Applause -- Frozen, June 19-July 3, 2024

APPLAUSE

SIGHTLINE

BY JANICE SINDEN

WWelcome to the theatre! This issue of Applause encompasses the final months of an extraordinary season in which we’ve seen demand for theatre revitalized. Thanks to you, we have exceeded nearly every Broadway goal and extended the runs of four shows — Cebollas, Rubicon, The Secret Comedy of Women and The Improvised Shakespeare Company®.

We’re delighted to end the season on a high note. First up from the Theatre Company will be a refreshingly unconventional adaptation of Emma, a Latine exploration of immigration and culture in Where Did We Sit on the Bus? and the historical look at the rise and fall of a financial empire in The Lehman Trilogy.

Across the Galleria will be a trio of Broadway’s best hits including a celebratory account of Cher’s six-decade career in The Cher Show, an all-new take on Stephen Sondheim’s Company and the long-awaited return of Disney’s Frozen, which originally started here in 2017. And let’s not forget Space Explorers: THE INFINITE at Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, Broadway’s Next Hit Musical in the Garner Galleria Theatre and Bluey’s Big Play in the Buell.

As one season ends another begins. We heat up the summer with the return of Wicked followed by the national tour launch of KIMBERLY AKIMBO plus an entire season of touring shows, which we shared in March.

In this issue, I’m pleased to announce our upcoming 2024/25 Denver Center Theatre Company season. Highlights include Shakespeare’s Hamlet, I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter based on the New York Times best-selling novel, the world premiere of The Reservoir by Denver-born Jake Brasch and everyone’s favorite, Little Shop of Horrors. You can find the full season on pages 18-19.

We hope you will rejoin us next season, but for now, on with the show!

Vladimir Script

Warm regards,

Janice Sinden

Janice Sinden, President & CEO

APPLAUSE

VOLUME XXXIV • NUMBER 6 • APR - JUN 2024

EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe

DESIGN DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone

DESIGNER: Brenda Elliott

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS: Paul Koob, Lucas Kreitler

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Misha Berson, Lisa Bornstein, Linnea Covington, Emma Holst, Joanne Ostrow, Kelundra Smith

Applause is published six times a year by Denver Center for the Performing Arts in conjunction with The Publishing House, Westminster, CO. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Call 303.893.4000 regarding editorial content.

Applause magazine is funded in part by

Angie Flachman, Publisher For advertising 303.428.9529 or sales@pub-house.com coloradoartspubs.com

Denver Center for the Performing Arts is a non-profit organization that engages and inspires through the transformative power of live theatre.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Hassan Salem, Chair

Ruth Krebs, Vice Chair

David Jacques Farahi, Secretary/Treasurer

Nicole Ament

Dr. Patricia Baca

Brisa Carleton

Jerome Davis

Kevin Kilstrom

Susan Fox Pinkowitz

Manny Rodriguez

Alan Salazar

Richard M. Sapkin

Martin Semple

William Dean Singleton

Robert Slosky

Tina Walls

Dr. Reginald L. Washington

Judi Wolf

HONORING OUR ELDERS

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts honors and acknowledges that it resides on the traditional and unceded territories of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We also recognize the 48 contemporary Indigenous Tribes and Nations who have historically called Colorado home.

16

Sylvia Young

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Navin Dimond

Margot Gilbert Frank

Jeannie Fuller

Robert C. Newman

Daniel L. Ritchie

Cleo Parker Robinson

HELEN G. BONFILS FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Martin Semple, President

William Dean Singleton, Vice President

Dr. Reginald L. Washington, Secretar y/Treasurer

Nicole Ament

Kevin Kilstrom

Ruth Krebs

Susan Fox Pinkowitz

Hassan Salem

Robert Slosky

Judi Wolf

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Janice Sinden, President & CEO

Jamie Clements, Vice President, Development

Chris Coleman, Artistic Director, Theatre Company

John Ekeberg, Executive Director, Broadway & Cabaret

Lydia Garcia, Executive Director, Equity & Organization Culture

Angela Lakin, Vice President, Marketing & Sales

Glen Lucero, Vice President, Venue Operations

Laura Maresca, Chief People & Culture Officer

Charlie Miller, Executive Director & Curator, Off-Center

Lisa Roebuck, Vice President, Information Technology

Charles Varin, Managing Director, Theatre Company & Off-Center

Allison Watrous, Executive Director, Education & Community Engagement

Jane Williams, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

Der Rosenkavalier

LEGACY GIVING

It is because of one Legacy Gift that we exist today. We invite you to join our Encore Society when you name the DCPA in your estate plan.

Encore Society members receive special event invitations, ticket offers, and member-only perks. Join by:

• Making a tax-free gift in your will or revocable trust

• Designating the DCPA as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, IRA, insurance policy, or other account

• Taking advantage of tax-wise giving through appreciated stock or your IRA RMD

For more information, contact: Connor Carlin ccarlin@dcpa.org | 303.446.4842

MORE WAYS TO GIVE

MAKE SHOWTIME A NIGHT ON THE TOWN!

Uplevel your pre- and post-show experience with a DCPA premium membership.

BEST OF BROADWAY SOCIETY

Indulge in unforgettable evenings all Broadway season long! Enjoy pre-show cocktails and dinner at Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House, front-and-center orchestra seats, and intermission amenities in the Wolf Room at the fabulous Buell Theatre.

Contact: Marc Ravenhill • mravenhill@dcpa.org • 303.572.4594

DIRECTORS SOCIETY

Get unprecedented access to Denver Center Theatre Company shows! Enjoy pre-show dinners and behind-the-scenes discussions with creatives, premium seating, and opening night festivities with the cast and crew. Contact: Marc Ravenhill • mravenhill@dcpa.org • 303.572.4594

CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP

Build your brand recognition and entertain your clients as a Corporate Member. You’ll receive tickets to eight DCPA shows, private pre-show cocktails and dining, and professional networking opportunities. Contact: Caroline Eppers • ceppers@dcpa.org • 303.446.4873

Soara-Joye Ross in A Little Night Music

Photo by Amanda Tipton Photography

Leslie Alexander and Sophia Dotson in A Little Night Music

Photo by Amanda Tipton Photography

THE IMPORTANCE OF VOICEOVER

CBY LINNEA COVINGTON

Cartoon superheros, talking toilet paper, instructional videos, audiobooks — these are all done by voiceover artists.

“It can be so very broad. I think of voiceover as being anytime you hear a voice without the face of the person speaking,” said Mare Trevathan, a professional voiceover artist, local actor and DCPA Teaching Artist who has recorded over 500 titles, her favorite of which was voicing a talking sword.

Voiceover work plays into everyday life a lot more than most people think, and it’s a skill that’s both needed and profitable. It’s also a skill one needs to learn. You may have been told you have a “good voice” which is helpful, but it’s not a reason to launch a career.

“It’s important people understand all voices are good voices, it’s just understanding what’s right for any given situation,” said Trevathan, who mentioned a woman she knows who has a babylike voice perfect for toys, but not great for books or instructional videos. “Even if you have a traditionally ‘good voice,’ which is about five-percent of people, it’s more about what you can do with it.”

Trevathan recommends a few things for those who want to get into the voiceover game. Before you take a voiceover class, start with acting.

“An acting class will speed up any work you will do in a voiceover class, and you will learn how to create circumstances that directly support a voiceover script you’re working on,” she said.

Another key in learning to be successful is taking a class in improv. Especially, explained Trevathan, in the age of artificial intelligence. Turns out AI can do a lot, but it can’t improvise a situation or inject emotion.

Then, of course, taking classes with a professional voiceover artist will set you up for success.

“I don’t feel like people are wasting their time and money on dreamland. There is work out there for people who can and want to put in the time and energy into voiceover,” added Trevathan. “Anyone can be a talking sword, but they may not get paid for it.”

DCPA Education o ers seasonal classes in acting, improv and voiceover. Visit denvercenter.org/education for details.

PLANS AVAILABLE

Photo by McLeod9 Creative

Photo by McLeod9Creative

Expert ER Care

If you or a loved one are injured or suddenly taken ill, don’t hesitate.

If you or a loved one are injured or suddenly taken ill, don’t hesitate. ou’ll fi nd expert emergency physicians at AdventHealth ER standing by to

u,

In WHERE DID WE SIT ON THE BUS? Latiné artists excavate their own histories

BY KELUNDRA SMITH

WWhen performer and playwright Brian Quijada was in the third grade, his teacher taught the class a lesson about the Civil Rights Movement during Black History Month. She explained that a woman named Rosa Parks changed the course of history by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Quijada raised his hand and asked, “Where did Latinos sit on the bus?” His teacher replied that she didn’t know. This moment was etched into Quijada’s mind and nearly 20 years later he wrote, Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, a one-person show inspired by that memory.

The mostly autobiographical play is composed of a mix of poetry, rap, monologues, and live sound mixing and looping. In it, the Civil Rights Movement lesson sends a curious kid, Bee Quijada, home to ask questions about his Salvadoran family’s immigration story, which continues well into Bee’s 20s. However, what he finds along the way is that the only answer he needs is the dream he holds inside his heart.

Quijada says he was inspired to write the play as a young actor in New York when he kept being called into auditions for roles that didn’t resonate with his experience as a brown kid who grew up in a Jewish and Italian neighborhood in Chicago. By that time, he’d defied his parents’ wishes, moved to New York, and chosen to be an artist instead of a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.

“I wanted to play a Latino character that wasn’t steeped in Latino trauma,” Quijada said. “There weren’t a lot of comedies. I love hip-hop and there weren’t a lot of stories of hip-hop. I wanted to tell a story where I could do the

things I loved and tell personal stories through musicals and comedy.”

Quijada grew up making home videos with his brother Marvin. He also grew up going to Quinceañeras and other celebrations where music moved the room. In the script, he recalls this early introduction to performance by saying, “I’m a strong believer that we are all born with rhythm. Those who think they can’t dance do have it somewhere deep within them. Waiting to be released and displayed on the floor.”

As Quijada got older, he started doing musical theatre with Jewish friends at his middle and high schools, performing in shows such as Cats and The Wizard of Oz. The closer he got to art, the more distance he felt between his true calling and his parents’ desires for him. He pointedly captures this experience gap in Where Did We Sit on the Bus? in the stanza: “I get why the Mexican workers in Highland Park restaurants don’t know whether to talk to me in English or Spanish when I walk in with my white friends. I get why the white librarian wonders what nationality I am because my English is white-washed.”

“American isn’t Black and white, there’s nuance and gray lines,” Quijada said. “We have to have empathy for the American immigrant. I was battling identity questions and asking where I fit in a Black and white America. What does it mean for me to grow up loving Michael Jackson, me a brown kid, dancing like a Black kid who wanted to be a white kid. The piece is summed up by a coming-of-age story and figuring out who the hell you are.”

by Kyle

Illustration

Malone

Where Did We Sit on the Bus? received its world premiere at Teatro Vista in Chicago in 2016. It garnered Outstanding Solo Performance and Sound Design at The Chicago Jeff Awards and earned him two Drama Desk nominations in the same categories for its Off-Broadway debut at Ensemble Studio Theatre that same year. Since that time, it has been performed across the country.

Four years ago, Quijada stopped acting in the play and passed it along to his friend Matt Dickson, who has directed the production ever since, and mentee and friend, performer Satya Chávez. The two met when Dickson and Quijada were working on another show, Undesirables, while Chávez was a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder. When Quijada’s journey performing the show ended, he knew who to call.

Chávez said that part of what attracted them to the script is that it reminded them of their family’s story.

What does it mean for me to grow up loving Michael Jackson, me a brown kid, dancing like a Black kid who wanted to be a white kid. The piece is summed up by a coming-ofage story and figuring out who the hell you are.

— BRIAN QUIJADA, PLAYWRIGHT

“Eduardo Quijada is basically Gerardo Chávez,” Chávez said. “Brian’s dad told him the story of having to eat tortilla and salt for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and my dad ate rice and beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner….”

Chávez’s parents migrated to the U.S. from Mexico. Immigration is an ever-present issue in the piece, much like in real life. When Bee asks her mom how she came to America, she responds, in part, “A quarter of an apple and half a sandwich to get over the border. / 3 days.”

“The piece itself is not trying to be politically divisive,” Chávez said. “It makes a point to make you fall in love with the immigrant characters and Bee Quijada, but then there’s a spoken word piece called ‘Let Them In’ that reflects on the hypocrisy of a country founded by refugees and immigrants who won’t let a new generation in.”

As artists, both Chávez and Quijada carry their parents’ stories with them. Quijada said that he hopes the next generation will feel inspired by the piece. “Tell your story in the unique way that only you can tell it. That’s what I did, put all the joy in with all the things I was passionate about.”

WHERE

DID WE SIT ON THE BUS?

APR 19 – JUN 2 • SINGLETON THEATRE

ASL Interpreted and Audio Described performance: May 12 at 1:30pm

Post-show discussions: May 14, 21, 23 & 28

• All people are equal • Moments are shared • Differences are valued • Discussion is encouraged

We respect that everyone experiences our stories differently.

“ … THE MOST HIGH - PROFILE — AND HIGH ALTITUDE — MOUNTAIN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN AMERICA.” - THE TIMES, UK

2300 WILLOW CREEK DR. - 24 ACRES, BOULDER JOEL RIPMASTER

1077 GILBERT STREET, BOULDER JOEL RIPMASTER

820 6TH STREET, BOULDER JOEL RIPMASTER

14 45 MOSS ROCK PL, BOULDER DAVID SCOTT

RED CREEK TRAIL RANCH - 65 ACRES, GYPSUM BRENT RIMEL & ED SWINFORD

BOULDER FLOWER FARM - 9 ACRES, LONGMONT BOB DALTON

COMPANY REVIVAL FINDS NEW DEPTH

IIn his 2010 memoir and lyric collection, Finishing the Hat, Stephen Sondheim wrote of his surprise at the reception of Company in 1970: “I had no idea Company would be so unsettling to public and critics alike.” He was “stunned by the polarized reactions of fervent admiration and ferocious rejection” when the somewhat experimental production premiered.

The play derived from a group of brief one-act plays written in the late 1960s by actor and playwright George Furth. Sondheim and Furth merged the scenes into a musical built around a single urban man with an emotionally empty life and a distinct fear of marriage. Nothing much happens in the story, just a display of neurotic antics around a surprise 35th birthday party. The action takes place inside the mind of the main character, Bobby.

Lacking the usual linear plot, Company was a new form, labeled (not by Sondheim) the “concept musical.”

“As far as I know,” Sondheim wrote, “prior to Company there had never been a plotless musical which dealt with one set of characters from start to finish. In 1970, the contradictory aspect of the experiment (a story without a plot) was cause for both enthusiasm and dismay.”

BY JOANNE OSTROW

The revival half a century later has stunned audiences once again by making the central character a female. More than just a gender-bending rewrite, with the male Bobby now a female Bobbie, the revival switches up ancillary characters as well and finds new depth. British director Marianne Elliott ’s Tony Award-winning production has been hailed as revelatory.

Matt Rodin who plays Jamie in the touring production, said what ’s so remarkable about Sondheim and Furth’s work is that 50 years after its inception, “the messages and ideas are still deeply relevant. What it means to be in a relationship with another person, the messiness of marriage, and the dance of compromise all hit home in the same way they did in the ’70s — maybe even more so now.

“I think that ’s not only because we’re more open to discussing marriage and partnership as a society, but this new production has adapted the material in a way that resonates today. Gender flipping Bobbie, Jamie, the boyfriends, and a handful of the other couples’ dynamics paints a more vivid picture of life as we know it. A single woman at 35 has a lot more pressure than a single man at 35. In this production, the wives (particularly Jenny and Susan) lean more stable and clear headed, while the

Britney Coleman as Bobbie (center) and the North American Tour of COMPANY . Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

— MATT RODIN, ACTOR

[50 years after its inception,] the messages and ideas are still deeply relevant. What it means to be in a relationship with another person, the messiness of marriage, and the dance of compromise all hit home in the same way they did in the ’70s — maybe even more so now.

COMING UP FROM BROADWAY WICKED

Cultural phenomenon and beloved musical Wicked returns to the Buell Theatre this summer. Before Dorothy dropped into Oz, two rivals-turnedunlikely-friends tell a story of love, magic, and friendship.

Elphaba, born with emerald-green skin and misunderstood throughout her childhood, grows into a fiery and exceptionally talented young witch. Glinda is everything Elphaba hates: bubbly and popular. Lumped together as university roommates, the witches learn and grow, becoming allies and friends. When the world decides to call one “good” and the other “wicked,” loyalties are tested as each witch must make her own decisions, forging her own path.

husbands (David and Peter) are buttoned up and anxious. We get to see Company through a 21st century lens, and it ’s brighter than ever.”

Given the culture’s heightened expectations for women regarding marriage and children, the gender switch adds meaning. Additionally, in the revival, the wedding-day panic attack is sung by gay male Jamie, rather than straight female Amy in the original, underscoring that gay marriage may be legal but fear of commitment is universal.

Actor Rodin said, “This role is an incredible blessing because Jamie gets an arc of his own. At the end of show, right before Bobbie’s final turn in ‘Being Alive,’ Jamie speaks to her from the other side of commitment. He tells her that everything is going to be okay; that being in a relationship with another person is actually a gateway to a deeper part of ourselves and our shared humanity. And miraculously, for the first time, she listens.”

The score remains among Sondheim’s best, from the wise, heartrending “Being Alive” to the urban anonymity anthem “Another Hundred People” to the zinger made famous by Elaine Stritch, “The Ladies Who Lunch.”

For fans of the original Company, the challenge of seeing the reversed emotional roles is newly rewarding.

“Theater, at its best, provokes questions instead of providing answers,” cast member Rodin said. “This version asks even more questions than the original, and for the better.

“The payoff is an audience, and a company of actors, that feel more seen, understood, and moved. We leave with questions unanswered. And I don’t think theater gets much better than that.”

MAY 22 – JUN 2 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio-Described and Open Captioned performance: Jun 2 at 2pm

This Tony Award-winning musical is “a complete triumph! An original musical that will make you laugh, cry, and think” (USA Today). Known for its iconic songs, including “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” and “For Good,” Wicked electrifies audiences with its dynamic music, beautiful staging, and moving story.

Wicked features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin) and a book by Winnie Holzman, adapted from the original novel by Gregory Maguire. The production is directed by Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello (Assassins, Take Me Out).

Wicked comes to Denver July 24 through August 25. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see this exhilarating show, a musical that will change you “for good.”

The National Touring Company of WICKED Photo by Joan Marcus.

David Socolar as Theo and Britney Coleman as Bobbie in the North American Tour of COMPANY Photo by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade.

THE ONE. THE ON LY. CHER

TThe Cher Show is 35 smash hits, six decades of stardom, two rock-star husbands, a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy and enough Tony-winning Bob Mackie gowns to cause a sequin shortage. The Cher Show is so much Cher that it takes three actresses to recount one legendary career. Spread out over six decades, the totality of Cher’s accomplishments may be hard to comprehend. Consider this decade-by-decade look at her career highlights and you’ll understand why she is a legend.

May 20, 1946

Born Cherilyn Sarkisian to an Armenian-American father and an Irish-English-German-Cherokee mother.

1960s

At 16, Cher heads to LA where she meets producer Phil Spector and becomes a backup singer for such groups as The Ronettes and The Righteous Brothers. She meets Sonny Bono and their friendship turns into a romance. They release “I Got You Babe” and rocket to the top of the charts. They continue to turn out hits while Cher becomes a solo artist with her first release, “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down).”

1970s

In the face of diminishing sales, the duo develops an act that ultimately becomes “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” (CBS, 1971-1974). When the show ends, so too does their marriage. Building upon her celebrity, the multifaceted performer sets out to redefine herself, resulting in the first No. 1 solo hit of her career with “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves.”

1980s

Cher turns to acting, first starring on Broadway and then the big screen in Mask, Suspect, The Witches of Eastwick, Silkwood (Golden Globe, Supporting Actress), and Moonstruck (Academy Award, Best Actress). But she still remains atop the music charts with “I Found Someone,” “If I Could Turn Back Time” and “Just Like Jesse James.”

1990s

Cher stars in If These Walls Could Talk, Tea with Mussolini, and Mermaids, which also features her pop cover of “The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss).” Soon, her music fills the club scene and she releases Believe for which the title song wins a Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

2000s

Soon after releasing Living Proof, Cher announces her retirement from live performance and sets out on a 325-date farewell tour. One performance is televised, scoring her three 2003 Emmy Awards. After a brief hiatus, Cher returns to the stage in Las Vegas where she holds court for 192 shows from 2008-2011.

2010s

Cher releases her first album in 12 years with Closer to the Truth in 2013, returns to Vegas with Classic Cher, and stars in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!

According to Wikipedia, Cher is the only artist to have a #1 single on a Billboard chart in each of the past seven decades with a total of 34 Top 40 hits. She is a fashion icon, an award-winning actress and a music legend. She is Cher.

THE CHER SHOW

MAY 3 – 5 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned Performance: May 4 at 2pm

Morgan Scott as Star in THE CHER SHOW

Photo by Meredith Mashburn Photography.

Morgan Scott as Star in THE CHER SHOW

Photo by Meredith Mashburn Photography.

THEATRE, UP CLOSE

by Jennifer M. Koskinen.

ANNOUNCING THE 2024/25 THEATRE COMPANY SEASON

Join us for more intimate experiences next season! This is your chance to make time for more comedies, tragedies, and musicals. This is your opportunity to enjoy live theatre at its very best — UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.

Along with never missing a moment of our season, Theatre Company subscribers get a host of great perks:

• SAVE UP TO 20%*

• EARLY ACCESS

• FREE EXCHANGES

• UP TO 20% OFF ADDITIONAL TICKETS

• AUTO-RENEW OPTIONS**

Jordan Barbour in The 12 .

Photo

Browse and request books, DVDs, CDs - 24/7 in the palm of our hand

Access audio and eBooks, music, movies, and more

Checkout materials at any of our 27 locations

Manage your family’s accounts all in one place

SEASON SPONSOR

Disney Theatrical Group under the direction of Andrew Flatt Thomas Schumacher Anne Quart presents

Music and Lyrics by

KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ and ROBERT LOPEZ

Based on the Disney film written by JENNIFER LEE and directed by CHRIS BUCK and JENNIFER LEE

Starring

CAROLINE BOWMAN LAUREN NICOLE CHAPMAN

JEREMY DAVIS NICHOLAS EDWARDS PRESTON PEREZ

COLLIN BAJA EVAN DUFF DAN PLEHAL

Book by

JENNIFER LEE

AVELYN LENA CHOI SAVANNAH LUMAR NORAH NUNES EMMA ORIGENES

ALICIA ALBRIGHT KATE BAILEY JACK BREWER REESE BRITTS KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS

SARAH DEARSTYNE LEIGH-ANN ESTY MICHAEL EVERETT JASON GOLDSTON NATALIE GOODIN

MICHAEL ALLAN HAGGERTY DUSTIN LAYTON ADRIANNA ROSE LYONS MICHAELA MARFORI BRIAN MARTIN

KYLE LAMAR MITCHELL KATIE MARIKO MURRAY TONY NEIDENBACH RENÉE REID NAOMI RODGERS

SAMMY SCHECHTER NICK SILVERIO DANIEL SWITZER NATALIE WISDOM

Managing Director, Disney Theatrical Group ANDREW FLATT

Associate Director ADRIAN SARPLE

Orchestrations DAVE METZGER

General Manager RANDY MEYER

Technical Supervision AURORA PRODUCTIONS

Associate Choreographers SARAH O’GLEBY

CHARLIE WILLIAMS

Executive Music Producer CHRIS MONTAN

Hair Design

DAVID BRIAN BROWN

Sound Design PETER HYLENSKI

Casting THE TELSEY OFFICE

RACHEL HOFFMAN, CSA LAURA WADE, CSA

Music Coordinators MICHAEL KELLER MICHAEL AARONS

Makeup Design ANNE FORD-COATES

Video Design FINN ROSS

Scenic and Costume Design CHRISTOPHER ORAM

Executive Producer ANNE QUART

Production Supervisor LISA DAWN CAVE

Production Stage Manager PAIGE GRANT

Additional Dance Arranger DAVID CHASE

Special Effects Design JEREMY CHERNICK

Puppet Design MICHAEL CURRY

Lighting Design NATASHA KATZ

Music Supervision and Arrangements by STEPHEN OREMUS

Choreographed by ROB ASHFORD

Directed by MICHAEL GRANDAGE

Physical Movement Coordinator LORENZO PISONI

Music Director FAITH SEETOO

Caroline Bowman Lauren Nicole Chapman

Savannah Lumar

Collin Baja

Preston Perez

Dan Plehal

Avelyn Lena Choi

Norah Nunes Emma Origenes

Nicholas Edwards

Jeremy Davis

Evan Duff

CAST

Brian Martin

Michaela Marfori

Adrianna Rose Lyons

Dustin Layton

Kristen Smith Davis

Reese Britts

Alicia Albright

Kate Bailey

Jack Brewer

Michael Everett Jason Goldston

Natalie Goodin

Leigh-Ann Esty

Sammy Schechter

Natalie Wisdom

Daniel Switzer

Nick Silverio

Michael Allan Haggerty

Sarah Dearstyne

Renée Reid

Kyle Lamar Mitchell

Tony Neidenbach

Katie Mariko Murray

Naomi Rodgers

CAST

(in order of appearance)

Young Anna (Tue. mat., Wed. eve., Thur. eve., Sat. eve., Sun. mat.)

NORAH NUNES

Young Anna (Mon., Tue. eve., Wed. mat., Thur. mat., Fri., Sat. mat., Sun. eve) EMMA ORIGENES

Young Elsa (Tue. mat., Wed. eve., Thur. eve., Sat. eve., Sun. mat.) AVELYN LENA CHOI

Young Elsa (Mon., Tue. eve., Wed. mat., Thur. mat., Fri., Sat. mat., Sun. eve) SAVANNAH LUMAR

Queen Iduna KATIE MARIKO MURRAY

King Agnarr . .

KYLE LAMAR MITCHELL

Head Handmaiden NATALIE GOODIN

Pabbie .

BRIAN MARTIN

Bulda RENÉE REID

Bishop JACK BREWER

Anna LAUREN NICOLE CHAPMAN

Elsa CAROLINE BOWMAN

Weselton EVAN DUFF

Hans PRESTON PEREZ

Kristoff .

Sven (Tue. mat., Wed. eve., Thur. eve., Sat. eve., Sun. mat.)

NICHOLAS EDWARDS

COLLIN BAJA

Sven (Mon., Tue. eve., Wed. mat., Thur. mat., Fri., Sat. mat., Sun. eve) DAN PLEHAL

Olaf JEREMY DAVIS

Oaken JACK BREWER

Ensemble KATE BAILEY, JACK BREWER, REESE BRITTS, KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS, LEIGH-ANN ESTY, MICHAEL EVERETT, JASON GOLDSTON, NATALIE GOODIN, MICHAEL ALLAN HAGGERTY . ADRIANNA ROSE LYONS, MICHAELA MARFORI, BRIAN MARTIN, KYLE LAMAR MITCHELL, KATIE MARIKO MURRAY, RENÉE REID, NAOMI RODGERS, NICK SILVERIO, DANIEL SWITZER SWINGS

ALICIA ALBRIGHT, SARAH DEARSTYNE, DUSTIN LAYTON, TONY NEIDENBACH, SAMMY SCHECHTER, NATALIE WISDOM

Dance Captain: DUSTIN LAYTON

Assistant Dance Captain: NATALIE WISDOM

Fight Captain: DUSTIN LAYTON

UNDERSTUDIES

Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance

For Elsa –NATALIE GOODIN, ADRIANNA ROSE LYONS; for Anna –KATE BAILEY, KATIE MARIKO MURRAY; for Olaf–JASON GOLDSTON, DANIEL SWITZER; for Kristoff–REESE BRITTS, KYLE LAMAR MITCHELL ; for Sven –NICK SILVERIO; for Hans–JACK BREWER, REESE BRITTS; for Weselton –JASON GOLDSTON, DANIEL SWITZER ; for Oaken – REESE BRITTS, DANIEL SWITZER ; for Pabbie –MICHAEL EVERETT, DUSTIN LAYTON ; for Bulda – NAOMI RODGERS; NATALIE WISDOM; for King Agnarr–MICHAEL EVERETT, DUSTIN LAYTON ; for Queen Iduna –KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS, NATALIE WISDOM ; for Head Handmaiden –SARAH DEARSTYNE, NATALIE WISDOM; for Bishop –DUSTIN LAYTON, SAMMY SCHECHTER

Scan here for any updated cast replacement announcements for this performance

The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited Please turn off all electronic devices such as cellular phones, pagers and watches

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT I

Opening

“Vuelie”* Company

“Let the Sun Shine On”

Young Anna, Young Elsa, King, Queen, Townspeople

“A Little Bit of You” Young Elsa, Young Anna

“Hidden Folk”

“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”

Queen, Pabbie, Young Elsa, King, Company

Young Anna, Anna, Elsa

“For the First Time in Forever” Anna, Elsa, Townspeople

“Hans of the Southern Isles” Hans

“Queen Anointed” Townspeople

“Dangerous to Dream” Elsa, Townspeople

“Love Is an Open Door” Anna, Hans

“Reindeer(s) Are Better Than People” Kristoff

“What Do You Know About Love?”

Anna, Kristoff

“In Summer” Olaf

“Hans of the Southern Isles” (reprise)

Hans, Weselton, Townspeople

“Let It Go” Elsa

Entr’acte

“Hygge”

ACT II

Oaken, Kristoff, Anna, Olaf, Family & Friends

“I Can’t Lose You” Anna, Elsa

“Fixer Upper” Bulda, Pabbie, Olaf, Hidden Folk

“Kristoff Lullaby” Kristoff

“Monster” Elsa, Hans, Men

“Colder by the Minute” Anna, Kristoff, Elsa, Hans, Townspeople

“Finale” Company

* “Vuelie” written by Frode Fjellheim and Christophe Beck

THERE WILL BE ONE 20-MINUTE INTERMISSION.

Please be aware that this production contains strobe light effects

THE FROZEN TOURING ORCHESTRA

Music Director/Conductor: Faith Seetoo

Associate Conductor: Flint Hawes

Keyboard 1: Jenna Mee Dosch

Keyboard 2/Assistant Conductor: Brad Gardner

Drums/Percussion: Jeff MacPherson

Acoustic/Electric Bass: Marc Hogan

Flute/Piccolo/Clarinet/Alto Sax/Soprano Sax: Dane Andersen

Oboe/English Horn/Flute/Clarinet/Tenor Sax: Mike Livingston

Trumpet 1/Flugelhorn: Tim Burke

Trumpet 2/Flugelhorn: Paul Baron

French Horn: Sarah Younker

Trombone: Jim Gray

Music Coordinators: Michael Keller & Michael Aarons

Music Preparation: Anixter Rice Music Service

Disney Theatrical Group welcomes you to this performance.

With our par tners at this theatre, we are committ ed to providing a welcoming space for everyone to share in the irreplaceable experience of live theate r.

Thank you for your participation in makin g touring Broadway a diverse and inclusive place, where everyone feels they belong , are respected and free from discrimination.

CAROLINE BOWMAN (Elsa) Broadway credits include Elphaba in Wicked and Nicola in Kinky Boots (opening and closing casts) She has been seen on tour around the world in Evita (Eva Perón, Helen Hayes Award nominee), Spamalot (Lady of the Lake), Grease (Rizzo), and Fame (Carmen) Favorite regional credits include Louise in Gypsy (Cape Playhouse), Eva Perón in Evita (Vancouver Opera), Natalie/Ed in All Shook Up (Muny), and Narrator in Joseph... (Toby’s, HH nom) Endless gratitude to Soffer/Namoff, Innovative Artists, Rachel Hoffman, and Telsey + Co ! Love always to Mom, Dad, Bobby and her handsome husband, Austin Colby BFA Penn State University God is good For Meghan Instagram: @carolinebowman5

LAUREN NICOLE CHAPMAN (Anna) is thrilled to be returning home to Arendelle! Lauren has been part of the Frozen family since the pre-Broadway development in 2017, through the Broadway shutdown in 2020, and is unspeakably honored to be here Broadway and National Tours: Frozen (Standby for Anna), Kinky Boots (u/s Lauren) Favorite credits include: Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), Legally Blonde (Serena), Barefoot in the Park (Corrie Bratter), Frozen 2 (Ensemble Vocals) . Lauren sends her love and gratitude to A3 Artists, her dear friends, Mom, Cam, and Michael For Dad always Enjoy the show! @Laurennicolechapman

JEREMY DAVIS (Olaf ) is beyond thrilled to share the stage with his wife, Kristen He’s been a part of the Frozen family since the 2016 pre-Broadway workshop, and he is delighted to be giving out warm hugs Broadway: Frozen, Cats (Skimbleshanks), Annie (Bert Healy), The Last Ship, South Pacific, Billy Elliot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, 9 to 5, The People in the Picture, and Ghost Actor’s Equity member since 1998 Endless gratitude to Mom, Dad, and Sarah

NICHOLAS EDWARDS ( Kristoff ) is thrilled to be back in Arendelle! Broadway/Tour: & Juliet (OBC- Lord Capulet/Sly, u/s Shakespeare & Lance), Frozen (u/s Kristoff & Pabbie), Les Misérables, Sister Act Off-Broadway: Jamie in the critically acclaimed virtual off-Broadway production of The Last 5 Years. Additionally, he starred as Jesus in Berkshire Theatre Group’s production of Godspell, the first musical performed in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic Thanks to Disney Theatricals, Rachel at

WHO’S WHO

Telsey & his amazing team at DGRW! @Nickedwardsnyc

PRESTON PEREZ (Hans) National Tour Debut! Broadway: A Beautiful Noise . Off-Broadway: The Bandaged Place (Roundabout) Proud first-gen graduate of TXST MT ’22 Forever grateful to Kaitlin Hopkins, Telsey, Ben, Ashley, and the whole A&R team All love to my mom, the fam, and my fiercely supportive community For GC . @prestonperezz

COLLIN BAJA ( Sven at certain performances) Broadway: Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus ; Hello, Dolly!; Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark ; Equus Film: The Producers, Across the Universe Television: “Tales of the City,” “Political Animals,” “Divorce,” “Key & Peele ” Training: The Juilliard School, The William Esper Studio Collin is represented by Wilhelmina Models, and is also a certified professional life coach with a)plan coaching You can find him directly at a-plancoaching com, @collinbaja

EVAN DUFF (Weselton) originally hails from Fishers, IN and is ecstatic to be joining this magical company making his National Tour Debut! Past Regional credits include: Becoming Nancy (Alliance Theatre), Diana (La Jolla Playhouse) Proud alum of Ball State University MT Special thanks to Rachel Hoffman, my teachers, cast and crew, my family, and incredible friends IG: 3vanduff

DAN PLEHAL (Sven at certain performances) is a Chicago-based actor, acrobat, and director Regional: The Doppelgänger (World Premier, Steppenwolf), Romeo & Juliet, Tempest, Midsummer, Comedy of Errors (Chicago Shakespeare), Steadfast Tin Soldier (Lookingglass), Love Actually: The Musical Parody (Right Angle Entertainment) Television: “Chicago Fire,” “Mysteries of Laura ” Movement Direction: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Steppenwolf), Thumbelina, A Wrinkle in Time, Urinetown, Titus Andronicus So grateful to Mr . B and the Stewart Talent team DanPlehal com

AVELYN LENA CHOI (Young Elsa at certain performances) is honored to make her return to Frozen where she previously made her Broadway Tour debut as Young Anna! Theatre: Billy Elliot, Sound of Music (Paramount); The King & I, Murder on the Orient Express (Drury Lane) Endlessly grateful to her family, teachers, Gray Talent Group, Disney, and Telsey! @avelynlena

SAVANNAH LUMAR (Young Elsa at certain performances) is delighted to make her Broadway Tour debut in Frozen! Savannah is excited to be sharing one of her favorite stories with audiences Theatre: Sound of Music (Marta), School of Rock (AJ) Thank you to her family, God, DDO Artists, Telsey and coaches at Ovation for believing in her Special thanks to Ragan Hughes for helping make her dreams come true! @savannah lumar

NORAH NUNES (Young Anna at certain performances) is honored to return to Arendelle and reprise her role as Young Anna! Regional: The Sound of Music (Gretl) Forever grateful to Disney and Telsey for this opportunity; my team, Ally Taylor Artists & DDO, for their support and my family for their love Let’s build a snowman! IG:@norahsingseverywhere

EMMA ORIGENES (Young Anna at certain performances) is excited to make her Broadway Tour debut in Frozen! Thank you, Disney and Telsey, for this amazing opportunity, as well as Paradigm, Molly & Nick, LUX, The Prep, Broadway Workshop, BKA, Impress Ballroom, KSA of Irish Dance, Ailey School, friends, family, and everyone in Jersey City for their support @emma_t_o

ALICIA ALBRIGHT (Swing). Alicia’s heart is so happy to be in Frozen again! Broadway: Frozen (OBC), Wicked Tours: Wicked, All Shook Up, A Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar and more . Love to Eric and family For my DAD!

KATE BAILEY (Ensemble) is thrilled to be back in Arendelle! Broadway/NYC: Beetlejuice (u/s Barbara/Delia), Frozen, A Chorus Line (Kristine) Tour: Something Rotten! (u/s Portia) Thanks to Talent House, the Frozen team, and my loves, Greg and Patsy

JACK BREWER (Oaken, Bishop, Ensemble) i s thrilled to be making his tour debut with his dream show! Regional: Cinderella, Chicago, Camelot (Muny), and Buddy Foster in Side Show (WPPAC) Many thanks to Avalon, Telsey, his family, CCM sisters, and Quinn

REESE BRITTS (Ensemble) National Tour Debut! Jelly’s Last Jam (New York City Center Encores!, Jelly Roll Morton standby), Tootsie (Ogunquit Playhouse), Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical (Theater Latte Da) Much love to DGRW, the Frozen team, his family, and Ryan, always @reese_britts

KRISTEN SMITH DAVIS (Ensemble).

Broadway: Anastasia National tours: South Pacific, Evita, White Christmas, Anastasia Regional: Paper Mill, Goodspeed, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sacramento Music Circus Film: Ted 2 Delighted to share the stage with her husband, Jeremy www kristensmithdavis com

SARAH DEARSTYNE (Swing). Previous credits include Bandstand (1st National Tour), 42nd Street (Goodspeed), and Crazy For You (Asolo Rep) Many thanks to my family, friends, Telsey + Co, the Frozen team, and my wonderful husband Garrett Dedicated to my nieces and nephews @sarah .dearstyne

LEIGH-ANN ESTY (Ensemble) is thrilled to be a part of the Frozen family! Broadway: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. National tours/Regional: An American in Paris (1st national, Drury Lane, Cape Playhouse) Film/ TV: West Side Story, The Gilded Age, Fosse/Verdon, Maestro. Professional Companies: Miami City Ballet . Love to M, D, S, and LW+CO @leighesty

MICHAEL EVERETT ( Ensemble)

Michael’s credits include: Disney’s Aladdin , Riverdance , High Button Shoes, and Sophisticated Ladies to name a few He’d like to thank his family for their continued support and is so excited to be working with Disney again @TheMichaelEverett

JASON GOLDSTON (Ensemble) Proud Baldwin Wallace University graduate Previous credits: Jagged Little Pill (1st National Tour), Becoming Nancy (Alliance Theatre), A Chorus Line (City Springs Theatre) . Huge thanks to Mom, Dad, Annette, Rachel, BWA, and Deb @jason_goldston

NATALIE GOODIN (Head Handmaiden, Ensemble) National Tour debut! Regional: Dallas Theater Center, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Theatre Aspen OUMT 2020 Huge thanks to Rikky Fishbein and Sean McKnight at The Hybrid Agency, Telsey, family, and friends! @natalie_goodin

MICHAEL ALLAN HAGGERTY (Ensemble) . National Tour Debut Regional: The Unsinkable Molly Brown (The Muny), Jersey Boys (North Shore Music Theatre) BFA Musical Theatre Boston Conservatory LaGuardia High School Dance Alumni Thanks to Hudson Artists, friends and family! @mike_a_haggerty

DUSTIN LAYTON (Swing, Dance Captain, Fight Captain) Broadway: King Kong, Anastasia, An American in Paris and The Phantom of the Opera . Other: assistant choreographer,

An American in Paris (West End, Tokyo, international tour), Phantom national tour Proud member AEA @dustinklayton Make someone smile today

ADRIANNA ROSE LYONS (Ensemble) Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Pasadena Playhouse); Rock of Ages (Las Vegas); Million Dollar Quartet (tour and Norwegian Cruise Lines); Hair, Spamalot, Mamma Mia! (Hollywood Bowl); 42nd Street (3D Theatricals); Cabaret, American Idiot (La Mirada Theater) Insta/Tw: @adrianna___rose

MICHAELA MARFORI ( Ensemble) National Tour debut! Broadway: West Side Story TV/Film: “The 76th Annual Tony Awards,” “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade .” Additional credits: Eurydice (The Metropolitan Opera), Holidays in Hollywood (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) Special thanks to Bloc, Telsey, and family/friends! @michaela_marfori

BRIAN MARTIN (Pabbie, Ensemble) Broadway: Some Like It Hot (OBC), Mrs. Doubtfire (OBC) National Tour: Bullets Over Broadway, Beauty and the Beast BFA Western Michigan University Thank you forever to my family, friends, Said, agents, and The Telsey Office for the endless support For Jimmy! @btmartz

KYLE LAMAR MITCHELL (King Agnarr, Ensemble) . Broadway: The Lion King . A graduate of Yale University, favorite productions include A Chorus Line, The Wiz, and Parade Endless love to his friends, family, and his superhuman Mom! @kyle_ley_lah

KATIE MARIKO MURRAY (Queen Iduna, Ensemble). National tour debut!! Select regional: Signature Theatre: Into the Woods (Cinderella, Helen Hayes nominee), RENT (Maureen), Sweeney Todd (Johanna); Arena Stage: Ride the Cyclone (Jane Doe) Huge thanks to DGRW BFA Penn State @ktpotaty

TONY NEIDENBACH (Swing). Tony is thrilled to continue his journey in Arendelle! Broadway: Disney’s Frozen; Tour: RTC’s Anything Goes, Something Rotten!, Disney’s Freaky Friday ; 65th and 70th Tony Awards Thank you Disney, CESD, W50, EDMN, & the Fam . @ToeToe_A_gogo

RENÉE REID (Bulda, Ensemble) is excited to be in the Frozen Cast! She made her Broadway debut in Mrs. Doubtfire . National/International Tours: Hairspray, Dreamgirls She’s grateful to God, her family, Brian Herrick at The Hell’s Kitchen Agency, Dottridge Talent Management, and Telsey Casting! @renee reid

NAOMI RODGERS (Ensemble) just finished the 1st National Tour of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, where she played “Tina Turner ” Thank you to @danielhoffagency and to The Telsey Office for continuing to believe in her throughout all these years Jeremiah 29:11

SAMMY SCHECHTER (Swing) National Tour debut! Regional: A Chorus Line (Swing) at Cincinnati Playhouse, 42nd Street (Billy) at MTW, All Shook Up (Teen Ensemble) at The Muny Thanks to his family, Telsey, CCM, The Collective, and LINK Dedicated to his sister, Ariela @sammyschechter

NICK SILVERIO (Ensemble) Graduate of Elite Academy of Dance and UPenn’s Wharton School Co-Founder: Artswrk com Television: “Marvelous Mrs Maisel,” “Westworld,” SNL, “Girls5Eva .” Theater: Elf (National Tour, MSG), Billy Elliot (Older Billy/Dance Captain - Goodspeed), La Cage Aux Folles (Riverside, Pioneer, Goodspeed) @nicksilverioo

DANIEL SWITZER (Ensemble) Broadway & Nat’l Tour: Mean Girls, Wicked (u/s Boq), Newsies (Race, u/s Davey), CATS (Mungo) Film: Newsies Live on Disney+ Graduate of Rockford University Daniel loves warm hugs and his family! @DanyoSwitzer

NATALIE WISDOM (Swing, Assistant Dance Captain) Broadway: Groundhog Day, Billy Elliot. Tours: Matilda (u/s Miss Honey, Mrs . Wormwood), Billy Elliot (Dance Captain) BFA: Webster Conservatory Warm hugs to Mom, Dad, and Zach Huge thanks to Kent, Stef, and Ashley IG: @natwisdom

KRISTEN ANDERSON-LOPEZ (Music and Lyrics) Co-writer of Frozen, cocreator/ writer of In Transit (Broadway’s first a cappella musical) Regional: Frozen (Denver Center); Up Here (La Jolla Playhouse); Finding Nemo: The Musical (Disney World, running since 2006) Film: Frozen 2, Pixar’s Coco (Oscar® win, Best Original Song “Remember Me”), Frozen (Oscar and Grammy® Award wins, “Let It Go”), Winnie the Pooh TV: Marvel’s WandaVision (Emmy Award win), Hulu original series Up Here, and songs for the 87th Academy Awards® (Emmy® nomination), “The Comedians” (Emmy nomination), “The Wonder Pets ” 2014 recipient (and proud board member) of Lilly Awards Williams College grad, BMI Workshop, Dramatists Guild Council She lives in Brooklyn with husband Robert Lopez and their two daughters

ROBERT LOPEZ (Music and Lyrics) Co-writer of Frozen, co-creator/writer of The Book of Mormon (9 Tony®

Awards), co-creator/songwriter of Avenue Q (3 Tony Awards) Regional: Frozen (Denver Center), Up Here (La Jolla Playhouse), 1001 Nights (Atlantic Theatre) Film: Frozen 2, Pixar’s Coco (Oscar® nomination, Best Original Song “Remember Me”), Frozen (Oscar and Grammy® Award wins, “Let It Go”) TV: Marvel’s WandaVision (Emmy Award win), Hulu original series Up Here, and songs for the 87th Academy Awards®, “The Simpsons,” “South Park,” “Scrubs,” “The Wonder Pets .” One of only fifteen artists to win Emmy®, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards (EGOT) Yale University grad, BMI Workshop, Dramatists Guild Council He lives in Brooklyn with wife and collaborator Kristen AndersonLopez and their two daughters

JENNIFER LEE (Book) is the Academy Award ®-winning writer of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Frozen and the #1 animated film of all time, Frozen 2, both of which she directed with Chris Buck . For her work on Frozen, Lee received numerous awards, including a Golden Globe, a Critics Choice Award, a BAFTA Award, and an Academy Award Lee is Disney Animation’s chief creative officer, overseeing all feature length, short form, and streaming content created at the Studio including the films Encanto, Raya and the Last Dragon, and the 2023 feature Wish (for which she is also one of the writers) Her Disney Animation career began as co-writer of the Oscar®nominated Wreck-It Ralph

MICHAEL GRANDAGE (Director) is the recipient of Tony ®, Olivier, Drama Desk, Evening Standard, British Critics’ Circle and South Bank awards His Olivier Award-winning musicals include Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel, and Guys and D olls Grandage received a Tony Award for Best Direction for Red and Tony nominations for Frost/ Nixon and The Cripple of Inishmaan Grandage served as Artistic Director of London’s Donmar Warehouse for ten acclaimed seasons before establishing the Michael Grandage Company (MGC) in 2012 As Artistic Director of MGC, he directed Photograph 51, Henry V, The Cripple of Inishmaan, Peter and Alice, and the feature film Genius www MichaelGrandageCompany com Instagram @michaelgrandage

ROB ASHFORD (Choreographer) is a Tony ®, Olivier, Emmy ®, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award-winning director/choreographer NYC: Macbeth (Park Ave Armory); Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; Evita (Tony nom ); How to Succeed… (Tony noms , direction, choreography); Promises, Promises (Tony nom ); Cry-

Baby (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Astaire Award, Tony nom ); Curtains (Tony nom ); The Wedding Singer (Tony nom ); Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award, Best Choreography) London: Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company: The Winter’s Tale (Olivier nom , direction), Romeo and Juliet, The Entertainer ; Donmar: Anna Christie (Olivier Award), A Streetcar Named Desire (Olivier nom ), Parade (Olivier noms , direction, choreography) Television: “The Sound of Music Live!” (DGA, Emmy noms .); “Peter Pan Live!” (DGA nom )

CHRISTOPHER ORAM (Scenic and Costume Design) is the recipient of Tony ®, Olivier, Drama Desk, Evening Standard, Critics Circle, Garland, and Ovation awards His work on Broadway includes Hughie (Booth), Wolf Hall Parts 1 & 2 (Winter Garden), The Cripple of Inishmaan (Cort), Evita (Marquis), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Rodgers) Additional work includes Red (Golden), Hamlet with Jude Law (Broadhurst), Frost/Nixon (Jacobs), Macbeth (Park Avenue Armory), King Lear (BAM) and Billy Budd (BAM) Instagram @christopheroram

NATASHA KATZ (Lighting Design) has designed extensively for theater, opera, dance, concerts, and permanent lighting installations around the world She is a six-time Tony Award ® winner whose recent Broadway credits include Springsteen on Broadway ; the recent revival of Hello, Dolly!; Cats; Long Day’s Journey Into Night ; School of Rock ; An American in Paris ; Aladdin; Skylight ; The Glass Menagerie; Once; The Coast of Utopia: Salvage; Aida; and Beauty and the Beast .

PETER HYLENSKI (Sound Design) Grammy ®, Olivier, seven-time Tony ®nominated Selected designs include Anastasia; Something Rotten! ; Rock of Ages; After Midnight ; Motown; The Scottsboro Boys ; Side Show ; Rocky ; Bullets Over Broadway ; Shrek ; On a Clear Day…; Lend Me a Tenor ; Elf ; Wonderland; Cry-Baby; The Times They Are A-Changin’; The Wedding Singer ; Sweet Charity ; Martin Short : Fame Becomes Me; Little Women; Brooklyn Other credits: Le Rêve at Wynn Las Vegas, Ragtime (London), Rocky Das Musical, King Kong

FINN ROSS (Video Design) has won two Olivier Awards, a Tony ®, three Drama Desk, and OCC awards Recent work: Les Misérables (West End); Mean Girls (Broadway); Frozen (Broadway and tour); Bat out of Hell (West End); Tempest (RSC); Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Broadway/West

End); American Psycho (Broadway/ Almeida); Betrayal (Broadway); The Rise and Fall of Mahagonny (Royal Opera House); Chimerica (Almeida/West End); Death of Klinghoffer ; Damnation of Faust; Magic Flute (ENO); Master and Margarita (Complicité); A Dog’s Heart (DNO)

MICHAEL CURRY (P uppet Design) Michael’s approach is unique, as he chooses to design and fabricate with a longterm team in his Oregon studio The scenic designs, puppetry, and performance effects from Michael Curry Design have been the cornerstone of shows for the past 30 years Michael is best known for his work with The Lion King on Broadway, multiple Olympic opening ceremonies, Met Opera, Cirque du Soleil, and other worldwide spectacles

DAVID BRIAN BROWN (Hair Design)

Broadway highlights: Moulin Rouge! ; Come From Away (Canada, London, Australia); Dear Evan Hansen ; War Paint (Drama Desk Award); She Loves Me (Drama Desk nomination); Curious Incident…; Gigi; The Bridges of Madison County ; Macbeth; Death of a Salesman; Follies; Sister Act; A Steady Rain; Shrek ; The Little Mermaid ; Legally Blonde; Spamalot ; Tarzan ® ; Nine; Gypsy ; Sweet Smell of Success ; Aida; The Iceman Cometh; Chicago; Side Show ; Steel Pier Film: Angels in America (Emmy ®nominated); Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar

ANNE FORD-COATES (Makeup Design) Broadway: hair & makeup design for Oklahoma!; The Nap; makeup design for A Bronx Tale; On Your Feet!; Disaster!; On The Twentieth Century ; It Shoulda Been You Hundreds of designs for opera companies internationally including ten seasons with Washington National Opera and Glimmerglass Festival Recent favorites include Wagner’s Ring Cycle (Kennedy Center); The Wolves (Lincoln Center); The Music Man (Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman)

JEREMY CHERNICK (Special Effects Design) has worked on over 50 productions on Broadway, including Disney’s Aladdin Recent credits include: West Side Story ; King Lear ; Beetlejuice; Oklahoma!; and Hadestown In London’s West End Jeremy designed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Let the Right One In Jeremy’s work on spectacles spans the globe, as well as among prominent performing and visual arts institutions like the Museum of Art & Design in New York In 2018 Jeremy was an Emmy Award ® honoree for his work on NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar

Live ” Jeremy serves as head designer for J&M Special Effects in Brooklyn www jmfx net

STEPHEN OREMUS (Music Supervision and Arrangements) Broadway: Kinky Boots (2013 Tony Award ® for Best Orchestrations and 2013 Grammy ® Award), The Book of Mormon (2011 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Orchestrations and 2012 Grammy Award) Music supervisor, arranger and/ or orchestrator of Broadway productions of Wicked, Avenue Q, All Shook Up, and 9 to 5 Other: music director of the 87th Academy Awards®; “The Wiz Live!” on NBC; “Rent Live” on FOX; conductor/ contributing arranger for the films Frozen and Frozen 2

DAVE METZGER (Orchestrations) was nominated for Tony ® and Drama Desk Awards for orchestrating the Broadway version of The Lion King Perhaps best known for his work in film, he has arranged and orchestrated over 70 movies, including Frozen (1 and 2 ), Moana, Tarzan, The Avengers, How to Train Your Dragon (1 and 2), The Lion King (2019), and Wreck-It Ralph (1 and 2) davemetzgermusic com

MICHAEL KELLER & MICHAEL AARONS (Music Coordinators) Broadway: Be More Chill, Pretty Woman, Frozen, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton Upcoming Broadway: Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, Magic Mike Tours: Hamilton (Chicago, national tours), Anastasia, Dear Evan Hansen .

DAVID CHASE ( Additional Dance Arranger) . 34 Broadway produc tions as dance arranger, music director, and/or music supervisor . Recent: dance music for Carousel ; Frozen; Anastasia; and Hello, Dolly! Also: London’s West End, Lyric Opera of Chicago Many vocal and instrumental arrangements for the Boston Pops (including “The Twelve Days of Christmas”), the Kennedy Center Honors, Radio City Music Hall, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ” Choral works published by Schirmer Two Emmy® nominations for music direction for NBC Live! musicals, plus a Grammy ® nomination

FAITH SEETOO (Music Director) Frozen is Faith’s fourth Disney production, and she’s thrilled to be with this wonderful company National tours: Aladdin ; Newsies; The Lion King; The Phantom of the Opera; Miss Saigon; Mamma Mia!; A Christmas Story ; A Chorus Line; Sunset Boulevard (Petula Clark); Titanic; Bombay Dreams Regional highlights: Into the Woods; Oklahoma!; Once on This Island; Guys and Dolls; On the Town For Kurchta, who knew it all along Love to Piggy, my family, and my friends

CHRISTOPH BUSKIES ( KeyComp Programming) Christoph’s revolutionary music system KeyComp has been successfully implemented worldwide in The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Sister Act and Frozen. KeyComp generates the best live sound in modern musicals More information available through www keycomp com

ADRIAN SARPLE (Associate Director) Les Misérables Japan, London, Brazil, Broadway, 25th anniversary concert Mary Poppins Stuttgart, first and second U K tours, Vienna, Australia London: The Railway Children, Stephen Ward, Betty Blue Eyes . Phantom 25th anniversary production, U K Film: Les Misérables, ensemble second assistant director

SARAH O’GLEBY (Associate Choreographer) Credits include Annie Get Your Gun (Bay Street), High Button Shoes (Encores!, City Center), Kennedy Center Honors (CBS), Mythic (directed and choreographed, London), The Wanderer (upcoming, Paper Mill Playhouse), Frozen Broadway and tour (associate), ChickFlick The Musical (Off-Broadway) . Sarah is choreographer for “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” and “SNL” (NBC)

CHARLIE WILLIAMS ( Associate Choreographer) Broadway: Memphis, How to Succeed..., Miss Saigon, and The Cher Show Also: The Academy Awards ® , Tony ® Awards, Emmy ® Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, Ted 2, Million Ways to Die…, NY Fashion Week www iamcharliewilliams com, @iamcharliewilliams

THE TELSEY OFFICE (Casting) With offices in both New York and Los Angeles, The Telsey Office casts for theater, film, television, and commercials The Telsey Office is dedicated to creating safe, equitable, and anti-racist spaces through collaboration, artistry, heart, accountability, and advocacy .

AURORA PRODUCTIONS (Production Management) . A Beautiful Noise; A Sign of the Times; Back To The Future; The Book of Mormon; Doubt; Frozen (Germany, London, Japan, North American Tour); Hadestown (Tour); Merrily We Roll Along; Patriots; The Kite Runner (Tour) Aurora has been providing technical supervision and production management to the entertainment industry since 1989 .

LISA DAWN CAVE (Production Supervisor) . Broadway: Frozen; Shuffle Along; Fun Home; Rocky Broadway ; Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ; Bring It On; West Side Story ; Come Fly Away ; The Color

Purple; The Caine Mutiny Court Martial; The Woman in White; Julius Caesar ; Caroline, or Change; Hollywood Arms; Into the Woods; Parade; Smokey Joe’s Café; Showboat. Namaste!

PAIGE GRANT ( Production Stage Manager) National Tours: Hadestown (1st National Tour), The Book of Mormon (Jumamosi Company), Jersey Boys (1st National Tour), War Horse, The King and I (LCT Production), Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1st National Tour) BFA: Cincinnati CollegeConservatory of Music

PATRICIA L. GRABB (Stage Manager) Broadway: The Cripple of Inishmaan. Film: Newsies Tours: Anastasia; Newsies; A Christmas Story ; Mary Poppins; We Will Rock You ; Young Frankenstein; 101 Dalmatians; Jesus Christ Superstar ; Evita; Cats; Miss Saigon; Swing! (Japan) Regional: Here Lies Love (Seattle Rep) BFA Stage Management, Penn State University

CATHY HWANG ( Assistant Stage Manager) Broadway: KPOP, Thoughts of a Colored Man Tour: Moulin Rouge! The Musical (1st National) Regional: Thoughts of a Colored Man, King of the Yees (Baltimore Center Stage); Pamplona, Father Comes Home from the Wars, The Wolves, Yasmina’s Necklace (Goodman Theatre)

KRISTIN STEWART (Assistant Stage Manager) Broadway: Frozen, Aladdin, Deaf West’s Spring Awakening National and International Tours: Beauty and the Beast, Elf, Shrek, Young Frankenstein, Wizard of Oz, Hairspray, Wonderful Town, Stand By Your Man, Full Monty BFA Music Theatre, Illinois Wesleyan

NEURO TOUR ( Physical Therapy) . Carolyn Lawson PT, founder and CEO NT is the leader in performing arts and entertainment medicine We are honored to be part of this touring production of Frozen

DISNEY THEATRICAL GROUP (DTG), a division of The Walt Disney Studios, was formed in 1994 and operates under the direction of Andrew Flatt, Anne Quart and Thomas Schumacher Worldwide, its ten Broadway titles have been seen by more than 200 million theatregoers and have been nominated for 62 Tony® Awards, winning Broadway’s highest honor 20 times The company’s inaugural production , Beauty and the Beast, opened in 1994, playing a remarkable 13-year run on Broadway and produced in replica productions around the world over four decades In November 1997,

Disney made theatrical history with the opening of  The Lion King, which received six 1998 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Director, Julie Taymor, who became the first woman in Broadway history to the win the award. Surpassing 25 landmark years on Broadway, it has welcomed 112 million visitors worldwide to date and has nine productions currently running worldwide.  The Lion King has played over 100 cities in 24 countries on every continent except Antarctica and its worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or entertainment title in box office history. Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida opened on Broadway next, winning four 2000 Tony Awards. It was followed by  Mary Poppins, a coproduction with Cameron Mackintosh, which opened in London in 2004 and went on to enjoy a six-year Tonywinning Broadway run.  Tarzan®, Tonynominated for its 2006 Broadway premiere, went on to become an international hit with an award-winning production enjoying a ten-year run in Germany. In January 2008 , The Little Mermaid opened on Broadway and was the best-selling new musical of that year. Disney Theatrical Group opened two critically acclaimed productions on Broadway in 2012, winning seven Tony Awards between them: Peter and the Starcatcher and  Newsies, each of which enjoyed a two-year run and launched North American tours, with  Newsies playing a recordbreaking Fathom Events in-cinema release.  Aladdin, Disney Theatrical Group’s 2014 hit, continues its smash Broadway run. It has launched nine productions around the globe and been seen by more than 17 million guests. Disney Theatrical Group’s newest hit, the 2018 Tony-nominated Best Musical Frozen currently has four productions around the world. Other stage ventures include the Oliviernominated London hit  Shakespeare in Love, stage productions of  Disney’s High School Musical, Der Glöckner Von Notre Dame  in Berlin and King David in concert on Broadway. Disney Theatrical Group has collaborated with the nation’s preeminent theatres to develop new stage musicals including  The Hunchback of Notre Dame,  Freaky Friday and  Hercules. As a part of the recent acquisition of 21st Century Fox, Disney Theatrical Group also heads the Buena Vista Theatrical banner, which licenses Fox titles for stage adaptations including Anastasia, Moulin Rouge! The Musical  and Mrs.

Doubtfire. With dozens of  productions currently produced or licensed, a Disney musical is being performed professionally somewhere on the planet virtually every hour of the day. Next on the Disney Theatrical schedule: the world-premiere of Hercules in Hamburg, Germany and the North American tour of a reimagined production of Beauty and The Beast in 2025.

STAFF

Opening Night - June 20, 2024

STAFF FOR FROZEN WORLDWIDE

General Manager

Randy Meyer

Production Supervisor Lisa Dawn Cave

Associate General Manager Kerry McGrath

Associate General Manager Margie McGlone

Sr Manager, Production Elizabeth Boulger

Sr Manager, Creative Production Hunter Chancellor

Coordinator, Production Jenna Ng Lowry

Associate Director Adrian Sarple

Associate Choreographers Sarah O’Gleby, Charlie Williams

Physical Movement Coordinator Lorenzo Pisoni

Associate Music Supervisor Annbritt duChateau

Associate Scenic Designer Frank McCullough

Associate Costume Designer David Kaley

Global Fabrics Manager Sam Brooks

Associate Lighting Designer Anthony Pearson

Moving Light Programmer Sean Beach

Associate SFX Designer Ben Hagen

Associate Sound Designer Justin Stasiw

Associate Production Supervisor Charles Underhill

SENIOR PUBLICIST DENNIS CROWLEY

PUBLICIST AMY KATZ

STAFF FOR FROZEN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

COMPANY MANAGER CANDACE HEMPHILL

Assistant Company Manager James Neal

Production Stage Manager Paige Grant

Stage Manager Patricia L Grabb

Assistant Stage Manager Cathy Hwang

Assistant Stage Manager Kristin Stewart

Assistant Director Dustin Layton

Dance Captain Dustin Layton

Assistant Dance Captain Natalie Wisdom

Fight Captain Dustin Layton

Resident Puppet Trainer Dan Plehal

Head Carpenter Matt McKim

Assistant Carpenter Automation Greg Pott

Assistant Carpenter Deck Leslie Bindeman

Assistant Carpenter Flyperson Leon Lobsinger

Advance Carpenter Tom Bertino, Jr

Advance Carpenter Randy DeBoer

Advance Carpenter Adam Gentry

Advance Carpenter Chris Weber

Head Electrician Matt Rocha

Assistant Electrician Deck Heather Layman

Assistant Electrician Colleen Shannon

Assistant Electrician Mikela Cowan

Advance Electrician Jayne Walsh

Head Sound Ian Loftis

Assistant Sound Jake Delgado

Head Props Tanya Rist

Assistant Props Laura Choate

Crew Swing Aaron Heeter

Wardrobe Supervisor Meredith Scott

Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor Katherine Kraus

Key Dresser / Puppet Supervisor Sue McLaughlin

Advance Wardrobe Tiffany Owle Jahnke

Hair & Makeup Supervisor Suzanne Storey

Assistant Hair & Makeup Supervisor Elaine Jarzabski

Assistant Hair & Makeup Angela Hooper

Tutor/Child Guardian Rachel Winograd

Physical Therapist Samantha Harmon

Production Housing Tourwerks

Production Carpenter Paul Wimmer

Co-Production Electricians Randy Zaibek, James Fedigan

Production Video Engineer Asher Robinson

Co-Production Sound Engineers Simon Matthews, Phil Lojo

Production Props Supervisor Pete Sarafin

Video Programmers Jonathon Lyle, Zach Peletz

Video Animators Robert Figueria, Norvydas Genys

Assistant Lighting Designer Timothy Reed

Moving Light Programmer for Relaunch Alex Fogel

Assistant Sound Designer Cassy Givens

Dance & Direction Supervisor for Relaunch Ashley Elizabeth Hale

Music Coordinators Michael Keller, Michael Aarons

Music Preparation Anixter Rice Music Services

KeyComp Programming Christoph Buskies

Music Technology Supervisor Hugh Sweeney

QLab Programmer Taylor Williams

Assistant Costume Designer Heather Neil 2nd Assistant Costume Designer Matthew C Hampton

Costume Assistants Holly McCaffrey, Kristen Mendez, Laura Wilson

Associate Hair Designer Tyrel Martori

Associate Makeup Designer Ali Pohanka

Scenic Assistants Gaetane Bertol, Tijana Bjelajac, Orit Carroll, Stephen Davan, Jeffrey Hinchee, Tim Mackabee, Hilary Noxon, Joanie Schlafer, Seung Kyu Shin

Production Assistants Adam Barnes, Thom Carroll, Aaron Marquise, Eric Nolan Mattingly, Cynthia Meng, Bennett Plowman, Carolyn Reich, Alex Tunison

Children’s Tutoring On Location Education

Physical Therapy Neuro Tour Physical Therapy, Inc

TECHNICAL SUPERVISION

AURORA PRODUCTIONS

Ben Heller, Liza Luxenberg, Kyle Schuller, Nic Forero, Jack Rhea, Delaney Teehan, Cori Gardner

CASTING

THE TELSEY OFFICE

Rachel Hoffman, CSA Laura Wade, CSA

Lily Schneider

SPECIAL THANKS TO WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS

Lisa Keene, Dan Lund, Marlon West, David Womersley

Advertising Serino Coyne, Inc

Production Photography Deen Van Meer, Matthew Murphy

Payroll Cathy Guerra, Marie Caringal, Calvin Gin

Director, Financial Accounting Patrick Matarazzo

Manager, Financial Accounting Jordan Loyo

Corporate Immigration Counsel Michael Rosenfeld, Fabricio Lopez, Karen Bailey

Corporate Music Counsel Donna Cole-Brulé

Risk Management Johan Kangas, Hank Funderburk

CREDITS

Scenery by PRG Scenic Technologies, a division of PRG Broadway, L L C New Windsor, NY; F&D Scene Changes, Ltd ; Proof Productions, Inc ; Showmotion, Inc ; Daedalus Design and Production, Inc ; and Orion RED Lighting equipment by PRG Lighting; and HDL L L C Video Content

Production by Fray Studios, Ltd Video Equipment provided by Worldstage Operations, Inc ; and Sound Associates, Inc Automation by PRG Scenic Technologies Props by Behind the Mule Studio; Prop & Paint Creative Studio, LLC; and Paper Mache Monkey, LLC Puppets by Michael Curry Design, Inc Sound equipment by Masque Sound Special Effects equipment provided by J&M Special Effects; and Christie Lites Broadway Costumes and Beading by Eric Winterling, Inc ; Parsons-Meares, Ltd ; John Kristiansen New York, Inc ; Arel Studio, Inc ; Scafati Theatrical Tailors; Jennifer Love Costumes, Inc ; and Bethany Joy Costumes Millinery by Arnold S Levine, Inc Specialty Costume Crafts by Hat Rabbit Studio, LLC; Miodrag Guberinic; Penn & Fletcher; and Vogue Too Custom knitwear by Mary Pat Klein and Stoll America Fabric Painting by Jeff Fender Studio Wigs by Independent Wig Co ; Wigmaker Associates, LLC; and Ray Marston Wig Studio, Ltd Shoes by LaDuca Productions; and Jitterbug Boy Original Footwear Special thanks to Bra*Tenders for undergarments and hosiery Special thanks to Candace Hemphill Drum equipment provided by Pearl Drums; Zildjian Cymbals; Aquarian Drumheads; Los Cabos Drumsticks; and Big Bang Distribution Technical support and equipment provided by Presidio Trucking provided by Clark Transfer, Inc

Makeup provided by

Frozen originally premiered with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts at the Buell Theatre

Frozen rehearsed at the New 42nd Street Studios®

Facebook Facebook com/FrozenBroadway

Instagram @FrozenBroadway

YouTube youtube com/DisneyOnBroadway

TikTok @DisneyOnBroadway

This production is produced in collaboration with our professional, union-represented employees

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

The Stagehands, Wardrobe, Makeup and Hair employees in this production are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

United Scenic Artists • Local USA 829 of the I A T S E represents the Designers & Scenic Artists for the American Theatre

The Musicians, Conductors, Music Preparation Personnel and Librarians employed in this production are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada

The Press Agents and Company Managers employed in this production are represented by the Association of Theatrical Press Agents & Managers

This production is produced by a member of The Broadway League in collaboration with our professional union-represented employees

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

EMMA

A REFRESHING TAKE ON A TIMELESS CLASSIC

BY LISA BORNSTEIN

IIt takes something extra to adapt a 200-year-old classic novel that has already been adapted multiple times for stage and screen. Call it guts — call it ovaries — but actor/playwright Kate Hamill has now adapted five novels of Jane Austen, with her latest, Emma, staged at Denver Center Theatre Company.

“Jane Austen was a proto-feminist,” the New York-based actor and playwright says. “She talked a lot about something I’m very interested in, which is not only the interiority of women’s lives but also what to do when the dictates of your conscience and character are in direct opposition to what your society expects of you.”

In the 1815 novel and the play, Emma is a well-off young woman who, having made a successful match, decides matchmaking is her gift. Comic missteps ensue, as well as a hidden romance.

“When I started thinking about Emma, I was really interested in the frustrations of a woman who cannot work,” Hamill says. “I had an acting teacher who would talk about the tragedy of women before work, who were not able to put their considerable intellect and their talents into work that fulfills them. My Emma became about that, this very brilliant woman who is trying to find someplace to put her excess energy, and matchmaking becomes her outlet, because it’s the only thing she can do.”

Hamill came to playwriting as an actor who was dissatisfied with the roles available to her and other highly educated and trained women.

“I was working, but I very quickly was frustrated, because I felt like I was constantly auditioning to play someone’s wife or girlfriend or prostitute,” Hamill says. “So often, I felt like my identity as a feminist person, which actually predates even my work in theater, was really coming into opposition with the work that I was auditioning for. I would be in these rooms with 600 other women who were all super funny and smart or talented, all of whom were auditioning to play one role out of ten roles. The plays were male gaze-oriented and they were almost always by men.”

Hamill wrote a check for $100 to her friend, Andrus Nichols. “I want to write a new feminist classic, and if I don’t write it, you get to cash it,” Hamill recalls.

The play, her first, was an adaptation of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, partly because Hamill could not find a stage adaptation that had not been written by a man.

Hamill played Marianne, and Nichols played Eleanor. Her second career had begun. In the decade since, she has written nearly 20 plays, including four Austen adaptations and several original pieces.

The playwright’s approach to Jane Austen isn’t all reverence and bonnets. Rather, anachronistic touches, including recent music and dances, are sprinkled throughout. Emma herself regularly breaks the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience.

“I’m always interested in creating a work which is in conversation with the original but which has lots of relevance and unexpected surprises in it,” Hamill says. “I’m always looking to create something that speaks both to people who know the novel very well and also people who have absolutely no relationship with the novel at all.”

My Emma became…this very brilliant woman who is trying to find someplace to put her excess energy, and matchmaking becomes her outlet, because it’s the only thing she can do.

This production is the adaptation’s second; it arrives at the Wolf Theatre following its premiere in the 2021/22 season of Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theatre. Once again, Meredith McDonough will be directing, and their collaborative relationship is so strong that Hamill will be in residence in Denver during rehearsals, unusual for later productions. Along with them will be some of the designers from the Guthrie, as they continue to try to improve the work.

The anachronisms, such as modern makeup and a popcorn machine, are a way for Hamill to bring the audience into what was, when written, a contemporary world, not a costume drama. “Both I and Meredith McDonough, who’s directing this production, we’re both really interested in injecting irreverence and timeliness into this classic work,” Hamill says. “I’m not a dramaturgically rigid adapter, so I tend to come at it from a new-play lens. I tend to come at it as a collaboration between myself and another author — some of whom are currently dead.”

As a writer, she is slightly skeptical of adaptations that hew too closely to the original, as if it were an unmalleable constitution.

“If we played just totally Regency music and Regency dances, it might be a little more dramaturgically accurate, but you’re not going to get the same feeling that [the characters] would get dancing these dances,” she says. “Anytime you have something that’s really dramaturgically rigid, everyone’s about a decade too old, and no one has smallpox scars, and everyone has their original teeth. We understand things through a modern lens. I believe in letting these acts of theater run around in the sun and coloring in crayon on our altars.”

Most of all, though, Hamill wants the audience to realize that this is a comedy. It led her to watch a lot of “I Love Lucy” in preparation for the script.

“She is super, super funny,” Hamill says of Austen. “I think she is often sort of pigeon-holed as a quote-unquote romance writer, but she’s so funny and she’s so smart about people’s characters.”

EMMA

APR 5 – MAY 5 • WOLF THEATRE

ASL Interpreted & Audio Described performance: Apr 28 at 1:30pm Post-show discussions: Apr 18 & 30

1. BELONGING

We build a respectful and empathetic culture through our active commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

2. COLLABORATION

We produce our best possible work together by engaging people with diverse perspectives, lived experiences and talents around our shared goals.

3. COMMUNITY

We cultivate open, responsive, affirming relationships and partnerships for a greater collective impact.

4. CREATIVITY

We embrace innovation and imagination in our daily work to advance our mission.

5. INTEGRITY

We act responsibly, with honesty, accountability and transparency.

6. SUSTAINABILITY

We prioritize the wellbeing of our team, our finances and the environment to ensure our thriving future.

Learn more about what drives the DCPA, and where we’re going, at denvercenter.org/plan

Join us for free public performances of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot! Every Saturday from April 6 – May 13, our troupe of actors will stage 60-minute versions of the Bard’s most beloved plays in and around our pickup truck “set.” Performance locations throughout the Denver metro area TBA

denvercenter.org/community-events

DCPA Event Services

The DCPA Event Services team is here to partner with you for every aspect of your next big event! Create an experience for the record books with immaculate catering, dramatic lighting design, our theatre-quality A/V system, professional staffing — the works — all coordinated by one team under one roof.

Photo by McLeod9Creative

COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT: WHERE PLAYS BEGIN

BY LISA BORNSTEIN

That buzz you heard the last weekend of February was the sound of creation at Denver Center Theatre Company, where the Colorado New Play Summit drew sold-out audiences of nearly 2,000 playwrights, industry professionals and theater fans.

“The festival weekend, it’s a wild, wonderful ride, and there’s a lot that gets packed into it,” said Leann Kim Torske, the Theatre Company’s Director of Literary Programs.

Audiences were treated to staged readings of four new works: Cowboys and East Indians, by Nina McConigley and Matthew Spangler; OneShot, by Andrew Rosendorf; Godspeed, by Terence Anthony, and Ghost Variations, by Vauhini Vara. In addition, the Theatre Company offered fully staged productions of two scripts from the 2022 New Play Summit: Leonard Madrid’s Cebollas and Kirsten Potter’s Rubicon.

The spotlight shone on several local creators this year. A professor at Colorado State University, McConigley collaborated with playwright Spangler to bring her Wyoming-set short story to the stage. Vara, who lives in Fort Collins, is the rare writer to submit her play unsolicited and have it accepted for the Summit.

It was announced that two plays which received readings at last year’s Summit will receive full productions as part of the Theatre Company’s 2024/25 season. Clue playwright Sandy Rustin has written The Su ragette’s Murder, pairing the voting rights movement with a whodunit. Denver playwright Jake Brasch’s script, The Reservoir, will receive a co-production with three prestigious theaters: the Denver Center, Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre, and Los Angeles’ Geffen Playhouse.

The playwrights, directors, dramaturgs and casts of (clockwise from upper left): Ghost Variations, Cowboys & Easts Indians, One-Shot and Godspeed

Photos by Harper Anne Finch and Grady Soapes.

2024 Colorado New Play Summit Participants

Donathan Walters in Godspeed

Photo by Harper Anne Finch.

Anastasia Davidson in Ghost Variations. Photo by Harper Anne Finch.

ITHE LEHMAN TRILOGY

BY MISHA BERSON

In 2008 the prominent Wall Street bank Lehman Brothers had 25,000 employees around the world. It carried $639 billion in assets, and was the fourth largest investment bank in the United States — and one of the oldest.

But when its massive portfolio of mortgage-backed securities lost value and the nation’s over-inflated housing bubble burst, the company saw its stock price plummet — while other leading financial institutions also hit the rocks. By September 15, Lehman had amassed $613 billion in liabilities. With just $1 billion cash on hand and no private or government bail-out, the company shocked Wall Street by filing for bankruptcy.

You might assume a play titled The Lehman Trilogy, like numerous films about financial institutions gone bust during that recession-triggering autumn, focuses sharply on a seemingly invulnerable institution’s demise.

But the Tony-winning drama by Ben Power and Stefano Massini, a hit in London, on Broadway and around the U.S., accomplishes something less predictable and more illuminating than a disaster timeline. It follows the rise of the Lehman firm from its mid-19th century creation by a trio of three enterprising immigrant brothers, up to a kind of coda to its fateful collapse in 2008. And in doing so, it raises questions and concerns about the personal and societal

damage wreaked by unbridled financial opportunism, without ethical or governmental guardrails to regulate it.

Based on a verse novel and play written in Italian by Massini, who was born and resides in Florence, The Lehman Trilogy has also been praised for its lean, effective style of theatrical storytelling over three acts. A trio of actors portray the three Lehman founders — Emanuel, Henry (Heyum) and Mayer — as well as transforming before one’s eyes into dozens of other characters, including some of the brothers’ descendants.

Spinning off actual events, the epic begins with the arrival of the Bavarian Jewish siblings in Montgomery, Alabama in 1844. In European countries, Jews had often been banned from owning land or joining unions. In the American South, the Lehmans began their business as a dry goods store.

But they soon carved out a different role as middle men, purchasing large quantities of cotton from plantations (run on slave labor) and reselling it at a profit — spinning cotton into gold, as it were.

After the devastation of the Civil War, the play depicts Emanuel (a financial visionary, always looking for inventive ways to increase profits) moving the company to New York City’s burgeoning Wall Street district. There he embraces the lucrative business of making high-end loans, investing

Illustration

by Kyle Malone

in such hot commodities as oil, iron and a new cross-country railroad system that forever changed the economy.

But over time, guided by the sons and grandsons of the founders, Lehman Brothers lends enormous sums for massive bundles of increasingly complex “derivatives” — as in mortgage-backed securities, which prove to be unsustainable as impractical loans and defaults multiply.

Yet as much as The Lehman Trilogy is a primer and timeline on the relentless march of American capitalism over several generations, it is also a study of how much is lost to a family with unbridled, singleminded profiteering. Gradually but surely, the Lehmans shed their Orthodox Jewish religious observances, their ties to the Old Country, and their familial trust in one another — as well as their concern for those who suffer from their moves in increasingly risky financial markets.

The Lehman Trilogy began in the theater as a five hour-plus verse work, performed (in Italian) at Teatro Piccolo in Milan. Intrigued, the renowned stage and film director Sam Mendes engaged British playwright Power to adapt the sprawling saga into a three-hour play. Mendes’ National Theatre staging premiered in London in 2018.

It was an immediate hit, hailed by the Guardian newspaper as an “astonishing” event “spanning 150 years,” and a tour de force for the shape-shifting actors.

When the work arrived on Broadway in 2021, critics were also enthusiastic. The Washington Post review by Peter Marks lauded the show as “a marvelous reckoning with [the Lehman] legacy, and a fascinating audit of a driven family’s psychic balance sheet.”

But The Lehman Trilogy also sparked some controversy. There have been complaints that it pays little attention to the Lehmans’ exploitation of slave labor in the Antebellum South, including the brothers’ own purchase of slaves. (In 2005 the company publicly acknowledged and apologized for its slavery ties.)

Also, charges that the play promulgates harmful caricatures of Jews have arisen. In the Jewish online magazine Tablet, Judith Miller wrote that it “contains subtle but pervasive intimations of the classic antiSemitic tropes it ostensibly laments, with invocations of Jewishness — and Jewish power, and Jewish money…”

During 2008 financial crisis, and sadly to this day, bogus antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jews malevolently dominating and rigging the world economy have swirled online.

Defenders of the play note that Mendes is Jewish, and Massini, though gentile, has been an avid student of Jewish history and religion since his youth.

Also, the National Theatre engaged a rabbi as a script consultant. Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Epstein (who also consulted on a production of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America) advised on the Jewish rituals and Hebrew dialogue in the play, but also participated in lengthy discussions with the authors about how to represent the Lehmans’ Jewishness without stereotyping them.

“The Lehmans were Jews and they ran a bank,” Powers told the SoCal Jewish News. “There’s no getting away from that, but I don’t think the show deals in tropes. I think that their Jewishness and their financial acumen are two separate issues. I’m confident that the play is responsible in terms of the story it tells.”

The Denver Center Theatre Company production will allow the audience to judge for itself.

THE LEHMAN TRILOGY

MAY 3 – JUN 2 • KILSTROM

ASL Interpreted and Audio Described performance: May 26 at 1:30pm

WWhen Disney Theatrical Group decided to adapt the animated film Frozen for the Broadway stage, they enlisted a team with more than just stellar theatrical bona fides. Not only do they have a collective 16 Tony Awards®, but they also have art and design in their bones.

When it came time to design the sets and costumes, Christopher Oram had an artistic game plan. He filled, as he put it, “sketchbook after sketchbook of scribbles and ideas and shapes” inspired by everything from Nordic architecture to royal costuming. What emerged from those early ideas are the beautifully icy winterscapes and earth-toned greenways that today greet audiences on tour across North America.

Oram said his designs were primarily inspired by research trips he took to Scandinavia, where “glaciers and forests and churches” inspired his lush design concepts that reflect the region’s magic and mystery.

“You’re out in the middle of a fjord and there’s literally no one else around,” he said of his visit to Norway. “You see tiny houses clinging to the bottom of giant steep cliffs. The water is bottomless beneath you, and it’s pitch black. You get that there may be goblins in the woods and fairies under the rocks. Nature is so present around you.”

He drew on those inspirations in his scenic design. He took cues from the timber-based architecture in Norway, all heavy woods and pillars and planks. Oram embedded the traditional Norwegian folk art called Rosemåling — a type of decorative painting that features stylized flowers — into many elements of the set. It’s a nod to the “wonderful juxtaposition of heavy wood and delicate floral motifs,” giving a “big masculine space with all this feminine detailing.”

“It’s all in service of the narrative of the story, visually,” he said.

The costumes are just as inspired.

“All Disney animated characters have iconic looks,” he said. “But for the stage you have to interpret that work for an older, more sophisticated audience.”

“You have to conceive of garments in a different way, but make them iconic and recognizable and beautiful,” he said.

NATURE AND NORWAY

DESIGNER CHRISTOPHER ORAM TALKS ABOUT FROZEN THE BROADWAY MUSICAL

Oram did that by maintaining the silhouettes from the film but using fabrics that move in certain ways to give the actors physicality and weight. The costumes feature layers of satins and silks, with beading and embroidery as lush accents. Hand dying created stunning ombré effects in blues, golds, scarlets and whites.

Oram was especially excited about a scene featuring Elsa in a pant suit, a switch which gave her “modern-day independence and fierceness.”

“You can’t stage a fight scene with her in a ball gown,” he said with a laugh.

Oram said he was thrilled to design and conjure the world of Frozen for the stage. Critics agreed. Variety called his work “very theatrical,” and the Los Angeles Times had high praise for the designer’s “imaginative handiwork.”

“I’m absolutely an aesthetic designer,” said Oram. “I love beauty. I love texture. I love design. I love the world around me.”

I’m absolutely an aesthetic designer. I love beauty. I love texture. I love design. I love the world around me.

— CHRISTOPHER ORAM, DESIGNER

FROZEN

JUN 19 – JUL 3 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: June 29 at 2pm

Four New Readings June 14th & June 15, 2024 Theatre Companies: Northlight Theatre, Chicago * En Gard Arts, New York Old Globe Theatre, San Diego * Seattle Rep, Seattle For

combining design & qu alit y for a stylish wardrobe that’s uniquely yours.

View new arrivals on Instagram @barbaraandcompany

DENVER • 303.751.2618 • 1067 SOUTH GAYLORD BOULDER • 303.443.2565 • 1505 PEARL STREET barbaraandcompany.net

Mon~Sat, 10-6 Sunday, 11-5 shop online & by appointment

FEATURING

Michael Stern, conductor Jon Kimura Parker, piano

ON THE PROGRAM

Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 “Pastorale”

George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

Franz Liszt Les Préludes, S.97 Poème symphonique No. 3

TICKETS

JULY 19 | RIVERWALK CENTER, BRECKENRIDGE

Tickets: $5-55

JULY 20 | KING CENTER, DENVER

Tickets: $5-75

Tickets on sale April 1st!

DCPA is a part of UCHealth’s Ready. Set. CO challenge aimed at helping Colorado get back to the summit of good health and become the healthiest state in the nation.

To learn more about Ready. Set. CO please visit: uchealth.org/readysetco/

PROUD SPONSOR OF DCPA BROADWAY

UCHEALTH SUPPORTS THE YOUTH ENGAGEMENT FUND

The health system celebrates its seventh year partnering with the DCPA.

BY LINNEA COVINGTON

TThe Denver Center for the Performing Arts and its longtime partner, UCHealth, are teaming up to ensure the youngest community members have more access to arts programming.

UCHealth has a history of incorporating the arts into patient care. For years it has used art and music therapy as tools to help patients in their healing journeys. And, more recently UCHealth teamed up with the DCPA’s presentation of The Secret Comedy of Women to film a virtual reality version of the popular show so that both staff and patients can enjoy an escape during periods of stress.

This year, UCHealth is taking its support of the arts one step further through its commitment to the youth engagement fund. “UCHealth is happy to support the youth engagement fund to ensure the youngest members of our community have an opportunity to learn and draw inspiration from the programs, classes and immersive experiences offered by DCPA,” said Manny Rodriguez, Chief Marketing, Experience and Customer Officer at UCHealth.

Whether offering patients an unexpected arts experience while in the hospital, challenging the community to be the healthiest it can be or providing opportunities for youth to explore the wonders of the live theater, UCHealth knows that culture enriches lives. “Exposure to various art forms has been shown to improve both physical and mental wellbeing,” Rodriguez continued, “and it allows adults and children alike the opportunity for expression as well as provides an outlet for creative thinking and emotions.”

It seems that a trip to the theatre is just what the doctor ordered.

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

A“At CBS Colorado, we bring you news about what’s happening at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and in arts and cultural communities throughout Colorado. CBS Colorado understands the positive impact the arts have on our community — it fosters pride and a sense of belonging, has a positive impact on a community’s economic vitality and enhances the quality of life for everyone. CBS Colorado is committed to making Colorado a great place to live.”

– Tim Wieland, CBS Colorado President and General Manager

Savor the best of downtown Denver and support the performing arts in style by dining with our Preferred Restaurant Partners.

SHOW YOUR THEATRE TICKETS TO GET:

Complimentary half-dozen oysters, half bottle of Prosecco, and valet parking until 10:30pm

Complimentary seasonal dessert

Complimentary valet parking and dessert with entrée purchase

Special pre-theatre menu, $45 per guest

Special pre-theatre menu, $89 per guest

Complimentary parking and 20% off bill

Complimentary martini with purchase of a dinner entrée

Free general admission entry with same-day DCPA ticket

Complimentary starter with the purchase of a main entrée

ELEVATE YOUR EXPERIENCE

You’ve worked hard and now it’s time to preserve and grow your assets. Talk with an Osaic Institutions financial advisor to discuss how you can grow and manage your wealth.

Osaic Institutions, Inc. mmullen.bcufinancial@bellco.org

Justin

Osaic Institutions, Inc. jparks.bcufinancial@bellco.org

Investment and insurance products and services are offered through OSAIC INSTITUTIONS, INC., Member FINRA/SIPC. Osaic Institutions and Bellco Credit Union (“Bellco”) are not affiliated. Products and services made available through Osaic Institutions are not insured by the NCUA or any other agency of the United States and are not deposits or obligations of nor guaranteed or insured by any credit union or credit union affiliate. These products are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal. The past performance of any investment product should not be considered an indication of future results. Insurance products may be purchased from a producer of your choice without affecting your relationship with Bellco. Bellco has contracted with Osaic Institutions to make non-deposit investment products and services available to credit union members.

PROUD CORPORATE MEMBER OF THE DCPA

TTCI Wealth Advisors supports Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) because it is Denver’s cultural heart. The tireless work by the professionals at DCPA ensures that Coloradans young and old experience the joys of live theatre.

The impact of DCPA goes far beyond the stage. DCPA creates opportunities for the community to gather. The communal experience of viewing a performance enables neighbors to form bonds with one another through the art they experience. Thus, the arts become the catalyst for weaving a robust social fabric. DCPA touches thousands of lives each year, and Denver is a stronger, more vibrant community because of it.

Through its educational outreach, the DCPA provides the youth of the greater Denver area opportunities to engage with theatre. Its offerings allow kids an avenue to explore their artistic potential, discover new perspectives, develop an early artistic appreciation and share ideas. Arts education is crucial for nurturing creativity, fostering critical thinking and providing a platform for self-expression. It equips students with skills for personal and academic success.

The enchantment of theatre comes to life at DCPA, which presents a playground for imaginations to thrive, capturing the hearts and minds of young and young-at-heart. When lights dim and curtains rise, audiences embark on adventures to last a lifetime, with breathtaking stories and unique characters through landscapes of the mind.

In life, everyone is their own author, crafting storylines and chapters along the way. At TCI Wealth Advisors, the goal is to help assure life’s story can be developed to the fullest. The Advisors at TCI help by ensuring that assets align with the goals each client hopes to achieve. They help guide clients through life’s journey, with its unique combination of opportunities, challenges and successes. TCI Wealth Advisors helps transform financial goals into tangible accomplishments, helping ensure that every client leads their version of a purpose-filled life.

Regardless of the twists and turns in life’s journey, it’s imperative for the Denver community to embrace and support its cultural heart. DCPA’s enduring impact nourishes individual experiences and contributes to the overall vibrancy of the greater Denver community. Each person is an essential element in preserving the enchantment of live theatre for future generations. That is a lasting cultural DCPA legacy that can and will continue to shape and inspire lives for many years to come.

At TCI Wealth Advisors, the goal is to help assure life’s story can be developed to the fullest.

Photo: From the Hip Photography