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SIGHTLINE

BY JANICE SINDEN

HHello and welcome to the theatre!

This issue of Applause celebrates the culmination of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s 46th season with everyone’s favorite bloodthirsty plant, Audrey II, in Little Shop of Horrors followed by the Pulitzer Prize-winning family dramedy, The Hot Wing King

The DCTC will return this fall with a lineup of classic plays, thought-provoking dramas, never-before-seen world premieres, and the perennial favorite, A Christmas Carol Once titles are conﬁrmed, watch for a program insert announcing the lineup. You won’t want to miss a thing!

Over in the Buell Theatre, we will host the return engagements of the wildly outrageous musical comedy THE BOOK OF MORMON, and the creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky

The Addams Family These will be followed by the brand-new Broadway tour, & Juliet, which imagines what Juliet would have done if she didn’t end it all over Romeo. We round out the summer with the return of MAMMA MIA!, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, and an all-new version of Some Like It Hot Plus, we’ve just announced a variety of cabaret shows to keep you in stitches. Saturday Night Live’s Tim Meadows comes to town with his troupe, Bluebird Improv (May 16-18), followed by Forbidden Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song (May 28-June 19).

In a double header, crowd favorite Dixie Longate, returns with Dixie’s Tupperware Party (July 16-Aug 17) and Dixie’s Never Wear a Tube Top... (Aug 20-Sep 7).

Finally, we are delighted to host Colorado’s own Tony Awardwinning Annaleigh Ashford who comes home to headline our annual gala on June 14. Join us at Saturday Night Alive to beneﬁt theatre and education.

Vladimir Script

We hope to see you back here soon.

Warm regards,

Janice Sinden

Janice Sinden, President & CEO

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 Hot Wing King pg 10

Little Shop of Horrors pg 16

The Addams Family pg 18

THE BOOK OF MORMON ........ pg 22

FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF UPCOMING SHOWS:

APPLAUSE

VOLUME XXXV • NUMBER 7 • APR - MAY 2025

EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe

DESIGN DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone

DESIGNER: Brenda Elliott

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS: Paul Koob, Lucas Kreitler

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Amanda L. Andrei, Emma Holst, Joanne Ostrow

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

Applause magazine is funded in part by

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

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

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Hassan Salem, Chair

Ruth Krebs, Vice Chair

David Jacques Farahi, Secretary/Treasurer

Nicole Ament

Brisa Carleton

Jerome Davis

Elizabeth Hioe

Deb Kelly

Kevin Kilstrom

Lynn McDonald

Susan Fox Pinkowitz

Manny Rodriguez

Alan Salazar

Richard M. Sapkin

Martin Semple

William Dean Singleton

Robert Slosky

Tina Walls

Dr. Reginald L. Washington

Sylvia Young

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Navin Dimond

Margot Gilbert Frank

Jeannie Fuller

Robert C. Newman

Cleo Parker Robinson

Judi Wolf

HELEN G. BONFILS FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Martin Semple, President

William Dean Singleton, Vice President

Dr. Reginald L. Washington, Secretary/Treasurer

Nicole Ament

Marco D. Chayet

David Jacques Farahi

Kevin Kilstrom

Ruth Krebs

Susan Fox Pinkowitz

Hassan Salem

Robert Slosky

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Janice Sinden, President & CEO

Jamie Clements, Vice President, Development

Chris Coleman, Artistic Director, Theatre Company

John Ekeberg, Executive Director, Broadway & Cabaret

Angela Lakin, Vice President, Marketing & Sales

Glen Lucero, Vice President, Venue Operations

Laura Maresca, Chief People & Culture Officer

Charlie Miller, Executive Director & Curator, Off-Center

Lisa Roebuck, Vice President, Information Technology

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

Allison Watrous, Executive Director, Education & Community Engagement

Jane Williams, Chief Financial & Administrative Officer

LEARN MORE

STUDENT PLAYWRIGHTS COMMAND THE STAGE

BY SUZANNE YOE

PProfessional playwrights are not the only ones whose work is ﬁlling stages at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts this spring (see page 28). The works of three Colorado high school students were showcased in the Weeks Conservatory Theatre at the culmination to the DCPA’s annual Middle & High School Playwriting Competition.

The program, which began in 2012/13 to foster emerging student writers, has received more than 3,200 script submissions over the past 13 years.

This year the competition received 176 middle school 10-minute plays and 119 high school one-act plays from schools across the state. From those, a panel of artistic, literary, and theatre education professionals selected three winners in each category. The winning high school scripts were then presented in professional readings as part of the Colorado New Play Summit.

“Through the creative writing process…I found my voice as an activist and playwright,” said Nicole Siegler, Senior at Denver School of the Arts and author of A Day in Black Shoes. Her play centers around a young African American boy who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and awakening to the complexities of race and identity “I gave myself permission to feel angry or sad or confused about how and why the color of my skin can, in some unfortunate cases, dictate how others treat me in society.”

Aspiring novelist and playwright Hannah Harr, Senior at Je erson County Open School, discovered her own process through the program. “I learned that trying to force the creative process on myself is not the best way for me to write.… [Rather], until I have an idea that I can run with, trying to make myself write ends up frustrating me more than anything else.” Following her own advice, Hannah found her voice. Trapped in an elevator afterlife in Little Girl, Little Ghost, Oliver Finley’s spirit sees hope when Charlie, his lost love’s lookalike, arrives, igniting his desperate quest to be seen.

Penelope Letter, Junior at Peak to Peak Charter School, borrowed inspiration from one of the greats in their play, Waiting for Download or Samuel Beckett’s Revolutionary Playlist. The comedy recounts three friends as they wait in a dim room, clinging to hope that a phone update will bring the change and power they’ve long been denied.

“I would eventually like to put all the strange ideas I have in my head onto a page,” Penelope said. “I’d like to ﬁnish some of the million stories I’ve started but haven’t yet ﬁnished!”

One down. Nine hundred, ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine to go.

YOURSELF ON STAGE

PreK - Adult No Experience Required

1-Day Workshops

Multi-Week Courses

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NICOLE SIEGLER HANNAH HARR PENELOPE LETTER

MAKE SHOWTIME A NIGHT ON THE TOWN!

Consider joining one the DCPA’s premium membership societies for an exclusive experience before and after the curtain rises.

BEST OF BROADWAY SOCIETY

For unforgettable evenings all Broadway season long, treat yourself to ﬁrst-class dining and seats. Enjoy the best seats in the house, pre-show cocktails, dinner at Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House, and private intermission in the fabulous Wolf Room.

DIRECTORS SOCIETY

Want the premium subscription experience at all of our Denver Center Theatre Company season shows? Enjoy our most exclusive seating, ﬁne dining pre-show in the Seawell Ballroom, post-show parties with artists and creatives, behind-the-scenes discussions, and more.

Get the best of both worlds and enjoy a curated mix of our most popular Broadway and Theatre Company shows with our brand-new Premiere Access Membership! You’ll enjoy VIP seating and get access to a selection of Best of Broadway Society and Directors Society events throughout the season, dinner included.

Gareth Saxe, Linda Mugleston, Curtis Wiley, and Matthew Boston in The Su ragette’s Murder .

Photo by Jamie Kraus Photography.

EXHIBITION FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION

Exhibición gratis con la entrada al Museo

WORTHY OF THE CROWN: T H E HOT

RRoyalty comes in many forms. A proud and gleaming crown. A leader, whether head of the household, a proud parent, or the coach of a team. Or even the playful banter between lovers, endearments of “Queen!” that make another person feel warm and shining from the inside out, worthy of love and devotion. This potent mix of splendor and joy makes The Hot Wing King ’s portrayal of Black friends and family so irresistible.

W I NG K I NG PITS FAMILY AGAINST FAME

BY AMANDA L. ANDREI

Welcome to Memphis, Tennessee, where contestants are spicing their chicken wings, testing their marinades, and prepping for the annual Hot Wang Festival. The culinary team New Wing Order has been trying for ﬁve years to win the top prize, and head chef Cordell is determined that this will be the year they come home as the victors. And while perfecting recipes and ﬂavors may be at the top of his mind, bubbling around him are the rest of his crew: good friends Big Charles and Isom, and his lover Dwayne, whose house he recently moved into. It’s a home that buzzes with activity, jokes, and warmth, a place where these men treat each other with vulnerability, tenderness, and wit.

“Many of the characters reﬂect my identity as a gay Black man,” says director Timothy Douglas, reﬂecting on what he is looking forward to most in helming this comedy-drama and winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize.

“The world is so immediate for me in terms of the characters, the speciﬁc joys, challenges, and underlying elements speciﬁcally in Black culture, and in being queer and Black that we don’t necessarily talk about because we vibe together in community.”

Indeed, Memphis-born playwright Katori Hall has given the audience an invitation into this kitchen and community, using cooking and competition as the rituals that bring people together. The bodacious men dance, ﬂirt, and posture as easily as jesters in a court or princes at a ball as they playfully prep their ingredients. Bone-in wings. Garlic. Parmesan, parsley, peli-peli pepper. Even blueberries (to go with blue cheese as the aptly named “Blueberry Birds” special). All of this spice, ﬂavor, and heat are symbolic of deeper Black history and culture.

“The way Katori is dealing with spice, creation, and creativeness within food making is an homage, and honoring what we as a people know in daily life and our bones,” remarks Douglas. “During times of slavery, we were only given the scraps, the parts of the animal that the privileged didn’t deem suitable for eating. Those scraps and discards became the main part of the meal, and how it became palatable was how it was spiced. It’s a representation of care — the augmenting, creating, and inventing of how you spice — it’s in the bones of the play and something these characters know well.”

And over the course of the play, these characters come to know each other more intimately as blood and chosen family, encountering each other in complementary and clashing ways.

Amid the taste testing and marination, the New Wing Order’s weekend is interrupted when

Everett and TJ, Dwayne’s 16-year-old nephew and brother-in-law, show up at the house. Although skeptical of Cordell and Dwayne’s lifestyle, and dealing with his own pressures around fatherhood, TJ leaves his son with them to take care of business. During a basketball game, Everett and Cordell have a confrontation that draws Dwayne into the fray and reveals a deep social injustice and past family grief.

The

world is so immediate for me in terms of the characters, the speciﬁc joys, challenges, and underlying elements speciﬁcally in Black culture, and in being queer and Black that we don’t necessarily talk about because we vibe together in community.

— TIMOTHY DOUGLAS, DIRECTOR

It’s a moment that makes Dwayne and Cordell face each other’s secrets and desires — how Cordell is not ready to reveal their relationship to his former family, and how Dwayne grapples with his role as a brother, uncle, and father ﬁgure. It’s a choice of how to accept and love each other in full dignity — a choice that an ideal king would make, serving as a caretaker and loving guardian — and Cordell realizes that his craving for recognition may be at odds with his love for Dwayne. As Big Charles later says to him, “All lil’ black boys deserve love, even the ones trapped in the bodies of grown ass black men.”

Douglas also notes the resonance of kingliness and how this comedy brings back an earthy humor to the concepts of sovereignty and familial love. “In some circles of black men, we talk about being ancestrally descended from chiefs,” says Douglas, “and I remember looking at the character page and seeing ‘Cordell the Head Chef’ and I saw ‘Chief’ — and isn’t he the chief of the kitchen?” The play can serve as an opportunity “to think in terms of ancestral blood ﬂow, how we see ourselves and intuit our bloodlines, how we imagine and identify our queerness, how it was absorbed or not, and how we create this for ourselves.”

And these men certainly create this loving kinship and queerness for themselves, whether singing to Luther Vandross in the kitchen, shooting hoops on the basketball court, or exchanging kisses outside the house (and promptly being aﬀectionately ribbed for it). Because by the end of the weekend, as the festival comes to a close and the family reckons with their relationships — how they will choose to give and receive love from each other — one clear image emerges.

“It’s a king,” says Douglas. “It’s all these men representing a diﬀerent angle of that crown.”

THE

HOT WING KING

APR 25 – MAY 25 • KILSTROM THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described performance: May 11 at 1:30pm Stay for a post-show discussion on May 13, 20 & 22

6 CORE VALUES. 1 DENVER CENTER.

1. BELONGING

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

2. COLLABORATION

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

3. COMMUNITY

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

4. CREATIVITY

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

5. INTEGRITY

We act responsibly, with honesty, accountability and transparency.

6. SUSTAINABILITY

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

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

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CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF EUROPE

JUNE 19 - 22 DALLAS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

JUNE 28 - JULY 4 THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA JULY 6 - 13 THE

JUNE 19 - JULY 31, 2025

PHILHARMONIC JULY 16 - 23

SPECIAL FREE CONCERT: SINFÓNICA DE MINERÍA IN AVON JUNE 26

Shucked

Oct 7 – 19, 2025

Buell Theatre

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

May 30 – Jun 27, 2026

Buell Theatre

The Notebook

Dec 16 – 28, 2025

Buell Theatre Water for Elephants

Feb 11 – 22, 2026

Buell Theatre

Spamalot

Aug 11 – 23, 2026

Buell Theatre

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is delighted to announce a spellbinding, spinetingling (and slightly corny) 2025/26 Broadway season! Join the ride as we ﬁght for eternal love, set out on new adventures, and explore fantastic worlds where anything is possible.

Hell’s Kitchen

Apr 14 – 26, 2026

Buell Theatre

The Outsiders

Sep 8 – 27, 2026

Buell Theatre

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors

Nov 8, 2025 –May 10, 2026

Garner Galleria Theatre

Renew or subscribe to the season today to unlock savings on extra tickets, concierge ticketing services, free exchanges,* automatic seat renewals, and early access to DCPA Added Attractions. *Some restrictions apply

MOVES YOU TO CHEERS THE MUSEUM THAT

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At the United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum, you don’t just visit history—you experience it. Test your speed. Feel the thrill of competition. Get inspired by the journeys of America’s greatest athletes.

It’s more than a museum—it brings history, innovation, and inspiration to life.

CONTRASTING DOO-WOP AND DEATH IN LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

BY JOANNE OSTROW

LLittle Shop of Horrors, the ’80s musical about a lowly ﬂower shop clerk who makes a Faustian bargain with his man-eating plant, was an unexpected success that has now won the adoration of generations.

The show has sci-ﬁ roots in an early short story by H.G. Wells. “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid” about a carnivorous plant dates to 1894. A dark comedy version, “Green Thoughts” by John Collier, came along in 1932. And Arthur C. Clarke wrote his take with “The Reluctant Orchid” in 1956.

Those early works inspired the nasty little farcical horror B-movie by Roger Corman, The Passionate People Eater, famously shot on the cheap in two days on the set of another B-movie in 1960.

It was not until 1982 that Howard Ashman and Alan Menken adapted the Corman flick into the beloved musical Little Shop of Horrors, which began at the tiny WPA Theater Off-Off-Broadway and became a surprise smash hit. (In 1986 it was adapted back into a movie directed by Frank Oz and given a “happier” ending.)

Combining the bloody terror of early Sixties B-movies with the girl-group sound of the period (think the Ronettes, the Chiﬀons, the Shangri-Las), the tone contrasts dark and light, morbid and cheerful, doo-wop and death.

Throughout, the young musical geniuses — lyricist Ashman and composer Menken — aimed at a mashup of silly and horrifying. (A favorite example, note the lyrics rhyming “shang-a-lang ” with “sturm and drang ”.)

The result was less nasty, more hip and funny.

The bones of the show are classic musical theater, while the ﬂesh is suitably creepy. According to the book Attack of the Monster Musical: A Cultural History of Little Shop of Horrors (2022) by Adam Abraham, Ashman wanted Little Shop to be “an old-fashioned musical” that “just happens to be about a man-eating plant from outer space.”

At the DCPA when he was planning the season, Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman thought, “we’ve done sweeping classical musicals, but we haven’t done something silly. Wouldn’t that be fun?”

After spending time with the show, Coleman said, “I realize how brilliantly built it is. I don’t know that I understood that watching it, in terms of story and how each song contributes to the story and moves it along.”

Coleman said, “I ﬁnd it funny that these two young aspiring musical theatre geniuses, who were wanting a piece of American success, took this pretty cheesy, not very interesting ﬁlm and made something very funny, very infectious out of it. What ’s delicious is to see a plant with an incredible soulful singing voice.

Illustration by Kyle Malone.

“But what it’s really about is, how much would it take for you to sell your soul? They take a group of characters in the worst part of town who just ‘gotta get outta here.’ They’re all seeking an escape from skid row at any cost.”

It’s all good, gory fun. “If you’re going to talk about end of world, you might as well laugh as you’re doing it.” Yet in directing, Coleman said, the task was to avoid any notion of a send-up or satire. “The temptation is to wink-wink, nudge-nudge,” he said.

As he was auditioning actors in New York, he “encouraged people to trust the simplicity of the character,” telling them, “Your job is to need what the character needs.” He instructed actors, “The characters are from the island of misﬁt toys, slightly broken humans, oddballs but oddballs with enormous heart. You are trying to ﬁgure out how to trust that. That’s when it gets really beautiful. You have to know that it’s okay for sadness to be present and that the story will still hold up and the humor will emerge. The actor’s job is to let the story unfold.”

I

ﬁnd it funny that these two young aspiring musical theatre geniuses, who were wanting a piece of American success, took this pretty cheesy, not very interesting ﬁlm and made something very funny, very infectious out of it.

— CHRIS COLEMAN, DIRECTOR

Props and puppets are another key element, of course. “I don’t want to give anything away,” Coleman said, “but the goal is for the plant to have an incredible and surprising progression through the play. It’s like a science experiment, trying to get it to do all the things you want it to do, and also make it reasonably comfortable for the actors. We’re trying to ﬁnesse it in a way that feels fun for the audience and not horrifying for an actor to do eight times a week.”

The show catapulted Ashman and Menken into Disney careers that changed the course of modern musicals. After the 1986 Little Shop of Horrors ﬁlm, they were tapped to contribute music to Oliver and Company, followed by The Little Mermaid — which sparked what is now considered the Disney Renaissance (including Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin among other animated musicals, with numerous Academy Award nominations and wins along the way).

The clever horror-comedy-rock musical that started it all continues to oﬀer theatre audiences a needed escape, at least a temporary way to get outta here.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

APR 11 – MAY 25 • WOLF THEATRE

ASL-interpreted, audio-described, and open-captioned performance: May 4 at 1:30pm

Stay for a post-show discussion on April 30 & May 14

COMING UP FROM BROADWAY SOME LIKE IT HOT

A brand-new tour is coming to town, and it’s the perfect way to beat the summer heat. Some Like It Hot, a musical based on the quintessential 1959 ﬁlm, is set to grace the Buell Theatre stage from July 8 - 20.

Some Like It Hot arrived on Broadway in 2022 with high energy. The show features music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray), a book by Amber Ruﬃn and Matthew López (The Legend of Georgia McBride), and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon).

Altogether, the musical earned 13 Tony Award nominations, winning for Best Choreography and Best Costumes, as well as the Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album.

Set in Prohibition-era Chicago, the story follows two musicians who are forced to ﬂee after witnessing a mob hit. To escape the clutches of the gangsters, they embark on a cross-country train ride that will change their lives forever.

Entertainment Weekly praised the show, calling it “a booze-soaked boisterous good time from start to ﬁnish,” ﬁlled with toe-tapping tunes, humor, and plenty of dancing that immerses audiences in the Jazz Age.

Deadline called Some Like It Hot “a tap-dancing, razzling-dazzling embrace of everything you love about musical theater.” With Tony Award-winning choreography and costuming, this roaring 30s spectacle is one you don’t want to miss.

Edward Juvier (Osgood), Tavis Kordell (Daphne) and the First National Touring Company of SOME LIKE IT HOT Photo by Matthew Murphy.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY REFLECTS AMERICAN VALUES IN A FUNHOUSE MIRROR

TThe opening musical number of The Addams Family tells audiences just why the strange and macabre clan has stuck around for nearly a century. “When you’re an Addams, the standard answers don’t apply.”

Wait, nearly a century? And they’re still relevant? Yes, it really has been that long — the comic strip by Charles Addams was originally published in The New Yorker as early as 1938.

The reason? There’s something relatable, even aspirational, about the eccentric Addams.

In a sense, the Addams reﬂect an idealized family, embodying true love, support, and unwavering loyalty –only cloaked in all black. “When you’re an Addams, it’s family ﬁrst and family last.” Even extended family members are invited to this close-knit group, including long-dead ancestors.

At the same time, the Addams stand in stark contrast to a conventional portrayal of family in popular media, especially during their origins in the 1930s and 40s. The Addams reﬂect American values in a funhouse mirror, showcasing both the darkness and the saccharine sweetness of suburban life.

But that never inhibited their popularity — it only intrigued people more. In a Christmas 1946 comic strip, the family is depicted pouring boiling oil on carolers. A bit grotesque perhaps, but the image was so well received it was later sold on Christmas cards.

by Meredith Mashburn Photography

BY EMMA HOLST

Addams’ comics found comedy in the juxtaposition of the bizarre and the everyday, featuring ordinary people harboring melancholic tendencies.

That’s exactly what Addams Family enthusiasts ﬁnd so intoxicating about the kooky group. At their core, the Addams are conﬁdent in their singularity, knowing what makes you unique can never be a bad thing. They’re just like you, only they embrace the darkness, the things that make them “strange.”

In The Addams Family musical, Wednesday has fallen in love with a “normal” boy. Deep in the throes of passion, her family grows concerned as Wednesday becomes a little more ordinary, herself. At a family dinner, instead of wearing her signature black dress, she arrives wearing… gasp…yellow!

In the topsy-turvy evening that follows, the Addams emphasize the importance of staying true to yourself, no matter where that takes you. “Who cares about the world outside and what it wants from you. When you’re an Addams, you do what Addams always do!”

Authenticity will take you far, even to the moon.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

MAY 2 – 4 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described, and Open Captioned performance: May 3 at 2pm

Photo

SEASON SPONSOR

Book by MARSHALL BRICKMAN and RICK ELICE

Music and Lyrcis by ANDREW LIPPA

Based on Characters Created by Charles Addams

STARRING

JOHN ADKISON RODRIGO ARAGÓN JACKSON BARNES SARAH MACKENZIE BARON

CHRIS CARSTEN LOGAN CLINGER DAVID ELDRIDGE SHEREEN HICKMAN RENEE KATHLEEN KOHER MELODY MUNITZ

Big League Productions, Inc. PRESENTS WITH

DALTON BERTOLONE SARAH COLEMAN JOHN CUOZZO MAX DESANTIS

LYNDELL FINGER COLLIN HENDLEY ALYSSA JACQUELINE SAMANTHA PARADA

ALEX PLETIKAPICH SOPHIE RAPIEJKO DELANEY SHEA GRETCHEN VOSBURGH

SET DESIGN RANDEL WRIGHT

COSTUME DESIGN TRISTAN RAINES

MUSIC SUPERVISOR THOMAS FOSNOCHT

ORCHESTRATIONS

LARRY HOCHMAN

LIGHTING & VIDEO DESIGN CHARLES FORD

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR & ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER EMILIE RENIER

TECHNICAL SUPERVISOR JAMES BOOK

GENERAL MANAGEMENT BIG LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS ZACH KROHN

SOUND DESIGN ANTHONY LOPEZ TIMOTHY RIGGS

HAIR & MAKEUP COORDINATOR LISHA MICHEL

CASTING DIRECTOR ALISON FRANCK, C.S.A.

COMPANY MANAGER SHAWN PASSERO

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

DANIEL SHER

TOUR PRESS & MARKETING TRUE MARKETING WENDY J. CONNOR

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER RILEY GIBSON

DIRECTION & CHOREOGRAPHY BY ANTOINETTE DIPIETROPOLO

Tour booking by Tracey McFarland, BROADWAY & BEYOND THEATRICALS

Costumes, wigs, and props provided by 3-D THEATRICALS. Costumes designed by Julian Crouch and Phelim McDermott

THE ADDAMS FAMILY A MUSICAL COMEDY is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640 New York, NY 10036, www.theatricalrights.com

Originally produced on Broadway by Stuart Oken, Roy Furman, Michael Leavitt, Five Cent Productions, Stephen Schuler, Decca Theatricals, Scott M. Delman, Stuart Ditsky, Terry Allen Kramer, Stephanie P. McClelland, James L. Nederlander, Eva Price, Jam Theatricals/Mary LuRoffe, Pittsburgh CLO/GuttermanSwinsky, Vivek Tiwary/Gary Kaplan, The Weinstein Company/Clarence, LLC, Adam Zotovich/Tribe Theatricals; By Special Arrangement with Elephant Eye Theatrical

MUSICAL NUMBERS

ACT ONE

Overture Orchestra

When You’re an Addams.................................................................. The Addams Family, Ancestors

Fester’s Manifesto Fester

Two Things Gomez

Wednesday’s Growing Up Gomez

Three Things Gomez

Trapped Gomez

Pulled Wednesday

Four Things Gomez

One Normal Night Company

But Love (Reprise 1 & 2).................................................................................................. Fester, Ancestors

Secrets Morticia, Alice, Female Ancestors

Trapped (Reprise) Gomez

What If Pugsley

Full Disclosure (Part 1) Company

Waiting ........................................................................................................................................Alice, Ancestors

Full Disclosure (Part 2) Company

THERE WILL BE ONE 15-MINUTE INTERMISSION

ACT TWO

Opening Act II Orchestra

Just Around the Corner Morticia, Ancestors

The Moon and Me Fester. Female Ancestors

Happy/Sad ................................................................................................................................................... Gomez

Crazier Than You Wednesday, Lucas, Mal, Alice

Not Today Gomez

Live Before We Die / Tango de Amor Gomez, Morticia

Finale Act II Company

Bows Company

WARNING: The photographing or sound recording of any performance is strictly prohibited.

CAST

Max DeSantis

Renee Kathleen Koher

Rodrigo Aragón

John Adkison

Sarah Mackenzie Baron Jackson Barnes

Chris Carsten Logan Clinger

Shereen Hickman

David Eldridge

Melody Munitz

Dalton Bertolone

Sarah Coleman

Lyndell Finger

Alyssa Jacqueline

Collin Hendley

Samantha Parada

Alex Pletikapich

Delaney Shea

Sophie Rapiejko

Gretchen Vosburgh

John Cuozzo

CAST

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Gomez Addams RODRIGO ARAGÓN

Morticia Addams RENEE KATHLEEN KOHER

Uncle Fester CHRIS CARSTEN Grandma SHEREEN HICKMAN

Wednesday Addams ....................................................................................................... MELODY MUNITZ

Pugsley Addams LOGAN CLINGER

Lurch JACKSON BARNES

THE BEINEKE FAMILY

Mal Beineke JOHN ADKISON

Alice Beineke SARAH MACKENZIE BARON Lucas Beineke .................................................................................................................... DAVID ELDRIDGE

THE ADDAMS ANCESTORS

DALTON BERTOLONE, SARAH COLEMAN, JOHN CUOZZO, MAX DESANTIS, LYNDELL FINGER, COLLIN HENDLEY, ALYSSA JACQUELINE, SAMANTHA PARADA, ALEX PLETIKAPICH, SOPHIE RAPIEJKO, DELANEY SHEA, GRETCHEN VOSBURGH

UNDERSTUDIES

For Gomez Addams—JOHN ADKISON, JOHN CUOZZO; for Morticia Addams— SAMANTHA PARADA. GRETCHEN VOSBURGH; for Uncle Fester—JOHN CUOZZO, MAX DESANTIS; for Grandma—SOPHIE RAPIEJKO, GRETCHEN VOSBURGH; for Wednesday Addams—SARAH COLEMAN, ALYSSA JACQUELINE; for Pugsley Addams—LYNDELL FINGER, ALEX PLETIKAPICH; for Lurch—DALTON BERTOLONE, MAX DESANTIS; for Mal Beineke—JOHN CUOZZO, MAX DESANTIS; for Alice Beineke—SOPHIE RAPIEJKO, GRETCHEN VOSBURGH; for Lucas Beineke—DALTON BERTOLONE, ALEX PLETIKAPICH.

SWINGS

JOHN CUOZZO, GRETCHEN VOSBURGH

Dance Captain: ALYSSA JACQUELINE

Assistant Dance Captain: JOHN CUOZZO

ORCHESTRA

Music Director / Keyboard 1: THOMAS FOSNOCHT

Assistant Conductor / Keyboard 2: LUKE MOLLOY Drums—SAL MAZZOTTA

Bass—MIKE PARISI

Guitar —NICK RIMANIC

Trumpet—CARMELO VILLEGAS

Reeds 1—MEGAN HOWELL

Reeds 2—JOSH ROBERTS

Trombone—SAM DIMOV

JOHN ADKISON (Mal Beineke) National Tour: My Fair Lady (Colonel Pickering), The Music Man (Harold Hill), Elf (Walter Hobbs). Regional: Laguna Playhouse, People’s Light & Theatre Co., Sierra Repertory Theatre, Gablestage, Ocean State Theatre Co. Stock: Little Theatre on the Square, Theatre by the Sea, Barn Theatre. More at johnadkison.com. Love to JCA.

RODRIGO ARAGÓN (Gomez Addams) An actor/singer/host for over 25 years in Argentina, he appeared in Grease, Zorba in “The Greek”, and Opera Pampa between 2004 and 2010 with more than 1,500 shows, among others. He worked for Disney in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and in Tokyo Disneyland, Japan (20012002). In Argentina he participated in films like “La suerte esta echada” and “Incorregibles”, “Death Knows Your Name”, “The Last Gateway”; several TV show like “Como pan caliente”, “Jesus el heredero”, “Salvajes”, etc. In the U.S. he was part of the cast of 5 Telemundo soaps like “Loli’s Luck”, “Tierra de Reyes”, “Al otro lado del muro”; and TV films “A Royal Makeover”, “The Wedding Wish”. He also starred in more than 25 TV commercials and hundreds of musical shows. Classically trained, he’s thrilled to be making his debut with Big League.

JACKSON BARNES (Lurch) National Tour Debut! Recent credits: Jersey Boys (Nick Massi), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney Todd), Jesus Christ Superstar (Caiaphas), Merry Wives of Windsor (Falstaff), Legally Blonde (Ensemble). From Argyle, TX. Attended Oklahoma City University. Love to his family, friends, creative team, and FranckCasting! IG: @jacksonabarnes All glory to God!

SARAH MACKENZIE BARON (Alice Beineke) A Halloween aficionado, Sarah (she/her) is ghoulishly giddy to be a part of her first national tour. Credits: Ethel (Footloose), the Witch (Into The Woods), originating Michael Scott in The Office!: A Musical Parody Off-Broadway. Love to Ben, Coraline & Freya, Mom & Dad, Antoinette, and the entire cast & crew! @saronbaroness

CHRIS CARSTEN (Fester) Mr. Carsten is a veteran performer appearing in multiple Big League Productions projects spanning the last three decades. Some of his favorite roles include John

WHO’S WHO

Adams, Henry Higgins, Jean Shepherd, and Captain Hook. He would like to thank his three wonder daughters for their love and support.

LOGAN CLINGER (Pugsley Addams) Logan is thrilled to make his national tour debut as Pugsley Addams! A graduate of the Institute for American Musical Theatre, he has previously portrayed SpongeBob SquarePants, Crutchie and Nostradamus. Logan is deeply grateful to FSETALENT and his wonderful family for their support!

DAVID ELDRIDGE (Lucas) David Eldridge is originally from North Idaho, and holds a degree in Music Theatre from OCU. He is thankful for his friend’s and family’s love and undying support, and grateful to the artistic team for giving him the opportunity to perform in his first National Tour. Enjoy! Soli Deo Gloria!

SHEREEN HICKMAN (Grandma)

Shereen Hickman is best known as a creator/lead clown with the worldrenowned Cirque du Soleil. Starring as Ginger in Zumanity in Las Vegas, on Broadway as Margaret in Banana Shpeel and then touring under the Big Top as Deeda in Amaluna (with Tony award winning director Diane Paulus). Shereen is the first female company member of Parallel Exit, the Drama Desk nominated, award winning physical theatre company. Audience favorites include Marguerite in Sunset Circus, and the erratic real estate mogul Libby T. Grump in I Love Bob Shereen also enjoys a diverse career in voiceovers with over 65 voice acting credits to date. She is also alumni of The Groundlings in LA. An avid lover of laughter and general whimsy, Shereen is thrilled to be part of The Family.

RENEE KATHLEEN KOHER (Morticia Addams) is thrilled to be revisiting one of her all time favorite roles with The Addams Family Nat’l tour! Originally from Chicago, IL, Renee has performed all over the world as a singer, dancer and aerialist. Some of her favorite credits include: Mame (Mame), Betty (White Christmas), Gypsy (Tessi Turra/ Rose Alt.), Little Shop Of Horrors (Audrey), Mary Poppins (Disney’s Mary Poppins), Kiss Me Kate (Lily/Katherine), The Marvelous Wonderettes (Missy) Nunsence (Amnesia), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Pippin (Fastrata) and The Wizard Of Oz (The Wicked Witch

Of The West). Renee also performed with Disney Cruise Line and Tokyo Disney Resort. She is also the founder of RKK Voice and Acting Studio and Co-Founder of the Arizona Musical Theater Academy. A huge thank you to her agent Matilda (Fictious) Mom, Dad, and Ryan for always supporting her dreams, and her beautiful family Shonn and Harper.. for you always. www.reneekathleenkoher.com / IG: @tokyoariel

MELODY MUNITZ (Wednesday Addams) is ecstatic to embody the princess of darkness in this creepy, kooky, iconic family! Credits include leading the American Girl National Tour, 15 shows Off-Broadway, concerts at Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center, and her solo show The Science of Love (BroadwayWorld Award ‘23). Endless gratitude to Shari, Andy, Jazz, Antoinette, and every inspiration & support along the way. Penn State Honors Musical Theatre & Psychology (‘22, valedictorian). Dreamer: Keep Going! melodymunitz.com @melody_munitz

DALTON BERTOLONE (Ancestor, u/s Lucas, u/s Lurch) Dalton Bertolone is thrilled to be making his national tour debut! Favorite credits include: A Chorus Line (The Broadway Palm, San Francisco Playhouse, and Sierra Repertory Theatre); West Side Story (New London Barn Playhouse and Connecticut Repertory Theatre); Newsies (Utah Festival of Opera); Elf (Arizona Broadway Theatre), and Footloose, Elements! (Norwegian Cruise Line). Dalton dedicates his performance to his brother, Tyler. The Hartt School BFA. www.daltonbertolone.com

SARAH COLEMAN Ancestor, u/s Wednesday Addams) Sarah is thrilled to be making her national tour debut! BU School of Theatre ’24 alum. Favorite regional credits include Rock of Ages (Sherrie), Fiddler on the Roof (Chava), and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Janet). Proud Jersey Shore native. Special thanks to Brian at HKA, Alison Franck, the Addams team, and love to Mom, Dad, and Grammy. Sarahcoleman. actor. IG: @sarah4coleman | TT: @sassaronio.

JOHN CUOZZO (Swing, u/s Gomez Addams, u/s Mal Beineke, u/s Uncle Fester, Assistant Dance Captain) John Cuozzo is a recent graduate of Wright State University with a B.F.A. in Acting.

National Tour debut! Recent favorites: Into The Woods (Rapunzel’s Prince), Love’s Labor’s Lost (Berowne), Edward Albee’s At Home at the Zoo (Jerry), On the Town (Ozzie), and A Doll’s House (Krogstad). Enjoy the show!! @johncuozzo

MAX DESANTIS (Ancestor, u/s Uncle Fester, u/s Lurch, u/s Mal Beineke) Max is thrilled to be making his national tour debut! Originally from the Bay Area, he graduated from the Boston Conservatory. Recent theater credits: Grease (Royal Caribbean), Sound of Music (Engeman), Jersey Boys, Spelling Bee, Something Rotten! (Woodminster). Current media: Denny’s, Lenovo, Lyft, Ross. Instagram – max_desantis

LYNDELL FINGER (Ancestor, u/s Pugsley Addams) Lyndell is beyond excited to be making his national tour debut! Sending love to his amazing family and friends for their unconditional love and guidance. Many thanks to god and many hugs for his little brother KJ. “ This is only the beginning for me and this one is for us KJ!” @lyndizzl

COLLIN HENDLEY (Ancestor, Gymnast) Collin Hendley is a NYC based Actor, Writer, and Composer. Select credits: Off-Broadway: Brighter Than the Sun (Chain Theater), The Sleepover Show (SoHo Playhouse), National Tour: Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! The Musical!, NYC/Regional: Beatrice (cell theater), Of The Dream… (American Theater of Actors), Cinderella (Argyle), Godspell, Oklahoma! (Prairie Rep). Rep: Resolute Artists Agency @crhendley

ALYSSA JACQUELINE (Ancesetor, u/s Wednesday Addams, Dance Captain) Alyssa is thrilled to be an Addams! Favorite credits: National Tour of Hairspray (Shelley/ us Penny), A Chorus Line (Diana), and Mamma Mia! (Sophie). Thanks to HR Artists Management and the entire Addams “family” for all their support! Barton Bunch – I love you endlessly. 1 Corinthians 16:14. IG: @alyssajacqueline___

SAMANTHA PARADA (Ancestor, u/s Morticia Addams) Samantha is thrilled to be making her National Tour debut! Virginia native and Wagner college graduate. Favorite credits: Chicago (Velma), The Addams Family (Morticia), Cinderella (Madame). She would like to thank her cast and crew, support system, mom, dad, and her husband Will. @sammyparada_

ALEX PLETIKAPICH (Ancestor, u/s Lucas Beineke, u/s Pugsley Addams) National Tour debut! Regional credits: The Burnt Part Boys and Rock of Ages (Mountain Theatre Co.), Newsies (Grandstreet Theatre), Cabaret (Cincinnati Actor’s Studio). TV Credits: “The Gilded Age” BFA: Marymount Manhattan College. Many thanks and biggest hugs to family, friends, MMC and the team <3 @alexpletikapich.

SOPHIE RAPIEJKO (Ancestor, u/s Alice Beineke, u/s Grandma) Sophie Rapiejko is thrilled to be making her national tour debut! She is a recurring vocalist in NYC at 54 Below, Town Hall, and Kaufman Music Center. Other credits: A Gentleman’s Guide… (Arizona Broadway Theatre), A Christmas Carol (Off Broadway), Sally in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown (Legacy Theatre) www.SophieRapiejko.com ig:@sophie. rapiejko.bushman

DELANEY SHEA (Cousin Itt, Ancestor) is thrilled to be making her national tour debut! She is a recent graduate from Oklahoma City University where she received her BA in theatre, directing and film. She sends love and thanks to her family, friends, and Mallory/ Anthony for all their support. IG: @delaney.horton

GRETCHEN VOSBURGH (Swing, u/s Morticia Addams, u/s Alice Beineke, u/s Grandma) Gretchen’s overwhelmingly grateful to join her first national tour! Colorado raised, NY trained she’s a proud NYU Tisch Alum. For more see gretchenvosburgh.com and @g.vosburgh. Limitless thanks: Mom, Dad, Sammi, Fuzzy, MB, Claire, Michelle, B&A, Sam, Abigail, Vince, Scott, Nathan, Kathleen, Albert, the Atlantic Family and Antoinette. Enjoy the show!

ANDREW LIPPA (Music & Lyrics)

Andrew Lippa’s new epic choral work “Unbreakable” had its world premiere with The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on June 22nd and 23rd, 2018 in San Francisco with 300 artists onstage including Mr. Lippa. Ten more choruses across the country will present this new work in the next year and the original cast recording, produced by legendary producer Leslie Ann Jones, will be released by Ghostlight Records in November, 2018. He conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a new production of his “A Little Princess” in concert in London at the Royal Festival Hall in May, 2018 to a sold-out

crowd of nearly 3,000 people. His hit song “Evil Like Me” appears in Disney’s “Descendants”. Written for Kristin Chenoweth that soundtrack hit #1 on the “Billboard 200” album chart, #1 on the iTunes and Billboard soundtrack charts, has been viewed over 70 million times on YouTube and “Evil Like Me” was certified gold in 2017. On Feb. 1st, 2017, Lippa opened the new season of The American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center with his sold out concert of “Andrew Lippa and Friends.” In 2016, he composed and conducted a world premiere piece for the international piano virtuoso Lang Lang and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in Guangzhou, China. This new work, a 32-minute, 5-movement piece called “Rising Tide”, was reprised later in 2016 and recorded in China. Lippa’s epic Concept Opera “I am Anne Hutchinson/I Am Harvey Milk” had its world premiere at The Music Center at Strathmore in April of 2016 starring Kristin Chenoweth as Anne Hutchinson and Mr. Lippa as Harvey Milk. Summer 2016 saw the US premiere of “Life of the Party” – a musical compendium of Mr. Lippa’s career – produced by Theatreworks in Mountain View, CA and starring Mr. Lippa. Summer of 2017, Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, presented the world premiere of The Man in the Ceiling. Based on Jules Feiffer’s award-winning novel, this musical features a book by Mr. Feiffer and music and lyrics by Mr. Lippa. Directed by Jeffrey Seller (Tony-winning producer of “Hamilton”) Mr. Lippa played the role of Uncle Lester in this production. Broadway credits include: Music and lyrics for Big Fish directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman; the Tonynominated music and lyrics for the Broadway musical The Addams Family (directed by Jerry Zaks) as well as the music for Aaron Sorkin’s Broadway play The Farnsworth Invention (directed by Des McAnuff). Other musicals include the Drama Desk award winning musical The Wild Party (book/music/lyrics); A Little Princess (music); john & jen (music/book); Asphalt Beach (music and lyrics); and You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (additional music/lyrics and arrangements). His epic oratorio for men’s chorus, orchestra and soloists, I Am Harvey Milk has seen over 30 productions including Disney Hall and Lincoln Center. Awards: Tony and Grammy nominations; shared Emmy for Nickelodeon’s “The Wonder Pets”; SFGMC Vanguard Award; The Gilman/

Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Award; ASCAP’s Richard Rodgers/ New Horizons Award; The Drama Desk Award; The Outer Critics Circle Award. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Mr. Lippa serves as president of the board of The Dramatists Guild Foundation (dgf.org). He was born in Leeds, England, grew up in suburban Detroit and is an ordained Interfaith minister. Explore all things Andrew Lippa at andrewlippa.com!

MARSHALL BRICKMAN (Book) Marshall Brickman, born in Brazil of American parents, attended New York public schools and the University of Wisconsin, where he received a double baccalaureate in both science and music. He entered show business first as a member of the folk group The Tarriers and then, along with John and Michelle Phillips, as one of The New Journeymen, a precursor of The Mamas and the Papas, whose flamboyant life-style and eccentric harmonies defined the post-folk era of tuning up, turning on and cashing in. Trading in his Gibson Mastertone 5-string banjo for an IBM Selectric, he secured a position as writer/director on “Candid Camera”, America’s original reality show, a wildly successful early experiment in monetizing public humiliation, for which he hereby apologizes. Fleeing “Candid Camera”, Brickman found solace as head writer for Johnny Carson, whose late-night show on NBC emanated from ironically named Radio City in midtown Manhattan, a stroke of luck that allowed him to stay as far from Los Angles as possible while still retaining U.S. citizenship. In 1970 he left NBC to become producer/head writer of Dick Cavett’s late-night show on ABC. Among the many ground-breaking events that Cavett introduced into the late-night formula was the night presidential hopeful George McGovern was interviewed by last-minute guest host Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. The result was fascinating, not unlike watching a python ingesting a small cow. In the meantime he had started a collaboration with Woody Allen, a young comic who opened for the Tarriers at Fred Weintraub’s Bitter End, the legendary Bleeker Street coffee house that provided exposure to upcoming talent in music and comedy. They worked at odd hours on screenplays and material for Allen’s early TV appearances, an experience like no other. Brickman watched Mr. Allen negotiate both the

creative and practical issues confronting an artist working in a commercial environment; he learned things that can’t be taught and never laughed as hard as the time spent roaming the city with a certified genius discussing art, politics, women, the state of the business, and why Durwood Kirby was considered funny, even by people with college degrees. Mr. Brickman’s film work as author (or co-author with Woody Allen) includes Sleeper, Annie Hall (Academy Award), Manhattan, (AA nomination) and Manhattan Murder Mystery. As film writer/director): Simon, Lovesick, The Manhattan Project, Sister Mary Explains it All. In television: The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (head writer, 1967-’70); The Dick Cavett Show (head writer/coproducer, 1970-’72). Brickman’s recording (with ex-Tarrier Eric Weissberg) of the soundtrack of Deliverance, released in 1970, contained the surprise hit “Dueling Banjos,” achieved platinum status, and remains a healthy seller over 40 years later. His first foray into musical theater resulted in Jersey Boys, which won the Tony, Olivier, Helpmann, Grammy and many other awards worldwide, is in its twelfth year on Broadway, has been seen by twenty million people worldwide and is currently the 10th-longest running show in the history of Broadway. The film version of the show was directed by Clint Eastwood. Mr. Brickman’s other theatrical efforts include Turn of the Century, which played to capacity houses in Chicago, and The Addams Family, starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, which ran for two years on Broadway and to date has had over four thousand first and second tier productions internationally. In addition to his work in film and theater, Mr. Brickman has published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Playboy and other periodicals. He is the 2006 recipient of the Writers’ Guild of America Ian McClellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement. His current project is a stage musical celebrating the life of western star Roy Rogers, scheduled to premiere late in 2017. After over 40 years in the business, trying to balance talent with opportunity and watching the careers of colleagues, both successful and less so, he can reduce what he’s learned into one succinct bit of wisdom: above all, it’s important to be lucky.

RICK ELICE (Book) co-wrote Jersey Boys (winner 2006 Tony Award, 2007

Grammy Award and 2009 Olivier Award for Best Musical) with the great Marshall Brickman; The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (winner of five 2012 Tony Awards); and The Cher Show (currently on tour in the UK). In the pipeline: The Princess Bride for Disney; Smash for Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, directed by Susan Stroman. Rick is also adapting Sara Gruen’s novel Water for Elephants; the popular film, Silver Linings Playbook; and writing an original musical, Treasure, with 2021 Ed Kleban Award-winner Benjamin Scheuer. Rick’s book, Finding Roger, An Improbably Theatrical Love Story, is published by Kingswell. Heartfelt thanks to those whose theatre work makes him grateful for the day he was born: Sondheim, Stoppard, Bennett, Prince, Fosse, Robbins, Nichols, Nunn, Laurents, Stone, Taymor, Papp, Schumacher, Schneider, David, Strong, Gaudio, Valli, McAnuff, Trujillo, Timbers, Coyne, Brickman, and, eternally, Roger Rees. Rick thinks about them a lot. He never thought about Jersey much. He does now.

ANTOINETTE DIPIETROPOLO

(Director & Choreographer) Choreographer for Musical Theater, Concerts, Immersive Experiences, Movies, TV and Private events for Global brands and Stars around the world. National Tours, International Events and Regional work include; The Cher Show, Annie, Fame, Jersey Boys, The Music Man, Mamma Mia, “MasterChef Live”, “America’s Got Talent Live”, Cirque Musica Wonderland, Big Apple Circus (2014,2015,2017), Querida Official tribute to Juan Gabriel, Nunsense, Saturday Night Fever, Chicago, Jesus Christ Superstar, Ragtime (Winner Best Choreographer, Triangle Theatre Award), Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Grease, The Full Monty, Miracle on 34th Street, The Producers, A Christmas Story, Evita, South Pacific, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change, Scooby Doo Live, Veggie Tales Live, Powerhouse, With Glee, THE RIDE in New York City, Pepsi/Grubhub/ Seamless Super Bowl promotion, Disney Plus Wizard of Paws, American Girl Live in Concert, New Years Eve Time Square USO, First choreographer in the country of Saudi Arabia. www. AntoinetteDiPietropolo.com follow me for updates @antoinettedip

EMILIE RENIER (Associate Director & Associate Choreographer) Tours: COMPANY, The Cher Show, Cinderella, and both the Nat’l and Internat’l Beauty and the Beast (u/s Belle, DC). Regional: Chess, Mary Poppins, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Singin’ in the Rain, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and many others. New York: Dear World (Encore’s at City Center). Love to Garrett and Grimsly.

RANDEL WRIGHT (Set Designer) With The Addams Family, Randel continues his design of scenery for Big League Productions, preceded by Hello Dolly, Guys And Dolls, Legally Blonde, American In Paris, South Pacific and Little Women. Prior, he designed Singin’ In The Rain (national), Unsinkable Molly Brown (national / Debbie Reynolds), Pal Joey (Joel Grey), Pal Joey (Dixie Carter), The Wiz (Stephanie Mills), I Do, I Do (Sandy Duncan), Batteries Not Included (Jamie Hammerstein coauthor & dir.). Beyond theater, he also designed The Coca Cola Centennial, The Dr. Pepper Centennial and The Yale University Tercentennial.

TRISTAN RAINES (Costume Designer) Tristan has designed Off Broadway, regionally, and internationally for 16 years. Selected credits: The Old Globe, Virgin Voyages, Syfy Channel, La Jolla Playhouse, Barrow Street Theatre, Menier Chocolate Factory, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Big League Tours, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Troika Tours, Kaleidoscope Immersive, Center Theatre Group, Bucks County Playhouse, The Muny, Celebrity Cruise Line, Signature Theatre DC, New York Theatre Ballet, Norwegian Cruise Line, Cirque Musica, New World Stages, and Maltz Jupiter Theater. Tristan is a member of United Scenic Artists and is tenure-track faculty at Emerson College. tristanraines.com, @tsbs17 on Instagram.

CHARLES FORD (Lighting Designer) is the visionary force behind Vue Show Design Group, where he redefines the boundaries of production design with innovative lighting and staging solutions. With a flair for creating immersive experiences, Charles has transformed stages into dynamic canvases, crafting masterpieces that elevate performances into unforgettable visual spectacles. His work with renowned artists such as Prince, H.E.R., Carly Rae Jepsen, and Young the Giant has cemented his reputation as a luminary

in the lighting industry. Whether it’s a high-energy concert or an elegant corporate event, Charles consistently delivers bespoke, cutting-edge designs that captivate and inspire. In addition to his work with world-class musicians, Charles’s designs have breathed life into everything from industrial shows to theatrical productions. At Vue Show Design Group, he continues to push the limits of creativity, using his deep knowledge of visual technology to create lighting experiences that are as thought-provoking as they are visually stunning. For The Addams Family musical tour, Charles brings his passion for avant-garde stylization and theatricality, ensuring that each moment on stage is as delightfully eerie and enchanting as the beloved characters themselves. Instagram @cfordlites09 Website www.Vueshowdesign.com

THOMAS FOSNOCHT (Music Director & Supervisor) Thrilled to be back with Big League for The Addams Family!! Recently Music Supervisor/Conductor for the 2024 National tour of LITTLE WOMEN. He co-created a new musical with David Smith, LITTLE THINGS, recently featured in a 2024 NYC workshop at Playhouse 46. He continues to work in and around the New York/ Philadelphia area as a Music Director and Pianist for regional productions. His favorite shows include COMPANY (Justin Guarini), MAME (Andrea McCardle), and CLUE (Sally Struthers) at Bucks County Playhouse, Annie (Wanda Sykes) at Media Theatre, and The Story of My Life (Rob McClure) at Delaware Theatre Company. Tom maintains a private studio, specializing in contemporary piano and voice techniques. He also served as Vocal Director for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, highlights include The Effectors.

ANTHONY LOPEZ (Sound Design) is a Southern California native who has worked with Big League since 2019. Prior credits include: A Christmas Story: The Musical (A2 2019/2021, Sound Supervisor 2023), Legally Blonde (A2 2019, Head of Audio 2023), An American in Paris (Head of Audio 2022), South Pacific (Head Audio 2022), A Chorus Line (Head Audio, Japan 2022), and The Cher Show (Associate Sound Designer 2023). He has also worked countless movie premieres and special events. He is excited to continue mixing and designing productions. Instagram @anthonylopez841

TIMOTHY RIGGS (Sound Design) Women of Note: NYMTF 2016. ZACH Theatre: Luna, Into the Woods, A Year with Frog and Toad, PPC Showcase. Associate Design - Mother Road: San Diego Rep, A Christmas Story The Musical Natl. Tour 2016. All love to Oliver, Shae and Sherman XO

RILEY GIBSON (Production Stage Manager) Riley Gibson is excited to make his PSM debut with The Addams Family! Touring Credits: Elf, Little Women, Peter Pan; Regional Credits: Company Management (2023) & Production Management (2024) at The REV Theatre Co, Auburn NY. A massive thank you to my family, friends, and always expanding support system. @riley__gibson

ALISON FRANCK, C.S.A (Casting Director) has been a casting director in NYC for over 25 years. She started as an assistant for many Broadway Productions, then she worked in film/ TV for several years, then from 20002010, she was the Resident Casting Director at Paper Mill Playhouse. In 2011 she joined the team at Liz Lewis Casting Partners, where she cast commercials, voiceovers, film/TV, and theatre. Alison now runs her own company, Franck Casting, where she has cast several tours of well-known musicals including Legally Blonde, Dreamgirls, An American in Paris, A Christmas Story: The Musical, A Chorus Line, The Simon and Garfunkel Story Live and Little Women, the Musical & The Cher Show www.franckcasting.com

WENDY J. CONNOR/DONNA FIEGEL (Tour Press & Marketing) TRUE Marketing is a full-service entertainment marketing firm based in Orlando, Florida that boasts a full Marketing and Public Relations Consulting Team, Graphic Design Department, and Social Marketing Strategy Team. Team TRUE has worked on national tours of A Christmas Story – The Musical, An American In Paris, Legally Blonde, A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Spring Awakening, The Producers, 42nd Street, Dreamgirls, South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, and The Wizard of Oz. www.TeamTRUE.com

BROADWAY & BEYOND THEATRICALS (Tour Booking) Led by founders and industry veterans Tracey McFarland, Victoria Lang, and Ryan Bogner, Broadway & Beyond Theatricals (BBT) is dedicated to the distribution and

creation of quality branded theatrical content for traditional and nontraditional venues throughout North America and beyond. BBT’s booking division delivers quality productions tailored to a venue’s size and budget; the Content division offers commercial producers and IP stakeholders strategic management, consulting services and distribution solutions while producing quality theatrical content in New York and for the road. On Broadway as Producer: The Cottage, The Kite Runner. Broadway tours as agent: The Cher Show, The Kite Runner, The Addams Family Musical, An American In Paris, Legally Blonde, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas & and more. www.bbtheatricals.com

BIG LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS/DANIEL

SHER (Producer) is celebrating its 34th season of producing and general managing Broadway tours of shows and attractions throughout the world. Early highlights were collaborations with Disney on Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (US Tours, Taiwan, and China) and with Cameron Mackintosh on a new production of Miss Saigon. Also, the Tony®-Award winning Broadway revival of 42nd Street and Susan Stroman’s Broadway production of Meredith Willson’s The Music Man. Others: Footloose (Las Vegas, US Tour), Titanic, 1776, Peter Pan,A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum starring Rip Taylor, Blast!, The Who’s Tommy (US Tour, South America, Europe, and Japan), Ain’t Misbehavin’ with Ruben Studdard, and the First National Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang– flying car and all. More recent: The Producers (Susan Stroman’s original work), Hello, Dolly! with Sally Struthers, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady (US Tour and China premiere), original hip-hop dance show Groovaloo (OffBroadway), Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical (10 US Tours, Grand Ole Opry, and Madison Square Garden), Dreamgirls (US Tour, China premiere, Japan), Hair (US Tour and Japan), Bring it On (US Tour and Japan), Legally Blonde, and Little Women, as well as continued touring its flagship production of A Christmas Story The Musical. Current work includes The Cher Show national tour and a new touring production of The Addams Family. Future tours include Meredith Willson’s The Music Man

PRODUCER AND GENERAL MANAGER

Big League Productions, Inc.

President ................................................ Daniel Sher

General Manager Zach Krohn

Associate Producer Sophie Whitﬁeld Ofﬁce Manager and General Management Assistant Koy Peerenboom

Management Consultant Brent Watkins

Travel Consultant Gina Willens

Booking Consultant .................. L. Glenn Poppleton

Accounting Neuschatz, Neuschatz, Herman & Hanke, LLP

Insurance Edgewood Partners Insurance Center

Banking JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Payroll Checks & Balances Payroll

Travel Road Concierge

TECHNICAL & CREATIVE STAFF

Company Manager Shawn Passero

Production Stage Manager Riley Gibson

Associate Choreographer &

Associate Director Emilie Renier

Associate Lighting Designer Brian Helming

Assistant Lighting Designer Kamryn Nefﬂe

Lighting Supervisor Paul Gould

Production Sound Joseph Roma

Production Electrician Martin Cox

Keyboard Programmer ............................... Jim Harp

Assistant Company Manager &

Assistant Stage Manager Helen Thornton

Head Carpenter Carson Ayres

Assistant Carpenter / Flyman Nathan McKinney

Assistant Carpenter / Set Electrics Travis Austin

Head Electrician Kamryn Nefﬂe

Assistant Electrician / Spot Op ............. Ava Ansorg

Head Sound Anthony Lopez

Assistant Sound Ariana Gomez

Head Props Indy Sulleiro

Head Wardrobe Carly Peterson

Head Hair/Makeup Ashley Sirlin

Swing Technician Zoë O’Bot

Associate Music Supervisor ............... Sam Groisser

Costume Package Coordinator Liv Kurtz

Marketing Intern Owen Parker

TOUR BOOKING

Broadway & Beyond Theatricals

Tracey McFarland Ryan Bogner Victoria Lang Jaymi Gilmour Megan Savage Kelsey Young

Monica Smith Gauri Mangala Mary Alex Daniels

BROADCAST ADVERTISING & MEDIA PRODUCTION

Fresh Produce Productions Frank Basile

TOUR PRESS & MARKETING

TRUE Marketing

Wendy J. Connor Donna Fiegel

SCENERY PROVIDED BY BB PROPS, DALLAS STAGE SCENERY COMPANY, ROSE BRAND, SCENIC SOLUTIONS LLC, WILLIAM LIDDERDALE

LIGHTING PROVIDED BY INTELLIGENT LIGHTING SERVICES LTD

SOUND PROVIDED BY BIG LEAGUE PRODUCTIONS & DNB DESIGN

TRUCKING PROVIDED BY JANCO

BUSING PROVIDED BY PEAK TOURING AND LAMOILLE VALLEY HOTELS ARRANGED BY ROAD CONCIERGE

www.theaddamsfamilytour.com

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

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

THE USE OF ANY RECORDING DEVICE, EITHER AUDIO OR VIDEO, AND THE TAKING OF PHOTOGRAPHS, EITHER WITH OR WITHOUT FLASH, IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE FOLLOWING SUPPORT IN ITS 2024/25 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.

• 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, IATSE Local 719

Robin Appleton

Julie Bassignani

Vonnie Clough

Craig Cory

Cyndie Cory

Steve Davies

Anne Davis

Amber Krimbel

Carolyn Dore

AnnSue Gunter

Judy Holabird

Will Holabird

Lauren LaCasse

Kelsey Lambert

Mark Anthony

Perry Elliott

Kiko Marra

Leslie Lambert

Sarah Lambert

Sharon Millikan-Hale

Callie Morrow

Tim Nelson

Lisa Parsons Wagner

Laura Payne

Dave Poole

Alan Richards

Elisa Spadi

Amy Tepel

Eliza Vlasova

Barbara Wilson

DPAC House Crew

Albert Sainz Sr.

Josh Thurman

Derek Tovar

David A. Wilson

Allen Olmstead

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

Mike Johnston, Mayor Denver Arts & Venues

Gretchen Hollrah, Executive Director

Tariana Navas-Nievas, 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

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.

denvercenter.org/news-center

Find out how costume designers, set builders, propmakers, and technical specialists create our shows from scratch. Behind-the-Scenes Tours take place Mondays and Saturdays at 10am During these walking tours, you will experience recent updates to our storied performance spaces and discover the people and processes that bring theatre to life.

LEGACY GIVING

Leave a legacy. Make a pledge that safeguards the future of theatre. By doing so, you’ll become a member of the Encore Society, a dedicated group of patrons who have made long-term commitments to the DCPA in their estate plans.

HERE’S HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Take advantage of tax-wise giving: Speak with your tax advisor about transferring appreciated stock directly to the DCPA, or direct part or all of the RMD from your IRA directly to us. We pay no capital gains, so your direct transfer contributions often go further than personally taking your distribution and making donations out of the proceeds.

Make a gift in your will or revocable trust:

Give a tax-free gift for any DCPA designation that can be updated at any time.

Designate the DCPA as a beneﬁciary:

Name the DCPA as a beneﬁciary of a retirement plan, IRA, insurance policy, or other account.

As a member of our Encore Society, you’ll receive invitations to special events, access to discounted show tickets, and more member-only perks!

Leslie Alexander and Sophia Dotson in A Little Night Music

Photo by Amanda Tipton Photography

Explore uncharted territory, right in your backyard

Flight simulators

Ascend Spa & Wellness

Rooftop bar

Hotel Polaris is Colorado Springs’ newest frontier for world-class dining and recreation, now welcoming overnight stays and day getaways.

Set your flight path to awe-inspriring getaways and gatherings

All-day brunch

Unforgettable dinners

50s-style soda shop

THE BOOK OF MORMON IS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

REPRINTED BY PERMISSION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON

NNot just any musical wins nine Tony Awards, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and tours in 13 countries around the world, all while playing to packed audiences on Broadway for over 14 years. But then, The Book of Mormon, a musical comedy by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and Avenue Q co-creator/Frozen composer Robert Lopez, is not just any musical. The comedy has been seen by over 20 million audience members globally, with over 12,000 performances worldwide.

The conception of The Book of Mormon began after Parker and Stone met with Lopez after a performance of Avenue Q. They discovered a mutual interest in telling a story about Joseph Smith and the Mormon religion. A short time after that initial meeting, Lopez, Parker and Stone took a trip to Salt Lake City for inspiration, and The Book of Mormon musical was born.

The musical follows the adventures of a mismatched pair of missionaries, sent halfway across the world to spread the Good Word When The Book of Mormon opened on Broadway in 2011, after nearly seven years of development, it instantly became a mega-hit. One of Broadway’s Legacy shows, and now in its fourteenth year of performances, it just celebrated its 5,000th performance, making it the 12th longest-running show in Broadway history. It has set house records at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre more than 50

times. Since then, The Book of Mormon has played in 40 U.S. states, six Canadian provinces and 134 cities across the globe. Critics dubbed the production “the funniest musical of all time” and the “best musical of this century.”

In 2013, The Book of Mormon opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London’s West End. The day after opening the show grossed a record $3.2 million — the highest single sales day in West End and Broadway history. The West End production subsequently won four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. The Book of Mormon has also toured in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, Germany and more.

What Stone, Parker and Lopez have created is a show that has inﬂuenced and entertained multiple generations. Audiences continue to enjoy an evening of humor and heart. The Book of Mormon is more than a success. It is now a global phenomenon.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE

THE BOOK OF MORMON

MAY 6 – 18 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: May 17 at 2pm

Sam McLellan and company in THE BOOK OF MORMON North American tour.

Photo by Julieta Cervantes.

LIZ MILLER

A MOUTH-WATERING SEASON FINALE

The 2024/25 Theatre Company season wraps with a pair of award-winning comedies that are guaranteed to leave you hungry for more.

FEAST ON A BELOVED SCI-FI MUSICAL THAT HAS ROCKED THE GLOBE FOR GENERATIONS!

NOW – MAY 25

Little Shop of Horrors Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman Music by Alan Menken

Based on the ﬁlm by Roger Corman, Screenplay by Charles Griﬃth

Directed by Chris Coleman

A FIERCE COMEDY ABOUT THE RISKS AND REWARDS OF CELEBRATING WHO YOU ARE

BYEXTENDED DEMANDPOPULAR

The Hot Wing King By Katori Hall

APR 25 – MAY 25

Directed by Timothy Douglas

SEASON SPONSOR:

Grow Plants that Perform

BRING SOME SHOW TO YOUR BUSINESS

CORPORATE EVENTS

AT DCPA

Whether you’re planning a Board meeting, corporate retreat, or employee appreciation event, look to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts for your corporate needs. From planning and logistics to lighting design and catering, we’re able to pull oﬀ showstopping aﬀairs for the ultimate show of appreciation for your clients and guests!

Working with our theatrically trained, in-house Event Services team, you can select from the spectacular Seawell Ballroom or intimate Directors Room plus your choice of:

• Eight caterers

• Customized bar package from Sodexo Live!

• Dramatic lighting design and Broadway-caliber sound

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN THEATRE

Called the “Super Bowl of Theatre” by OnStage Colorado, the Colorado New Play Summit rests at the pinnacle of new play development in America. This year’s 19th annual event on March 1 & 2 was no exception.

More than 1,500 tickets were distributed to readings of new works from some of the industry’s brightest playwrights:

• bogfriends by jose sebastian alberdi is an exploration of love, power dynamics, and the preservation of the past that connects six characters from diﬀerent times and places as they navigate their relationships around an ancient Irish bog.

• In How to Conquer America: A Mostly True History of Yogurt by David Myers, Arlene Hoﬀman’s ad campaign transforms yogurt into a lucrative phenomenon. But when her late father interferes, she must confront family, culture, and appropriation in a heartfelt take on the American Dream.

• In Renaissance Rome, artists battle for a coveted commission, but poet Beatrice seeks to shape the content, as If God Were Blue by Carey Perloﬀ explores art, power, faith, and the creative struggle.

• Held hostage in her oﬃce, psychologist Dr. Devra Mendoza must outmaneuver danger, confronting buried truths about the world, her work, and herself in Rust on Bone by Bianca Sams, a gripping psychological thriller.

Playwrights featured at the Colorado New Play Summit include (l-r) Jake Brasch, Carey Perloﬀ, Sandy Rustin, Bianca Sams, jose sebastian alberdi, and David Myers.

Attendees also enjoyed the world premieres of Jake Brasch’s The Reservoir and Sandy Rustin’s The Su ragette’s Murder, both of which were read in 2023. Since its founding, the Summit has introduced 70 new plays, over half of which have received full Theatre Company productions before going on to more than 250 subsequent engagements across the country.

Photo by Harper Anne Finch.

Dazzle Denver

Complimentary dessert

The Regular

&

IN DOWNTOWN DENVER

Three-course Pre-Theatre Menu. Choose between the Meat, Pescatarian, or Vegetarian option! $50-$70

Panzano

Three-course Pre-Theatre Menu for $60 per person with an optional wine pairing for $30

Rioja Free glass of our proprietary Barcino C3 Cava

Complete the perfect outing with special o ers from our DCPA Restaurant Partners.

Just show your theatre tickets and enjoy!

range

Complimentary valet parking and dessert with purchase of entrée

STK Steakhouse

Complimentary valet parking and 20% oﬀ bill

12th annual

Park Hill Art Festival

May 31st & June 1st

3rd annual

Highlands Art Festival

June 7 & 8

8th annual

Evergreen Mountain Art Celebration

June 28 & 29

Jewelry - James Sandoval • Sculpture - Greg Robertson Moose Painting - Peter Freischlag

PROUD 2024/25 SEASON SPONSOR OF DCPA BROADWAY

MUSIC THERAPY CAN CHANGE THE BRAIN AND MAKE PEOPLE FEEL BETTER

BY LINNEA COVINGTON

HHave you ever listened to your favorite song and instantly felt better? This response, said Angela Wibben, Board-Certiﬁed Music Therapist at UCHealth, can be used to care for patients.

“Music and the arts are inherently therapeutic,” said Wibben who is also a classically trained percussionist. “There is no music center of the brain. When we use music interventions for rehabilitation, music activates a cross-covering of neural networks.”

While the use of music in therapy dates back centuries, UCHealth began to utilize it in 2016 as part of person-centered, collaborative care. Now UCHealth has tripled its efforts. “Until the Spring of 2024,” Wibben continued, “The University of Colorado Hospital had one staff music therapist for the entire hospital. With the support of our comprehensive data, our healthcare community, and generous philanthropy from donors, we have been able to expand the team to three board-certified music therapists on staff.”

What began in the World War II era to treat individuals in the midst of trauma has developed into a rigorous curriculum. “Now we have our own national board certiﬁcation, and in order to be a music therapist you need to earn at least an undergraduate degree in music therapy,” said Wibben, who has worked in the ﬁeld for 12 years, eight of those at UCHealth.

“Music therapy has been shown to improve the quality of life of our patients as well as…to help them heal and support their physical, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and social goals,” said Wibben. “During a music therapy session our patients may talk about lyrics to explore their meaning in their lives, write songs to express emotions, improvise on instruments to decrease anxiety, use the qualities of rhythm and pitch to help them relearn how to speak after a neurologic injury, or listen to live music to help relax or decrease pain.”

However, when Wibben comes into a room with a cart of instruments, not everyone understands what’s going on.

“I usually start with a broad approach. I ask what is the most challenging part about being in the hospital. For some it’s the pain, the anxiety, and for others it’s being away from social supports and communities, pets or loved ones,” she explained. But music “can help empower people in their healing process.”

It doesn’t matter if you are a musician or have a favorite genre. The real key, she said, is to ask people what music they love and let the comfort and joy of the song course through them. That’s where the healing comes in.

PROUD PARTNER OF THE DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

CCBS Colorado’s Dillon Thomas is known as Your Reporter in Northern Colorado, but around here, he’s better known as Colorado’s connection to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. CBS Colorado’s team of Your Reporters covers Colorado’s vibrant arts scene like no one else and Dillon’s coverage of the DCPA is unique and far-reaching. His commitment has put him on the road with America’s top traveling productions, including MJ the musical, TINA — The Tina Turner Musical and SIX. “Telling the stories of these extraordinary performers and showing our viewers the long hours behind the scenes and the intense eﬀort these shows require is one of my great honors,” Thomas says. “I’m very proud to represent CBS Colorado and showcase all the incredible talent that the DCPA brings to our theatres throughout the year.”

As one of the largest nonproﬁt theater organizations in the country, the DCPA provides a great avenue for connecting with our community and our clients through the arts.

— NICOLE AMENT, SHAREHOLDER AT BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK AND DCPA TRUSTEE

PROUD CORPORATE MEMBER OF THE DCPA

FFounded in 1968 by three University of Colorado graduates, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck provides its clients a value that no other western law ﬁrm can match— an integrated approach that combines sensible business solutions with a federal, state and local government perspective. The ﬁrm’s 300 lawyers and policy professionals provide multidisciplinary legal counsel that drives results and connects business leaders to the information they need to make decisions.

For more than 55 years, Brownstein has called downtown Denver home. Long before the term “corporate social responsibility” arrived on the scene, our founders, Norm Brownstein, Jack Hyatt and Steve Farber, created a culture of giving back to the local community from the ﬁrst day the ﬁrm opened its doors.

Today, Brownstein continues to foster this value— investing in its communities through board service, volunteerism, sponsorships, donations and pro bono legal services. Its commitment to philanthropy goes beyond words and dollars, empowering employees to volunteer their time and talents in a way that is meaningful to them. From hosting hands-on volunteer opportunities to helping employees identify nonproﬁt and civic board positions that ﬁt their passions, Brownstein’s employees give back to make the communities where they live and work stronger.

“As a member of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Board of Trustees, I get to see firsthand the impact that the DCPA has on our community,” said Nicole Ament, Shareholder, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. “As one of the largest nonprofit theater organizations in the country, the work of so many people on and off the stage helps celebrate artistic achievements, create educational experiences and foster conversations. It also provides a great avenue for connecting with our community and our clients through the arts.”

Brownstein is proud to support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts and the success of Colorado’s creative economy.

DCPA

Janice Sinden President & CEO

Donna Hendricks Executive Assistant, President & CEO

Julie Schumaker Manager, Board Relations

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE

Jane Williams CFAO

Sara Brandenburg Director, Accounting Services

Jennifer Jeﬀrey Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Kristina Monge Associate Accountant

Rachel Rodriguez Manager, Treasury & Reconciliations

Jennifer Siemers Director, Accounting

BROADWAY & CABARET

John Ekeberg Executive Director

Administration

Ashley Brown Business Manager

Alicia Bruce General Manager

Lisa Prater Operations Manager

Garner Galleria Theatre

Abel Becerra Technical Director

Jason Begin+,

Anna Hookana+ Core Stagehands

DEVELOPMENT

Jamie Clements Vice President

Connor Carlin Associate Director, Major & Planned Gifts

Sarah Darlene Manager, Grants & Reports

Caroline Eppers Manager, Auctions & Partnerships

Kara Erickson-Stiemke Coordinator

Emily Kettlewell Associate Director, Annual Giving

Caitie Maxwell Senior Director, Major Gifts

Marc Ravenhill Director, Donor Relations

Megan Stewart Associate Director, Special Events

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Allison Watrous Executive Director

Stuart Barr Technical Director

Leslie Channell Director, Business Operations

Lyndsay Corbett Teaching Artist & Manager, Bobby G

María Corral Director, Community Engagement

Heather Curran Teaching Artist & Manager, Playwriting

Elliot Davis Evening Registrar & Oﬃce Coordinator

Rachel Ducat Executive Assistant & Business Manager

Rya Dyes Registrar & On-Site Class Manager

Gavin Juckette Teaching Artist & Manager, TYA Engagement & Music

Timothy McCracken Head of Acting

Rick Mireles Manager, Community Engagement

David Saphier Teaching Artist & Manager, In-School Programming

Charlotte Talbert Librarian

Rachel Taylor Teaching Artist & Manager, Literary Engagement & Resiliency

Justin WalvoordTeaching Artist & Manager, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

Samuel Wood Director, Education & Curriculum Development

EVENT SERVICES

Samantha Egle, Cody Gocio Senior Sales & Event Managers

Stori Heleen-O’Foley Event Technical Manager

Shane Hotle Audio Engineer

David Mandlowitz Video Engineer

Natalia Marroquin, Phil Rohrbach Sales & Event Managers

DCPA TEAM

Tara Miller Event Sales & Operations Director

Brook Nichols Event Technical Director

Kate Olsen Event Sales Coordinator

Benjamin Peitzer Event Technical Lead

Michael Harris, Alex Taylor Lighting Designers

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Lisa Roebuck Vice President For security purposes, the IT team has been omitted.

MARKETING & SALES

Angela Lakin Vice President

Whitney Testa Executive Assistant, Marketing & Broadway

Marketing

Heidi Bosk Associate Director, Press & Promotions, Broadway & Cabaret

Erin Bunyard Senior Digital Strategist

Soﬁa Contreras, Lucas Kreitler Graphic Designers

Brenda Elliott, Paul Koob Senior Graphic Designers

Harper Anne Finch Manager, Social Marketing

TJ Forlenza Copywriter

Claire Graves Director, Produced Programs

Brittany Gutierrez Associate Director, Communications

Linda Horan Program Manager

Jeﬀ Hovorka Director, Sales & Marketing, Broadway & Cabaret

Emma Holst Associate, Communications & Content

Emily Kent Director, Insights & Strategy

Michael Ryan Leuthner Director, Digital Marketing

Emily Lozow Associate Director, Sales & Marketing, Broadway & Cabaret

Kyle Malone Director, Design

Dan McNulty Analyst

Todd Metcalf Media Producer

Hannah Selwyn Manager, Email Marketing

Sergio von Kretschmann Manager, Website

Julie Whelan Manager, Produced Programs

Mikayla Woods Coordinator, Produced Programs

Suzanne Yoe Director, Content & Communications

Ticketing & Audience Services

Jennifer Lopez Director

Jessica Alverson*, Tamika Cox*, Zeah Edmonds*, Lauren Estes*, Jen Gray*, Noa Halpern*, Noah Jungferman*, Max McCord, Noelle Norris*, Alexander Roy*,

Holly Stigen*, Lily Valdez, Bronwen

VanOrdstrand*,

Rob Warner* Ticket Agents

Kirsten Anderson*, Scott Lix*,

Liz Sieroslawski*,

Greg Swan* Subscription Agents

Jon Collins Manager, Subscription

Katie Davis Manager, VIP Ticketing

D.J. Dennis*, Luke Fish*, Edmund Gurule*, Lane Randall*, Hayley Solano*, Sam Stump*, Andrew Sullivan, Alfonso Vazquez* Counter/Show Leads

Billy Dutton Associate Director, Operations

Danielle Freeman Manager, Customer Service

Claire Hayes, Ella Mann, Robert McCowan Managers, Box Oﬃce

Chris Leech Coordinator, VIP Ticketing

Katie Spanos Associate Director, Subscriber Services

Group Sales

Jessica Bergin Associate Director

Tucker Kamin Manager, Audience Development

Elias Lopez Coordinator

Maddie Young Associate, Education & Group Sales

OFF-CENTER

Charlie Miller Executive Director & Curator

Cat Huck Assistant Operations Manager

Courtney Ozaki Creative Producer

Mike Pingel Operations Manager

OPERATIONS

Sarah Arzberger Administrator

Vincent Bridgers Manager

Adam Busch Analyst

Aaron Chavez Lead

Ruben Cruz, Jordan Latouche Engineers

Simone Gordon Associate Director

Kyle Greufe Senior Analyst

Maria Herwagen Junior Analyst

Brandon LeMarr Manager

Alison Orthel, Tara Perticone Analysts

Joseph Reecher Senior Engineer

Cordelia Taylor Coordinator

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Laura Maresca CPCO

Equity & Organization Culture

Seán Kroll Coordinator

Human Resources

Brian Carter Senior Business Partner

Andrew Guilder HR & Recruiting Specialist

Michaela Johnson Interim Mailroom Assistant

Paul Johnson Manager, Payroll & Compliance

Jocelyn Martinez Business Partner

Kinsey Scholl Manager, Operations

THEATRE COMPANY

Administration

Charles Varin Managing Director

Emily Diaz Business Admin./ Asst. Company Manager

Alex Koszewski Company Manager

Ann Marshall General Manager

Artistic

Chris Coleman Artistic Director

Jessica Eckenrod Artistic Associate

Grady Soapes Artistic Producer & Casting Director

Leean Kim Torske Director, Literary Programs

Madison Cook-Hines Literary Assistant

Costume Crafts

Kevin Copenhaver Director

Chris Campbell Assistant

Costume Shop

Janet MacLeod Director/Design Associate

Meghan Anderson Doyle Design Associate

Katarina Kosmopoulos First Hand

Ingrid Ludeke,

Carolyn Plemitscher Drapers

House Crew

Douglas Taylor+ Supervisor

James Berman+, Forest Fowler+, Dave Mazzeno+, Kyle Moore+, Piper Stormes+, Matt Wagner+ Stagehands

Joseph Price+, Kelley Reznik+ Assistants

Lighting Design

Charles MacLeod Director

Connor Baker+ Production Electrician

Lily Bradford Assistant

Paint Shop

Kristin Hamer MacFarlane Charge Scenic Artist

Melanie Rentschler, Sasha Seaman Scenic Artists

Production

Jeﬀ Giﬀord Director

Julie Brou Administrative Assistant/ Oﬃce Manager

Matthew Campbell Production Manager

Peggy Carey Associate Production Manager

Prop Shop

Meghan Markiewicz Supervisor

Sara Pugh Associate Supervisor

Bennet Goldberg, Georgina Kayes, Ashley Lawler Artisans

Andrew McGlothen Prop Carpenter

Scene Shop

Eric Moore Technical Director

Albert “Stub” Allison, Robert L. Orzolek, Josh Prues Associate Technical Directors

Jeremy Banthoﬀ, Tyler D. Clark, Amy Wynn Pastor, Kyle Scoggins Scenic Technicians

Louis Fernandez III Lead Scenic Technician

Brian “Marco” Markiewicz Lead Carpenter

Scenic Design

Lisa Orzolek Director

Kevin Nelson, Nicholas Renaud Assistants

Sound Design & Technology

Alex Billman Supervisor

Meagan Holdeman+, Timothy Schoeberl+, Dimitri Soto+ Technicians

Elena Martin Associate Supervisor

Stage Management

Anne Jude Supervisor

Corin Davidson, Harper Hadley, Brandon T. Holmes, Kristen O’Connor, Malia Stoner Stage Managers

Anna Cordova, Sam Forrest, Megan Franco Apprentices

Wardrobe

Heidi Echtenkamp Supervisor

Robin Appleton^, Amber Krimbel^, Lauren LaCasse^, Lisa Parsons Wagner^, Nicole Watts^, Kami Williams^ Dressers

Wigs

Diana Ben-Kiki Supervisor

Abby Schmidt^, Marisa Sorce^ Wig Assistants

VENUE OPERATIONS

Glen Lucero Vice President

Merry Davis Financial Manager

Jane Deegan Administrator

Kristi Horvath Director of Venue Operations

Facilities

Craig Smith Director

Dwight Barela, Mark Dill, Bryan Faciane, John Howard, Iver Johnson Engineers

Abraham Cervantes, Lindsey Cervantes, Carmen Molina, Judith Primero Molina, Juan Loya Molina,

Blanca Primero Custodians

Michael Kimbrough Manager, Engineering

Brian McClain Manager, Custodial

Patron Experience

Evan Gendreau Associate Director

Kaylyn Kriaski, Leilani Lynch, Aaron McMullen, Stacy Norwood, Wendy Quintana, Valerie Schaefer Assistant Managers

Kelly Breuer, Nora Caley, Amy Howard, Robin Lander, Barbara Pooler, Ayden Smith House Managers

Safety & Security

Quentin Crump Director

Jacquelyne Schmidt Manager, Health & Safety

Timothy Allen, Jodi Benavides Lead Security Oﬃcers

Mayte Armendariz, David Bright, Ariana Cuevas, Ethan Kemberlin, Jack Leatherwood, Ian Nelson, Jason Porquis, Isabella Samaniego, Zach Stemley, Pamela Winston, Tori Witherspoon, Angel Zanudio Security Specialists

Judy Briggs Front Desk

Rateliff sings Rateliff with the Colorado Symphony APR 11-12

Beethoven & Brahms with Christopher Dragon MAY 16-18

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring MAY 23-25

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich MAY 30-JUN 1