Hadestown

CCould Hadestown writer and composer, Anaïs Mitchell have subconsciously predicted key elements of the world’s most devastating global crisis? The show’s world is one of suff ering. Power and wealth reign supreme; the poor go hungry; seasons are unstable, and love is lost. In the real world, COVID-19 wreaks havoc, systematic racism forces persistent protest, border security fuels contentious debate, unemployment skyrockets, and climate change happens in real time. These challenges engulf our world beyond the theater as much as they do the musical’s dark side, sparking the show’s revolutionary score. The fact that Hadestown feels so relevant may seem surprising, considering that its composition started more than a decade ago. Mitchell conceived “Wait for Me,” a fi ery declaration song at the center of the score, several years before Hadestown saw a Broadway stage, early in her singer-songwriter career. “I was driving from one tip gig to another when the melody of ‘Wait for Me’ dropped out of the sky,” says Mitchell, who wrote Hadestown’s book, music, and lyrics. “It came with some long-lost lyrics that seemed to describe the Orpheus & Eurydice myth, which had been a favorite of mine as a kid.” Like his Classical predecessor, Mitchell’s Orpheus can change the world through music. Viral videos of hopeful Italians singing from their balconies during COVID-19 quarantine show that Orpheus’s ethos thrives throughout the globe. “I think what inspired me most about retelling that story was the idea of pitting young, creative, optimistic Orpheus against an underworld where ‘the rules are the rules,’” Mitchell says. “At fi rst it was the idea of Orpheus, who believes if he could just write something beautiful enough, he could move the heart of stone. He could change the way the world is.” Embracing music’s ability to trigger a spectrum of emotions, Mitchell wrote Hadestown to encompass healing powers, inviting audiences on a sacred pilgrimage to Hell and back. The musical’s more distinct lines, like “To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now,” and “If no one takes too much, there will always be enough,” off er hope to many in the present moment. “To me, those fi rst lines are a reminder that even in hard times, there’s beauty and bravery and cause for celebration. There’s beauty in the struggle for a better world even if we can’t yet see the result,” Mitchell explains. “Orpheus is a hero not because he succeeds—but because he tries!” Orpheus off ers a glimpse at humanity’s fullest power by following through on his conviction for goodness and beauty. “Orpheus was by far the hardest character for me to write, in part because he’s more ‘pure’ than any other character,” Mitchell explains. “Hades, Persephone, and even Hermes and Eurydice have a sort of jaded quality, a world-weariness that is much easier to grasp and to

At fi rst it was the idea of Orpheus, who believes if he could just write something beautiful enough, he could move the heart of stone. He could change the way the world is.

— ANAÏS MITCHELL, WRITER AND COMPOSER

write for. Orpheus is a dreamer, a genuine optimist, and that has been a challenge to discover and to express in writing. It’s hard to take an optimist seriously! For a long time, his optimism came across as overconfi dence, which wasn’t in keeping with his sensitive soul.” Orpheus is the blueprint for optimism accelerating healing. His character urges audiences to look a little deeper for the good in the world, even if that search appears foolhardy. As its characters quite literally travel the road to Hell, Hadestown encourages audiences to experience that which feels harsh and might seem inevitable but cautions against letting such a harrowing journey breed fear or despair. “Why We Build the Wall,” the show’s bombastic Act 1 fi nale sung by a domineering Hades, for example, highlights the exclusionary powers of borders. “I wrote that song in 2006, and it’s one of the few songs that I wrote very quickly, all in one sitting, almost before I understood what it meant,” says Mitchell. “I was imagining a climate in crisis, a world in which many places had become uninhabitable and there were large populations of migrants knocking at the gates of the places of relative wealth and security. And the thought that popped into my head was, ‘When that happens, who among us is not going to want to be behind some kind of wall?’ Leaders (like Hades in Hadestown) have found it eff ective to use the language of the wall because it speaks loudly to a scared citizenry. The next thought that crossed my mind was the way walling others out has the equal and unintended eff ect of walling ourselves in.” Mitchell’s concern has proven prescient. When the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, leaders around the globe ordered citizens to remain locked within the walls of their homes while also shutting down borders to immigration and travel. During mandated stay-at-home orders, the world watched in horror for 8 minutes and 46 seconds the murder of George Floyd, another un-armed Black killed at the hands of police. Floyd’s unjustifi ed death by those paid to protect and serve, sparked a universal outcry of “Black Lives Matter,” and “Enough is Enough.”

Hadestown off ers dogged hope in the face of seemingly endless gloom. As the pandemic rages and citizens of the world remain “walled in,” we have the same opportunity as Orpheus to focus on making the world a better place. He reminds us not to use material goods as the only source of satisfaction and happiness, but to look deeper for the music striking cords of love, humanity, equality, peace, and spirituality.

Hadestown TOP: Kimberly Marable and company. in the North American Tour. BOTTOM: Kevyn Morrow and Hadestown Morgan Siobhan Green in the North American Tour. Photos by T Charles Erickson.

AUG 30 – SEP 11, 2022 BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: Sep 11 at 1:30pm

GO BEHIND THE SCENES WITH THE BROADWAY COMPANY

Our upcoming Broadway and Cabaret shows cater to the die-hard musical fans, drama afi cionados, and practical jokers in every family. Buy tickets for your must-see shows today to lock in the best possible seats and performance dates.

AUG 30 - SEP 11, 2022

NOV 2 - 20, 2022 SEP 7 - 25, 2022

DEC 7, 2022-JAN 1, 2023 OCT 25 - NOV 6, 2022

DEC 10 & 11, 2022

DEC 20, 2022 - JAN 1, 2023 JAN 24 - FEB 5, 2023 FEB 21 - 26, 2023 MAY 31 - JUN 4, 2023

SEASON SPONSOR GET TICKETS AT

denvercenter.org

Chris Coleman, Artistic Director Charles Varin, Managing Director

present

THE CHINESE LADY

BY LLOYD SUH

With Narea Kang, Sky Smith Stage Managers: Malia Stoner, Kristin Sutter

SCENIC DESIGN BY Alan E. Muraoka

COSTUME DESIGN BY

Meghan Anderson Doyle

LIGHTING DESIGN BY

Charles R. MacLeod

SOUND DESIGN BY

André Pluess

VOICE AND DIALECT BY

Eva Breneman

DRAMATURGY BY

Katherine Chou

CASTING BY Grady Soapes, CSA

DIRECTED BY Seema Sueko

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT BY Matthew Campbell

The video and/or audio recording of this performance by any means whatsoever is strictly prohibited.

THE SINGLETON THEATRE • SEPT 9 – OCT 16, 2022

“THE CHINESE LADY is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.”

Co-world premiere presented at Barrington Stage (Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director; Branden Huldeen, Artistic Producer) Pittsfield, MA, July 2018

Commissioned by and co-world premiere presented by Ma-Yi Theater Company (Ralph B. Peña, Artistic Director) in New York City

Developed with support of the Roe Green Award at Cleveland Play House.

SEASON SPONSORS

THE CHINESE LADY CAST

(In order of appearance) Afong Moy ........................................................................................................................................................................... Narea Kang Atung..........................................................................................................................................................................................Sky Smith

Stage Manager..................................................................................................................................................................Malia Stoner Assistant Stage Manager............................................................................................................................................Kristin Sutter Stage Management Apprentice..........................................................................................................................Angela Salazar Intimacy Consultant................................................................................................................................................. Samantha Egle

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers of the United States.

SETTING The United States, beginning in 1834

THE CHINESE LADY will be performed without an intermission.

WHO’S WHO

ACTING COMPANY

NAREA KANG

(Afong Moy) (She/ Her/Hers) is thrilled to make her DCPA debut! Select regional credits include: And So That Happened... (5th Avenue Theatre); White Pearl (Studio Theatre); Caught (Intiman Theatre); The Hard Problem, A Christmas Carol, John (American Conservatory Theater); The Tempest (Livermore Shakespeare Festival). New York: Madonna col Bambino (Ars Nova); The Drinking Bird (New Ohio Theatre); Salty (Lyra Theater). TV/Film: “Law & Order: SVU,” “Betty,” Jules. Training: MFA, American Conservatory Theater. nareakang.com

SKY SMITH (Atung) (He/Him/His) most recently performed Off-Broadway in the NY premiere of The Lucky Star at 59E59 Theaters. Other theatre credits include: Twelfth Night, The Book of Will (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); Love’s Labour’s Lost (The Acting Company, Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis). Sky guest starred on “The Blacklist” (NBC) opposite James Spader, and was a performer in the prestigious ABC Discovers: Talent Showcase produced by ABC network’s casting team. Sky is a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the Atlantic Theater Company. @sky.smi / esakiskysmith.com

PLAYWRIGHT

LLOYD SUH is the author of The Chinese Lady, Charles Francis Chan Jr.’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery, American Hwangap, The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go!, Jesus in India, and others, produced with Ma-Yi, Magic Theatre, EST, NAATCO, PlayCo, Denver Center, Milwaukee Rep, ArtsEmerson, Children’s Theatre Co, and more, including internationally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and with PCPA in Seoul, Korea. He has received support from the NEA Arena Stage New Play Development program, Mellon Foundation, NYFA, NYSCA, Jerome, TCG, Dramatists Guild, and residencies including NYS&F and Ojai. He is an alum of Youngblood and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab and was a recipient of a 2016 Helen Merrill Award and the 2019 Herb Alpert Award in the Arts. From 2005-2010 he served as Artistic Director of Second Generation and Co-Director of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab and has served since 2011 as the Director of Artistic Programs at The Lark, and since 2015 as a member of the Dramatists Guild Council. DIRECTOR

SEEMA SUEKO (She/Her/Hers) is happy to return to Denver Center after directing Vietgone in 2018. Her current and upcoming projects include adapting Kiana Davenport’s novel Song of the Exile to a playscript, directing Silent Sky at Asolo Repertory Theatre (running January 19 – March 5, 2023), and organizing learning circles about Solidarity Economy for the theater community. Seema sits on Boards of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC) and its Foundation (SDCF) and is the 2022 recipient of the TCG Alan Schneider Director Award. For more information about Seema’s work visit www.seemasueko.com.

CREATIVE TEAM

EVA BRENEMAN (Voice and Dialect Coach). (She/Her/Hers). Regional credits include: As You Like It, Things I Know to Be True (Milwaukee Rep); seven seasons at American Players Theatre; R&J: A Theatre Lila Invention (Theatre Lila); Love’s Labour’s Lost (Actors Theatre of Louisville); Around the World In 80 Days (Centerstage/ Kansas City Repertory). Chicago credits include: Titanic (Court Theatre); The Last Match (Writers Theatre); Oslo (TimeLine Theatre); The Doppelganger (Steppenwolf); Mary Stuart (Chicago Shakespeare); Plantation! (Lookingglass Theatre), and Twilight Bowl (Goodman Theatre). National Tours: Mamma Mia!, The Woman in

Black. TV: “Betrayal,” “The Chicago Code,” “The Beast.” Eva is an Associate Artist at Timeline Theatre in Chicago.

MATTHEW CAMPBELL (Production Manager). (He/Him/His). Matthew is incredibly grateful to be back at work supporting our outstanding production team and guest artists creating extraordinary theatre after so many difficult months away. He started at the DCPA in 2010 as a stage manager and in 2016 joined the production management team. Previously a stage manager at several local theatres and an Assistant Professor of Theater at Brooklyn College. Training: MFA, University of Iowa.

KATHERINE CHOU (Dramaturg). (She/ Her/Hers). Theatre credits include: The Chinese Lady, Non So Più Cosa Son, Three Women of Swatow (Artists at Play); In Search of Mrs. Pirandello (Montreal Fringe), and The Tashme Project (Montréal, arts interculturels). As a filmmaker, she has worked with directors Christopher Nolan, George Tillman, Jr., and Denise Di Novi on films including Dunkirk and The Hate U Give. Awards/Training: BA, L’Institut d’Études Politiques de Paris, BIFAN Fantastic Film School in South Korea, Imago Theatre’s ARTISTA Program in Montreal, Visual Communications’ Armed with a Camera Fellowship, Telling Our Stories presented by STARZ, The Wrap, and Women in Film.

MEGHAN ANDERSON DOYLE

(Costume Designer). (She/Her/Hers). DCPA credits include: The Other Josh Cohen, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Doll’s House and A Doll’s House, Part 2 (2020 Henry Award Outstanding Costume Design), Xanadu!, American Mariachi, The Wild Party, The Glass Menagerie, Sweet & Lucky, One Night in Miami, Appoggiatura, and nearly 20 other productions. Other Theatres: The Book of Will, Two Gentlemen of Verona (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Stick Fly, The Moors, The Drowning Girls (Arvada Center); The Secretary, The Cake, The Brother/Sister Plays (Curious Theatre Company); The Catamounts; Local Theatre Company; Theatre Aspen; The Aurora Fox; National Theatre Conservatory Rep. Meghan holds an M.F.A. in Costume Design from the University of Florida. DoyleCostumeDesign.com

CHARLES R. MACLEOD (Lighting Designer). At the DCPA (300+ productions/40 seasons): Recent designs include: In the Upper Room, As You Like It, Sweat, Native Gardens, One Night in Miami, Appoggiatura, The Diary of Anne Frank, Lydia, The Merry Wives of Windsor, 1001, The 39 Steps, Gem of the Ocean, All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, Lord of the Flies. For DCPA Cabaret: The Other Josh Cohen, The Improvised Shakespeare Company®, Xanadu, First Date, The Secret Comedy of Women (Denver and National Tour), The Last Five Years, Always…Patsy Cline. For DCPA Education: Corduroy, Goodnight Moon. Mr. MacLeod has been a member of the Theatre Company since 1983. www.charlesmacleod.com

ALAN E. MURAOKA (Scenic Designer). Our Town by Ned Rorem, Oklahoma!, and Dead Man Walking by Jake Hagee (Central City Opera); The Invention of Morel by Steward Copeland (Chicago Opera Theater and Long Beach Opera); The Fall of the House of Usher by Phillip Glass, Orpheus and Euridice by Ricky Ian Gordon (Long Beach Opera); The Ghost of Versailles by John Corigliano, Figaro 90210, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Chautauqua Opera); Vincent in Brixton, Trying, and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? (The Old Globe Theater). Currently production designer for “New Amsterdam” for NBC/Universal. ANDRÉ PLUESS (Sound Designer). At the DCPA: Vietgone. Broadway: The Minutes (Cort/Studio 54); 33 Variations (Eugene O’Neill Theatre); I Am My Own Wife (Lyceum Theatre); Metamorphoses (Circle in the Square). Off-Broadway: The Clean House (Lincoln Center); Milk Like Sugar and BFE (Playwrights Horizons). Regional credits include multiple productions with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Center Theatre Group, Arena Stage, Goodman, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare, Court Theatre, Berkeley Repertory, Williamstown Theatre Festival, La Jolla Playhouse, The Huntington, and South Coast Repertory. Based in Chicago, Andre is an ensemble member of Lookingglass Theatre Company.

GRADY SOAPES (Casting) (He/Him/ His) is the Director of Casting and Artistic Producer with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Selected casting credits include Rattlesnake Kate, Goodnight Moon, Indecent, A Doll’s House and A Doll’s House, Part 2 in repertory, Oklahoma!, Last Night and the Night Before, The Who’s Tommy, The Wild Party, A Christmas Carol, This Is Modern Art. Grady also works as a Casting Director for Sylvia Gregory Casting where he has cast commercials for Subaru, Fruit of the Loom and has been an associate on several TV, film and video games projects. Choreography credits include Goodnight Moon, Anna Karenina, As You Like It, Drag Machine, Lord of the Butterflies, DragON (Denver Center); Comedy of Errors (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); The Liar (Arvada Center); The Music Man (Perry-Mansfield) as well as Artist in Residence at Colorado State University in 2010. Grady is the producer of the Colorado New Play Summit and former producer of the Colorado New Play Festival.

STAGE MANAGEMENT

MALIA STONER (Stage Manager) (She/Her/Hers). At the DCPA: Rattlesnake Kate, A Christmas Carol, A Doll’s House, The Santaland Diaries, New Play Summit ‘22. I Do! I Do!, Million Dollar Quartet (Arvada Center); Aubergine, Small Mouth Sounds, Around the World in 80 Days (TheatreWorks); Beehive the 60’s Musical (Lone Tree Arts Center); Lab 11: You Enjoy Myself (Local Theatre Company); Newsies, Man of La Mancha, Beauty and the Beast, Music Man, Slipper and the Rose, 42nd Street, Forever Plaid, A Wonderful Life, Evita and Kiss Me, Kate (Candlelight Dinner Playhouse); Gypsy, Addams Family, Aida, Godspell (Little Theatre of the Rockies); Coppelia (Colorado Ballet Academy); Nutcracker (Colorado Dance Theatre).

KRISTIN SUTTER (Assistant Stage Manager) (She/Her/Hers). At the DCPA: In the Upper Room. National Tours: Something Rotten!, A Christmas Story: The Musical, and The Buddy Holly Story. International: Something Rotten! (Korea), The Buddy Holly Story (Canada). Other credits include: Bright Star, A Christmas Carol, Million Dollar Quartet, Elf (Arvada Center); The Christians (Riverside Theatre); Footloose, Ring of Fire, The Marvelous Wonderettes, …Spelling Bee (West Virginia Public Theatre); Caroline or Change, Band Geeks!, Lombardi, Avenue Q, Sweeney Todd (Human Race Theatre Company); Crazy for You, Bonnie & Clyde (Ocean Professional Theatre Company); Love Quirks (World Premiere, NYC); Grease (Eldorado Casino); Ring of Fire (Laguna Playhouse). Training: BFA, Wright State University.