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VOLUME XXVIII • NUMBER 4 • NOV 2016 – JAN 2017
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The Hip Hop Nutcracker company. Photo by United Palace of Cultural Arts.
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THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
Also Playing: Finding Neverland A Christmas Carol Hedwig and the Angry Inch Jersey Boys Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical
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APPLAUSE
SIGHTLINE
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BY JANICE SINDEN
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VO LU M E X XV I I I • N U M B E R 4 • N OV 2 0 1 6 – JA N 2 0 1 7
EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Rob Silk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: John Moore SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Adam Obendorf ART DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone DESIGNERS: Kim Conner, Brenda Elliott CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Hope Grandon Applause is published seven 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.
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Greetings and welcome to one of eight shows this holiday season. As the new President & CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I am excited to join the DCPA as it comes off its most successful season ever — 1.2 million guests; 25,000 subscribers; 85,000 students, and a $600 million economic impact over the past five years. Wow! Plus we’re actively gearing up for our 12th annual Colorado New Play Summit, two world premiere plays, the pre-Broadway debut of Frozen and a coveted stop on the Hamilton tour. What an amazing time to join the DCPA as only the third President & CEO in its nearly 40-year history. It is, indeed, an honor and a privilege to have been asked to lead the nation’s largest non-profit theatre organization. Mayor Hancock called the DCPA the cultural gem of the City and I could not agree more. But that recognition is not possible without your active interest and engagement. So thank you for being here today, for sharing your experience with your friends, and for helping us to attract top talent, launch world premieres and become one of the top theatre markets in the nation. In fact, the National Endowment for the Arts recently ranked Colorado third in the nation for per capita attendance at theatre, music and dance performances. Your active participation is worthy of a standing ovation. As CEO, I look forward to working alongside our artists, administrators, educators and patrons to do more together than we can separately. We want to broaden access, diversify our audience, engage with new people in new ways and, ultimately, be as vital to our community as the mountains are to Colorado. Thank you for joining us here today — whether it’s for one of our holiday shows, a returning favorite or Broadway’s newest tour. We hope that you enjoy every moment of your experience and make it a tradition for years to come. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you in the coming season.
JANICE SINDEN President & CEO Denver Center for the Performing Arts
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
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BOARD OF TRUSTEES Daniel L. Ritchie, Chairman William Dean Singleton, Sec’y/Treasurer Robert Slosky, First Vice Chair Margot Gilbert Frank, Second Vice Chair Dr. Patricia Baca Joy S. Burns Isabelle Clark Navin Dimond L. Roger Hutson Mary Pat Link Robert C. Newman Hassan Salem Richard M. Sapkin Martin Semple Tara Smith Jim Steinberg Ken Tuchman Tina Walls Lester L. Ward Dr. Reginald L. Washington Judi Wolf Sylvia Young
HELEN G. BONFILS FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES Martin Semple, President Jim Steinberg, Vice President Judi Wolf, Sec’y/Treasurer Lester L. Ward, President Emeritus David Miller Robert C. Newman Daniel L. Ritchie William Dean Singleton Robert Slosky Dr. Reginald L. Washington
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EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT Janice Sinden, President & CEO Clay Courter, Vice President, Facilities & Event Services John Ekeberg, Executive Director, Broadway Vicky Miles, Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Nealson, Chief Marketing Officer Yovani Pina, Associate Vice President of Information Technology Kent Thompson, Producing Artistic Director, Theatre Company Charles Varin, Managing Director, Theatre Company David Zupancic, Director of Development
PAINTING WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME
Don’t miss the chance to see extraordinary Renaissance artworks that rarely leave Venice. In Denver for a limited time.
ON VIEW THROUGH FEBRUARY 12, 2017
Titian, Madonna and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Dominic, and a Donor, (detail) about 1513. Oil on canvas; 53 7/8 Ă— 72 1/2 in. Fondazione Magnani Rocca, Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma). Courtesy of Fondazione Magnani Rocca, Mamiano di Traversetolo (Parma). Glory of Venice: Masterworks of the Renaissance is organized by the Denver Art Museum in collaboration with the North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh. It is presented with generous support from Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Robert Lehman Foundation, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, John Brooks Incorporated, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign and the citizens who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities. Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine, CBS4, Comcast Spotlight, and The Denver Post.
IN THE
UPCOMING SHOWS
SPOTLIGHT
An Act of God Now – Mar 12, 2017 Jersey Boys Now – Nov 13 The Hip Hop Nutcracker Nov 20
Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ biggest stars step into the spotlight — actors, designers, students and you.
A Christmas Carol Nov 25 – Dec 24 The SantaLand Diaries Nov 25 – Dec 24 Hedwig and the Angry Inch Dec 6 – 11 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical Dec 16 – 18 Finding Neverland Dec 20, 2016 – Jan 1 Fun Home Jan 10 – 22 The Book of Will Jan 13 – Feb 26
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The Christians Jan 27 – Feb 26 Two Degrees Feb 3 – Mar 12 Cult Following Feb 10 – 11 Apr 28 – 29 • May 12 – 13 Colorado New Play Summit Feb 18 – 19 & 24 – 26
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Photos: Emily Lozow, McKenzie Kielman, John Moore
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Motown The Musical Feb 15 – 19
1. DCPA welcomes Janice Sinden who joined the nearly 40-year-old organization as its third President & CEO on September 12. Sinden comes to the DCPA from her post as Denver Mayor Hancock’s Chief of Staff. 2. DEVELOPMENT’s inaugural Inside Actors’ Alley was a smashing success with donors and longtime subscribers. Guests enjoyed a scavenger hunt in a hidden hallway adjacent to The Buell Theatre, which features hand-painted show art signed by all touring casts. 3. BROADWAY welcomed the all-new engagement of The Phantom of the Opera back to the Buell where it made its Denver debut 25 years ago. Despite updates to the production, the “infamous chandelier” still made a grand appearance. 4. THE SPACE THEATRE is taking a break from its regularly scheduled programming to undergo a facelift. Funded by a generous $10 million grant from the Better Denver Bond Program, the Space will reopen next fall with increased restrooms, improved technical enhancements and its familiar in-the-round staging. 5. THEATRE COMPANY’s Set Design Team participated with more than 10,000 entrepreneurs in Denver StartUp Week — one of the nation’s largest such events. The team’s “Maker’s Wall,” a modular display that anchored registration at Basecamp, exhibited new innovations in products and design.
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
Circus 1903 — The Golden Age of Circus Feb 21 – 26 Rain — A Tribute to the Beatles Mar 2 & 3 An American In Paris Mar 8 – 19 Travis Wall's
Shaping Sound: After the Curtain Mar 18 & 19 Kinky Boots Mar 21 – 26 Disgraced Mar 31 – May 7 Hal Holbrook: Mark Twain Tonight! Apr 1 MAMMA MIA! Apr 11 – 16 The Secret Garden Apr 21 – May 28 The Illusionists — Live from Broadway May 19 – 21 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time May 30 – Jun 18 DragOn Jun 1 – 25, 2017 Frozen Begins August 2017
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knightly Brass November 12-13
Bethany Lutheran Church with Rick Seaton - Organ
Brass & angels sing! December 17-18
Newman Center for the Performing Arts with The Colorado Chorale Rocky Mountain Children’s Choir Amanda Balestrieri - Soprano Todd Teske - Tenor
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FINDING YOUR NERVE IN
FINDING NEVERLAND BY JOHN MOORE
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Acclaimed Director Diane Paulus was hooked on Finding Neverland by a line the nefarious Captain Hook says to the story’s author himself, J.M. Barrie: “You can go back to being what everyone expects you to be,” the iron-wristed pirate says. “Or you can find the courage to write your own story.” That taunting dare resonated deeply within Paulus as a director, mother and artist. “Because that could mean literally, ‘write your own story,’” she said. “Or it could mean, ‘Write the story of your life.’” Barrie stared that question down the snout of the crocodile 105 years ago when he found the courage to write the story of Peter Pan and, in doing so, essentially encrypt the spirit of the Lost Boy into the DNA of a century of children to follow. “J.M. Barrie was a visionary,” said Finding Neverland co-composer Gary Barlow. “Even in 1904, his mind was 100 years ahead of his time.” The story of Peter Pan, Paulus said, is a clarion call to anyone of any age to ask themselves: When do we wake up and live the life that we know we need to live — not the life we think we should be living? And that is the story Finding Neverland ultimately tells. The innovative Broadway musical is based on the 2004 Oscar-winning film of the same name. It follows Barrie as he summons the courage to become the writer — and the man — he yearns to be. Barrie finds the inspiration
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he’s been missing when he meets a widow and her four young sons who inspire him to conjure the magical world of Neverland. It was surprisingly risky for Barrie to present his original play to high-society London theatergoers, a twist that provides much of the dramatic spine of the musical. “At the time J.M. Barrie wrote the play in London, it was incredibly radical and actually quite dangerous,” said British book writer James Graham. “This was a postVictorian society that was very rigid. By putting children and the dog on the stage, J.M. Barrie flipped the power dynamics of the London theatre. It was quite shocking to the theatre establishment.” Paulus also loved how Finding Neverland takes the audience backstage with Barrie and his theatre company. “Finding Neverland is a complete love letter to theatre,” said Paulus, who was included in Time magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Paulus also helmed the launch of the national touring production of Pippin in Denver in 2014. “I love stories that take us backstage, that take us through all the trials and tribulations and the fear that go into making art,” Paulus said. “All sorts of people who have seen Finding Neverland have then said to themselves, ‘Oh my goodness — what am I doing with my life? I’ve got to wake up, do what I love and take a risk. That’s where the riches of life will lie.’”
APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
All sorts of people who have seen Finding Neverland have then said to themselves, “Oh my goodness — what am I doing with my life? I’ve got to wake up, do what I love and take a risk. That’s where the riches of life will lie.” — DIANE PAULUS, DIRECTOR
And that’s exactly why they all worked so well together, Michaels added. “Diane is not afraid of anything,” she said. “She likes to surround herself with really creative people and then this very powerful life force happens between them.” Kennedy and Barlow couldn’t quite believe it when they were approached by Paulus and big-shot producer Harvey Weinstein about scoring Finding Neverland. “We said to Diane, ‘Look, we’re not musical theatre writers — we’re pop-tarts,” Kennedy said with a laugh. But Paulus has worked with unconventional artists since she began writing her own theatrical story in the New York fringe scene two decades ago — and she had a gut instinct about the music she wanted for Finding Neverland. “I knew we had to explode the imagination of J.M. Barrie on that stage,” Paulus said. “And that really led me to understand how a pop score by Gary and Eliot could function in that story.” Still, when the “pop-tarts” brought their initial song ideas to Paulus, “there was only one song we thought she’d really love, because it really sounded like a musical theatre song,” Kennedy said. “But she hated it. She told us, ‘Guys, don’t think about this too much. Just do what you do.’ And so that’s what we did.” And that is why, Kennedy added, Paulus is a genius. “I think that’s probably an overused word,” he said. “But she is. She is a genius, and not in the way that those dudes in an Apple shop are geniuses. She is a visionary.” For expanded interviews with Diane Paulus and other members of the Finding Neverland creative team, go to the DCPA NewsCenter at www.denvercenter.org/news-center.
FINDING NEVERLAND
DEC 20 – JAN 1 • BUELL THEATRE ASL, Audio-Described & Open Captioned performance: Dec 30, 2pm
Robert Petkoff as 'Bruce' and Kate Shindle as Alison' in Fun Home. Photo by Joan Marcus.
Laura Michelle Kelly (center). Finding Neverland original Broadway cast. Photo © Carol Rosegg.
To tell Barrie’s unconventional story on Broadway, Paulus gathered a decidedly unconventional (and trans-Atlantic) creative team. American Choreographer Mia Michaels is a three-time Emmy winner for her work on TV’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” Barlow is the architect of the enduring British pop band Take That, which has produced 28 top-40 singles since 1989. He recently was voted the greatest British songwriter of all time — a field that includes the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John and Andrew Lloyd Webber. “Gary is furiously well-known and well-liked here in England,” said co-composer Eliot Kennedy, who has had No. 1 hits with the Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Bryan Adams, Aretha Franklin and more. Graham (Privacy) is known in Britain not for writing fanciful musicals but rather plays about urgent social and political issues such as how technology is eroding our privacy and sense of self. Putting them all together, Graham said, shows how Paulus has a “forensic knowledge for how to build a musical.”
COMING UP FROM BROADWAY:
FUN HOME
Robert Petkoff, who recently headlined the DCPA Theatre Company’s DeVotchKa-infused Sweeney Todd, will return to Denver in the national tour of Fun Home (Jan 10-22). Petkoff, also celebrated for his performances in Broadway’s Ragtime, All The Way and Anything Goes, will play the troubled patriarch, Bruce. “I was aware of the possibility of doing Fun Home when I was finishing the run of Sweeney Todd at the Denver Center and was quite pleased with the prospect of returning to Denver,” Petkoff said. “I really love the city and have had such great theatrical experiences there at the DCPA.” Robert will be joined by Susan Moniz (Broadway’s Grease) as Helen and Kate Shindle (Broadway’s Legally Blonde, Cabaret and Miss America 1998) as Alison. Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic memoir, Fun Home introduces audiences to Alison at three different ages as she explores and unravels the many mysteries of her childhood that connect with her in surprising new ways. The show won raves from critics and audiences alike, winning five 2015 Tony Awards including Best Musical, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
RED
Art, life and eternity. 2010 Tony Award for Best Play.
SHE LOVES ME A romantic-ish musical comedy.
Jan 6-28 Hot. Toxic. Love. New Jersey’s first superhero has a heart as big as Newark.
Nov 24Dec 30
Feb 14Mar 18
For tickets: www.backstagetheatre.org
970-453-0199
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SAVION GLOVER The legendary tap dancer won a Tony for Best Choreography for Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, spreads his love for dance through the HooFeRzCLuB School for Tap and was recently featured on So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars.
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SANTA’S FLIGHT ACADEMY Needs Heroes
Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind interactive Santa experience from November 11 through December 24. 1
Visit Cherry Creek to register your child for Santa’s elite flight crew and receive a personalized badge.
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THE RE-BIRTH OF A TIMELESS CLASSIC:
A CHRISTMAS CAROL BY JOHN MOORE
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Illustration by Kyle Malone
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the world’s most beloved story of seasonal spiritual reawakening. And now in its 24th staging at the Denver Center, the production itself is undergoing its own kind of renewal. The beloved holiday tradition has a new director and star this year: Denver newcomer Melissa Rain Anderson and longtime company favorite Sam Gregory playing Scrooge. “I think there is something addictive about the journey of A Christmas Carol every year,” said Anderson. “That sense of joy and wonder and getting re-birthed every year is pretty special.” And if the Theatre Company’s most popular annual offering is not getting fully re-birthed, it is certainly getting a re-boot. Audiences again will be treated to the familiar adaptation by Richard Hellesen with music by David de Berry, and many of the DCPA’s homegrown scenic, costume and technical elements will be unchanged. “Absolutely we want to pay homage to what has come before, because obviously it’s been a huge success,” said Anderson, who thinks of this production as one she is adopting, not reinventing. Still, the newness of this staging will be as evident as the man barking out the old man’s unhappy humbuggery. Gregory, who has more than 40 Theatre Company credits to his name, will become only the eighth actor to play Scrooge since the Denver Center’s nearly annual tradition began in 1990. Gregory’s task is merely to replace a fellow actor he himself calls irreplaceable: Philip Pleasants. “Taking over Scrooge from somebody like Phil is a monumental task that I would never wish on anyone because he was such a master at it,” Gregory said. “What I so very much appreciated in his performance was how
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
“ I think there is something addictive about the journey of A Christmas Carol every year. That sense of joy and wonder and getting re-birthed every year is pretty special.” — MELISSA RAIN ANDERSON, DIRECTOR Anderson sees in Gregory the opportunity for this A Christmas Carol to make an even greater emotional impact on audiences, simply given the actuarial differences between Pleasants, who is 79, and Gregory, who is 53. Gregory initially worried he might actually be too young for the role until his research turned up that while Dickens never specifies the old man’s age, he plants clues that suggest Scrooge is only 54 years old. “Sam is really the perfect age to be playing Scrooge because he has a significant amount of time left,” Anderson said. “His Scrooge lives through this beautiful redemption — and then how wonderful it will be for us to consider that this Scrooge still has 20 or more years left to give all his money away. And what a gift for Scrooge to gain his family back into his life and to open his arms to Bob Cratchit again while he still has so much time to do good? This Scrooge will change lives for many years after our story ends.” Anderson and Gregory both have deep bloodlines with the Hellesen adaptation of A Christmas Carol. As an actor, Anderson has performed in it four times around the country. Gregory has previously played Bob Cratchit and six other roles. Anderson thinks it’s probably better for her that the actor playing Scrooge is changing at the same time she is becoming the first new director of this annual production in Denver since 2004. “I think it’s great that we are shaking everything up at the same time rather than in bits and pieces,” she said. For his part, Gregory isn’t aiming to simply give audiences a younger version of Pleasants’ Scrooge. How could he? “I can’t roll my R’s the way Phil can,” he joked. “I think we want to focus more on the fact that this is really an incredible play about redemption and that is the reason it stands the test of time,” he said. “This play is about how anyone can be redeemed and can change and can become a better human being.” But getting there won’t be easy. And shouldn’t be. “The Scrooge we meet is hardened and calcified,” Gregory said. “He doesn’t turn on the heat because he has no heat inside of him. That’s why poor Bob is freezing. Scrooge isn’t cold because he has ice-water in his veins. I’d like to try it so that we see him thaw — and we see him come to life.”
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
NOV 25 – DEC 24 • STAGE THEATRE ASL Interpreted & Audio-Described Performance: Dec 11, 1:30pm
The company of A Christmas Carol. Photo by Adams Visual Communications
within 10 minutes you could hear little children in the audience giggling away at the stuff he was doing. Phil was able to present this mean old curmudgeon and yet, right away, the children could spot his good heart.” Gregory said following Pleasants feels a little like Trevor Siemien following Peyton Manning. But Anderson and Producing Artistic Director Kent Thompson both say he’s up to the task. “Sam is a masterfully comic actor who can also turn scary and scared at any moment,” Thompson said. “He has a gift for the language and dialects of England — whether it’s Dickens or Shakespeare. Besides that, Sam brings great heart to his acting, making him a beloved actor in the Denver theatre scene. I’m excited to see his Scrooge.”
COSTUME COLUMN Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (playing The Stage Theatre Nov 25 – Dec 24) was first published on December 19, 1843. Now, 173 years and 24 DCPA Theatre Company productions later, audiences continue to fill the theatre, making it our most popular and most produced show. The Theatre Company has produced A Christmas Carol since 1990 (with a few gap years). The current musical version has been a Denver staple since 2005. This year marks Kevin Copenhaver’s 12th time designing costumes for the beloved holiday tradition. A Christmas Carol features more than 100 Dickensian costumes — some old, some new but always a few finishing touches to make it sparkle anew each year. This year Copenhaver gets to outfit a brand new Scrooge (Sam Gregory). “I’m really looking forward to collaborating with Sam to bring his version of Scrooge to life,” said Copenhaver. Director Melissa Rain Anderson, who is making her DCPA directorial debut with A Christmas Carol, and Copenhaver also have been discussing a new take on two of the spirits Scrooge encounters. Upon first meeting the Ghost of Christmas Past, Scrooge asks, “Good Heaven. Please madam, could you dim your glow?” Past designs for the Ghost of Christmas Past have relied on Don Darnutzer’s lighting design for that illuminating moment. This year, Copenhaver is exploring what it would look like if the spirit’s costume had the ability to be a self-contained light source. You also may see The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come rising a little higher above you. According to Copenhaver, the team is “looking into the possibility of that other-worldly spectre coming in on stilts this year.”
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Directed and choreographed by former Riverdance and Lord of the Dance principal dancer, Martin Percival Featuring performers from Riverdance, Lord of the Dance, Early Childhood Education Miami City Ballet, Celtic Woman and London’s West End. (Ages 3 -- 6): Wednesday, November 9 Thursday, December 1 9:00 -- 11:00 a.m.
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HEDWIG:
TWO HALVES OF A WHOLE BY JOHN MOORE
H “ There really wasn’t much space in the rock world for gay people… But it turned out there were a lot of people who wanted it.”
Photo by Bruce Glikas
— STEPHEN TRASK, COMPOSER
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a 90-minute rock narrative that tells the transgender and transcontinental story of an East Berlin boy who dreams of finding his other half. But while the biographical details of this extraordinary tale are shockingly unique — the desperate boy submits to a brutal (and botched) sex-change operation to marry a soldier who takes her to Kansas and abandons her there — this underdog and largely underground phenomenon has made a profound impact on a generation of audiences seeking their own varying kinds of wholeness. For Hedwig, it was the dream of connecting with her believed soulmate, a pimply boy named Tommy Gnosis who instead grows up to steal her music — and her fame. “The most common positive effect I hear from people about our story is that it creates a space in their lives for them to find themselves,” said writer John Cameron Mitchell. “Everybody is fighting a battle. Everyone is a misfit and a loser. Or has felt that way. Hedwig’s road is particularly hard, but she laughs at it. And that’s what makes her story a communal thing.” Speaking of two sides of a whole, the fictional Hedwig is very much the two halves of her two creators — Mitchell and composer Stephen Trask. “The person looking for their other half is John,” said Trask. “And the internationally ignored song stylist is me. We just mashed her together into one.” Hedwig — both the character and the theatrical rock concert — were born after New York was gripped by AIDS, but not yet by terror. Trask was the bandleader at a new gay nightclub called Squeezebox, which fully embraced punk, newwave and glam-rock at a time when, he said, “There really wasn’t much space in the rock world for gay people, and there really wasn’t a space for rock music in the gay world. But it turned out there were a lot of people who wanted it.” Squeezebox was a hit from the moment it opened its doors. Gone were the days of drag queens lip-syncing to Streisand. In their place was a full-throated Hedwig and her band. Mitchell and Trask first began working on a show about a rock-star character loosely based on Mitchell — the now unseen Tommy Gnosis. “Frankly, and no offense to John,” Trask said, “but he really wasn’t that interesting.” So they focused instead on inventing a female character Mitchell could play. Hedwig was inspired by a babysitter Mitchell remembered having. Trask said to Mitchell: “Why don’t we take her and make her into a failed singer who used to have a relationship with our rock-star character? Now he’s famous, and she’s singing in dives, is bitter about it and is telling us about it.” Hedwig went from the club to the theatrical stage in 1998 with an off-Broadway run that led to a cult-favorite 2001 independent film. But another dozen years would pass before the theatrical gods aligned and Hedwig finally bowed on Broadway — sort of. In the film, Hedwig performs in a bowling alley, among other places. Around the country, the musical is typically presented in seedy nightclubs. A classy Broadway theatre was no place for Hedwig’s act, so this would require an anachronistic wink. When Hedwig opened on Broadway, the gag was that the host Belasco Theatre had just housed a disastrous run of The Hurt Locker, the Musical, which closed after one performance. Hedwig and Company are now essentially squatting in the abandoned theatre as Tommy performs on a legit stage across the alley.
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— JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL, WRITER
Yes, after rave reviews and nearly a year on Broadway, Mitchell decided to step back into Hedwig’s heels and bring his personal journey full circle. “It was just like the old days, but somehow better because there was less at stake,” said Mitchell, who said he took on the challenge as a way to shake him from the complacency he felt stuck in following the deaths of his longtime partner, Hedwig band member Jack Steeb, and father, Army Major General John H. Mitchell. The general was in charge of all U.S. military forces in West Germany in 1987 and stood behind Ronald Reagan when the president famously implored, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Mitchell’s father, who retired to Colorado Springs and died in 2013, profoundly influenced his son’s writing of Hedwig. From Broadway, Mitchell learned he was not too old to play Hedwig — nor will he ever be. “This is a story that can be told at any time, and a role you can do at any age,” Mitchell said. “The character can age. I am sure I will do it one more time when I am in my 70s, sitting in a chair. But I’m just sure the keys will be very low.” To read John Moore’s expanded interviews with John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask, go to www.denvercenter.org/news-center
Photo by Nick Vogelson
“ The most common positive effect I hear from people about our story is that it creates a space in their lives for them to find themselves.”
The Hip Hop Nutcracker company. Photo by United Palace of Cultural Arts.
“The whole idea of a Broadway musical based on The Hurt Locker is just so wrong, and that’s why it’s so much fun,” Trask said. “There is no end to how much you can tell that joke.” But the joke doesn’t work on the road, so the team has adopted a slight alteration for its first national tour: When Hedwig plays road houses such as Denver’s Buell Theatre, it’s a disastrous pre-Broadway run of The Hurt Locker that just tanked. It took Hedwig so long to make it to Broadway, Mitchell believes, because Broadway wasn’t ready for Hedwig. “We didn’t change. The world changed,” said Mitchell. “The idea of rock ’n’ roll on the stage, the idea of drag, the idea of this unusual story — they all became less frightening. It was just time. And we wanted to make sure we had the right person to play Hedwig.” And at age 51, the right person was no longer Mitchell, who instead happily handed the wig over to the man he calls “America’s sweetheart,” Neil Patrick Harris. He was followed by a steady stream of bankable stars including Michael C. Hall, Darren Criss, Taye Diggs, Andrew Rannells and, for three months, John Cameron Mitchell.
A HIP NEW LOOK AT A HOLIDAY CLASSIC What do you get when you infuse one part electric violin, one part on-stage DJ and one part pumped-up hip-hop dancers into Tchaikovsky’s beloved classic? The Hip Hop Nutcracker, a fresh, original take on the timeless tale of young Clara’s Christmas Eve dream of her Nutcracker Prince and his fierce battle with the Mouse King. This raw, urban re-imagination is infused with humor, exhilarating breakdance and a graffiti-accented set, creating an all-new way to experience one of the most beloved Christmas traditions. Reinvent your family holiday with this fresh, bold new twist that is sure to have you doing the Dougie, the Helicopter, a body pop and even the Nae Nae.
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
NOV 20 • BUELL THEATRE
DEC 6 – 11 • BUELL THEATRE ASL, Audio-described & Open Captioned Performance: Dec 10, 2pm
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
[Venue name] and NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER with Executive Producer EVA PRICE PRESENT
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
AND SEASON SPONSORS
Maria-C The Nu Mom... Dad…… Drosse
Mouse Snow Toy/En Toy/En Russia Tea/En Flute/E
Violinis
Adapted by
The
MIKE FITELSON Based on “The Nutcracker” by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Produced by NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER JOHN SCHREIBER, President & CEO DAVID RODRIGUEZ, Executive Producer JULIA KRAUS, Producer
Assista Origina Wardro
Set Designer ANDREW DIAZ
Lighting Designer BURKE WILMORE
Costume Designer WHITNEY ADAMS
Video Designer MOE SHAHROOZ
Performance DJ DJ BOO
Technical Director JOSEPH SPRATT
Company Manager MICHAEL GREMO
Production Stage Manager TRACEY WOOLLEY
General Manager MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT
Exclusive Tour Direction INHOUSE BOOKING
Directed & Choreographed by
JENNIFER WEBER Additional choreography and freestyle by the Company Originally produced by the United Palace of Cultural Arts (Mike Fitelson, Executive Director)
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
CAST Maria-Clara.......................................................................................................................... ANN-SYLVIA CLARK The Nutcracker.....................................................................................................JOSUE “BEAST” FIGUEROA Mom....................................................................................................................................YORELIS APOLINARIO Dad............................................................................................................................................................ JD RAINEY Drosselmeyer........................................................................................................................................SHESTREET Mouse King/Ensemble............................................................................................... RANDI FLECKENSTINE Snow King/Ensemble................................................................................................................. RICKY FLORES Toy/Ensemble................................................................................................................................ LILIANA FRIAS Toy/Ensemble.................................................................................................................................ILLJAZ JUSUFI Russian/Ensemble...............................................................................................................................ALEX LAYA Tea/Ensemble....................................................................................................................MARIA MALMSTROM Flute/Ensemble..............................................................................................................................EVAN MOODY Violinist...............................................................................................................................................DAVID MARKS
PLACE New Year’s Eve - Uptown, USA The Hip Hop Nutcracker will be performed with one 20-minute intermission.
PRODUCTION STAFF CREDITS Assistant Choreographer / Dance Captain.............................................................. RANDI FLECKSTINE Original Company Associate Director/Choreographer............................................................. TAE KOJI Wardrobe Manager/Assistant Stage Manager..........................................................REBECCA DWIGHT
GENERAL MANAGEMENT MAXIMUM ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTIONS EVA PRICE CARL FLANIGAN ANDREW HARTMAN EMILY SNYDER AVRAM FREEDBERG MARY BETH DALE
EXCLUSIVE TOUR DIRECTION INHOUSE BOOKING TRACEY MCFARLAND BARBARA COOLEY ROBIN MISHIK-JETT MONICA SMITH www.inhousebooking.com
The use of any recording device, either audio or video, and the taking of photographs, either with or without flash, is strictly prohibited. Please turn off all electronic devices such as cell phones and pagers prior to the beginning of the performance.
Act I: During the annual uptown holiday street party, Maria-Clara is upset by her parents’ constant bickering. The mysterious Drosselmeyer appears, bringing magical toys to the party. He introduces Maria-Clara to a street vendor selling roasted nuts, who catches her eye because he is different from the other boys on the block. After the party breaks up, Maria-Clara heads home, but on her way, she runs into the menacing Mouse Crew. The Nutcracker, aided by a magic pair of sneakers, defeats the Mouse King and the couple enjoys the romance of winter’s first snowfall.
Act II: Drosselmeyer meets Maria-Clara and the Nutcracker and takes them back in time to the Land of Sweets nightclub on New Year¹s Eve, 1984. Invisible, the couple watches the party-goers show off the dance styles of the day. Suddenly Maria-Clara realizes she is witnessing the night her parents met and is overcome by how they were once deeply in love. Back in the present, and with a little more magic, Maria-Clara and The Nutcracker help Mom and Dad reconcile. The community joins them in the celebration.
WHO’S WHO IN THE CAST KURTIS BLOW (Special Guest MC) is one of the founders and creators of recorded rap. A timeless artist and hip hop legend, Kurtis blazed the trail for early hip hop artists and continues to carry the torch for hip hop music in new arenas. Kurtis is credited with many accolades, and was the first rapper to ever be signed to a major label, release a certified gold rap album (The Breaks), tour the United States and Europe, record a national commercial (Sprite), use the drum machine, sample and sample loop, release a rap music video, and become a millionaire. In 1979, at the age of 20, Kurtis Blow became the first rapper to be signed by a major label. He released Christmas Rappin’, which sold over 400,000 copies and became an annual classic. Its gold follow-up, The Breaks, helped ignite an international “rap attack,” solidifying the new art form. He released 10 albums over 11 years and his early projects made him an instant success at home and across Europe. Pioneering records like Party Time introduced the fusion of rap and go-go. Hit songs like“8 Million Stories”, “AJ”, and “Basketball” were simply
ahead of their time, and still get spins by DJs today. Fellow rap legend Nas debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts with a cover of Kurtis’ “If I Ruled the World” in 1997. Beyond his own hits, Kurtis contributed to the success of The Fat Boys and Run DMC. In fact, Run began his career billed as “The Son of Kurtis Blow.” Among countless others, Wyclef Jean, Love Bug Starski, Sweet Gee, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Full Force, and Russell Simmons all have been produced by or have worked with Kurtis in the past. Kurtis’ multi-disciplinary skillset has taken him across the country and overseas to score, produce, and act in various films. Most notably, he played a large role in the production of the hit film Krush Groove. The New York Daily News called his cinematic works a “noteworthy, dynamic presence.” Kurtis Blow’s reach transcends that of your typical entertainer. He has completed multiple world tours since the turn of the new millennium, and continues to work on other creative endeavors. His innate ability to reach people is evident in his work as an activist, radio personality, and most recently, an ordained minister and
leader of the Hip Hop Church. Artists still pay their respects to Kurtis’ trailblazing in a number of ways. His influence has been mentioned in seemingly every important hip hop film in the past decade, from Get Rich or Die Tryin’ to Notorious and Straight Outta Compton. ANN-SYLVIA CLARK (Maria-Clara) was born and raised In Norway. She started out as a gymnast at the age of 5 and continued on for 13 years. Ann-Sylvia has traveled all over the country and all over Europe with the gymnastic team, but later showed more interest in dance and was accepted into Flow dance academy (Copenhagen,Denmark). She performed with Snoop Dogg and Pharrell Williams at the 2006 MTV European Music Awards. Since moving to New York, she continued her training at Broadway dance center. In 2009 she became a member of “Decadance theatre” Which is a hip-hop theatrical company. With the company she has toured the US, the UK, and performed on “Good day New York” Fox 5 , CBS, and “Fake off” on Tru TV. Since living in NYC she has performed
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
PLOT SYNOPSIS
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
at various shows, festivals, and music videos for artists like Alicia Keys, Styles P, F.Stokes, Ben L’Oncle Soul, Fedez. She has also done commercial work for Samsung and Smirnoff. JOSUE FIGUEROA (The Nutcracker) a.k.a. “Beast” was born in Puerto Rico & raised in Florida, Josue discovered his passion for breaking and the performing arts at the age of 15. His continual pursuit and love for the arts have earned him work in the “Step Up” film franchise, several international breaking championship titles with his world renown crews MIND180 and Skill Methodz and numerous commercials. Josue is currently creating his next path as an actor and can be seen in Marriot’s short series, “Two Bellman”. YORELIS APOLINARIO (Mom) is a dancer from Tampa, Florida. She began taking hip hop at 8 years old. At the age of 12 she began to explore other styles such as ballet, jazz and contemporary. She attended Orange Grove Middle School of the Arts and Blake High School of the Performing Arts, where she furthered her training in dance. From 2012 to 2014, she was able to tour with The Pulse On Tour convention under the instruction of the industry’s most sought after choreographers such as Dave Scott, Gil Duldulao, and Brian Freidman. Yorelis also competed on the television show “So You Think You Can Dance” Season 12 where she made it to the Top 14 dancers. Following the show, Yorelis joined the “So You Think You Can Dance Tour” traveling the United States and Canada. Yorelis has worked with artists like Tinashe, Alyson Stoner, FLO RIDA, Jordan Fisher and Christina Aguilera. She was also given a role in Hulu’s “East Los High” as an actress and dancer. You can even spot Yorelis in the National “Data Loca” Sprint Commercial. Nowadays, Yorelis resides in LA and continues to train in order to further her career. JD RAINEY (Dad) AKA “Bboy Twixx” is originally from Seattle, Washington where he played sports since childhood including gymnastics, football, wrestling, martial arts, and track & field. He has been dancing for 21 years, gaining experience in the styles of breaking, popping, locking, and hip hop and is still a student of dance, constantly learning new styles, and concepts. Also dances with his crew The “Massive Monkees” and has won numerous b-boy competitions
nationally and internationally. He resides in LA. SHEstreet (Drosselmeyer), inspirational Movements Artist/ Choreographer, has the ability to move the masses. She moves with fluidity and grace, but also embodies an undeniable sense of “raw” feeling. Which creates a beautiful experience for the body and spirit of the viewer! Being raised in a city flourishing with talented singers and musicians, which she happened to grow up around, was a great advantage in her eyes. Over the years, dance has allowed her to have a keen way of listening to music, which has established an intricate bond that radiates throughout her artistry. She gained her love for Movement & Acting at an early age and over the years, a sense of embedment was placed in her world! After deciding to dedicate more time to hone her craft, SHE spent the following years enhancing her craft and performing throughout the United States with various companies. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, she relocated to Los Angeles, California where she continues to pursue her vision, full time.
pleasure pleasing a crowd in hopes they walk away with a bit of enjoyment and a bit of understanding on who he is. LILIANA FRIAS (Toy/Ensemble) was born and raised in Mexico, currently working as a professional dancer in Los Angeles CA. She has been dancing for 13 years. With a journey that started as a technical dancer, she later mastered hip-hop styles and the art of freestyle, putting the Hip Hop scene of her country on the map along with her crew. She has been featured on projects such as “So You Think You Can Dance” season 12, Americas Best Dance Crew season 7, Cirque Du Soleil, Comedy Central and won 1st place in Dance Delight Sweden. She is also an accomplished choreographer known for teaching and performing in the US, Europe and Latin America, showing and inspiring with her pass and love for dance.
RANDI “RASCAL” FLECKENSTINE (Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain/Mouse King/Ensemble) Randi “Rascal” Fleckenstine, a member of the powerful female crew The Beat Freaks, is a professional hip hop dancer living in Los Angeles, California. She has toured Japan as a cast member of The Battle 2015, performed at music festivals such as Rock N’ Rio and Coachella, and danced with numerous artists. Randi also teaches at Movement Lifestyle, a prominent professional dance studio in Los Angeles.
ILLJAZ JUSUFI (Toy/Ensemble) Born in Macedonia, Illjaz was raised in Switzerland and eventually relocated to Los Angeles in 2014. He started breaking with his younger brother Burim and won the Swiss and European Breaking Championships several times. Mr. Jusufi has judged Breakdance/Streetdance Competition and has taught all over the world. In Basel, he performed in the musicals “Hair” (Ronnie) and “Fame” (Tyronne Jackson). Since moving to Los Angeles, he has appeared in commercials such as Amazon Prime, Reeses Puffs, Axe Shower, and more. He performed at the Billboard Music Awards and worked with Nicki Minaj, David Guetta, and Lauriann Gibson. In 2001, Mr. Jusufi founded the crew Ruff’n X with his brother, who also goes by the name of Jay Brothers.
RICKY FLORES (Snow King/Ensemble) a.k.a. Ricky Tan is a 31 year old who was born and raised in Methuen, MA. He had a wonderful and supportive family upbringing. At an early age he was adopted by music and through that became an advocate for dance. Where passion meets ambition he found himself drawn, driven, and directed by music. It’s the only time he feels completely honest with himself and where he finds unconditional love. Meeting other people with the same passion has been a true inspiration, and to be able to share stories with their bodies where the energy is unparalleled. He’s always had the
ALEX LAYA (Russian/Ensemble) grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and began his dance training in b-boying at the age of 17. He later attended Western Michigan University, where he thoroughly trained in modern, jazz, and ballet. Alex has since been living in Los Angeles, California, where he has been fortunate enough to learn from some of the world’s best teachers and choreographers, and has had amazing opportunities. Alex performed with world famous DJ/ Producer DIPLO, while being featured in his music video “Set Me Free”, as well as performing with Soul Fresh Fam, directed by Ricky Cole of Mos
MARIA MALMSTROM (Tea/Ensemble) Born and raised in Sweden, Maria has been dancing and performing since the age of six from Denmark’s Contemporary Dance School and later to London where she pursued her training at Pineapple Dance Studios. Studying with Benny and Javier Ninja, Maria has since 2012 been a proud member of The Legendary House of Ninja and has entered balls and competitions both internationally and in New York City. Working closely with choreographer Toniah Pedersen has been one of the most positive influences in her career. Maria has worked with choreographers such as Luam, Aakomon Jones, Jermaine Browne, Normann Shay, Soraya Lundy, Hok, Phillip Schebeeb and Binkie Reevey. And clients from H&M x Balmain, Adidas, Bloomingdales, Moncler, The Jimmy Fallon Show, NIKE, Jason Derulo, The GAP and Cirque du Soleil. Every opportunity to perform is a chance to express herself and she is grateful to do what she loves. EVAN MOODY (Flute/Ensemble) is just a kid from Raleigh, NC! His stage debut was ‘My First Bug Jar’ Musical as a 5th Grader at NC State University to now having credits that include: Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Mountain Dew, Keke Palmer, Alvin and the chipmunks 4, and Todrich Hall. So thankful for all the opportunities. He would like to thank his parents for helping him find a passion at such a young age and helping to focus and grow with it. Thank you Amanda Pope, Kate Oliver-Cummings, Ebonee Arielle, and David Moore for being hard on him and believing in his dreams. He hopes everything he’s become has made y’all proud!’ DAVID MARKS (Violinist) David Han Marks is a native of Chicago, IL. David collaborates with many musicians and is an active performer of solo, chamber, and orchestral repertoire. His collaborations have taken him across the globe from Disney Hall
in Los Angeles, California to Grosse Hall in Salzburg, Austria, to Moscow, Russia. Performances in New York City have been in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher, Alice Tully, and Bargemusic. David received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music from the Juilliard School. David currently resides in New York City. DJ BOO (DJ) is a NY based Fil-Am DJ/musician who has shared the stage with the likes of Ghostface Killah, DJ Kool Herc, KRS-1, Snoop Dogg, and Common. He has backed wordsmiths like Eternia, The Juggaknots, and Omar Offendum. In 2014 he served as a cultural ambassador for the United States, performing and conducting Hip Hop workshops with The Nomadic Wax Collective in Nepal, Mozambique, and Swaziland as part of the American Music Abroad Tour. As the DJ for Brooklyn based dance company, Decadancetheatre, he has had the honor of performing at Jacob’s Pillow. JENNIFER WEBER (Director & Choreographer) “Outstanding Emerging Choreographer” New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) nominee, Jennifer Weber is the artistic director of the award winning, theatrical hip-hop dance company, Decadancetheatre. Her work has been seen in venues across the US, UK, Russia and France including Jacob’s Pillow, The Apollo Theater, The Kennedy Center, London’s Southbank Center, The Everyman in Liverpool, New York City Center, Bumbershoot in Seattle, The Stanislavsky Music Theatre in Moscow and The Music Center in Los Angeles. She has choreographed for American Express, Uber, Ulta, L’Oreal Matrix, Reebok, Bloomberg, Philosophy, Marc Jacobs, CK2 and UK TV show, Blue Peter. Weber was the creative director for the 2016 tour of Lifetime’s Bring it! Live and choreographed the 16/17 tour of PBS’s Odd Squad Live. Weber and The Deca Crew were featured on Season 2 of TruTV’s theatrical competition series Fake Off. www.jenniferwebernyc.com www.decadancetheatre.com www. jenniferwebernyc.com MIKE FITELSON (Writer/Co-Creator) is the executive director of the United Palace of Cultural Arts (UPCA), which originally produced “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” in 2014, and co-created the show with Jennifer Weber, adapt-
ing the story and supplying the images for the scenery. Fitelson has worked to build the arts community in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan for over a decade. He co-founded the community’s annual arts festival, the Uptown Arts Stroll in 2003; served in every capacity of the Manhattan Times, the bilingual community newspaper of Washington Heights and Inwood, from 2002-2011; and serves on the steering committee of the new Washington HeightsBroadway Business Improvement District. ANDREW DIAZ (Set & Props Designer) is a set and props designer making prop magic out of his Brooklyn living room. His recent set designs include: Sox News (Martian Entertainment), Smoke (The Flea), My Daughter Keeps Our Hammer (The Flea), An American Family Takes A Lover (The Cell), and Revenge and Guilt (After Midnight). He has worked with theater companies New York Theatre Workshop, Carnegie Hall, Classic Stage Company, Primary Stages, The Public, Theater For A New Audience, Cherry Lane Theater, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, among others. Andrew holds a BFA from the University of Arizona School Of Theater Arts. andrewdiazdesign. squarespace.com BURKE WILMORE (Lighting Designer) is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and an honors graduate of Wesleyan University. He was the resident designer for Battleworks (2001-2010) and lit Robert Battle’s Juba, In/Side, Takademe, The Hunt and Strange Humors for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He designed Stephen Petronio’s evening-length ballet Tragic Love, for Ballet de Lorraine at the Montpelier Festival. Since 2005, he has been the resident designer for Keigwin+ Company, lighting Boys, Girls, Canvas, Trio, Triptych, Elements, Birdwatching, Love Songs, Mattress Suite, Exit, and nine iterations of Bolero. His work is in the repertories of Sweden’s NorrDans and Holland’s Introdans. He has also lit the work of Camille A. Brown (Mr. Tol. E. Rance, City of Rain, Good & Grown), Brian Brooks (Again Again), and Keely Garfield (Twin Pines). He frequently collaborates with Broadway star André de Shields, for whom he lit the Louis Armstrong musical Ambassador Satch, the play Killa Dilla, and designed scenery and lighting for De Shields’ production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. Mr.
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
Wanted Cru, at many venues all over the world, including World of Dance. Because of his eclectic training, Alex’s dance style has become a fusion of urban and contemporary styles, strongly influenced by b-boying. Some of Alex’s other credits include Gala de Danza, Youth American Grand Prix, Establish Your Empire, Dance Stellar Productions, Chicago Dance Crash, and Culture Shock Chicago.
THE HIP HOP NUTCRACKER
Wilmore leads the production team and serves as Associate Producer for FOCUS Dance and Gotham Dance Festival presentations at The Joyce Theater, Skirball Center, and the Ailey Citigroup Theater. WHITNEY ANNE ADAMS (Costume Designer) is a costume designer and stylist based in New York City. Designs Include: Travesties (Bay Street Theatre), House of Murgatroyd: Ruddygore Revisited (Gilbert & Sullivan Festival, UK), Les Misérables (Zach Theatre), Tonight At 8:30 (Guild Hall), BC Beat: Spring & Fall 2014, Phish New Years Eve Concert at Madison Square Garden 2012, 2013, & 2014, LoveSick (Project Y). ACD: costume design assistant to Catherine Martin on Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, as well as work on Chanel No. 5: The One That I Want, & their stage production of Strictly Ballroom: The Musical. Degree from UC San Diego. www.whitneyadams.com MORE SHAHROOZ (Video Designer) is a video artist based in New York City. He specializes in animation, editing, and interactive video design. He has worked on a wide variety of projects ranging from television shows, award shows, music videos, and theatrical productions His work has been seen in venues such as Lincoln Center and Grand Central Station. He holds a Master’s Degree from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He is also known for performing and producing music under the moniker I. Sheik. He is proud to be working with the Hip-Hop Nutcracker. MAXMIMUM ENTERTAINMENT (General Manager) is a producing, developing and management company founded by Avram Freedberg, Mary Beth Dale and Eva Price; and is joined by Managing Director/ General Manager Carl Flanigan. Select credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway and on tour include Small Mouth Sounds; Verso; Carefree: Dancin’ With Fred & Ginger; Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons on Broadway!; The Lion; The Hip Hop Nutcracker; 50 Shades! The Musical; Ivy + Bean The Musical; Voca People; and Colin Quinn: Long Story Short. www.MaximumCompany.com NEW JERSEY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER (NJPAC) (Producer) located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, is among the largest performing arts centers in the United States and is
the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 9 million visitors (including over 1.5 million children) since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents. Visit njpac.org or call 1-888-GO-NJPAC for more information. EVA PRICE (Executive Producer) is Executive Producer/EVP for Maximum Entertainment. Recent Broadway and Off-Broadway Productions include: On Your Feet! (The story of Gloria and Emilio Estefan), The Temptations & The Four Tops on Broadway, Found - a new musical, The Lion, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Lewis Black: Running on Empty, Annie, Peter and the Starcatcher (5 Tony Awards), Kathy Griffin Wants A Tony, Colin Quinn Long Story Short directed by Jerry Seinfeld (Drama Desk Nomination), The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino (Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle Nominations), The Addams Family (Broadway, Tour, and Australia), Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking and Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. International and Touring credits include: Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Ivy and Bean the Musical (National Tour) The Magic School Bus, Live! The Climate Challenge (National Tour), Ella - a bio musical about the life and music of Ella Fitzgerald (National Tour), ‘S Wonderful: The New Gershwin Musical (National Tour), Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona The Musical (National Tour), Irving Berlin’s I Love A Piano (National Tour and Japan), The Great American Trailer Park Musical (National Tour), Private Jokes, Public Places (London).
DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE FOLLOWING SUPPORT IN ITS 2016/17 BROADWAY SEASON
Backstage and Front of the House Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (or I.A.T.S.E.). The Director and Choreographer are members of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union.
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 4+ are welcome in our theatres and must be ticketed. • DRINKS are allowed in provided containers. • ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES, LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS & BOOSTER SEATS are available in most theatres. Ask an usher to direct you. • BRAILLE PROGRAMS are available with 2 weeks’ notice to ckrueger@dcpa.org or 303.893.4836. Members of Denver Theatrical Wardrobe, Wigs, Hair and Make-up, Union 719 AnnSue Gunter Linda Ackerschott Judy Holabird Carrie Breidenbach Leslie Lambert Vonnie Clough Sharon Millikan-Hale Janel Clough Callie Morrow Craig Cory Yolanda Pollock Cyndie Cory Dave Poole Laura Cotugno Liz Spadi Steve Davies Amy Tepel Anne Davis Marybeth Tscherpel Carolyn Dore Barb Wilson Deborah Guess DPAC House Crew Mark Anthony Perry Elliot Randy Mitchell Maximillian Peterson
John Kendrick Tanya M. Rist Albert Sainz, Sr David A. Wilson
THE BUELL THEATRE is part of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, owned and operated by the City and County of Denver, Arts and Venues. CITY & COUNTY OF DENVER Michael Hancock, Mayor ARTS AND VENUES Kent Rice, Director For information call: 720.865.4220
A NEW YEAR OF MAGICAL THEATRE IS A HOP, SKIP AND A SONG AWAY
DEC 16 – 18 • BUELL THEATRE
DEC 20 – JAN 1 • BUELL THEATRE
MAR 8 – 19 • BUELL THEATRE
MAR 18 – 19 • THE ELLIE
SEASON SPONSORS
DENVERCENTER.ORG OFFICIAL TICKETS: 303.893.4100
SEASON SPONSORS
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Photo by Joan Marcus
DEC 6 – 11 • BUELL THEATRE
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United is pleased to serve as the official airline of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) and proudly supports its remarkable contributions to the performing arts community in Denver and beyond. Together with the DCPA, United celebrates the energy that artists and dancers bring to Denver and the global stage. But United does more than connect passengers through safe and convenient air travel, it forges strong relationships with the people and communities it serves. United employees also have donated thousands of hours of service to various local partner initiatives, such as Food Bank of the Rockies. Employees have conducted school supply drives, food drives, fundraisers for the March of Dimes and breast cancer organizations, and spent a day working with Habitat for Humanity. United’s Volunteer Impact Grants program offers employees the opportunity to apply for cash grants for area nonprofits where they volunteer frequently and has provided thousands of dollars to local organizations since the program began. United employees especially love bringing smiles to hundreds of local children undergoing medical treatments through the annual holiday “Fantasy Flights” trip to the North Pole and teddy bear deliveries to hospitalized children. Ben Flyin, the United Adventure Bear, brings his own passport full of travel fun and games to share with everyone he meets. For the past five years United has sponsored special matinee performances at DCPA for hundreds of local students. United enjoys the privilege of sharing the thrill of a live theatrical performance accompanied by an educational talkback with these students to expand their view of themselves and the world. “At United, we take our role as a community partner and corporate citizen seriously, and we are proud to support the DCPA. With more than 75 years of service to the Mile High City, we also are proud of our long-standing commitment to the Denver community that thousands of employees and customers call home,” said Suzi Cabo, Director of Corporate and Community Affairs. In addition to the DCPA, United is honored to support several other Colorado organizations including the Colorado Symphony, Denver Botanic Gardens, Denver Public Schools Foundation, Latin American Education Foundation, and Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum.
APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
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FINDING THE COLORADO IN
JERSEY BOYS BY JOHN MOORE
T
There always has been plenty of Jersey in Colorado. The towering 14,110-foot Pikes Peak, for example, is named after a New Jerseyan named Zebulon Pike. Had to be a Jersey Boy who got to the summit first, said local public relations maven and Garden State transplant Wendy Aiello. “Who else is going to be that pushy?” Other well-known Denverites from Jersey include Nuggets strongman Kenneth Faried, top chef Frank Bonnano, CBS4 General Manager Walt DeHaven and anchor Kathy Walsh. But when the show for all seasons that is about the Four Seasons returns to Denver for a fourth time, there will be plenty of Colorado in Jersey Boys, too. Jersey Boys tells the story of the band that combined doo-wop with astounding harmonies to make enduring No. 1 hits like “Oh What a Night,” “Sherry” and “Walk Like a Man.” The current national touring cast visiting Denver includes Arapahoe High School graduate Matthew Dailey, who plays Tommy DeVito, and Pomona High School graduate Andrew Russell, who plays short-lived band member Hank Majewski while also covering for musical mastermind Bob Gaudio. Both actors saw their very first professional theatrical performances at The Buell Theatre when they were kids. For Dailey: Beauty and the Beast in 1997. For Russell: Rent, starring Anthony Rapp, in 2001. “The Buell is where I would go and see all of these people living out the dream that I hoped to achieve one day,” said Dailey. For Russell, “The Buell was my Broadway,” he said. “That was my ticket to becoming what I wanted to be in my life.”
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They both call performing at The Buell for the first time now a dream come true. “It’s really going to be meaningful to hopefully bring that same feeling to a new generation of kids in the audience who will be wanting to be up on that Buell Theatre stage someday, too,” said Dailey. The Four Seasons were the most popular band in the world before the Beatles, charting 50 hit singles and selling an estimated 100 million records worldwide. While there have been 36 members of the band, which still performs into its sixth decade, the core during the 1962-67 heyday were lead singer Frankie Valli, Gaudio on keyboards, DeVito on lead guitar and Nick Massi on electric bass. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. All of which was news to Russell when he was a student at Pomona High School — more than 40 years after “Sherry” was the No. 1 song in America. It was 2005 when the Jersey Boys Broadway soundtrack was released and found its way to Arvada. “My friends and I would be singing along down the halls of Pomona High School,” Russell said. “I had never heard these songs before. I didn’t know who the Four Seasons were. So me being able to pick up these songs at my age and really attach to them is very much attributable to Bob Gaudio’s genius in writing these iconic songs. They are just so memorable that kids generations later can snap along just as much as their parents did.” Jersey Boys is preparing to end its 11-year New York run in January after having played 4,642 shows, attracting 13 million people and winning the Tony Award for Best
APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
The Temptations. Motown The Musical First National Tour. (c) Joan Marcus, 2014
There is great music, a great story, great musicians, good-looking girls, good-looking guys and flashy costumes. It’s got something for everybody.
COMING UP FROM BROADWAY:
MOTOWN THE MUSICAL
— ACTOR MATTHEW DAILEY (TOMMY DEVITO) Colorado’s Jersey Boys are where they are today, they believe, because of strong family and educational support growing up in Denver. Dailey’s mother is award-winning local Music Director Mary Dailey. Matthew has dedicated his Jersey Boys performance to his late father, Phil Gottlieb, who died in 2009. Dailey’s training began at age eight at an afterschool theatre school run by Paul Dwyer and Alann Estes Worley, whose wee students also included future TV star Melissa Benoist (“Supergirl”), Tonywinning actor Annaleigh Ashford (Kinky Boots) and Broadway actor Jesse JP Johnson (Wicked). Russell’s theatrical mentor is Gavin Mayer, his director at both Pomona High School (Footloose) and, later, at the Arvada Center (Legally Blonde). “I was this very shy, awkward kid in high school, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” Russell said of his freshman-year alter ego. “Gavin was the person who inspired me to join theatre. He cast me in my first production of anything, and later he cast me in my first professional production, at the Arvada Center.” Those who come to see these local actors fulfill their childhood dreams in Jersey Boys will be treated, Dailey says, to a night like no other. “There is great music, a great story, great musicians, good-looking girls, good-looking guys and flashy costumes. It’s got something for everybody.” Including plenty of Denver Boys who don’t normally go to the theatre. “The theatre stereotype is that women have to drag their husbands and boyfriends to the theatre,” Dailey said. “For this show, it’s the other way around. This is the show that boyfriends and husbands drag their girlfriends and wives to. It’s like a Hollywood blockbuster — only it’s live.”
JERSEY BOYS
NOV 9 – 13 • BUELL THEATRE ASL interpreted, Audio-described & Open Captioned performance: Nov 12, 2pm
Kristen Paulicelli and Aaron De Jesus. Photo Jeremy Daniel.
(l to r) Cory Jeacoma, Matthew Dailey, Aaron De Jesus and Keith Hines. Photo Jeremy Daniel.
Musical. It will end as the 12th-longest-running show in Broadway history. Not bad for a band that rose up from the gutter all the way to the street corner. “Our scrappiness comes from living in the street,” Gaudio said. “We came from the kind of areas most people strive to get out of, so that you can make something of yourself.” DeVito, played by Dailey, was the initial driving force behind the group until gambling debts put him on the outs with the mob. He was known for stealing milk off people’s porches as a kid. But he did it according to his own set of ethics, Dailey said. “First, he never stole from his own neighborhood, because those were his people. And he would never steal from a house that only had one jug of milk. If a house had two, he took one. If it had three, he took two. But he always left them with something.”
On January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. obtained a loan of $800 from his family and founded an enterprise he called Motown. He set up his Detroit headquarters in a modest house emblazoned with an immodest sign, “Hitsville U.S.A.” The slogan was premature, but prophetic. The company had its first hit record in 1960, and between 1961 and 1971 landed 163 singles in Billboard magazine’s top 20, including 28 songs that reached No. 1. Gordy discovered, developed and launched the careers of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson and Marvin Gaye — to name just a few — and Motown became the most successful business owned and operated by an African American in the United States. What Gordy accomplished had ramifications far beyond the world of music. Now his legacy is celebrated in Motown The Musical. “Berry Gordy is the Steve Jobs of the music field,” says Doug Morris, CEO of Sony Music Entertainment and co-producer of the show. “He’s the No. 1 creative executive in the history of the industry, an amazing American success story who changed the culture of the country.” Relive the multi-cultured vibration that changed the world when Motown The Musical returns to Denver February 15-19.
A PROUD SPONSOR OF JERSEY BOYS
A SEAN DEMEULE Vice President & General Manager
Supporting the Denver Center for the Performing Arts means helping ensure that everyone in the community can continue to share in those magical and memorable moments that shine brightest on stage.
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As the famous French artist, Edgar Degas, once said, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” The arts have a way of shining a light on the human experience, lending a new perspective on timeless subjects and bridging the gap of language and culture. They bring people and communities together — a pursuit that’s near and dear to the team members of Ameristar Casino Resort Spa Black Hawk. In 2016, Ameristar team members were out and about, helping the town of Black Hawk and the greater Denver area, giving back to the community they call home. They hit the pavement to pick up trash from city streets and neighborhoods, laced up their sneakers to participate in the Denver MS Walk and American Cancer Society Bubble Run, packed food for the Food Bank of the Rockies, organized school supplies for Jefferson County families, and so much more. The commitment to community is something that’s handed down from parent company, Pinnacle Entertainment, which operates 16 gaming entertainment destinations throughout the West, Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. At the center of its core values is “Care.” It’s such an important value, the company hosts an annual giving campaign called “Pinnacle Cares,” which encourages team members to support the causes they’re most passionate about in their individual communities by donating time to volunteering or making financial contributions that the company matches at a generous 25 percent. With destinations across the country, each community that Pinnacle Entertainment serves is unique, as are its passions. At Ameristar Black Hawk, the team is incredibly passionate about supporting the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Just as Degas says in his quote, the arts can help others see — they have an inexplicable ability to open the audience’s eyes, expand their hearts and broaden their world view. The performing arts help people of all walks of life discover their similarities, while celebrating their unique place in the world. They bring people together and immerse them in a world of wonder, which is never more apparent than when a child marvels at a performance of A Christmas Carol for the first time. Supporting the Denver Center for the Performing Arts means helping ensure that everyone in the community can continue to share in those magical and memorable moments that shine brightest on stage.
APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
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NOTHING SHOULD STAND BETWEEN A CHILD AND THEATRE
There’s no better way to get swept up in the magic of theatre than experiencing it as a child. But many children across the state have never had an experience to spark their love of the craft. Thanks to donors like you, we’re able to give thousands of students the opportunity to dream bigger than ever before. We bring students to the theatre with discounted matinees, and bring theatre directly to their classrooms with performances, workshops and competitions. A gift of $10 or more helps eliminate the barriers between the next generation of theatre lovers and the art that will inspire them.
GIVE TODAY
DENVERCENTER.ORG/DONATE
WEAVE YOUR STORY INTO OURS Planned gifts are the ultimate way to ensure the DCPA will serve and enrich our community for generations to come. When you establish a planned gift in support of the DCPA, you become part of our Encore Society — a group of individuals committed to making a lasting difference. There are many options available at various levels. You may name the DCPA: • In your will or trust • As a beneficiary of your retirement plan, IRA or life insurance policy • To benefit from a Charitable Remainder Trust or Charitable Lead Trust
LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANNED GIVING
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
Photo by John Moore
Contact Marc Ravenhill, Associate Director of Development at 303.572.4594 or mravenhill@dcpa.org
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“The best! The best! The best!” “I’m at a loss for words. The professionalism, the skill, is beyond — Charles Wadsworth founding artistic director words. Phenomenal, just phenomenal.” — Grace Blank, classical concertgoer of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Discover Hope
Be Inspired
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“So inspiring. I think I may have found some new ideas for the next Avatar movie.” — Robert Stromberg, Academy Award-winning production designer for Avatar
IN NEARLY every culture, artists have sought divine inspiration to bring meaning to their creations. Today, Shen Yun’s artists follow in this noble tradition, incorporating mindfulness and meditation into their daily lives. Many of Shen Yun’s programs present divinely-inspired themes such as loyalty, benevolence, justice, and the principle that good will be rewarded and evil punished. The result? A spiritual radiance that shines on stage, conveying a sense of compassion and hope that many in the audience take home with them.
WHEN THE CURTAIN lifts at a Shen Yun performance, what will you discover? The radiance of the dancers, the exquisite grace of their movements, and the mesmerizing display of the animated backdrops and handmade costumes. All of this gives the audience an almost overwhelming sense of amazement at the consummate beauty. It is a vision of loveliness not to be missed, and one that will never be forgotten.
MARCH 3–5 | THE BUELL THEATRE | Prices: $69.99–$174.99
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AWESTRUCK. INSPIRED. That’s how audiences feel after a Shen Yun performance. Thunderous battle drums, dazzling choreography, and an enchanting live orchestra deliver an uplifting, dynamic experience. A Shen Yun performance isn’t just something you see and hear. It’s something you feel from the top of your head to the bottom of your soul.
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On New Year’s Eve 1979, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ (DCPA) Tony Awardwinning Theatre Company opened in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex. Designed by architect Kevin Roche, the building originally housed one cinema (now The Ricketson Theatre), a central lobby and three performance spaces (Stage, Source, and Space theatres). Over the years, the Seawell Grand Ballroom and Directors Room were added, The Source was renovated and renamed in recognition of then-Trustee Glenn Jones, and the central lobby was given a much needed facelift. Now, the DCPA is turning its focus on renovation of the nearly 40-year-old Space and Stage theatres. Thanks in large part to a $10 million grant from the Better Denver Bond Program, renovation began on The Space Theatre in March 2016. And truth be told, “renovation” is far too inadequate a term for the project. The Space has been completely gutted and a new theatre is being built from scratch. It will re-open in September 2017 and retain its signature five-sided, “in-the-round” shape. Originally designed as a fourlevel, 550-seat theatre, the new venue will be just two levels, greatly improving sightlines for audience members. And while the number of seats will be increased on the main floor, the overall seating capacity will be reduced to 416 seats, preserving the intimacy of the live theatre experience. Once completed, the theatre will feature a flexible performance space allowing for innovative design and adaptable staging, full ADA compliance and improvements that are intended to enhance the audience’s enjoyment of each production — state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound; improved sightlines, and more main-level seating. Additionally, The Space Theatre will have its own enlarged lobby with one central doorway into the theatre. And, not to be overlooked, restroom capacity for both the Space and Stage theatres is being doubled. When the theatre reopens next fall, the Denver Center will turn its attention to The Stage Theatre, the 750-seat mainstage venue used by DCPA Theatre Company for its larger productions such as A Christmas Carol, The Secret Garden and Sweeney Todd. Watch Applause as plans develop to ensure that you enjoy world-class performances in world-class facilities.
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
Photos by Studio JK
STEP OUTSIDE THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY
Circus 1903. Photos: ©Jose Leon Photography
I
COMING UP FROM BROADWAY:
In 1939, retailer Montgomery Ward asked Robert L. May to develop a Christmas story for publication. Titled “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the story was adapted into a song by May’s brother-in-law and radio producer, Johnny Marks. Ten years later, the song was first sung commercially by Harry Brannon a month before Gene Autry’s No. 1 recording was released. Then, in 1964, Burl Ives re-recorded the song as the soundtrack to accompany the television episode that has become the longest-running Christmas TV special in history. Now, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Musical is delighting audiences across the nation. Enjoy these fun facts about the original TV show before the curtain rises on Rudolph, Yukon, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster and, of course, Santa Claus.
CIRCUS 1903
Step right up! Step right up! Don’t miss the marvelous, the magnificent, the mystifying golden age of circus when Circus 1903 comes to town. Inspired by amazing performers from a bygone era, this all-new production by the producers of The Illusionists and the puppeteers of War Horse, will delight audiences of all ages with a turn-of-the-century circus spectacular. The big top has never been brighter than when filled with unique, dangerous and awe-inspiring talent from across the globe. Through the magic of Significant Object (the award-winning puppeteers who brought audiences War Horse), Circus 1903 is able to return animals to the center ring with a fresh, innovative and humane spin. Animals are seemingly brought to life including the largestever performing African elephant through the magic of carefully constructed and realistic puppets. Don’t miss contortionists, firebreathing daredevils and ski-high balancing acts when Circus 1903 dazzles the eyes and defies gravity February 21-26 in The Buell Theatre.
• All of the human characters in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” have four fingers. • Santa’s sleigh is pulled by seven reindeer at the end of the special though, according to the song, there are usually nine reindeer. • In 2006, the original Rudolph and Santa figures were featured in an episode of “Antiques Roadshow,” at which time they were valued at $8,000 – $10,000. • Though he appears quite large on screen, the Bumble figure stood 14 inches tall and had 30 teeth in his mouth. • Hermey is the only elf without pointed ears. • It takes 24 frames to create one second of filmed animation. • All of the characters in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” were built with joints so that any part of their body could be moved, including their eyes, mouth and ears.
• Rudolph is actually voiced by a woman, Billie Mae Richards, who was 43 years old when she helped bring young Rudolph to life.
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER THE MUSICAL DEC 16 – 18 • BUELL THEATRE ASL, Audio-Described & Open Captioned performance: Dec 17, 2pm
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” animated television special adapted from a story by Robert L. May and the song by Johnny Marks, music and lyrics by Johnny Marks. All elements © and ™ under license to Character Arts, LLC.
• Rudolph’s signature nose, which was originally created using a 12v light bulb painted red, glows in 33 shots in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
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CRITICS PICK — TOP 10 OF 2015 “ A TERRIFIC NEW PLAY ABOUT THE MYSTERY OF FAITH” — The New York Times
“ THAT RARE PLAY THAT BOTH BELIEVERS AND NONBELIEVERS CAN EMBRACE” — L.A. Times
JAN 27 – FEB 26 TICKETS START AT $30
Illustration by Kyle Malone
The Christians by Lucas Hnath
PRODUCING PARTNERS
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Illustrations by Kyle Malone
2 5 1
WORLD PREMIERE PRODUCTIONS BY LAUREN GUNDERSON & TIRA PALMQUIST
NEW PLAY READINGS
COMING UP FROM THEATRE COMPANY:
UNFORGETTABLE EVENT
Two upcoming plays by DCPA Theatre Company both came out of the 2016 Colorado New Play Summit, both are written by women and both will be seen by Denver audiences first, but that’s where the similarities end. Opening January 13 is The Book of Will, a touching, humorous play about the lengths Shakespeare’s contemporaries went to in order to preserve his works. Three years after the Bard’s death, actors John Heminges and Henry Condell realize that his plays risk being lost forever and they embark on an urgent attempt to regain the rights, reassemble the scripts and fill in the missing blanks. Lauren Gunderson’s play recounts their trials and tribulations in publishing the 1623 first Folio, which is, arguably, the most valuable book after the Bible. Opening February 3 is Two Degrees by Tira Palmquist. According to the playwright, “Two Degrees is about a woman who’s doing her best to help people understand why climate change is an important issue. And at the same time, she’s coming to terms with her own personal grief.” Infused with humor, the play probes one of society’s most pressing issues while balancing it against the struggle of a rich and complicated human being. Both world premieres will be offered this Winter as part of the DCPA’s annual Colorado New Play Summit. For details, visit denvercenter.org.
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YOU MAKE OUR BIGGER PICTURE POSSIBLE
Theatre Forward advances the American theatre and its communities by providing funding and other resources to the country’s leading nonprofit theatres. Theatre Forward and our theatres are most grateful to the following Educating Through Theatre funders: CURRENT FUNDERS List as of August 2016 THEATRE EXECUTIVES ($50,000-$99,000) The Schloss Family Foundation Wells Fargo BENEFACTORS ($25,000-$49,999) Buford Alexander and Pamela Farr Steven & Joy Bunson James S. & Lynne Turley
The support of donors like you does more
than bring shows to our stages. It elevates new voices and perspectives that leave an impact on our community. You’re helping students in need see live theatre for the first time. You’re allowing us to take creative risks and evolve how we reach out to the next generation of theatre lovers. And for that, we can’t thank you enough.
GIVE YOUR TAX-DEDUCTIBLE, YEAR-END GIFT TODAY denvercenter.org/donate Megan Fevurly at 303.572.4593
Photo by John Moore
PACESETTERS ($15,000‑$24,999) Alan & Jennifer Freedman Frank & Bonnie Orlowski National Endowment for the Arts Southwest Airlines† Theatermania/Gretchen Shugart George S. Smith, Jr. DONORS ($10,000‑$14,999) Lisa Orberg RBC Wealth Management Daniel A. Simkowitz TD Charitable Foundation Isabelle Winkles SUPPORTERS ($2,500‑$9,999) Mitchell J. Auslander Paula A. Dominick Dorfman and Kaish Family Foundation, Inc. John R. Dutt Bruce R. and Tracey Ewing Mason & Kim Granger Brian J. Harkins Gregory S. Hurst Howard and Janet Kagan Joseph F. Kirk John R. Mathena Jonathan Maurer and Gretchen Shugart John Thomopoulos †Includes In-kind support Theatre Forward supporters are former supporters of National Corporate Theatre Fund and Impact Creativity. For a complete list of funders visit theatreforward.org
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APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
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DCPA TEAM DCPA Janice Sinden......................................................President & CEO Eve Gordon...........................Executive Assistant to the CEO
BROADWAY & CABARET John Ekeberg........................... Executive Director Broadway Alicia Giersch..................................................... General Manager Alyssa Chacon............. Operations Business Administrator Abel Becerra.................................. Technical Director, Cabaret
DEVELOPMENT David Zupancic.................................Director of Development Shawn Bayer.................................................... Associate Director Chelley Canales...................................Development Associate Megan Fevurly.....................................Development Associate Melissa Olson........................................Development Assistant Marc Ravenhill................................................. Associate Director Valerie Taron.................................................... Associate Director
EDUCATION Allison Watrous........................................Director of Education Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski.........................Associate Director of Education and Curriculum Manager Jessica Austgen................................................ Teaching Artist & Shakespeare Coordinator Stuart Barr.................................. Education Technical Director Claudia Carson...... Bobby G and Playwriting Coordinator Leslie Channell................................................. Business Manager Melissa Doherty...........................Office Manager & Registrar Linda Eller..............................................................................Librarian Tim McCracken..................................................... Head of Acting Michelle Patrick...................Corporate Training Coordinator David Saphier.......... Teaching Artist & School Coordinator Elizabeth Schmit...........................................Assistant Registrar Rachel Taylor...........Teaching Artist & At-Risk Coordinator Chloe McCleod, Heather Hughes, Justin Walvoord, Robyn Yamada.................................................... Teaching Artists
FACILITIES & EVENT SERVICES Clay Courter.....Vice President, Facilities & Event Services James Babcock, Dwight Barela, Clint Flinchpaugh, Michael Kimbrough................ Engineers Quentin Crump...............................................Security Specialist Tom Duffin.....................................Manager, Event Technology Caitlin Glasgo................................................ Events Coordinator Stori Heleen.................................Event Technology Specialist Jaymes Kimbrough..................Event Technology Specialist Clint King.........................................................Security Supervisor Terry Koch........................... Director, Facilities Management John Lower.............................................................. Chief Engineer Brian McClain............................................. Custodial Supervisor Tara Miller, Danielle Porter, Brittany Schoede............................................. Events Managers Brook Nichols................................Director, Event Technology Alyssa Stock....................................Assistant Project Manager Will Stowe.....................................Event Technology Specialist Tara Wenger....Facilities/Event Services Business Manager Dawn Williams.....................................Director, Event Services Juan Loya, Carmen Molina, Blanca Primero, Judith Primero, Angeles Reyes Soto, Francisco Trujillo............................................................Custodians
MARKETING, SALES & PATRON SERVICES Jennifer Nealson..................................Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Bosk......................... Senior PR & Promotions Manager Nathan Brunetti...................................................Digital Manager Kim Conner.........................................................Graphic Designer Flora Jane DiRienzo...............Director of Strategic Projects Brenda Elliott......................................Senior Graphic Designer Brianna Firestone............Director of Customer Experience & Marketing Simone Gordon...................................................Project Manager Hope Grandon..........................................PR & Events Manager Jeff Hovorka............................. Director of Sales & Marketing Jennifer Kemps........................................Group Sales Manager Emily Kent............................Associate Director of Marketing David Lenk............................................................. Video Producer
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Emily Lozow........................................... Marketing Coordinator Adam Lundeen....................................Marketing Technologist Kyle Malone.................................................................... Art Director Carolyn Michaels...........................................................Copywriter Cheyenne Michaels............................. Marketing Coordinator John Moore................................................Senior Arts Journalist Adam Obendorf........................................... Senior Art Director Beth Osolin......................Group Sales Business Coordinator Allison Barber Pasternak..... Executive Assistant to the CMO Joseph Schurwonn......................................... Financial Analyst Jill Schwager...............Education Group Sales Coordinator Rob Silk.........................................Director of Creative Services Suzanne Yoe............................... Director of Communications & Cultural Affairs THEATRE SERVICES Carol Krueger.................................. Theatre Services Manager Adam Alberti, Ethan Aumann, Nora Caley, Samantha Egle, Hadley Kamminga-Peck, LeiLani Lynch, Aaron McMullen, Gregory Melton, Douglas Murphey, Joyce Murphey, Margaret Ohlander, Valerie Schaefer, Mica Ward..................... Theatre Company House Managers TICKETING SERVICES Jennifer Lopez.........................Director of Ticketing Services Kirk Petersen...........................................Assoc. Dir. of Ticketing Services – Patron Relations David Smith.............................................Assoc. Dir. of Ticketing Services – Subscription Services Micah White .............................................Subscription Manager Jessica Bergin, Vincent Bridgers, Katie Clow-Pollard, Tristan Jungferman ................................Box Office Managers Billy Dutton .............................................VIP Ticketing Manager Malcolm Brown, Kevin Dykstra, Molly Dougherty, Amanda Gomez, Edmund Gurule ...........................................................Show Leads Kirsten Anderson, Rebecca Hibbert, Scott Lix, Gregory Swan ......................Subscription Agents Román Anaya, Austin Lee Brown, Rena Bugg, D.J. Dennis, Jennifer Gray, Roger Haak, Noah Jungferman, Alia Kempton, Daniel Lindsey, Gustavo Marquez, Cora Marsh, Noah McDermott, Taylor Schulze, Liz Sieroslawski, Hayley Solano, Brad Steinmeyer, Tomas Waples, Cindy Yeast................................................................ Ticket Agents
SHARED SERVICES Vicky Miles................................................ Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Jeffrey.......................................... Director of Financial Planning & Analysis Julie Schumaker.................Executive Assistant to the CFO ACCOUNTING Jennifer Siemers...................................Director of Accounting Sara Brandenburg, Michaele Davidson.....................................Senior Accountants Juliette Hidahl....................................................Accounting Clerk Kim Stewart........................................................ Staff Accountant HUMAN RESOURCES Regina Matthews......................... Director Human Resources Brian Carter...................................Human Resources Manager Donald Gabenski.............................................................Reception Jamie Hawkins...................................................... HR Coordinator Sandy Hertz.........................................................Payroll Specialist Monica Robles............................................Mailroom Supervisor INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Yovani Pina.................................... Associate Vice President of Information Technology Chris Calenzo...................................................Help Desk Analyst Jayson Cowley......................................Network Administrator Jim Hipp................................................. Associate Director of IT Christopher Hoge.......................VoIP/System Administrator Bobby Jiminez.........................Senior AudienceView Analyst John H. Voorheis............................ Manager of Infrastructure
THEATRE COMPANY Kent Thompson........................... Producing Artistic Director ADMINISTRATION Charles Varin...................................................Managing Director Ryan Meisheid...........................Associate Managing Director Allison Taylor..................................................Company Manager
APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100 • denvercenter.org
Kerri Mirtsching.................................... Business Administrator Alie Quistberg...........................Assistant Company Manager ARTISTIC Charlie I. Miller................................Associate Artistic Director Strategy & Innovation Douglas Langworthy ................................... Literary Director/ Director of New Play Development Chad Henry....................................................... Literary Associate Grady Soapes.............................................. Artistic Coordinator PRODUCTION Jeff Gifford...............................................Director of Production Melissa Cashion....................Associate Production Manager Matthew Campbell.............. Assistant Production Manager Julie Brou...................Production & Artistic Office Manager Scenic Design Lisa M. Orzolek................................ Director of Scenic Design Matthew Plamp, Nicholas Renaud..............................Scenic Design Assistants Lighting Design Charles R. MacLeod...................................Director of Lighting Lily Bradford.....................................Lighting Design Assistant Reid Tennis............................................... Production Electrician Multimedia Topher Blair............................Multimedia Assistant/Operator Sound Design Craig Breitenbach...........................................Director of Sound Tyler Nelson.......................................................... Sound Designer Alex Billman, Frank Haas..............................Sound Operators Stage Management Christopher C. Ewing................ Production Stage Manager Rachel Ducat, Heidi Echtenkamp, Corin Ferris, Chris Luebke, D. Lynn Reiland, Kurt Van Raden...................................................Stage Managers Scene Shop Eric Rouse.......................................................... Technical Director Robert L. Orzolek, Josh Prues.................................Associate Technical Directors Albert “Stub” Allison, Louis Fernandez III.......................................... Lead Technicians Justin Hicks, Brian “Marco” Markiewicz, Wynn Pastor, Kyle Simpson Mike VanAartsen...........................................Scenic Technicians Prop Shop Robin Lu Payne.............................................Properties Director Eileen S. Garcia......................... Assistant Properties Director Jamie Stewart Curl, David Hoth, Georgina Kayes, Katie Webster..........................................................Props Artisans Paint Shop Jana L. Mitchell...........................................Charge Scenic Artist Melanie Rentschler........................................Lead Scenic Artist Kristin Hamer MacFarlane ....................................Scenic Artist Costume Shop Janet S. MacLeod..........................................Costume Director/ Costume Design Associate Meghan Anderson Doyle........ Costume Design Associate Carolyn Plemitscher, Louise Powers, Jackie Scott............................................................................Drapers Cathie Gagnon.................................................................First Hand Sheila P. Morris........................................................................... Tailor Kelly Jones.................................................................................Stitcher Costume Crafts Kevin Copenhaver............................Costume Crafts Director Chris Campbell.................................Costume Crafts Assistant Wigs Diana Ben-Kiki............................................................... Wig Master House Crew Doug Taylor*..........................................Supervising Stagehand Jim Berman*, Jennifer Guethlein*, Stephen D. Mazzeno*, Kyle Moore, Miles Stasica*, Tyler Stauffer*, Matt Wagner* (*IATSE Local 7 Stagehands)................................ Stagehands Wardrobe Brenda Lawson........................................Director of Wardrobe Maria Y. Davis, Taylor Malott............................Wig Assistants Robin Appleton, Amber Donner, Anthony Mattivi, Tim Nelson, Lisa Parsons Wagner, Alan Richards....................................................................... Dressers
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September 2016ABOUT HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW LINEUP How OUR muchCURRENT do you know about OF out SHOWS? current lineup of Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Hip Hop shows? Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Hip Hop Nutcracker, Jersey Boys, Finding Neverland Nutcracker, JerseyCarol Boys, Finding Neverland and A and A Christmas Christmas Carol
5 Dance genre “The Nutcracker” is more typically associated with _______. 8 He directed Jersey Boys the film 9 Ignorance and _______ 10 Hedwig is taking the wig down from the _______ 12 Ageless role John Cameron Mitchell played with DCPA Theatre Company (two words) 15 The Nutcracker’s nemesis (two words)
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ACROSS
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16 Band that made British idol Gary Barlow famous (two words)
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18 First, The Four Seasons were called The Four _______
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DOWN
1 Name of J.M. Barrie’s St. Bernard, also found in The Three Musketeers 8
2 "Origin of Love” is from “Symposium,” written by _______
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3 “When you _____, you can fly.” 10
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4 Tiny Tim’s second father
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5 “You may be an undigested bit of _______”
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6 Dickens resolve to strike “a _______ _______ blow” for the poor (two words)
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7 Peter is the boy who would never _______ _______ (two words)
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11 What a ____, and what a night 13 Junction City is in what state? 14 Tchaikovsky’s new mashup is called The _______ ________ Nutcracker (two words) 17 Future film star who first connected “Jersey Boys” Tommy Devito and Bob Gaudio
For answers please visit denvercenter.org/news-center. ACROSS 46
DOWN • denvercenter.org APPLAUSE • Nov 2016 – Jan 2017 • 303.893.4100
5 Dance genre "The Nutcracker" is more typically associated with
1 Name of J.M. Barrie's St. Bernard, also found in "The Three Musketeers"
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