Applause -- Riverdance, May 31-June 4, 2023

APPLAUSE VOLUME XXXIII NUMBER 6 MAR – JUN 2023

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APPLAUSE

SIGHTLINE

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BY JANICE SINDEN

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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.

IN THIS ISSUE The 39 Steps................................ pg 10 Riverdance.................................... pg 12 Les Misérables............................ pg 14 The Color Purple........................ pg 16 Anastasia ...................................... pg 22 4

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EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe DESIGN DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone DESIGNER THIS ISSUE: Brenda Elliott CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS: Paul Koob, Lucas Kreitler CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Cynthia Barnes, Emma Hunt, John Moore, Kelundra Smith, Rob Weinert-Kendt

Welcome to the DCPA. We are delighted you’re here! Your presence continues to ensure our success and for that we are especially grateful.

In January, we released our 2021/22 Community Report. With your active participation, we were able to distribute 605,145 tickets to 30 productions, engage with 100,043 students, host 21,345 guests in our rental spaces and welcome 22,502 individuals to our community events. Collectively, the DCPA had an economic impact of $203,406,512 on the metro Denver area.

Thank you for your part in boosting not only the DCPA’s recovery from the pandemic, but also preserving the vitality that is the cornerstone of downtown Denver. We recognize that you have many options in our thriving and diverse region, and we appreciate the value you place in the arts — especially live theatre.

We hope you will join us for the newly announced Theatre Company season, which will feature the world premieres of Cebollas and Rubicon plus the enduring favorites, Emma and A Christmas Carol, among others. We invite you to join us for these local, handcrafted productions that are exclusive to our audiences.

You can see the full lineup on pages 24-25.

Equally exciting are the Broadway hits making their way to Denver for the very first time — Jagged Little Pill, Beetlejuice, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, SIX, Message In A Bottle, MJ and Company. Plus, we’ll round out the season with many familiar favorites including Annie, Wicked and the national tour launch of the return of MAMMA MIA! Mark your calendar for another fantastic season of theatre!

We’ll see you soon.

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

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Hassan Salem, Chair Martin Semple, Immediate Past Chair Ruth Krebs, Vice Chair Robert C. Newman, Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Patricia Baca Brisa Carleton Fred Churbuck Navin Dimond David Jacques Farahi Kevin Kilstrom Susan Fox Pinkowitz Manny Rodriguez Alan Salazar Richard M. Sapkin William Dean Singleton Robert Slosky June Travis Ken Tuchman Tina Walls Dr. Reginald L. Washington Judi Wolf Sylvia Young

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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 Gretchen Hollrah, Chief Operating Officer Laura Maresca, Vice President, Human Resources Charlie Miller, Executive Director & Curator, Off-Center Lisa Roebuck, Vice President, Information Technology Charles Varin, Managing Director, Theatre Company Allison Watrous, Executive Director, Education & Community Engagement Jane Williams, Chief Financial Officer Minumum Width .75” Maximum Width 2”

The Board and staff of the DCPA mourn the loss of Edward Payson Call (1928-2023), Founding Artistic Director of our Theatre Company.

His vision established our foundation, his artistry fueled our passion and his contributions to theatre were felt throughout the American Theatre community. He will be greatly missed.

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TAKING THEATRE TO THE COMMUNITY

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BY S U Z A N N E YO E

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ commitment to community performances goes back before Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, before its DCPAccess $10 ticket program, even before its founding in 1979.

In fact, the very fabric of the DCPA was rooted in community because its benefactress, the late Helen Bonfils, made it her mission.

When Miss Helen, as she was fondly called, inherited The Denver Post from her father Frederick in 1933 she began producing The Denver Post Operas in Cheeseman Park. These free public performances continued when DCPA founder Donald R. Seawell stepped in as Presidentthen-Publisher of The Denver Post (1966 to 1981). He then extended his commitment to providing professional quality performing arts by conceiving of and creating the Denver Performing Arts Complex, which then-Mayor Bill McNichols called the “greatest gift ever given to the city of Denver.”

Fast forward to 2023, and that same commitment to community connection continues with Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Launched as a high school program in 2015/16, the program has expanded to public performances at libraries, civic centers and parks. Held each fall and spring, DCPA Education and Community Engagement present adaptations of three Shakespearean plays in repertory — Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

Now in its eighth year, the program has reached more than 70,000 people in schools and public spaces. Spring performances run April 8 – May 13; locations and times are noted in the space below. Head out to your local park or community center for a lively, 90-minute performance and share Shakespeare with your neighbors…the way it was intended to be.

Join us for a free performance of DCPA’s SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARKING LOT! Abridged versions of some of the Bard’s most beloved plays performed in

and around a pick up truck “set.” Mark your calendars to enjoy free live theatre.* APRIL 8 12pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream The People’s Building 9995 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora APRIL 15 12pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream A.B. Hirschfeld Towers 333 W. Ellsworth Ave., Denver APRIL 22 12pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream Anythink Library, Huron 9417 Huron St., Thornton

* Schedule as of 3/6/2023. Subject to change.

Education & Community Engagement

APRIL 29 12pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream Denver Public Schools 2023 STEAM Expo 4817 National Western Dr., Denver Hydro Building MAY 6 12pm • Romeo and Juliet 2pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream Cook Park Rec Center 7100 Cherry Creek S. Dr., Denver MAY 13 12pm • Romeo and Juliet 2pm • A Midsummer Night’s Dream Tollgate Crossing Metro District Community Center Clubhouse 24625 E. Bellewood Dr., Aurora

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MAKING CONFETTI OUT OF SUSPENSE IN PATRICK BARLOW’S SLY STAGE VERSION OF

THE 39 THE STEPS,

SUSPENSE IS ALL ABOUT WATCHING FOUR ACTORS TAKE ON SOME 50 CHARACTERS

“I

“I am out to give the public good, healthy, mental shakeups,” Alfred Hitchcock wrote in 1936, in an essay that might have been a mission statement for his multi-decade film career as the Master of Suspense. “Civilization has become so screening and sheltering that we cannot experience sufficient thrills at first hand. Therefore, to prevent our becoming sluggish and jellified, we have to experience them artificially.”

That essay was published a year after the British director completed The 39 Steps, a dashing espionage thriller that not only supplied the requisite jolts, but was arguably the first recognizably “Hitchcockian” film: Here was the Handsome Everyman tangled up mistakenly in a highstakes international caper; the Icy Blonde hurled by chance into his path and inclined to thaw only after some shared hardship; the Smiling Sophisticate Villain with a seamy retinue of thugs and lackeys; and assorted unsuspecting passersby who might help or hinder our hero, depending on their mood or predilection.

The film’s improbable plot—about rival rings of spies vying over some direly significant state secret—unfurled in a headlong rush, from chase to capture to escape and back to chase again, in a rolling roundelay of mounting danger and derring-do. They set the template for e-ticket movie rides from James Bond to Speed.

“What I like in The 39 Steps are the swift transitions,” Hitchcock later told French director Francois Truffaut. “The rapidity of those transitions heightens the excitement...

You use one idea after another and eliminate anything that interferes with the swift pace.”

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Illustrations by Kyle Malone

B Y R O B W E I N E R T- K E N D T

Now think for a minute: What’s another genre that relies on speed and improbability, crossed wires and missed connections? Funny you should ask: It’s farce, of course.

As Pauline Kael astutely noted, the original film is “directed with so sure a touch the suspense is charged with wit.”

The family resemblance between the chase thriller and the slapstick comedy will not be news to devotees of Chaplin or Keaton, not to mention Jackie Chan. It turns out that some skilled British farceurs in West Yorkshire, England, apparently also noticed this affinity, and duly turned Hitchcock’s Highland fling into a stage romp that has become an unlikely international hit.

That stage adaptation by actor/writer Patrick Barlow went on to wow the West End, Broadway, off-Broadway, even Madrid before fairly blanketing the U.S. in a tour and a series of original regional renditions.

What’s particularly notable about Barlow’s comic adaptation isn’t just that it’s comic, but that he has pushed the original material just enough to show the underlying humor.

It’s not just that Barlow has dropped in sly visual and verbal references to other Hitchcock films, from Psycho’s shower murder to North by Northwest’s crop duster chase. No, the thing that stands out most about the new stage version is that it’s a kind of tribute from one medium to another: Just as Hitchcock used the full arsenal of cinematic technique to maximum effect in his film, Barlow’s 39 Steps does something similar with the craft of theatre by having just four actors play the whole thing—trains, planes, automobiles, sheep, and all.

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

COMING UP FROM BROADWAY

One actor plays the put-upon lead, a Canadian bachelor named John Hannay, throughout. But the others are multiple-cast: a woman as three of Hannay’s love interests (including the blonde, Pamela) and two “clowns” who jump in and out of dozens of other characters, from train conductors to policemen to innkeepers to heavies. The gleeful flurry of quick-change characterizations might put one in mind of Charles Ludlam’s The Mystery of Irma Vep—except that most of the changes in The 39 Steps happen, beguilingly, right before our eyes.

In translating the film to the stage, Barlow has said that he used the screenplay as a blueprint. “I just took the film and then added things that make me laugh,” he said. To give a key example: Hannay and Pamela, handcuffed together by two baddies, must spend the night in a hotel room. Hitchcock includes a famously sexy scene in which Pamela gingerly takes off her stockings while Hannay’s hand flops embarrassedly across her thigh, as well as a charming bit in which sharing sandwiches becomes an awkward hand dance. But while the film retained a British understatement, Barlow wanted to go a bit further.

“I added in [a] kind of mad argument between them,” Barlow said.

“That relationship fascinated me, between Pamela and Hannay—the repression of it. Repression is very interesting for a writer to look at.

It’s very like Brief Encounter... The Hitchcock film treats the relationship quite lightly, so I added a lot to it.”

— ALFRED HITCHCOCK, MASTER OF SUSPENSE

If the stage version, then, adds its share of pratfalls, it’s complemented by retaining some of the film’s focus on actual nail-biting suspense. But that’s not to say that the stage version doesn’t elicit side splitting laughter.

Come to think of it, such extreme reactions aren’t too far from the “healthy mental shake-ups” Hitchcock had in mind. There are exceptions (Vertigo and Psycho come to mind), but Hitch mostly intended his filmic jolts to be ultimately pleasing, not unsettling.

After all, he also once quipped, “Some films are slices of life.

Mine are slices of cake.”

Rob Weinert-Kendt is Editor-in-Chief at American Theatre and has written about theatre and the arts for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Variety, The Guardian and The San Francisco Chronicle.

THE 39 STEPS

APR 14 – JUN 18 • SINGLETON THEATRE ASL Interpreted and Audio-Described performance: May 7 at 1:30pm

Marcus M. Martin as Genie. Aladdin North American Tour.

Photo by Deen van Meer. © Disney

What I like in The 39 Steps are the swift transitions. The rapidity of those transitions heightens the excitement...

ALADDIN

Your wish has been granted! Disney’s Aladdin is coming to the Buell Theatre June 13-18. A thrilling production filled with laughter and splendor; you won’t want to miss what The Wall Street Journal called “Broadway magic!”

From the producer of The Lion King, this hit Broadway musical features all your favorite songs from the beloved film as well as new music written by Tony and Academy Award winner Alan Menken (Newsies) with lyrics by Howard Ashman (Beauty and the Beast). Sing along to “A Whole New World” and dance in your seat to “Friend Like Me.” With choreography and direction by Tony Award-winning Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon) and sets, costumes, and lighting from Tony Award winners Bob Crowley (Mary Poppins), Gregg Barnes (Kinky Boots), and Natasha Katz (An American in Paris), the stage is filled with sparkle and beauty.

Reminisce about when you first saw Aladdin in theatres in 1992 or watch as your child experiences the magic of Aladdin for the first time. It’s an extraordinary theatrical event where one lamp and three wishes make the possibilities infinite.

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Its longevity is due to the performers on stage and the culture that every night is Opening Night.

“Riverdance has no language Riverdance 25th Anniversary barrier,” said McColgan. “I’ve stood Show is celebrating its silver in the back of darkened theatres in anniversary and it’s a double Mexico and Germany and China and whammy — 25 years performing the US and the UK. The response for 25 million fans. is always the same. People are But that was not the original energized. People come away from expectation. Riverdance started it uplifted.” as a one-time, seven-minute “Its longevity is due to the performance. “It came from the performers on stage and the culture Eurovision song contest, which that every night is Opening Night,” is a big contest in Europe and it’s McColgan continued. watched by about 500 million Those dancers are the heart of the people,” said John McColgan, show — skilled athletes whose precise Director. “Every year there’s — JOHN MCCOLGAN, DIRECTOR execution may be rivaled only by an internal act and my wife the Rockettes. When asked if that (Moya Doherty, Producer) was point-perfect unison is achieved by the producer…. She contracted endless hours of rehearsal or great Bill Whelan (Composer), choreographic direction, Erskine assessed it as a bit Michael Flatley (male lead dancer), Jean Butler (female of both. lead dancer) and choreographers. That was the first “Mostly it’s down to the competitive background of Irish appearance of Riverdance and it was a sensation.” dance. All of our performers are championship-winning Julian Erskine, who retired in 2020 after serving as dancers and as such, perform with extreme precision Senior Executive Producer since the show’s inception, and exceptional timing. What seems extraordinary to the remembers that first night. “It’s hard to describe just audience seems ordinary to the dancers,” he said. how enormous [the audience reaction] was. Not just in “We manage to get the best dancers in the world,” the Eurovision venue, where the entire audience let out a McColgan said, “and they’re proud to deliver 110% every spontaneous roar and jumped to [its] feet, but also across night.” Which they do. Enjoy. all the Irish radio and TV stations and newspapers where it was the number one topic of discussion.”

Such a buzz was created that when the routine was repeated on Irish television, nearly the entire country WATCH MORE INTERVIEWS watched. With its instant popularity, the creative team quickly planned a full-length performance to play Dublin. “The original hope,” Erskine said, “was for a one-month run.”

That was 1994 and Riverdance continues to play to RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW enthusiastic audiences across the globe.

MAY 31 – JUN 4 • BUELL THEATRE

Audio Described performance: June 3 at 2pm

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APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023

Riverdance - Photo Credit Jack Hartin.

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“One Day More” from Les Misérables. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade

BEYOND OUR DREAMS Alain Boublil (Book & Original French text) and Claude-Michel Schönberg (Book & Music) share their insights on Les Misérables.

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A few years after the huge success of the original Les Misérables in Paris, we met Cameron Mackintosh to discuss an English version. He told us excitedly, “You do not realise what you have written.” Neither he nor we could have imagined that three decades later we would be continuing to play in London and on tour in the UK. An unprecedented success like this cannot be explained but only witnessed with amazement and pride by its creators.

Stravinsky once said “A real creator does not know what he is doing.”

We were to walk through the magical door leading us to the chain of talents of James Fenton, Trevor Nunn and John Caird, Herbert Kretzmer, and now Laurence Connor and James Powell. Under Cameron’s passionate helm, all have added their invaluable contributions to our original work which they have brilliantly complemented throughout the years, bringing Les Misérables to maturity and both of us into a world that has been our home ever since. We went on to write Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, The Pirate Queen and other works.

The spirit of Victor Hugo may protect us. His novel proclaims its message around the world, to all nationalities, cultures and ages. Still, it astounds us that this young generation flock to see a current show which was written before they were born. Too often musicals age with their audience, but in this case we are the only ones who age while, onstage, the ideals and the passion of Valjean, Javert, Cosette, Marius and the rebel students are still as timeless as ever.

Attending one rehearsal at The Barbican Theatre in 1985, where in front of our eyes was mounted the musical which exceeded our wildest dreams, Alain said: “I hope that we will still be running in two months.” After 37 years, in light of all the challenges facing our theatre community today, we still are!

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ALAIN BOUBLIL

CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG

…the ideals and the passion of Valjean, Javert, Cosette, Marius and the rebel students are still as timeless as ever.

— ALAIN BOUBLIL & CLAUDE-MICHEL SCHÖNBERG

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

LES MISÉRABLES

MAY 10 – 21 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL, Audio described & Open Captioned performance: May 20, 2pm

Spring: New Life, New Energy and Great Performances!

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AFTER 30 YEARS,

THE COLOR PURPLE STILL STIRS AUDIENCES

Illustrations by Kyle Malone

BY KELUNDRA SMITH

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APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100

O

One of the most quoted sentences from Alice Walker’s novel The Color Purple is “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

Walker grew up in Eatonton, Georgia in the 1940s, the youngest of eight children in a sharecropping family. It is in those cotton fields that Walker likely saw purple asters, the wildflowers that grow anywhere there’s soil in the state of Georgia. The radiance of those flowers contrasted the society that kept the family in poverty.

Years later, Walker returned to the color purple, this time as a metaphor for a woman named Celie who learns to find God in herself. At the beginning of The Color Purple, Celie is a 14-year-old girl in rural Georgia whose mother has died and whose father is progressively more abusive to her and her sister, Nettie. In the first half of the book, Celie’s letters to God recount her fears and trials being married to Mister, the widower to whom she was sold by her father.

The second half of the book is written as letters between Celie and Nettie. Through these letters, Walker shows how Celie grows into herself and inspires the women around her — Sofia, Shug and Squeak — to do the same.

In 1983, Alice Walker became the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature for The Color Purple. It also won the National Book Award. In 1985, it was adapted into a film directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey.

Twenty years later, The Color Purple became a Broadway musical with book by Marsha Norman and music by Brenda Russell, Stephen Bray and Allee Willis. Then, the musical was revived and revised in a Tony Award-winning production in 2015.

When the DCPA Theatre Company presents the musical adaption of The Color Purple, it will be director Timothy Douglas’ third time at the helm, which he previously directed at Portland Center Stage and Signature Theatre in Washington, D.C. Douglas says that every time he encounters the work, he has a life-changing experience.

He first read The Color Purple as an undergraduate student at Yale University in the 1980s. He says he cried three pages into the book and read it in one sitting.

Douglas shared that he was abused as a child, and the novel and subsequently the musical, have helped him understand his experiences more clearly.

“It articulated the pain I was feeling; I can count on one hand how many books have done that to me,” Douglas says. “It also helped me with insight into the pain my mother was going through that would get her to a place to be abusive. I recognized the behavior of the men and what underlies that. I don’t spend time defending the men, but the level of psychological turmoil that causes that abuse.”

This is similar to the journey Celie takes through the musical. At the beginning, she is downtrodden and looking for affirmation outside of herself. However, there is no relationship closer than the one with self, and Douglas tries to make every production feel intimate.

[Celie] doesn’t change; she becomes more realized and it’s the women around her who change. I think people see their self-resilience in her journey.

PURSUE YOUR

PASSION

“The thing I try to do in every production, though it’s impossible, is to get back to the intimacy of the book where it’s just Celie and God,” Douglas says. “When I talk to my company on the first day of rehearsal, I tell them that.”

Maiesha McQueen, who plays Celie, recalls reading The Color Purple for the first time in high school, but she says she wasn’t fully able to receive it because she hadn’t found her own liberation yet. In the book, Celie and Shug find liberation through friendships and intimacy after being emotionally, physically and sexually abused by various men. McQueen believes a lot of women can relate to the way society suppresses women’s sexuality.

“I grew up like many women — in a very repressed space,” McQueen says. “I don’t think my parents knew it, and I wasn’t really churched, but there were these limited definitions of what a girl was supposed to do and be like. Things like attraction, desire, masturbation, fulfillment versus non-fulfillment, we didn’t talk about it.”

As a full-figured woman, McQueen says that bodies tell stories and she believes that inhabiting the role of Celie will make audiences reconsider the story.

“There were certain casting choices made for the movie, so those images of the women and their bodies have been fixated in our minds,” McQueen says. “I was excited and interested in being able to be frail on the inside. When we think about women who are oppressed, abused and made to feel small, that does not discriminate based on what your body happens to look like.”

Having encountered the book, movie, and musical many times as an adult, McQueen is able to recognize the revolutionary nature of Walker’s hallmark work. Celie is the color purple — the divine creation that God deems worthy of celebration. Since chattel slavery, Black women’s bodies have been used, experimented on and criticized for capitalistic and patriarchal gains. In The Color Purple, Black women are regarded not for their usefulness, but for simply existing.

“The book brought home this idea of the divine feminine and the power of the Black woman to take her own happiness, sexual liberation and freedom,” McQueen says. “At the end of the show, Celie is still living in a racist and sexist society, but her understanding of her own divinity is her liberation.”

Douglas agrees. “Whether people acknowledge or not, Celie is never a victim of her circumstances,” he says. “She is always who she is, but through the story the women are like beacons that pull who she is at core to the surface. She doesn’t change; she becomes more realized and it’s the women around her who change. I think people see their self-resilience in her journey.”

Photo by McLeod9 Creative

— TIMOTHY DOUGLAS, DIRECTOR

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MAR 31 – MAY 7, 2023 • WOLF THEATRE ASL Interpreted and Audio Described performance: April 23 at 1:30pm Sponsored by

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Zurin Villanueva and the cast of the North American touring production of TINA – THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2022.

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ABHANN PRODUCTIONS Presents

Starring Principal Dancers: BRANDON ASAZAWA, WILL BRYANT, MAGGIE DARLINGTON, AMY MAE DOLAN, ANNA MAI FITZPATRICK, FERGUS FITZPATRICK, MATTHEW GARDINER.

THE RIVERDANCE IRISH DANCE TROUPE, MUSICIANS AND SINGERS AND FEATURED INTERNATIONAL SOLOISTS. Costume Designer JOAN BERGIN

Sound Designer MICHAEL O’GORMAN

For HIGH RES Lead Designer PETER CANNING

Set Designer ALAN FARQUHARSON

Lighting Designer ANDREW VOLLER

Motion Graphics COSMO AV

Poetry Written by THEO DORGAN

Orchestrations by NICK INGMAN and BILL WHELAN Press Representative POLK & CO COMPOSER BILL WHELAN PRODUCER MOYA DOHERTY DIRECTOR JOHN McCOLGAN

Executive Producer/Associate Director PADRAIC MOYLES

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

SEASON SPONSOR

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

CAST The Riverdance Irish Dance Troupe Principals Brandon Asazawa, Will Bryant, Maggie Darlington, Amy Mae Dolan, Anna Mai Fitzpatrick, Fergus Fitzpatrick, Matthew Gardiner.

Troupe Belle Brenton, Kieran Bryant, Morgan Bullock, Gerard Byrne, Keeva Corry, Michael Gardiner, Sarah Gaughran, Ronan Kelly, Meadhbh Kennedy, Jordan McCormick, Faith Moore, Olivia Nachtigal, Cian Porter, Dylan Schloss, Zoe Talbot, Mairead Trainor, Ellie-Mae Wheeler.

The Riverdance Band Mark Alfred Drums / Percussion / Bodhrán/ Musical Director Cathal Croke Uilleann Pipes / Low Whistle Haley Richardson Fiddle Hannah Riches Saxophone The Riverdance Singers and Drummers Members of the Company The Riverdance Flamenco Soloist Rocio Dusmet The Riverdance Russian Folk Dance Troupe Elena Macovei, Stefan Mircea, Ana Turcan, Eugeniu Turcan The Riverdance Tappers Lamont Brown, Dharmesh Patel Poetry Narrated by John Kavanagh

ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL IRISH DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL FLATLEY ORGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY BY MAVIS ASCOTT, JEAN BUTLER, JOHN CAREY, BRENDAN DE GALLAI, COLIN DUNNE, CAROL LEAVY JOYCE, EILEEN MARTIN, PAULA NIC CIONNATH, MARIA PAGES, TARIK WINSTON

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, beepers and watches. The use of cell phones in the theatre is prohibited.

ACT ONE REEL AROUND THE SUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Male Irish Dance Principal & Troupe Original Choreography: Michael Flatley

THE HEART’S CRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Singers THE COUNTESS CATHLEEN . . . The Riverdance Female Irish Dance Principal, Troupe and Folk Dance Troupe Original Choreography: Jean Butler, Moscow Folk Ballet Company

CAOINEADH CHÚ CHULAINN (LAMENT) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Irish Piper THUNDERSTORM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Male Irish Dance Principal & Troupe Original Choreography: Michael Flatley

FIREDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flamenco Soloist and the Riverdance Male Irish Dance Troupe Original Choreography: Maria Pagés, Colin Dunne

SHIVNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Folk Dance Troupe and the Riverdance Singers Original Choreography: Moscow Folk Ballet Company restaged by Svetlana Malinina

SLIP INTO SPRING - THE HARVEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Musicians RIVERDANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Irish Dance Principals, Troupe, Singers & Drummers

Original Choreography: Mavis Ascott, Michael Flatley (Irish Dance Step Choreography), Jean Butler (Female Solo Choreography)

ACT TWO AMERICAN WAKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Irish Dance Troupe Original Choreography: Michael Flatley, Paula Nic Cionnath (Set Dance Consultant)

LIFT THE WINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Singers TRADING TAPS . . . . . . . The Riverdance Male Irish Dance Principal & Male Troupe and the American Tappers Original Choreography: Colin Dunne, Tarik Winston

MACEDONIAN MORNING/THE DERVISH . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Musicians & the Folk Dance Troupe

Original Choreography Dervish: Moscow Folk Ballet Company restaged by Svetlana Malinina

RITMOS DEL CORAZON/ANDALUCÍA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Flamenco Soloist, the Riverdance Male Irish Dance Principal, the Riverdance Drummer Original Choreography: Colin Dunne, Maria Pagés

ANNA LIVIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Female Irish Dance Principal & Troupe

Original choreography: John Carey Additional text adapted from James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake by Bill Whelan

SLOW AIR & TUNES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Musicians HOME AND THE HEARTLAND/HEARTLAND . . . . . . . . . . . The Riverdance Irish Dance Principals and Troupe and the Riverdance Singers

Original Choreography: Michael Flatley, Colin Dunne, Jean Butler

FINALE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Company Story by Bill Whelan, Moya Doherty and John McColgan Music and Lyrics by Bill Whelan Original Principal Irish Dance Choreography: Michael Flatley

At certain performances, alternative principal performers will dance the principal roles.

Cast and content may be subject to change without prior notice.

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

WHO’S WHO RIVERDANCE CAST & BAND THE RIVERDANCE IRISH DANCE TROUPE The Riverdance Irish Dance Troupe are world-class Irish dancers. They hail mostly from Ireland, but also from Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia. Between them the dancers can boast of hundreds of championships won in Ireland and abroad. Most started dancing at a young age at local dance schools and progressed to world championship level before being chosen to perform in Riverdance.

The dancers would have known and competed against each other at various competitions, including the World Championships. Riverdance has given them the opportunity to perform together in a non-competitive way. The grace and eloquence of their soft-shoe dance and the power and precision of their hard-shoe routines clearly display the endless hours of practice and their dedication to the art of Irish Dance.

THE RIVERDANCE PRINCIPAL DANCERS FEMALE LEAD DANCERS MAGGIE DARLINGTON Maggie began dancing with the Claddagh School of Irish Dance in California. She won four North American Championships, two All-Ireland Championships and in 2007 won the World Irish Dancing Championships. In 2010 Maggie performed the lead role in Busch Gardens’ production Celtic Fyre and originated the lead female role in Battle of the Dance. She joined the cast of Riverdance in 2011 and became a Principal Dancer, touring extensively with the show in North America and internationally. She was a Principal dancer with Heartbeat of Home.

Maggie was most recently involved with the dance production for the film Riverdance The Animated Adventure.

AMY MAE DOLAN Amy Mae from Co. Tyrone, Northern Ireland danced for the Carson Kennedy Academy in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

She won the World Irish Dance Championships and many other major titles. On completion of the Riverdance Summer School she achieved her lifelong ambition to join Riverdance in 2016. Amy-Mae featured in the BBC’s “Born to Riverdance” which followed her journey to become the Principal Dancer in the cinema release of the

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show filmed in the 3Arena Dublin. Amy-Mae is a reformer Pilates instructor and creates content for her YouTube channel and Instagram. She would like to thank her family, friends and teachers for their continued love and support and everyone involved in Riverdance for their unrelenting inspiration and endless encouragement.

ANNA MAI FITZPATRICK Anna Mai began her dance journey at the age of four and danced competitively for sixteen years alongside her brother Fergus. She knew from a young age that Irish Dance was her passion. She won many major championships including the All-Ireland Championships, Great Britain Championships and the British Nationals. Anna Mai joined Riverdance and toured China with the fantastic cast which included her brother Fergus.

She moved into the principal role in 2020 and toured extensively with the 25th Anniversary Production including the UK national tour, Expo Dubai, the North American tour and most recently in Dublin, Ireland. Anna Mai has also toured with Heartbeat of Home and made her debut as Principal Dancer in the famous Piccadilly Theatre in London’s West End. MALE LEAD DANCERS BRANDON ASAZAWA Brandon began dancing at the age of four with the Leneghan Academy of Irish Dance in Cleveland, Ohio. In sixteen years of competitive dancing, Brandon became a five-time Mid-American champion, National champion, and placed 6th at the World championships. After participating in the 2015 Riverdance Summer School, Brandon began touring with Riverdance at the age of 19. Brandon is privileged to be in the show that inspired him to begin Irish dancing. He has toured with Riverdance and Heartbeat of Home in North America, Europe, and China.

WILL BRYANT Born in Sydney, Australia, Will trained with the Halloran Dance School in Irish, ballet, contemporary and tap from the age of four. Will performed lead roles in musical productions and made regular appearances on TV. At university he studied for a Bachelor of Music and is an accomplished guitarist. An ambitious athlete, Will is studying personal

training on and off tour. Following an impressive competitive Irish dance career, placing top-three internationally and winning state and national titles, he went on to perform with Celtic Illusion and Heartbeat of Home. In 2014 he joined Riverdance and has toured worldwide. Will is thrilled to be part of the lead team.

FERGUS FITZPATRICK Fergus from Co. Meath, Ireland, discovered his passion for dance at the age of eight. With his sister Anna Mai, he grew up competing internationally in Irish dancing competitions. Under the tutelage of Holly and Kavanagh Academy of Irish Dance, Fergus achieved his dream of becoming a World Champion in 2017. He joined Riverdance performing in the renowned Gaiety Theatre Dublin. As a Principal Dancer he has performed in many prestigious venues including Radio City Music Hall, New York and the Hammersmith Apollo, London. His other productions include Heartbeat of Home in London’s Piccadilly Theatre and The Palladium. Fergus is grateful for the continued support of his friends and his family.

MATTHEW GARDINER Matthew began Irish dancing in Denver, Colorado and moved to Galway, Ireland and continued dancing under the Hession School of Irish Dance. He won 30 major championship titles, including three World championships. With his brother Michael, they created Irish dancing history when they won their respective World titles in the same year. Matthew attended the Riverdance Summer School and was selected to join Riverdance in 2017. He performed in the Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show in the 3Arena, Dublin (2020), on the UK National Tour (2021) and North American Tour (2022) and joined the lead team at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.

Matthew and his brother Michael showcase their creative side with @gardinerbrothers and they have over 350 million views on social media.

Matthew is a qualified Civil Engineer from the National University of Ireland, Galway and a championship winner in tennis, soccer and basketball.

THE RIVERDANCE BAND MARK ALFRED Drums, Percussion, Bodhrán and Musical Director Mark Alfred from Carrickmacross,

CATHAL CROKE Uilleann Pipes and Whistles Dublin born uilleann piper Cathal Croke, a Senior All Ireland Champion and Honours Graduate in Music from the University of Limerick, has performed at festivals and toured with productions in numerous countries spanning five continents. He has played for two Presidents of Ireland, was recorded by RTÉ, has shared the stage with Ralph McTell and was recorded in the Hollywood production, There You’ll Find Me starring actors Vanessa Redgrave and Patrick Bergin, music scored by Timothy Williams. Touring with Heartbeat of Home from 2018, Cathal has performed in the London Palladium and later in 2019 in the West End run in the Piccadilly Theatre.

LondonTheatreDirect – “Special mention to Cathal Croke for a particularly haunting solo on the uilleann pipes”.

More recently, he was appointed as the Musical Director of a new Irish music and dance show. He debuted with Riverdance in the Gaiety Theatre Dublin in 2019 and then toured with the show in Minneapolis and Chicago, on the UK national tour and at Expo Dubai. Cathal is honoured to be performing with the Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show.

HALEY RICHARDSON Fiddle Haley Richardson is a virtuosic musician who has garnered many prestigious awards, including multiple championships at the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann

(All Ireland Championships), numerous Mid-Atlantic Championships, and the coveted Fiddler of Dooney awards (2015 and 2018). She brings a rare dynamism and energy to her music, informed by thorough knowledge of the form, mastery of her instrument, and trailblazing, show-stopping technique and emotion evident in every note. Haley’s most recent album, When the Wind Blows High and Clear, with Quinn Bachand, was nominated for 2020 Ensemble of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards. Haley appeared in the cinema release of Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show at the 3Arena, Dublin, and was invited

by Bill Whelan, to record on the Riverdance 25th Anniversary Album. www.HaleyRichardsonMusic.com @haleyrichardson.music HANNAH RICHES Saxophone Hannah Riches is a freelance saxophonist and woodwind player based in London having studied at the Royal Northern College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She predominantly works in musical theatre, most recently touring the UK with Dreamgirls. Hannah has also worked with the Mariinksy Theatre Orchestra, Chineke Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra. Her saxophone quartet Marici Saxes have performed across Europe and in 2019 toured China. The group have broadcast live on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme and have amassed nearly two million views of their popular YouTube videos.

THE RIVERDANCE DERVISH ENSEMBLE The Riverdance Folk Dance Ensemble combines elegance and grace with verve, dynamism and joyous physicality. The company’s dancers come from a diverse mix of cultural backgrounds and from many different countries throughout Eastern Europe. What they have in common is a dedication to dance and many years of training and performance in pursuit of perfection in their chosen art. Working as individual performers, they have come together for Riverdance, where they will share their individual talents and fuse the many elements that have gone into the development of their own unique style of dance.

THE RIVERDANCE FLAMENCO SOLOIST ROCIO DUSMET Born in Madrid, Spain Rocio began her professional career when she was

eight years old. She graduated from the Royal Professional Conservatory of Dance Mariemma in the specialty of Spanish Dance in Madrid. In 2012 Rocio was awarded the Spanish Dance Prize at the XVI National Call for Dance City of Castellón. Rocio has toured France, China, Mexico, Colombia, Italy, Russia, Latvia and the United Arab Emirates as a dancer in the companies of Aida Gómez, Ibérica de Danza, Ballet Carmen Mota, Compañía Jesús Lozano, Inc. Ángel Manarre , and soloist dancer at the Festival d’Avignon.

Her most recent work as a dancer and actress includes the musicals Dirty Dancing, Disney Mickey’s Music Festival and the Circus of Horrors.

THE RIVERDANCE TAPPERS LAMONT BROWN Lamont is excited to be back with Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show.

He was last seen in the 1st National Tour of Mean Girls: The Broadway Musical as Martin J. and understudied Aaron Samuels. He performed as Andy Lee in the national tour of 42nd Street, featuring the iconic choreography by Randy Skinner. He worked on Norwegian Cruise Line performing Warren Carlyle’s choreography as a Tap Brother in “After Midnight.” He has also been featured in the World premiere of Chasing Rainbows: The Road to Oz at Papermill Playhouse and the Broadway National Tour of White Christmas. Also see him in the Season 2 Episode 6 of “Wutang: An American Saga” on HULU! Regional work includes Hairspray, Singin’ in the Rain and Jared Grimes’ new production of 42nd Street at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts in Minnesota and Drury Lane Theatre in Chicago. He has been fortunate enough to work alongside some of New York’s most sought-after theatre choreographers, including Denis Jones, Al Blackstone, Lorin Latarro, Jeff Whiting, Jason Sparks, Richard J. Hinds, Dewitt Fleming, Shannon Lewis, Mary Anne Lamb and Lisa Gajda. Lamont is a New York-based performer and choreographer. Graduate of the Dance Theatre Conservatory at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Proud member of the Actors Equity Association Hudson Artist Agency @LamontBrownNyc DHARMESH PATEL Dharmesh Patel graduated from the Doreen Bird Performing Arts College in 2007. Since graduating he has performed in numerous operas for the

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

Co. Monaghan, Ireland studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music and Performing Arts College, Dublin. He is most recognized as being the Musical Director, drummer and percussionist in Riverdance. His ability to cross so many genres coupled with a unique and energetic style has made him one of Europe’s most sought-after and highly regarded drummers and percussionists of today. Mark has worked with Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Katie Melua, Josh Groban, The Corrs, Imelda May, Paddy Moloney (The Chieftains), The Divine Comedy, Mary Coughlan, Ronan Keating, Westlife, Girls Aloud, Donny Osmond and the late Christy Hennessy. Mark recorded drums and percussion on Bill Whelan’s Riverdance 25th Anniversary album. He made his debut on London’s West End with the hit show Come From Away at London’s Phoenix theatre. Mark proudly endorses: Pearl Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Vater Drumsticks, Protection Racket Cases, Sensaphonics, and Porter and Davies Thrones.

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

English National Opera and the Royal Opera House and at Buckingham Palace, London for Prince Charles III. He starred on Sky 1’s Got to Dance as a semi-finalist and he’s also a member of Plague, who won the World Hip Hop International Championships in both 2005 and 2011. He was one of the original cast in Bodyguard the Musical in London’s West End and has choreographed and performed for Cirque Du Soleil.

BILL WHELAN COMPOSER Bill Whelan has composed music for theatre, film and orchestra. His 1997 Grammy Award winning music Riverdance continues to be performed around the world. To coincide with the 25th anniversary tour, Bill completed a new studio recording of the music from Riverdance, released by Decca/ Universal Records, featuring many of the young musicians who play the music live with the show. He also recently finished recording a new score for the animated feature film, Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. His orchestral works include: The Seville Suite, Spirit Of Mayo, The Connemara Suite and Linen & Lace. His musical settings of the literary works of Irish writers include the poetry of WB Yeats, Paul Muldoon, Derek Mahon, Tom McIntyre, Frank McGuinness and Paul Durcan.

His music for film includes scores for Dancing At Lughansa starring Meryl Streep, Some Mother’s Son featuring Helen Mirren and Lamb with Liam Neeson. As a producer in the studio he has worked with U2, Van Morrison, Kate Bush, Richard Harris, The Dubliners, Planxty, Andy Irvine, Davy Spillane and Bulgarian/Irish band, East Wind. Bill is a Fellow of the Royal College of Music and holds two honorary doctorates. He is an Honorary Freeman of the City of Limerick, where he was born.

MOYA DOHERTY PRODUCER Moya Doherty’s career encompasses the creative industries, theatre, radio and television production and presentation, both in Ireland and internationally.

She fronted a number of Arts, Features and documentary programmes for RTÉ. As Executive Producer, Moya produced a number of charity Telethons, the Eurovision Song Contest and the televising of the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics held in Ireland in 2003. Moya developed the original concept for Riverdance and was the Commissioning Producer for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1994. Moya

has sat on a number of arts related Boards including seven years as Chair of the Dublin International Theatre Festival, The Abbey Theatre, The Ark Children’s Theatre in Dublin, Business to Arts and Walnut Hill Arts School in Massachusetts. Moya has received numerous awards and accolades over the years, including the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ulster, University College Dublin & from the National University of Ireland in recognition of her ongoing commitment to the world of the arts in Ireland Since 2014 she has been Chair of the RTE Public Service Media Board.

JOHN MCCOLGAN DIRECTOR John McColgan is a multi-awardwinning producer and director. He was Head of Entertainment (RTÉ Television), Head of Weekend Entertainment (ITV/TVAM) and was awarded a Jacob’s Television Award (1980). He played a key role in the evolution of Riverdance from the original seven-minute dance number to the full stage show. He is founding director of Tyrone Productions whose productions include: Quirke (BBC), Beckett on Film (C4), The Hunger (RTE/ARTE), David Brophy’s Choir Series (RTE) and Born to Riverdance (BBC). John served as Chairman of the Abbey Theatre Centenary Committee and directed a critically acclaimed production of Dion Boucicault’s melodrama The Shaughraun. He produced a major theatrical event marking the State visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland (2011). John is the director of Heartbeat of Home which premiered in Dublin (2013), toured in North America and China and played in London’s West End (2019). He holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the National University of Ireland. John is an accomplished photographer and is an Ambassador for Trócaire, one of Ireland’s largest development agencies. His recent work includes the documentary This is Palestine and a book of his photography Looking at the Same Moon.

PADRAIC MOYLES EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Born in Dublin, Ireland Padraic emigrated to New York when he was nine years old. At the age of twelve he starred as the principal actor in the OffBroadway production of Grandchild

of Kings, directed by Harold Prince.

Dancing under the tutelage of Donny Golden, he joined Riverdance in 1997, going on to become Dance Captain and Principal Dancer. He was nominated for an Ovation Award for his leading role in the show. In 2006 he joined the Broadway production of The Pirate Queen as Dance Captain before returning to Riverdance in 2008. He has had the privilege to perform for heads of state and notable individuals from around the world, including Michelle Obama and Queen Elizabeth II. Padraic is also proud to be the Executive Producer/ Director for the international show Heartbeat of Home which has toured China, North America and played in London’s West End. He was Dance Director and a choreographer on Riverdance: The Animated Adventure. Padraic would like to give special thanks to his wife Niamh, his children Juliette-May and Harrison Rhys, his father, brothers and sister for their continued support. He dedicates all his work to his late mother Christine Moyles.

PRODUCTION MANAGER JUNIPER STREET PRODUCTIONS (Production Management) is a New York City based production management and technical supervision firm specializing in live theatrical productions. Since its formation in 1998, Juniper Street has managed more than 100 Broadway, OffBroadway, national tours and events.

Current and upcoming shows include: & Juliet, Bad Cinderella, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl, Good Night Oscar, The Grey House, Harry Potter, Here Lies Love, Kimberly Akimbo, MJ The Musical, Moulin Rouge, Shucked, Some Like It Hot, Tina. www.juniperstreet.com

FOR ABHANN PRODUCTIONS LIMITED Directors......... Moya Doherty, John McColgan, David Orr RIVERDANCE DUBLIN PRODUCTION OFFICE Executive Producer ............................................. Padraic Moyles General Manager ......................................................Sean O’Brien Marketing Manager .......................... Mary Keatley O’Donnell Marketing Executive ............................................... Jason O’Neill Costume Shop Supervisor ...................................Monica Ennis Accountants ............................Ciaran Evans, Dominick Tighe PREVIOUS CREDITS Senior Executive Producer ....Julian Erskine (1995-2020) Set Design ................................Mary Morrow, Robert Ballagh Lighting Design ..............Andrew Leonard, Rupert Murray, Lighting Design ............. Benjamin Pearcy, John Comiskey Costumes for Riverdance Eurovision 1994 .................................................. Margaret Crosse Costumes for Riverdance – The Show....................Jen Kelly Projection .....................................Dick Straker, Chris Slingsby Projection Animation.......................................Benjamin Pearcy POETRY AND MUSIC Riverdance Poetry ....................................................Theo Dorgan Spoken by ................................................................John Kavanagh Music orchestrations by ......Nick Ingram and Bill Whelan Riverdance soundtrack recorded by.............Brian Whelan, Brian Masterson and Andrew Boland Riverdance soundtrack mixed by ..............Brian Masterson THE PRODUCER WOULD LIKE TO GIVE SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO: RTÉ Commercial Enterprises Limited Paul McGuinness - Principle Management, Liam Miller, Maurice Cassidy, Tommy Higgins The Office of Public Works The National Gallery of Ireland Elements of the Ardagh Chalice and other artefacts by kind permission of the director of The National Museum of Ireland CREDITS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dance Flooring and Covering............. American Harlequin Corporation Soft Goods.....................................iWeiss Theatrical Solutions Lighting, Video, LED Screen................................................... PRG Sound Equipment ...................................................CLAIR Global Handheld Radios ........... Proocol Telecommunications Inc Trucking Provided by .....................................................Janco Ltd Tour Buses by..................................All Access Coach Leasing and Timi’s Tours Transportation Housing by.............................................................Road Concierge Transport Sponsorship ................................................Aer Lingus www.aerlingus.com Make-Up provided by .............................................................. MAC Drums provided by .............................................................. PEARL Cymbals provided by ......................................................... Zildjian Drumheads provided by ......................................................Evans Drumsticks provided by ........................................................Vater Protection provided by ........................................Racket Cases US Immigration Counsel ....Barst Mukamal & Kleiner LLP Flamenco Consultant ...............Yolanda Gonzalez Sobrado Photography Deidre Buck, Barbara Corsico, Julian Erskine, Hugo Glendenning, Jack Hartin, Tom Lawlor, Joan Marcus, John McColgan, Rob McDougall, Sean Breithaupt & Yvette Monahan, Ewa Figaszewska & Fatima Caballero.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR SPONSORSHIP TOURISM IRELAND ...................................... www.ireland.com Be in with a chance to win a fantastic trip to the island of Ireland including flights and accommodation. Enter on www.ireland.com/riverdance or scan the QR code.

STAY IN TOUCH WITH RIVERDANCE www.riverdance.com Facebook @riverdance Twitter @riverdance Instagram @riverdance TikTok @riverdance YouTube.com @riverdance RIVERDANCE SUMMER SCHOOL academy.riverdance.com

DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE FOLLOWING SUPPORT IN ITS 2023/24 BROADWAY SEASON

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

• PHOTOS, RECORDING & CELL PHONE USE are prohibited.

The Musicians employed in this production are members of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada.

Backstage Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (or I.A.T.S.E.).

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

• CHILDREN 6+ are welcome in our theatres and must be ticketed.

• DRINKS are allowed in provided containers.

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

• BRAILLE PROGRAMS are available with 2 weeks’ notice to amcmullen@dcpa.org or 303.446.4836.

Members of Denver Theatrical Wardrobe, Wigs, Hair and Make-up, Union 719

The Denver Performing Arts Complex is owned and operated by Denver Arts & Venues for the City and County of Denver.

City and County of Denver Michael B. Hancock, Mayor Denver Arts & Venues Ginger White, Executive Director Molly Wink, Deputy Director Denver Arts & Venues, Arts Complex Operations Mark Heiser, Venue Director Jody Grossman, Assistant Venue Director, Booking Todd Medley, Facilities Superintendent Kelly Graham, Safety, Security and Garage Operations Manager Carol Krueger, Patron Services Manager artscomplex.com | (720) 865-4220 For immediate assistance & security (720) 865-4200

Robin Appleton Julie Bassignani Carrie Breidenbach Vonnie Clough Craig Cory Cyndie Cory Laura Cotugno Steve Davies Anne Davis Amber Donner Carolyn Dore AnnSue Gunter Judy Holabird Will Holabird Amber Krimbel

Lauren LaCasse Leslie Lambert Anthony Mattivi Sharon Millikan-Hale Callie Morrow Tim Nelson Lisa Parson Laura Payne Dave Poole Alan Richardson Liz Spadi Amy Tepel Marybeth Tscherpel Eliza Vlasova Barb Wilson

DPAC House Crew Mark Anthony Perry Elliot James R. Gralian Allen Olmstead

Albert Sainz, Sr Josh Thurnman Derek Tovar David A. Wilson

EVERY PLAY HAS A STORY Visit the DCPA NewsCenter for in-depth coverage of the Colorado arts scene, bonus content from your favorite shows, and local tips for your next adventure downtown — all from nationally recognized writers.

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RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR STAFF North American Press Representative............. Polk & Co. – Matt Polk, Kelly Stotmeister, Colgan McNeil, Alex Seeley Production Manager .................Juniper Street Productions Company Manager ..............................................Ryan Parliment Associate Company Manager .......................... Oran Ostinelli Production Stage Manager ............................ Aaron Kennedy Technical Stage Manager ...........................Grainne McKnight Irish Dance Captains ........................................Amy-Mae Dolan, Meadhbh Kennedy Dervish Dance Captain...............................................Ana Turcan Head Carpenter.........................................Timothée Courouble Head Electrician ............................................ Landon Robinson Assistant Electrician/Relighter.......................Dominic White Assistant Electrician.........................................Jack Blackstock Production Sound ................................................... Kevin McGing Head Sound/Monitors ...................................... Isaac Sheppard Assistant Sound/FOH Mixer ...........................Justin McIntyre Wardrobe Supervisor .......................................Kristen O’Maley Wardrobe Assistant .................................... Maya Faye Gordon Physical Therapy ...............Lucy Vaughn, NEURO TOUR, Physical Therapy, Inc. Massage Therapy........ Stephanie Weston, NEURO TOUR, Physical Therapy, Inc. Merchandising ............................ MAX MERCHANDISING LLC (randi@maxmerch.com) International Representation...........Second Symphony Ltd North American Representation ...WME Entertainment LLC

Summer 2023 June 11-Aug. 13

Much Ado About Nothing The Winter’s Tale King Lear One Man, Two Guvnors

by Richard Bean

The Comedy of Errors Tickets start at: $22 for indoor performances $25 for outdoor performances

Tickets on sale now!

303-492-8008 • coloradoshakes.org

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APRIL 29 – AUGUST 19, 2023

ANASTASIA

BY JOHN MOORE

I

If you didn’t know better, you might be hard-pressed to believe that the same songwriting team wrote the vastly different musicals Lucky Stiff, Ragtime, Once On This Island, Seussical and Anastasia. That span covers madcap farce, historical drama, Caribbean-flavored deities, children’s theater and an adapted animated fantasy.

And that’s just a small sample from the catalog of Theatre Hall of Famers Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, whose Anastasia takes on the enduring myth of the Russian Duchess long hoped to have survived the massacre of the Imperial Romanov family.

We really wanted to re-conceive the story, re-examine the myth and, frankly, be more historically accurate.

– STEPHEN FLAHERTY, MUSIC AND LYRICS

“Lynn and I don’t like to repeat ourselves. We really try to go in different directions,” Flaherty said of these 40-year collaborators.

What most appealed to Ahrens and Flaherty about Anastasia was its irresistible legend. “It’s not a true story; we all know that,” said Ahrens. “We know what happened to Anastasia. We know where her ashes are.

But the myth that she may have somehow survived has persisted for all these years….”

Anastasia is set years after the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his family. It opens as a young amnesiac shows up in Russia with only a few hazy memories and a keepsake that suggests she might be Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna. As “Anya” sets out to discover the mystery

22

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023

of her past, two con men make plans to pass her off as the real thing to the Dowager Empress in Paris, hoping to get money from the woman who would be Anastasia’s grandmother. The sadistic Rasputin has been replaced here by Gleb, a Bolshevik general who has orders to hunt down and kill the girl.

The stage musical is an adaptation of the classic animated 1997 film with an original score by Ahrens and Flaherty. “Ever since, we wished someone would make it into a stage musical one day — and take us along for the ride,” Ahrens said.

Nearly 20 years later, they got their wish.

In keeping with their mantra of not repeating themselves, the songwriters dug in to create something completely new. They kept just six songs from the film score and wrote 16 new ones.

“We really wanted to re-conceive the story, re-examine the myth and, frankly, be more historically accurate,” Flaherty said. “We were literally going from a twodimensional medium into a three-dimensional medium, so we felt the characters needed to have more depth and drama in their lives.”

What they came up with, Ahrens believes, is a story that is just as transporting as the source film, but in a more grown-up way. “Obviously, kids can come and have a great time. But this is a more grown-up version of the Anastasia tale,” Ahrens said. “This is more romantic and more adventurous. We have real relationships and real family connections.”

To any Anastasia film fans coming to see the musical for themselves, Ahrens says, in a nutshell: “Fasten your seat belts and prepare for something that’s the same — only different.”

ANASTASIA

APRIL 14 – 16 BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: April 15 at 2pm

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

The Company of the North American Tour of Anastasia.

Photo by Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made.

A JOURNEY TO THE PAST IN

Second Wind Fund pays for up to 12 sessions of therapy for Colorado youth at risk of suicide.

For more information visit thesecondwindfund.org or scan the QR code

Is the person in seat D3

your next client?

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Your ticket to successful advertising is one call away.

303.428.9529 sales@pub-house.com ColoradoArtsPubs.com

The cast of Laughs in Spanish.

Photo by Jamie Kraus Photography.

ANNOUNCING THE

THEATRE COMPANY SEASON For the 2023/24 Theatre Company season, we’ve curated a collection of grand adventures and underdog stories. Major historical events and moments from everyday life (with a theatrical twist).

We’ve assembled a lineup that pays tribute to cultural titans like Stephen Sondheim, Lynn Nottage, and Jane Austen. And we’re bringing you a trio of modern plays that push the limits of stagecraft and storytelling. Don’t miss a moment of the action! Get your subscription today and enjoy: • The best seats at the best price — save up to 21% • Early access to Broadway touring productions and other added attractions • Discounts on additional tickets • Free exchanges and concierge ticketing services • Easy auto-renew options to keep your seats, year after year, and more!

Love makes fools of us all

A delightfully unconventional rendition of Jane Austen’s classic

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

EMMA

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Book by Hugh Wheeler Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick Suggested by a Film by Ingmar Bergman Originally Produced and Directed on Broadway by Harold Prince Directed by Chris Coleman

SEP 1 – OCT 8, 2023 | WOLF THEATRE

By Kate Hamill Based on the Novel by Jane Austen Directed by Meredith McDonough

APR 5 – MAY 5, 2024 | WOLF THEATRE

A theatrical mixtape created right before your eyes

WHERE DID WE SIT ON THE BUS?

Sometimes, a hero is more than just a sandwich

CLYDE’S

By Lynn Nottage Directed by Jamil Jude

By Brian Quijada Directed by Matt Dickson Featured Artist Satya Chavez

OCT 27 – NOV 26, 2023 | KILSTROM THEATRE

APR 19 – JUN 2, 2024 | SINGLETON THEATRE

Three sisters, one dead body, and a 10-hour road trip

Three brothers build an institution that’s “too big to fail”

CEBOLLAS

THE LEHMAN TRILOGY

By Leonard Madrid Directed by Jerry Ruiz

JAN 26 – MAR 10, 2024 | SINGLETON THEATRE

By Stefano Massini Adapted by Ben Power Directed by Margot Bordelon

The story of the greatest spy you’ve never heard of

MAY 3 – JUN 2, 2024 | KILSTROM THEATRE

RUBICON

By Kirsten Potter Directed by Chris Coleman

FEB 9 – MAR 10, 2024 | KILSTROM THEATRE

SUBSCRIBE TODAY & SAVE! denvercenter.org/theatrecompany

303.893.6030 SEASON SPONSOR

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

2023 COLORADO

NEW PLAY SUMMIT:

A CELEBRATION OF THE WRITTEN WORD

BY CYNTHIA BARNES

I

In the beginning of every play — before the set, the costumes, the makeup — are the words that make the story, the story that ultimately becomes the play. Lovers of words and the stories they create converged at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex on February 25 and 26 for a celebration of creativity and the power of the written word to inspire, illuminate, and entertain.

Now in its 17th year, the Colorado New Play Summit showcases the works of four promising young playwrights, read by seasoned actors and guided by some of the country’s most talented directors. Beloved by local enthusiasts, the event has also become a destination for industry professionals from across the nation eager for a glimpse of emerging talent and a chance to spot plays that may become the ‘next big thing.’

The four 2023 Summit plays are the reservoir

by Jake Brasch; Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids by Vincent Terrell Durham; Joan Dark by Christina Pumariega, and The Suffragette’s Murder by Sandy Rustin.

This year’s plays grapple with addiction and police abuse, faith and feminism — potentially dark subjects that are nonetheless lightened with humor and lifted up by hope.

Artistic Director Chris Coleman couldn’t be more pleased with both the Summit’s plays and their reception. “It was heartening to see how much the writers were willing to try and tackle in their four days of rehearsal,” he says. “I particularly enjoy hearing the audience’s thoughts after the readings, as it proves super informative in our decision making about future productions.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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PHOTOS: 1 Zoë Golub-Sass and Christina Pumariega – Joan Dark / 2 Jake Horowitz and Caroline Aaron – the reservoir / 3 Sandy Rustin – The Suffragette’s Murder / 4 Michael Charles and Erin Cherry – Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids / 5 Jamie Ann Romero and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer – The Suffragette’s Murder / 6 Vincent Terrell Durham – Polar Bears, Black Boys & Prairie Fringed Orchids. Photos by Jamie Kraus Photography.

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SPECTACULAR EVENTS. SIMPLIFIED. DCPA Event Services The Denver Center’s Event Services team is here to partner with you for every aspect of your next big event. We can create an experience for the record books with immaculate catering, dramatic lighting design, our theatre-quality A/V system, professional staffing — the works!

The only limit is your imagination. Get in touch with us today!

We’ll meet with you for a behind-the-scenes tour of our rental spaces, contribute to the creative process (if desired), and, on the day of the event, help you hit every cue with flawless precision.

All you need to do is dream up your perfect event and let our theatrically trained staff make it a reality.

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28

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

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The perfect way to complement a night at the theatre? Dinner and drinks, of course!

Enjoy the best of downtown Denver with our Preferred Restaurant Partners.

Range explores the New American West with cuisine that focuses on ingredients, cultural influences, and cooking techniques inherent to the Rocky Mountain West. While you are here you can enjoy an extensive wine list, craft cocktails, and local beers to complement every meal. When you dine at Range, you will receive complimentary parking for the evening of the show!

Located inside Four Seasons Hotel Denver, EDGE Restaurant is a progressive American steakhouse with global influences utilizing superior quality meats, locally sourced Colorado game, fresh seafood, and produce from nearby farms. EDGE Bar is a dynamic see-and-be-seen bar featuring expertly handcrafted cocktails, an award-winning wine list, a selection of local craft beers, and a menu of approachable fare.

Located inside The Curtis Hotel, The Corner Office is the flirty rendezvous where edgy global dishes meet chic creative cocktails in the heart of downtown Denver.

Progressive comfort food mixed with international flavors give traditional favorites a fresh twist.

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The Flying Dutchman

TOSCA Giacomo Puccini

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN Richard Wagner

PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE

MUSIC & LIBRETTO

Richard Wagner

Claude Debussy

RUSALKA

8:30 pm • July 1, 7, 12 8 pm • July 31; August 5, 10, 15, 25

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ORFEO Claudio Monteverdi World Premiere Orchestration by Nico Muhly

#OpenAirOpera The Flying Dutchman Illustration

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Opening Nights Sponsor

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PROUD SPONSOR OF DCPA EDUCATION AT THE COLOR PURPLE

SAFELY DELIVERING AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE, EVER-CLEANER ENERGY

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Chevron and its 600-plus Colorado employees are proud and honored to call this state home. Chevron is no newcomer to Colorado, having operated on the Western Slope since the 1930s.

Today, the company is also proud to partner with Front Range communities from metro Denver to Weld and Larimer counties.

Chevron Colorado is focused on safely delivering the affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy this state needs. Its team has re-imagined what safely and responsibly producing oil and natural gas looks like with the goal of a lower-carbon future. The result is a transformational design that lowers greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90% and shrinks Colorado’s surface footprint by more than 95%. Learn more at colorado.chevron.com.

Chevron is proud to support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as a vital element in the state’s creative energy.

Partnering with Communities As the human energy company, Chevron’s dedication to developing people drives its culture and community partnerships.

The company is proud to support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts as a vital element in the state’s creative energy.

The arts are for everyone, and Chevron’s contribution enables the youth theater, budding teen playwrights, and more.

Chevron’s community support includes many other programs. In 2022, the company invested several hundred thousand dollars in K12 STEM education, basic skills acquisition, and higher-education scholarships. Education partnerships include: • Sponsoring the Colorado Energy Day robotic1 competition in Denver and supporting robotics teams in Denver, Weld and Mesa counties • Investments in curriculum, materials and teacher professional learning for Eaton and Weld County RE-1 school districts • Establishing a diversity, equity and inclusion fellows’ program for faculty and staff at the University of Northern Colorado • Supporting career pathways for minorities, rural underserved students, refugees and immigrants through higher education and community-based organizations like the Mi Casa Resource Center • Other partnerships include Eureka! math and science center, Water Education Colorado, and Colorado State University

32

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

More than 700 Lions, Tigers, Bears, Wolves and other RESCUED animals that need your help!

PROUD SPONSOR OF DCPA OFF-CENTER’S CAMP CHRISTMAS

THE ARTS BRING POSITIVE ENERGY TO ALL OF OUR LIVES

T From bridging cultural gaps and elevating diverse perspectives to driving economic development and educating our youth, the arts bring positive energy to all of our lives.

The arts power our communities. They inspire us; they entertain us; they educate us; they connect and heal us.

Through employee volunteerism, granting and sponsorships, Xcel Energy infuses arts and culture into their employee volunteer opportunities, giving programs and community sponsorships.

“Arts and culture contribute to the vitality of the communities we serve,” said Lauren Gilliland, senior director of gas operations at Xcel Energy-Colorado. “From bridging cultural gaps and elevating diverse perspectives to driving economic development and educating our youth, the arts bring positive energy to all of our lives.”

Xcel Energy is also committed to building a future powered by clean, reliable, safe energy, with a vision to be a net-zero energy provider by 2050.

Learn more at xcelenergy.com.

— LAUREN GILLILAND, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF GAS OPERATIONS

34

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

Colorado Magazine

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Outdoor experiences statewide Beer, wine, spirits & food Historical hotspots & cultural gems And much more at ThirstColorado.com

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SETTING THE STAGE FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

CIBC is proud to serve as a long-time sponsor of the DCPA and to further deepen its engagement with this worthy cause.

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For nearly two decades, CIBC has proudly supported the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and its ongoing efforts to enrich the Denver community. During this time, it’s seen firsthand the impact that the DCPA has made through arts education. CIBC is passionate about the role arts education plays in building confidence, fostering critical thinking and shaping tomorrow’s leaders. The CIBC team is honored to further this important work and committed to benefiting DCPA theatre and education programs. CIBC’s contributions have enhanced the DCPA’s ability to positively impact more than three million students through its education program, bringing them one step closer to realizing their ambitions.

CIBC also strives to ensure its clients’ successes. This leading North American financial institution provides wealth management, private banking and commercial banking financial solutions to the Denver community through a team driven by its passion to be the leader in client relationships. CIBC strives to understand each client’s story, financial needs and goals because the team is committed to helping make their clients’ ambitions a reality.

Distinguishing factors of CIBC include: • High touch client experience: Dedicated service and support from your experienced team in both wealth management and commercial banking • Dynamic investment management: Investing proactively to drive outperformance in ever-changing markets • Strategic approach to private banking: Banking solutions aligned to your objectives and wealth plans.

• Comprehensive approach to commercial banking: Offering commercial lending, treasury management and access to capital markets to address complex business needs.

Learn more at us.cibc.com Private banking solutions are offered through CIBC Bank USA, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender. CIBC Bank USA and CIBC Private Wealth Group, LLC are both indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of CIBC. CIBC Private Wealth Group and its subsidiaries do not provide, and are not responsible for, the products and services offered by CIBC Bank USA. CIBC Bank USA (Bank) will not pay employees of CIBC Private Wealth Group or its subsidiaries for referring clients to Bank, but to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, the referral of clients to Bank for eligible products or services may be considered by CIBC Private Wealth Group in determining discretionary compensation to employees. The CIBC logo is a registered trademark of CIBC, used under license. Investment Products Offered are Not FDIC-Insured, May Lose Value and are Not Bank Guaranteed. This ad is not to be construed as an offer to buy or sell any financial instruments. CIBC Capital Markets is a trademark brand name under which CIBC and some of its subsidiaries, including CIBC World Markets Inc., CIBC World Markets Corp., member of FINRA and SIPC, and CIBC Bank USA, provide different products and services. Capital Markets products are not FDIC insured; not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by, CIBC Bank USA; and are subject to investment risk, including loss of principal.

(Photos - Clockwise) Alexandrya Salazar (Little Anastasia) and Gerri Weagraff (Dowager Empress) in the North American Tour of Anastasia. Photo: Evan Zimmerman for Murphy Made. / Riverdance Lead Dancers.

Photo: Ewa Figaszewska & Fatima Caballero. / “Beggars at the Feast” from Les Misérables. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.

36

APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

UPCOMING! This Season

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DCPA TEAM DCPA TEAM

Michael Kimbrough....Manager, Engineering Jon Collins.....................Manager, Subscription Production Janice Sinden..........................President & CEO Brian McClain .....................Manager, Custodial Katie Davis .............Coordinator, VIP Ticketing Jeff Gifford ...................................................Director Gretchen Hollrah..............................................COO Casey Meschievitz ...................................Manager, Billy Dutton...........................Associate Director, Julie Brou................Administrative Assistant/ Office Manager Operations Environmental Health & Safety Lydia Garcia .........................Executive Director, Danielle Freeman ...................................Manager, Matthew Campbell......Production Manager Equity & Organization Culture Jerad Ayala, Steven Bilbao, Customer Service Peggy Carey................. Associate Production Seán Kroll ............................................Coordinator, Abraham Cervantes, Lindsey Cervantes, Manager Claire Hayes, Ella Mann, Equity & Organization Culture Carmen Molina, Judith Primero Molina, Juan Loya Molina...............................Custodians Rocco Williams ...........Managers, Box Office Scenic Design Donna Hendricks..................President & CEO Lisa Orzolek .................................................Director Katie Spanos .......................Associate Director, Executive Assistant EVENT SERVICES Subscriber Services Kevin Nelson, Julie Schumaker...................... Manager, Board Tom Duffin........Event Technology Manager Nicholas Renaud..................................Assistants Group Sales Relations & COO Executive Assistant Samantha Egle, Jessica Bergin..................... Associate Director Lighting Design Cody Gocio ....................................Senior Sales & Brad Steinmeyer ..............................Coordinator BROADWAY & CABARET Charles MacLeod......................................Director Event Managers John Ekeberg...................... Executive Director Stori Heleen-O’Foley.....Lighting, Team Lead Maddie Young ...................................Education & Lily Bradford..............................................Assistant Group Sales Associate Joseph Price+ .............Production Electrician Shane Hotle.................................Audio Engineer Administration Theatre Services Ashley Brown.......................Business Manager David Mandlowitz, Evan Gendreau .................. Associate Director Sound Design Benjamin Peitzer .....................

Video Engineer Alicia Bruce ............................. General Manager Elliot Shields...............................................Manager Alexander Billman..............................Supervisor Tara Miller ...........................................Event Sales & Lisa Prater .........................Operations Manager Meagan Holdeman+, Timothy Schoeberl+, Operations Director Kaylyn Kriaski, Leilani Lynch, Dimitri Soto+ .......................................Technicians Garner Galleria Theatre Brook Nichols ........Event Technical Director Aaron McMullen, Stacy Norwood, Abel Becerra......................... Technical Director Kate Olsen................Event Sales Coordinator Valerie Schaefer...............Assistant Managers Stage Management Michael Morales ..................................Production Jason Begin+, Viktoria Padilla............................................Lighting Nora Caley, Teresa Gould, Stage Manager Anna Hookana+ ...................Core Stagehands Phil Rohrbach, Alex Skaar....Event Managers Robin Lander, Myrisa Martin, Selin Ozcelik, Barbara Pooler, Brooke Wyatt........Event Logistics Manager Wendy Quintana ..................House Managers Martinique Barthel, Corin Davidson, DEVELOPMENT Rachel Ducat, Wendy Blackburn Eastland, Anne Jude, Rick Mireles, Jamie Clements...........................Vice President MARKETING, SALES & ACCOUNTING & FINANCE Nick Nyquist, Malia Stoner, Connor Carlin......................Associate Director, PATRON SERVICES Christine Woods ....................Stage Managers Jane Williams ......................................................CFO Major & Planned Gifts Marketing Sara Brandenburg................................... Director, Nia Pitts, Angie Salazar, Kara Erickson-Stiemke.................Coordinator Accounting Services Lorna Stephens ..............Stage Management Giorgio Ausenda.....................Media Producer Daniel Escobar .........................................Manager, Apprentices Corporate Partnerships Heidi Bosk ...........Associate Director, Press & Michaele Davidson .....Treasury Accountant Scene Shop Promotions, Broadway & Cabaret Jennifer Jeffrey....................Director, Financial Amanda Gomez.......Manager, Annual Fund Planning & Analysis Eric Moore.............................. Technical Director Erin Bunyard.............Senior Digital Strategist Kaylie Groff........Manager, Grants & Reports Sofia Contreras .....................Graphic Designer Valerie Lingbloom...........................Accountant, Albert “Stub” Allison, Robert L. Orzolek, Marc Ravenhill ....................Associate Director, General Ledger Josh Prues ....Associate Technical Directors Donor Relations Emmy Cook.......................................Coordinator, Broadway & Cabaret Kristina Monge .......................................Specialist, Jeremy Althoff, Tyler D. Clark, Megan Stewart........................Manager, Events Brenda Elliott, Accounts Payable Amy Wynn Pastor, Erin Walker ...................................Senior Director Paul Koob..............Senior Graphic Designers Jennifer Siemers ...........Director, Accounting Kyle Scoggins .....................Scenic Technicians Louis Fernandez III.....Lead Scenic Technician TJ Forlenza ............................................Copywriter EDUCATION & Brian “Marco” Markiewicz ....Lead Carpenter Michael Garcia ..........Manager, Web Content HUMAN RESOURCES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Claire Graves............................................... Director, Laura Maresca ..............................Vice President Prop Shop Allison Watrous ................. Executive Director Produced Programs Brian Carter, Lizette Collazos..........Directors Meghan Markiewicz ...........................Supervisor Stuart Barr ............................. Technical Director Brittany Gutierrez...................................Manager, Paul Johnson...........................Payroll Specialist Jamie Curl, Georgina Kayes, Communications Claudia Carson.......................Teaching Artist & Ashley Lawler, Nikki Mayer.................Artisans Manager, Playwriting & Bobby G Linda Horan...............................Project Manager Monica Robles...............Supervisor, Mailroom Cat V Kerr......... Associate Props Supervisor Leslie Channell .......................................... Director, Jeff Hovorka .... Director, Sales & Marketing, Kinsey Scholl .................Operations Specialist Andrew McGlothen................Prop Carpenter Business Operations Broadway & Cabaret INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Paint Shop Emily Doherty.... Teaching Artist & Manager, Emma Hunt........................................Coordinator, Theatre for Young Communications & PR Lisa Roebuck.................................Vice President Jana Mitchell....................Charge Scenic Artist For security purposes, the IT team has been omitted.

Audiences Programming Emily Kent........Director, Insights & Strategy Kristin Hamer MacFarlane, Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski........................ Director, Lucas Kreitler .........Junior Graphic Designer Melanie Rentschler .....................Scenic Artists Education & Curriculum Management Michael Ryan Leuthner ........................ Director, OPERATIONS Costume Shop Vincent Bridgers ........................Senior Analyst Emma Kimball..................Assistant Registrar & Digital Marketing Office Coordinator Emily Lozow .............Assoc. Director, Sales & Adam Busch................................. Junior Analyst Janet Macleod... Director/Design Associate Meghan Anderson Doyle ....Design Associate Jesús Quintana Martínez ....................... Director, Marketing, Broadway & Cabaret Aaron Chavez ....................................................Lead Community Engagement Kyle Malone................................Director, Design Ruben Cruz ................................................Engineer Stephanie Cooper, Timothy McCracken................Head of Acting Dan McNulty.........................Marketing Analyst Simone Gordon .................Associate Director Amoreena Knabb, Ingrid Ludeke, Carolyn Plemitscher ................................. Draper David Saphier......Teaching Artist & Manager, Hannah Selwyn ...Email Marketing Manager Kyle Greufe....................................................Analyst In-School Programming Costume Crafts Brandon LeMarr ......................................Manager Whitney Testa..................Executive Assistant, Rachel Ducat.................Executive Assistant & Marketing & Broadway Sarah Martinez ............................................Analyst Kevin Copenhaver....................................Director Business Manager Kong Vang.............Social Media Coordinator Jacob Parker .......................Associate Director Chris Campbell.........................................Assistant Rya Dyes .................................................Registrar & Julie Whelan ...........................................Associate, Joseph Reecher ......................Senior Engineer Wigs On Site Class Manager Produced Programs Chris Robisch ...............................................Analyst Diana Ben-Kiki......................................Supervisor Charlotte Talbert ......................................Librarian Mikayla Woods.................................Coordinator, Cordelia Taylor ..................................Coordinator Rachel Taylor .....Teaching Artist & Manager, House Crew Produced Programs Literary Engagement & Resiliency Suzanne Yoe.......................Director, Content & Alice Welker....................................Administrator Douglas Taylor+...................................Supervisor Justin Walvoord ....................Teaching Artist & James Berman+, Forest Fowler+, Communications OFF-CENTER Manager, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot Charlie Miller ...Executive Director & Curator William Loving+, Dave Mazzeno+, Ticketing & Audience Services Samuel Wood.........................Teaching Artist & Kyle Moore+, Matt Wagner+ ....Stagehands District Liaison Jennifer Lopez ...........................................Director THEATRE COMPANY Calli Lavarnway+, Christina Adamoli*, D.J. Dennis*, Kelley “Reznik” Russell+ ...................Assistants FACILITIES Administration Edmund Gurule*, Chris Leech*, Charles Varin .......................Managing Director Wardrobe Glen Lucero..................................................Director Elias Lopez*, Hayley Solano*, Sam Stump*...................Counter/Show Leads Madysen Hunter....................Business Admin/ Heidi Echtenkamp .............................Supervisor Dwight Barela, Mark Dill, John Howard, Assistant Company Manager Robin Appleton^, Amber Krimbel^, Zak Merten, John Ramos ............... Engineers Kirsten Anderson*, Scott Lix*, Ann Marshall........................... General Manager David La Beaux^, Lauren LaCasse^, Liz Sieroslawski*, Calum Abeywickrema, Brian Adams, Greg Swan* ..................... Subscription Agents Evangeline Read ...............Production COVID Lisa Parsons Wagner^, Jodi Benavides, David Bright, Cody Bryant, Bryan Faciane, Safety Coordinator Kami Williams^..........................................Dressers Quinn Chermak*, Wisline Cledgett*, Gabe McNally-Nakamura, Sabina Rivera .................... Company Manager Marisa Sorce^ ..............................Wig Assistants Tamika Cox*, Mekenzie Dalton*, Isabella Samaniego, Elliot Davis*, Zeah Edmonds, Artistic Shayne Thullen.................Security Specialists Jen Gray*, Natalie Jaramillo*, Judy Briggs...........................................Front Desk Phi Johnson-Grimes*, Noah Jungferman*, Chris Coleman .......................... Artistic Director Grady Soapes ....................Artistic Producer & Quentin Crump........................................Manager, Alison Orthel*, Lane Randall*, * Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local B-7 Casting Director + Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local 7 Security & Guest Relations Holly Stigen*, Andrew Sullivan*, ^ Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local 719 Robert Warner*, Leean Kim Torske ....................................

Director, Merry Davis ..........................Financial Manager Joseph Williams*..........................Ticket Agents Literary Programs Staff list current through Mar 6 , 2023 Jane Deegan ..................................Administrator DCPA

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APPLAUSE • MAR – JUN 2023 • 303.893.4100 • DENVERCENTER.ORG

Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini APR 28-30

Aymée Nuviola and the Colorado Mambo Orchestra MAY 6

Scan code to view all 2022/23 Season Events coloradosymphony.org | 303.623.7876

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker conducted by Andrew Litton MAY 12-14

proudly supported by

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with Peter Oundjian MAY 26-28

( 3 03) 86 2 -3 90 0 | r igh t t i m e . c om