina (Daniel). Lincoln Center: Dessa Rose (Bertie). OffBroadway: Prodigal, Love in a Thirsty Land. Regional: Shenandoah (Charlie, Chicago’s Best Actor Jefferson Award), Jane Eyre (Rochester, San Francisco Bay Area Critics Best Actor Award), Grand Hotel (Baron; Philadelphia Barrymore nominee).

TV/Film: New York Crossing, Tennessee Nights, “Madam Secretary,” “The Americans,” “Elementary,” “The Good Wife,” “Royal Pains.” www.DavidHess.info SARA KAPNER (Sally Simpson/ Ensemble). At the Theatre Company: Debut. This past fall, Sara appeared as Bella in the acclaimed revisal of Stephen Schwartz and Charles Strouse’s Rags at the Goodspeed Opera House. Broadway: Hollywood Arms (directed by Harold Prince).

Off-Broadway: bare, Children’s Letters to God, Captain Louie.

Regional: Into the Woods, The Addams Family (St. Louis Theater Circle Award, Best Supporting Actress) at The MUNY, The Diary of Anne Frank (DTC). TV/Film: Leading roles in The Murder Pact and Twisted Sisters on Lifetime, “A Little Help”.

GARETH KEEGAN (Cousin Kevin/ Lover). At the Theatre Company: Debut. US Theatre Credits: Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph

CHARLIE KORMAN (Young Cousin Kevin/Ensemble).

At the Theatre Company: Frankenstein, Sweeney Todd, Lord of the Flies, Shadowlands, A Christmas Carol (6 Seasons), and Ed, Downloaded. Other Theatres: T Magazine: The Greats (The New York Times); Follies, Whistle Down the Wind, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Our Time Cabaret (Stagedoor Manor). Training: Denver School of the Arts, Bob Downard. www.charliekorman.com ANDY MIENTUS (Tommy). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Broadway: Spring Awakening (Deaf West Theater, Broadway, Ovation Nom for Featured Actor), Les Misérables (Broadway, Broadway.com Award for Breakthrough Performance).

National tours: Wicked, Spring Awakening (National Tour, Dir. Michael Mayer). Other Theatres: Bent (Mark Taper Forum, Dir. Moises Kaufman).

TV/Film: Gone (NBC Universal), Smash (NBC), The Flash (CW), Chasing Life (ABC Family), Anger Management (FX). Writing: the musical Burn All Night (American Repertory Theater) and the Backstagers book series (Abrams/Amulet publishing).

Follow @andymientus BETSY MORGAN (Mrs. Walker). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Broadway original casts: The King and I (Lincoln Center Theater 2015 revival), Les

Misérables (2014 revival), A Little Night Music (2009 revival), The Little Mermaid, High Fidelity. Off-Broadway: original casts: Sweeney Todd (Barrow Street Theatre 2017 revival, Lucille Lortel Award nomination, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical), First Daughter Suite (The Public Theater), Found (Atlantic Theater Company), The Fantasticks (2006 revival), Bernard Alba (Lincoln Center Theater). Other Theatres: Carousel (Arena Stage), Rain (The Old Globe), Les Misérables (25th Anniversary Tour), Giant (Signature Theatre). TV/ Film: “Flight of the Conchords.”

TIMOTHY JOHN SMITH (Hawker).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Other Theatres: Candide, Rapture, Blister, Burn and Prelude to a Kiss (Huntington Theatre); My Fair Lady, Richard III, The Receptionist (Trinity Rep). TV/Film: The Equalizer, Central Intelligence, The Judge, Detroit, “The Blacklist,” “Mysteries of Laura,” the upcoming “Castle Rock ,” “Rise,” and “Neon Joe: Werewolf Hunter.”

Massachusetts native.

CORBIN PAYNE (Swing). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Other Theatres: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Arvada Center), Baby (Little Theatre of the Rockies), Fun Home (Midtown Arts Center), Dogfight (Ignite Theatre).

Training: B.A. Musical Theatre, University of Northern Colorado. www.corbinpayne.com

OLIVIA SULLIVENT (Ensemble). At the Theatre Company: Last Night and the Night Before (Sam, 2017 Colorado New Play Summit), A Christmas Carol (3 years, Fan/Want/Child Ensemble). At Denver School of the Arts: Juicy and Delicious (Hushpuppy), In the Heights (Child Ensemble), The Producers (Ensemble), Oliver! (Orphan/Child Ensemble/Nancy’s Girls). Other Theatres: Annie (Annie), Oliver!

(Oliver), Shrek the Musical (Baby Bear), The Hobbit Musical (Frodo), Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Lucile), Narnia (Ensemble), The Little Mermaid (Mermaid Sister), The Jungle Book (Mowgli). Awards: Colorado Junior Thespian Convention Critic’s choice best duet.

TERANCE REDDICK (Ensemble). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Terance is a Las Vegas native, with a multi suited skill set ranging from ballet to the international recording PopOpera group “Destino”. Broadway: Lesgles in Les Misérables. New York Credits: Radio City Christmas Spectacular, BroadwayOnBroadway. “Gods Favor is more precious than Life .” To my family I thank you and love you!!

TRISTAN C. REGINI (Youth Understudy) At the Theatre Company: A Christmas Carol (Boy Ebenezer), Celia, A Slave (Coffee Waynescot) at the 2018 New Play Summit. Other Theatres: Tristan enjoyed performing at Her Majesty’s Theatre, London, with West End Stage last summer, Billy Elliot (Small Boy) at Vintage Theatre, and other local performances. Tristan is enjoying 6th Grade at the Denver School of the Arts as a Theatre major.

ERIN WILLIS (Ensemble). At the Theatre Company: The Secret Garden, The Christians, Frankenstein, All the Way, The 12, A Christmas Carol. At Off-Center: The Wild Party. At DCPA Education: Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare in the Parking Lot).

Other Theatres: Memphis (Arvada Center), Ain’t Misbehavin (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), My Fair Lady (Cameron Mackintosh 1st National Tour), Ragtime (Cohoes Music Hall), Dreamgirls (Asbury Park). NY Workshops: Amazing Grace and My Heart is the Drum. TV: “Celebrity Ghost Stories”. Erin also provides vocals and keyboards for the Indie Rock Band Kenji Urada. Training: The Boston Conservatory.

THE WHO’S TOMMY

and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Australian Theatre Credits: Tony in West Side Story, Gaylord Ravenal in Showboat, Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, Mickey in Blood Brothers (Green Room Award nomination) Stormy in the World Premiere of Cat Steven’s Moonshadow, Gabe Goodman in the Australian Premier of Next To Normal (Melbourne Theatre Company), Frankie Valli Alternate in Jersey Boys (Australian Tour), The Rocky Horror Show, A Beautiful Thing. TV/Film: “Instinct” (CBS) “The Good Fight” (CBS), The Rundown with Robin Thede. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia.

THE WHO’S TOMMY

RADLEY WRIGHT (Tommy, Age 4 at select performances).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Radley is making his theatrical debut and is excited to be joining the cast of Tommy. Radley lives in Evergreen, Colorado and is a Kindergartner at Bergen Meadow Elementary. Radley enjoys building Legos, dinosaurs, reading and dancing.

OWEN ZITEK (Youth Tommy). At the Theatre Company: A Christmas Carol (3 seasons), 2018 Colorado New Play Summit. Other Theatres: The Hobbit (Aurora Fox Theatre); Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan (Classic Acts).

Training: DCPA Education, Colorado School of Acting. TV/Film: Deal, Halves and Quarters. Owen is a 6th grader at Falcon Creek Middle School who enjoys running, reading, climbing 14ers and snowboarding.

AUTHORS JOHN ENTWISTLE (Additional Music and Lyrics) was the bass guitar player for The Who. Sometimes known as “Ox”, Bill Wyman described him as “the quietest man in private but the loudest man on stage.” In addition to his work with The Who, Entwistle was an accomplished solo artist, releasing a number of solo albums beginning in the 1970s. Entwistle also pioneered the use of roundwound steel bass strings, developed for him by the Rotosound company. Entwistle helped develop the percussive potential of the bass sound, creating an unusual right-hand “typewriter” technique several years before slapping was introduced by funk pioneer Larry Graham. This percussive sound is evident in the bass solo from 1964’s crudely-recorded The Who’s single “My Generation” (available on the My Generation album.)

DES MCANUFF (Co-author Book).

Received Tony Awards for his Broadway stagings of Big River (1985) and The Who’s Tommy (1993).

He directed Lee Blessing’s A Walk in the Woods on Broadway in 1988 and in Moscow and Lithuania in 1989-90.

He is Director-in-Residence of the La Jolla Playhouse where he served as Artistic Director from its 1983 revival until 1994, during which time the

theatre won more than 200 awards for excellence. He has directed for the American Rep Theatre at Harvard, Yale Rep and Stratford Festival of Canada and is a former faculty member of the Julliard School.

KEITH MOON (Additional Music and Lyrics) was the drummer of the rock group The Who. He is considered one of the most unusual and original drummers in rock and roll. His unorthodox and highly flamboyant style was only surpassed by his inate rhythmic sense. Contemporary drummers such as Mitch Mitchell, Ginger Baker, and John Bonham could all point to him as a major influence, and Moon’s anarchic, outof-control style remains an influence on popular music today. Although his work with The Who dominated Moon’s career, he participated in a few minor side projects. In 1966, he teamed up with Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck and future Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones to record an instrumental, “Beck’s Bolero,” released as a single later that year.

In 1974 he released his first and only solo album, a collection of pop covers entitled “Two Sides of the Moon.” He also appeared as “Uncle Ernie” in the film adaptation of Tommy.

PETE TOWNSHEND (Co-author Book, Music and Lyrics) was a member of The Who from 1962-82.

He has written hundreds of songs, many of which have been chart hits. He has written and composed several major collections that have won international recognition; Tommy is the best known. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has been nominated for two Grammys and an Academy Award (for the film score). He has been honored with the 1993 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Tommy on Broadway. Active as a songwriter, performer and producer, he continues to work as an editor at Faber and Faber, which he joined in 1983.

DIRECTOR SAM BUNTROCK (Director). At the Theatre Company: Frankenstein, Ed, Downloaded by Michael Mitnick.

Other Theatres include: Sunday in the Park With George (Broadway, West End, Menier and 5th Avenue Seattle; Tony Nomination), The Wildness (Ars Nova), Turn of the Screw at BAM (New York City Opera), The Rocky Horror Show (European Tour since 2008), the

World Premiere of John Guare’s Are You There, McPhee? and Travesties (both McCarter), Taking Steps (Barrington Stage), The A to Z of Mrs P (Southwark Playhouse), Much Ado About Nothing (Two River), A Maze (NYSF), Cradle and All (MTC), Take Flight (Menier and McCarter).

Training: Bristol University and the Donmar Warehouse. www.sambuntrock.com ARTISTIC TEAM GREGG COFFIN (Music Director). At the Theatre Company: The Secret Garden, Sweeney Todd, Animal Crackers, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, A Funny Thing…Forum, A Christmas Carol (since 2005).

Other Theatres: Stratford Festival of Canada, Tarragon Theatre (Dora Award), CanStage, National Arts Centre (Canada); Alley Theatre, American Players Theatre, Arena Stage, Berkeley Rep, Geva Theatre Center, The Guthrie Theatre, Indiana Rep, PCPA TheatreFest, Pioneer Theatre Company, South Coast Rep and the Oregon, Utah, California, Alabama, Great River, St. Louis, Santa Cruz and Georgia Shakespeare Festivals.

KEVIN COPENHAVER (Costume Designer). At the Theatre Company: (25 seasons) Frankenstein, Sweeney Todd, Just Like Us, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, The Whale, Dracula, Mama Hated Diesels, A Christmas Carol, Noises Off, A Funny Thing…Forum, Living Out, Crowns, Fire on the Mountain, Boston Marriage, Oedipus Rex, Dirty Story, Blithe Spirit, Lobby Hero, Blue/ Orange, Almost Heaven, Scapin, The Miser, Jesus Hates Me, Bernice/ Butterfly, Pierre, Inna Beginning, Elevation of Thieves, Servant of Two Masters, Tantalus. Other Theatres: Smokey Joe’s Café; Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Dream a Little Dream; Love, Janis; regional premiere Peter and the Starcatcher (USF). Training: BA in Theatre Design, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuali, Padua, Italy.

GEOFFREY KENT (Fight Director).

At the Theatre Company: 18 seasons including 1001, Othello, Black Odyssey, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies. Other Theaters: Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Arvada Center, Opera Colorado. Geoffrey is a former instructor for the National

ALEX BASCO KOCH (Projection Design). At the Theatre Company: Debut. Selected credits - Concert Design: The Magnetic Fields 50 Song Memoir. Other Theatres: Broadway: Irena’s Vow (Walter Kerr). Off-Broadway: Buyer & Cellar (Barrow Street; Rattlestick); Body of an American (Primary Stages); The Liquid Plain (Signature Theatre, NYC; Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Lenin’s Embalmers (Ensemble Studio Theatre). Regional: Indecent (Guthrie Theater), Tiger Style (Alliance Theater; Huntington Theatre Company), Marley (Center Stage, Baltimore), Invisible Man (Court Theatre, Chicago; Studio Theatre, Washington, D.C.; Huntington Theatre Company), ReEntry (Center Stage, Baltimore; Round House, Washington, D.C.).

KATHRYN MAES, PH.D. (Voice/ Dialect Coach) At the Theatre Company: 50+ productions, recently The Book of Will, The Christians, The Secret Garden and A Christmas Carol (since 1992). Other Theatres: Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre (London), numerous professional companies in the US, served as Head of Voice at the National Theatre Conservatory from 1989 to 1992. Special Training: Ph.D., Theatre Arts, University of Pittsburgh; Advanced Diploma in Voice Studies, Central School of Speech and Drama, London, England.

JASON SHERWOOD (Scenic Designer) At the Theatre Company: Frankenstein, Macbeth. At OffCenter: The Wild Party. Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and American Theatre Wing Henry Hewes Design Award nominee. Off-Broadway: New York Theatre Workshop, Atlantic Theatre Company, Playwrights Realm.

Regional: Old Globe, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, the Alliance, among others. He has designed for special musical guests on SNL, Ellen, and The Late, Late Show, the Grammy’s, and for Sam Smith’s World Arena Tour. NYU grad.

Instagram: @JasonSherwoodDesign KATIE SPELMAN (Choreographer).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Katie is a New York based choreographer who most recently choreographed Oklahoma! at Goodspeed Opera House. Associate credits include Amelie, American Psycho, and Once (Broadway); Close to You (West End) as well as Joan of Arc, What’s It All About, and Brooklynite (Off-Broadway).

Katie has choreographed for Lookingglass, Court Theatre, Paramount Theater, Timeline, The Hypocrites, Asolo Repertory, Redmoon, The Inconvenience, Northwestern University, and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre.

TELSEY + CO. (Casting). Broadway: My Fair Lady, Carousel, Children of a Lesser God, Mean Girls, Lobby Hero, Frozen, Escape to Margaritaville, SpongeBob SquarePants, Once on This Island, Anastasia, Hello, Dolly!, Come from Away, Waitress, Hamilton, Kinky Boots, Wicked.

Film: The Greatest Showman, Miss Sloane, Into the Woods, Margin Call, Rachel Getting Married. TV: “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “This Is Us,” “House of Cards,” “Divorce,” “Rise,” “I’m Dying Up Here,” “One Day at a Time.” www.telseyandco.com KEN TRAVIS (Sound Designer). At the Theatre Company: American Mariachi. Broadway: In Transit, Aladdin, Jekyll and Hyde, A Christmas Story the Musical, Scandalous, Newsies, Memphis, The ThreePenny Opera, Barefoot in the Park and Steel Magnolias.

Regional and Off-Broadway: The Public Theater, The New Group, The Civilians, Atlantic Theater Company, Soho Rep, Classic Theater Company, Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theater, Mabou Mines, Old Globe, ACT Seattle, 5th Avenue Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theater, LA CTG, The Guthrie Theater, McCarter Theater, Papermill Playhouse.

DAVID WEINER (Lighting Designer).

At the Theatre Company: Debut.

Other Theatres: Broadway: The Price, Stephen King’s Misery, Romeo & Juliet, Dead Accounts, Grace, Godspell, The Normal Heart, Reasons To Be Pretty, Butley, Betrayal, The Real Thing. Off Broadway: MCC, MTC, Second Stage, Playwrights Horizons, Public Theater, Vineyard Theatre, NYTW, TFANA, Atlantic.

Regional: many including LaJolla, Old Globe, CTG, OSF, Guthrie, Alley, McCarter, Huntington, ART, Berkeley Rep. Awards: 3 Lortel Awards,

2011 Drama Desk nomination, 7 Hewes nominations. www.

DavidWeinerDesign.com STAGE MANAGEMENT CORIN FERRIS (Assistant Stage Manager). At the Theatre Company: Zoey’s Perfect Wedding, Smart People, The Secret Garden, Sweeney Todd, All The Way, A Christmas Carol, Lookingglass Alice. At DCPA Cabaret: An Act of God. Other Theatres: Equivocation, Cymbeline (Colorado Shakespeare Festival), Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Renaissance Theatre Works, Wild Space, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Training: BFA Stage Management, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

MICHAEL G. MORALES (Assistant Stage Manager). At the Theatre Company: A Christmas Carol.

National Tours: The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Mary Poppins, Rock of Ages (1st National), Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago and Movin’ Out. Pre-Broadway: Wonderland and Miss Abigail’s Guide… Regional: My Fair Lady (The Asolo), West Side Story (The Fulton), The Threepenny Opera (Seaside). Training: BFA, UCF. KURT VAN RADEN (Stage Manager). At the Theatre Company: 50+ productions including Zoey’s Perfect Wedding, Macbeth, The Secret Garden, The Book of Will, Frankenstein, Sweeney Todd, Lookingglass Alice, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Animal Crackers, Hamlet, Just Like Us, Romeo & Juliet, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, The Three Musketeers, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, A Christmas Carol, Othello, A Raisin in the Sun, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard III, Noises Off, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Pride and Prejudice, Season’s Greetings, Living Out. At DCPA Cabaret: First national tour of Murder For Two. Other Theatres: Over 56 new plays at The O’Neill Theatre Center, The Great River Shakespeare Festival.

THEATRE COMPANY LEADERSHIP TEAM CHRIS COLEMAN (Artistic Director).

Before coming to Denver, Chris was the Artistic Director of Portland Center Stage at The Armory for 17 years. In Portland, his favorite directing credits included Astoria: Parts One and Two (which he also adapted), Fun Home, Ain’t

THE WHO’S TOMMY

Theatre Conservatory, teaches for the University of Denver and the University of Colorado and is a former President and one of 18 Fight Masters with the Society of American Fight Directors.

THE WHO’S TOMMY

Misbehavin’, Threesome (which he also directed Off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters), Shakespeare’s Amazing Cymbeline (which he also adapted), Fiddler on the Roof, Clybourne Park, Crazy Enough, King Lear and The Devils. While in Portland, he had the honor of serving as the board president for the Cultural Advocacy Coalition and the director of the Oregon Leadership Summit. Chris originally hails from Atlanta, where he was the Artistic Director for Actor’s Express, a company he co-founded in the basement of an old church in 1988.

He returned to Atlanta in 2015 to direct the world premiere of Edward Foote at Alliance Theatre (Suzi Bass Award for Best Direction, Best Production and Best World Premiere). Chris has directed at theaters across the country, including Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, ACT Theatre (Seattle), The Alliance, Dallas Theatre Center, Pittsburgh Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop and Center Stage (Baltimore). He holds a B.F.A. from Baylor University and an M.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon. Chris and his husband, Rodney Hicks, who recently appeared on Broadway in the musical Come From Away, are the proud parents of an 18-lb Jack Russell/Lab mix and a 110-lb English Blockhead Yellow Lab. NATAKI GARRETT (Associate Artistic Director). At the Theatre Company: Smart People. Featured in the November 2016 edition of American Theatre magazine’s “One to Watch,” Nataki Garrett is the former Associate Artistic Director of CalArts Center for New Performance.

Garrett is a Company Member at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company a recipient of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, a NAACP Award nominee and a member of SDC. Recent regional credits include: BLKS (Steppenwolf), Jefferson’s Garden (Ford’s Theatre), Hurt Village (Ubuntu Theater Project), An Octaroon (Woolly Mammoth and Mixed Blood), Pussy Valley (Mixed Blood), Neighbors (Mixed Blood, Matrix), Bullrusher (Skylight Theater Company), Hoodoo Love (Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company), Smoke Lilies and Jade (CalArts Center for New Performance). Radio credits include Biloxi Blues, Tape, 16 Wounded, The Living Room. Opera credits: Wet and Sucktion.

JEFF GIFFORD (Director of Production) is in his fifth season at the DCPA and oversees everything you see on stage except the actors.

Guiding this amazing and talented staff of 75 artists and artisans who create all these wonderful shows is a joy. Working on world premieres is especially exciting and Jeff has worked on more than 40 of them.

Top of the list is The Book of Will, Dinner with Friends, The Violet Hour, and Jeffrey Sellers musical Fly. CHARLIE MILLER (Associate Artistic Director) oversees new and innovative programming at the Denver Center including Off-Center, audience engagement projects, and other strategic initiatives. As co-founder and Curator of Off-Center, Charlie has led its growth from a small theatrical testing center to one of the DCPA’s signature lines of programming.

Before joining the Artistic Team full time, Charlie divided his time between Off-Center and the Theatre Company’s Multimedia Department.

As DCPA’s award-wining Resident Video Designer, Charlie designed and created projection/video content for 35 productions in nine seasons.

Charlie is a Harvard graduate and a sixth generation Denverite.

PLEASE BE ADVISED that once the show begins:

• LATECOMERS and those exiting the theatre are seated at predetermined breaks in designated areas.

• PHOTOS, RECORDING & CELL PHONE USE are prohibited during the performance.

• CHILDREN 4+ are welcome in our theatres and must be ticketed.

• DRINKS are allowed in provided containers.

• ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES, LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS & BOOSTER SEATS are available in most theatres. Ask an usher to direct you.

• BRAILLE PROGRAMS are available with 2 weeks’ notice to ckrueger@dcpa.org or 303.893.4836.

The Theatre Company is grateful for the funds provided by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. Special thanks also to grants from the Helen G. Bonfils Foundation; and contributions from corporations, foundations and individuals. The Theatre Company is a division of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, a not-forprofit organization serving the public through the performing arts.

The Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ CHARLES VARIN (Managing Director) Equity Association, the Union of and his team are responsible for the Professional Actors and Stage Managers administrative, financial and business in the United States; and the Stage operations for Theatre Company and Directors and Choreographers Society.

The Theatre Company also operates Off-Center productions and other under an agreement with Denver artistic initiatives. Since joining the Theatrical Stage Employees Union, Theatre Company in 2006, he has Local No. 7 of the International Alliance played a major role in executing the artistic vision of the organization and of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied facilitating the production of shows such as Sweet & Lucky, The Unsinkable Crafts of the United States and Canada.

Molly Brown, Sense & Sensibility The Musical, The 12, Sweeney Todd with DeVotchKa and many more. Charles is passionate about artistic innovation and firmly believes in DCPA’s longstanding commitment to new plays and new voices.

In addition to DCPA staff, the following crew worked on this production: Isabel Bristow, Teresia Bushman, Julia Deutsch, Shirleen DiFonzo, Forest Fowler, Danielle Griffith, Mallory Hart, Sherry Hern, Cindy Kauffman, Madylne Kuhl, Dennis Leach, Maya Linke, Will Loving, Anthony Mattivi, Jennifer MilneWright, Tony Nguyen, Becca Pearce, Corinne Serfass, Serenna Ojakian, and Jeni Tolifson.

SPECIAL THANKS Mark Gibson The director would like to thank Micheal Mitnick and Werner Buntrock.

The Theatre Company is constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for not-forprofit resident theatre companies.

The costumes, wigs, lighting, props, furniture, scenic construction, scenic painting, sound and special effects used in connection with this production were constructed and coordinated by the Theatre Company’s Production Staff.

The Director and Choreographer are members of the STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS SOCIETY, a national theatrical labor union.

The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

Backstage and Ticket Services Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. (or I.A.T.S.E.) The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented

by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

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When you positively impact the life of a child — through the arts, or otherwise — it trickles down for generations.

— CHIP RIMER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL SERVICES AT NOBLE ENERGY

DCPA Education Teaching Artist David Saphier works with Noble volunteers to present a workshop for 5th graders based around energy at Denver’s Barnum Elementary School.

Photos by John Moore.

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Noble Energy and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) have partnered on an innovative curriculum that supports Colorado State Standards for more than 885 students in schools across Colorado. As a new component to its popular Dramatic Learning™ program, DCPA teachers work hand in hand with Noble Energy employees to bring the subject of energy to life for students. Challenging students to get out of their seats and act as rocks, plants and animals allows them to immerse themselves in the material and internalize the lesson.

The partnership with DCPA is a natural fit for Noble Energy. Noble Energy feels strongly that operating in Colorado is a privilege and works daily to better the lives of Coloradans for generations to come. In fact, this is part of the company’s guiding principle — energizing the world and bettering people’s lives.

“For us, it’s a passion to help the next generation be more successful than we are,” said Chip Rimer, Senior Vice President of Global Services at Noble Energy. “When you positively impact the life of a child — through the arts, or otherwise — it trickles down for generations.”

Noble Energy’s support for Colorado’s public schools is a fundamental part of the company’s commitment to Colorado and the company intends to grow the three-year partnership with DCPA, reaching more students across the state. With energy playing such a vital role in Colorado’s past, present and future, it is critical that the workforce of tomorrow have a strong understanding of the underlying technology that powers our energy economy.

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OKLAHOMA!

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NATIVE GARDENS

BY JOHN MOORE

T

These days, sure, we can choose our own families. But unless you live in a commune, you don’t really get to pick your own neighbors. And America’s great, ongoing ideological divide could not be expressed more definitively — or apparently, more comically — than in a play about a property line dispute between neighbors.

…almost every single fight…can be distilled down to one of these two things: border disputes and cultural differences.

— KAREN ZACARÍAS, Playwright

That’s the thorn in the rose of Karen Zacarías’ popular comedy Native Gardens. On one side of the fence, we have a pregnant Latinx couple who are new to town. On the other we have empty-nesters who think “Latinx” must surely be a misspelled word. Trouble blooms when the younger couple discovers their property line actually extends right over their nextdoor-Boomers’ pristine flowerbed.

“It’s a deceptively simple play,” Chicago-based Director Lisa Portes said.

“At first you might think you are watching this charming and disarming little play about neighbors and gardens. But the minute there is a dispute over two feet of land — all hell breaks loose.”

Zacarías, a native of Mexico who penned previous DCPA Theatre Company stagings of Mariela in the Desert and Just Like Us, got the idea for her play at a dinner party where the guests all traded horror stories about their neighbors. Everyone, it seems, has one.

“All of these stories, I found, were both upsetting and funny,” Zacarías said. “And what I discovered in listening to them is that we seem to have this primal attachment to land that is both poetic and absurd at the same time. And then I realized that almost every single fight that’s going on anywhere in the world can be distilled down to one of these two things: border disputes and cultural differences.”

What comes out on stage, Portes said, is an accessible comedy that explores weedy issues we don’t dare talk about in our own living rooms but maybe we can laugh at in the communal anonymity of a theatre.

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APPLAUSE • APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

Illustration by Kyle Malone

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS IN

At a time when the nation is polarized by talk of borders and walls, Zacarías found a way to use gardening as what she calls “a really fun metaphor to talk about really much harder things like class and race and ageism and other issues.”

Even the title asks a prickly little question, Portes said: “What is native?

Who is native? What does that word even mean? It’s not as black and white as we think.”

The inaugural staging of Native Gardens accomplished something quite rare when the play was praised by DC Metro Theater Arts both for having “a finger pressed to the pulse of the American mood” and for “its ability to make you forget the current political and social climate.” At the same time.

That’s probably because Native Gardens, Zacarías said, puts no one on the defensive. “It’s sneaky that way,” she said. “I wrote all four main characters from a place of love. There’s a simplicity to the set-up, and that’s on purpose. It allows the play to sow some seeds and grow some deeper roots.

And the audience is willing to go there together because really nobody comes up smelling like a rose.”

Native Gardens premiered in 2016, before the ascendency of Donald Trump.

But while debate over immigration has raged for as long as America, there is no question it now tops a list of issues Zacarías says “are bubbling to the surface in a vicious manner.”

Zacarías experienced something similar in 2014, when she adapted Denver journalist Helen Thorpe’s book Just Like Us for its Denver Center world premiere. That true story followed four Denver Latinas through high school, and told how their struggles and opportunities diverged based on their citizenship status.

“I was hoping Just Like Us would become less relevant over time, but unfortunately it’s only become more relevant,” Zacarías said, referring to the ongoing battle over the immigration policy known as DACA. And with the rise of Trump, she said, the same has proven true of Native Gardens.

Only this play is much funnier.

Zacarías and Portes were among the so-called “DC-8” who started a national movement called The Latinx Theatre Commons in 2012 to amplify the visibility of Latinx theatre in the United States. Since then, Portes has directed the world premiere of Antoinette Nwandu’s Breach, a manifesto on race in america through the eyes of a black girl recovering from self-hate in Chicago, as well as an all-Latinx version of The Glass Menagerie for Cal Shakes in northern California.

Zacarías, now the most produced Latinx playwright in America, last month launched a high-profile production for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival called Destiny of Desire, a subversive homage to telenovelas, which she calls “one of the most exploitative forms of entertainment in the world.”

Native Gardens has already had several productions around the country, but the Denver Center’s will be the first to be staged in the round configuration,” which Portes said “almost makes this like a world premiere because that will create an entirely different actor-audience relationship. The audience will be its own kind of community circling this other community of actors, and we’re all sitting together in this real garden with real plants and flowers.”

Zacarías said the Denver Center staging also will be a first because it will introduce small, first-time improvements to the script. “I do think this will be a whole different take on the play,” she said.

“Native Gardens is a story that asks what it takes to be a good neighbor. It is about four specific, flawed people — but it’s not really about them. It’s about us. And how all of us can be better neighbors.”

NATIVE GARDENS APR 6 – MAY 6 • SPACE THEATRE ASL & Audio-described performance: Apr 15, 1:30pm

COMING UP FROM OFF-CENTER:

REMOTE DENVER COSTUME COLUMN

This spring and summer Off-Center brings you Remote Denver, an unexpected ramble through parts of Denver you probably haven’t seen before.

You and a group of 50 people don headphones and set off on a guided audio tour of hidden Denver that seems to follow you as much as you are following it. A computer-generated voice guides your movements in real time as you explore gathering spaces, back alleys and public areas through a new lens. Along the way, your headphones will provide a soundtrack to the streets, sights and rooftops of the Mile High City.

Remote Denver comes from the creative Berlin braintrust known as Rimini Protokoll, the umbrella label for a group of multimedia artists including Jörg Karrenbauer and Stefan Kaegim, who have developed a tailored experience for Denver. Remote X, as the parent show is called, has now been developed in more than 20 different countries.

Tours start May 2. For more information visit denvercenter.org/remote.

PROUD SPONSOR OF SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE

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Polsinelli has a long history of community involvement in the Denver metropolitan area and our team of attorneys and staff are committed to the vitality, economic development and sustainability of our community — including the arts. We are proud to support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and its mission to create unforgettable shared experiences through musicals, plays, educational programming and events.

We are strong believers in the impact that the performing arts has on communities, from helping people feel better and healthy, to building unique skills and creating connections between individuals and groups of people. We are dedicated to supporting this cause and bringing people together through music, performance and events at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

We are dedicated to…bringing people together through music, performance and events at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

It’s important to Polsinelli that the Denver community has a strong performing arts presence as we know it is not only good for business and civic purposes, but it causes growth and supports tourism. We are pleased to sponsor the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and hope to continue our ongoing partnership to build increased awareness of its unique programs and outstanding reputation.

Polsinelli’s sponsorship of Saturday Night Alive helped the DCPA raise a record-breaking $1.15 million, which helps provide educational opportunities to nearly 106,000 students each year. Photos by Brian Landis Folkins.

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Our annual Saturday Night Alive was unique in every way. For the first time in its 38-year history, guests enjoyed a hit Broadway tour as the featured entertainment. With that evening’s performance of Hamilton, the evening sold out in record time — just one week. While 800 guests enjoyed the full evening, another 200 joined the festivities at the show and after party. And most importantly for this fundraiser, the event netted a whopping $1.15 million to support DCPA Arts and Education programs — an all-time high.

In addition to seeing Broadway’s biggest blockbuster, guests enjoyed a luxury silent auction, dinner by Epicurean Group, and post-show desserts and dancing to music by Wash Park.

As a special accent to the evening, guests were the first to hear what the evening’s proceeds support when DCPA Education Executive Director Allison Watrous revealed that Corduroy will be the DCPA’s next Theatre for Young Audiences program this fall.

A special thanks to the event chairs, sponsors, donors and committee members for their tireless efforts to make this event a once-in-a-lifetime success.

Thanks to the 2018 Leadership Committee and Major Sponsors EVENT CHAIRS:

Susan & Steve Struna

CORPORATE CO-CHAIRS:

Lisa & Norm Franke / Alpine Bank

SILENT AUCTION CO-CHAIRS: PATRON CHAIR:

Keri Christiansen & Jane Netzorg

Lyn & Dr. Michael Schaffer

PLATINUM SPONSORS:

Roger, Rick & Friends; United Airlines

EMERALD SPONSORS: Salah Foundation, SRC Energy, U.S. Bank, The Westin Denver Downtown

Alpine Bank, Assist2Hear, Bayswater Exploration & Production, Colorado State Bank and Trust, CRG, Epicurean Group, Kathie & Keith Finger, Genesee Mountain Foundation, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, HealthONE, Edward H. and Margaret Anne Leede, Microsoft, Tuchman Family Foundation, PDC Energy, Xcel Energy, Trice Jewelers

GOLD SPONSORS:

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Photos by John Moore and Amanda Tipton Photography

1. Auction Co-Chair Keri Christiansen greets guests during the cocktail reception. The auction generated $248,000 for DCPA Arts and Education programs. 2. Our Chairman’s table: (front row L-R) Trustee Judi Wolf, Marvin Wolf, Jo Semple; (middle row) Anne Bennet, Trustee Patty Baca; (top row L-R), Trustee June Travis, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, Amy Fitch, Chairman Martin Semple, Rosalind Ward, Honorary Trustee Lester Ward. 3. It’s show time! A raucous drumline led guests to the Buell Theatre for Hamilton. 4. Guests of The Salah Foundation, which matched auction proceeds up to $50,000, included (lower, L-R) Daniel Fearnow, Megan Fearnow, Cole Fearnow, Tamara Boyd and Christian Beyer, (top, L-R) Wes Olivas, Fred Churbuck, Michelle Sie Whitten, Tom Whitten and Meitra Beyer. 5. Guests kick up their heels to the grooves of popular Denver band Wash Park. 6. Members of the Hamilton cast enjoyed the post-show party in the Seawell Ballroom. 7. DCPA President and CEO Janice Sinden thanked sponsors and guests for their help in netting $1.15 million for DCPA Arts and Education programs. 8. Hamilton actor Josh Andrés Rivera meets Trustee Dean Singleton. 9. News anchor Jim Benemann of media partner CBS4 opens the program during dinner purveyed by Epicurean Group. 10. Just over 800 guests enjoy cocktails during the Silent Auction, sponsored by Colorado State Bank and Trust. 11. Saturday Night Alive Leadership: Patron Chairs Dr. Michael and Lyn Schaffer, Event Chairs Steve and Susan Struna, DCPA President and CEO Janice Sinden, Corporate Chairs Lisa and Norm Franke, and Auction Co-Chair Jane and Skip Netzorg (not pictured Auction Co-Chair Keri Christiansen). 12. Meredith and Trustee Roger Hutson open their Surprise Box donated by Trice Jewelers. 13. Sheila and Trustee Hassan Salem and Meredith and Trustee Roger Hutson. The gentlemen co-chair the DCPA Board Development Committee. 14. Hamilton actor Nicholas Christopher with Trustee Tina Walls.

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PROUD CORPORATE MEMBER AND SPONSOR OF SATURDAY NIGHT ALIVE

DU and DCPA bring the people of Denver together to inspire and enlighten, to challenge the expected and to advance excellence in this community.

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Ideas and innovation come together at the University of Denver to transform the world. Research and teaching drive the knowledge creation that leads to discovery. Experts from different fields forge collaborations to solve the most pressing challenges of the day: sustainability, homelessness, mental health, veterans’ services and more. Each day, the University of Denver commits anew to its century-and-a-half tradition of education and innovation.

Like the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, DU provides our community with a hub of creative excellence, a place where innovators and trailblazers contribute their best ideas for the good of society.

DU and DCPA bring the people of Denver together to inspire and enlighten, to challenge the expected and to advance excellence in this community.

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Founded by our member theatres 40 years ago, Theatre Forward focuses on access and opportunity through ticket programs, funding of theatre education programs, and now through our newest program Advancing Strong Theatre, which supports equity, diversity and inclusion programs at our theatres. This all adds up to helping theatres and communities come together to improve lives.

CURRENT FUNDERS List as of February, 2018 Theatre Forward advances the American theatre and its communities by providing funding and other resources to the country’s leading nonprofit theatres. Theatre Forward and our theatres are most grateful to the following Educating Through Theatre funders:

Theatre Forward is proud to continue its partnership with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Theatre Forward is devoted to advancing the American theatre and its communities by providing funding and other resources to its 19 member theatres across the country, including DCPA. As a benefit to our donors and patrons Theatre Forward also offers a wide range of events and engagement opportunities throughout the year. From the Annual Chairman’s Awards Gala to our Broadway Roundtable to Spotlight Series and patron events, Theatre Forward supporters have exclusive access to theatre all year long.

THEATRE EXECUTIVES ($50,000-$99,000) AT&T The Hearst Foundations

Through these theatres, whose work has long had a major impact, and its own engagement of companies and supporters, Theatre Forward has made a significant contribution to the theatre community.

BENEFACTORS ($25,000-$49,999) The Augustine Foundation Wells Fargo PACESETTERS ($15,000‑$24,999) The Music Man Foundation National Endowment for the Arts Southwest Airlines† TD Charitable Foundation DONORS ($10,000‑$14,999) Lisa Orberg RBC Wealth Management

Photo by Russ Rowland

†Includes In-kind support

Gregory Hurst, Keegan-Michael Key, John Leguizamo, Lea Salonga, Irene Sankoff, David Hein, Daryl Roth, Heather A. Hitchens, & Bruce Whitacre at the 2018 Broadway Roundtable.

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APPLAUSE • APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

For a complete list of funders visit theatreforward.org

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TRY OUR LATEST PUZZLE COVERING NATIVE GARDENS, DISNEY’S ALADDIN AND Spring 2018 THE WHO’S TOMMY Try our latest puzzle covering The Who's Tommy, Disney's Aladdin and Native Gardens 1 3

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ACROSS 5 Native Gardens playwright Karen Zacarías previously adapted Helen Thorpe's book __________ (three words) for the DCPA Theatre Company.

9 The setting for Aladdin is the fantastical world of __________.

10 Benjamin Franklin said: “Don’t throw stones at your neighbors if your own windows are __________.

11 The Who’s Tommy is considered a __________ album 12 Every rose has its __________.

13 A plant that completes its full life-cycle in two growing seasons 14 Michael __________ was Broadway’s original Tommy in 1993. His brother recently performed in the DCPA Theatre Company’s All the Way. 16 Aladdin’s master of ceremonies is named __________.

17 Tommy’s The Acid __________ 18 In The Fantasticks, conspiring neighbors plotted to build a __________ between them.

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5 Native Gardens playwright Karen 1 The showstopping final musical Zacarías previously adapted number in Aladdin is called 42 APPLAUSE APR – MAY 2018 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG Helen Thorpe’s book •____ “_____Like Me” (three words) for the DCPA Theatre 2 In Aladdin, nearly 110 of these Company. changes happen in a backstage

1 The showstopping musical number in Aladdin is called “__________ Like Me.” 2 In Aladdin, nearly 110 of these changes happen in a backstage frenzy taking place in less than one minute.

3 What Tommy witnessed that sent him into catatonia 4 In 1981, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd starred in this film about a quiet man whose life is upended when an obnoxious couple moves in next door.

6 Pinball was banned from the early 1940s to mid70s in many big American cities because it was considered a form of __________.

7 Terpsichorean is a term related to the art of __________, of which Aladdin features much.

8 Aladdin takes audiences on a magic __________ ride.

15 Tommy can’t hear those buzzers and bells. He plays by a sense of __________.

For answers please visit denvercenter.org/news-center

Photo by Ken Mostek

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