Applause -- A Christmas Carol, November 18-December 24, 2022

APPLAUSE

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

A Christmas Carol .

Photo by Adams VisCom.

BY JANICE SINDEN

HHello and welcome to the Denver Center! Thank you for joining us this holiday season. We’re glad you’re here.

As we look forward to 2023 and beyond, we have recommitted to developing a five-year Strategic Plan. Prior to the pandemic, we listened to our Trustees, team members and community about the DCPA’s strengths and opportunities. Now, we are diving back into that work to set a path toward our 50th anniversary season in 2028/29. We look forward to sharing this important work with you and our broader community so that we can deepen our connections, enrich our neighborhoods, and continue to share stories that reflect humanity.

The backbone of this work is our Board of Trustees and I’m happy to share with you some recent leadership changes. Hassan Salem, Head of Commercial Banking at U.S. Bank, has succeeded Martin Semple as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Additionally, Ruth Krebs has succeeded Robert Slosky as the DCPA’s first female Vice Chair and Robert Newman has succeeded Dean Singleton as Secretary/ Treasurer. A tremendous word of appreciation for Martin Semple, Bob Slosky and Bob Newman for their years of leadership and service to the DCPA.

Our Board will implement a Strategic Plan that is based on a very firm foundation. Given the turmoil of the past several years, I am pleased to share with you a summary of our 2021/22 season. Despite a delayed start to our typical concurrent programming, we ultimately presented 30 ticketed events; offered nearly 2,300 classes and in-school programs, and shared 703,000 guest experiences with our community.

Your overwhelming support has bolstered us through the past 2 ½ years and will help us achieve our goals in upcoming seasons. As you make your end-of year gifts, please consider the value you place on the joy of live theatre. Together we will engage new audiences, inspire budding actors, and transform our community through the power of live theatre.

From our family to yours, happy holidays. May they be merry and bright!

Warm regards,

Janice Sinden, President & CEO

P.S. To make a year-end gift, please visit denvercenter.org/support-us. Thank you.

APPLAUSE MAGAZINE

VOLUME XXXIII • NUMBER 3 • NOV 2022 - JAN 2023

EDITOR: Suzanne Yoe

DESIGN DIRECTOR: Kyle Malone

DESIGNER THIS ISSUE: Brenda Elliott

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS: Paul Koob, Lucas Kreitler

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Heidi Bosk, Emma Hunt, John Moore, Joanne Ostrow

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.

Applause magazine is funded in part by

Angie Flachman, Publisher

For advertising 303.428.9529 or sales@pub-house.com coloradoartspubs.com

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

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Hassan Salem, Chair

Martin Semple, Immediate Past Chair Ruth Krebs, Vice Chair Robert C. Newman, Secretary/Treasurer

Dr. Patricia Baca

Brisa Carleton

Fred Churbuck Navin Dimond David Farahi Kevin Kilstrom

Susan Fox Pinkowitz Manny Rodriguez Alan Salazar

Richard M. Sapkin William Dean Singleton Robert Slosky June Travis Ken Tuchman Tina Walls

Dr. Reginald L. Washington Judi Wolf Sylvia Young

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Margot Gilbert Frank Jeannie Fuller Daniel L. Ritchie Cleo Parker Robinson

HELEN G. BONFILS FOUNDATION BOARD OF TRUSTEES

William Dean Singleton, President

Martin Semple Vice President

Dr. Reginald Washington, Secretar y/Treasurer

Ruth Krebs

David Miller

Robert C. Newman Hassan Salem Robert Slosky June Travis Judi Wolf

EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT

Janice Sinden, President & CEO Jamie Clements, Vice President, Development Chris Coleman, Artistic Director, Theatre Company

John Ekeberg, Executive Director, Broadway & Cabaret Lydia Garcia, Executive Director, Equity & Organization Culture

Gretchen Hollrah, Chief Operating Officer

Laura Maresca, Vice President, Human Resources

Charlie Miller, Executive Director & Curator, Off-Center

Lisa Roebuck, Vice President, Information Technology

Charles Varin, Managing Director, Theatre Company

Allison Watrous, Executive Director, Education & Community Engagement

Jane Williams, Chief Financial Officer

Through January 22, 2023

Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools: 300 Years of Flemish Masterworks is co-organized by the Denver Art Museum and The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp (Belgium). It is presented by the Birnbaum Social Discourse Project. Support is provided by the Tom Taplin Jr. and Ted Taplin Endowment, Keith and Kathie Finger, the Kristin and Charles Lohmiller Exhibitions Fund, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Christie’s, the donors to the Annual Fund Leadership Campaign, and the residents who support the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Promotional support is provided by 5280 Magazine and CBS4.

IMAGE: Catarina Ykens II, Vanitas Bust of a Lady (detail), 1688. Oil paint on panel; 12 1⁄2 × 12 3⁄8 in. © The Phoebus Foundation, Antwerp

Katy Tang. Photo by Adams VisCom

HOME TO THE INDUSTRY’S FRESHEST PLAYS

Art Basel is about to begin and Mariana, the director of a swanky modern art gallery, has a serious problem on her hands. Her showroom is an active crime scene. Stylish and vibrant, this world premiere play is a hilarious snapshot of Cuban and Colombian-American culture set in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood arts district.

Jan 27 – Mar 12 | Singleton Theatre

GET TICKETS

Hailed as an audience favorite at the 2020 Colorado New Play Summit, Hotter Than Egypt is the captivating tale of an American couple’s own personal revolutions. Drawing from the political, cultural, and religious realities of the region, this quick-witted dramedy pits loyalty against attraction as its characters grapple with the ever-changing struggle of staying committed to their partners.

Feb 10 – Mar 12 | Kilstrom Theatre

GET TICKETS

Illustrations by Kyle Malone

FINDING THE “SUNSHINE OF THE SPIRIT” IN

BY JOHN MOORE

AAnthony Powell is the ghost of A Christmas Carol past, present and future.

Powell, the new director of the DCPA Theatre Company’s seasonal favorite, has himself performed as an actor in five Denver Center holiday stagings going all the way back to 1992. He played Bob Cratchit three times, Old Joe once and finally, in 2001, the jovial Mr. Fezziwig. Powell believes all those iconic Dickens characters live inside him still –  and more.

Friends can easily see Fezziwig’s festiveness and Cratchit’s earnestness in Powell’s daily demeanor. Powell leans more toward Marley, the ghost determined to save Scrooge’s soul, as well as the cheerful nephew Fred, who steadfastly invites his miserly uncle to Christmas dinner each year despite the near certainty that he will be rebuffed.

“On a bad day, I relate to Jacob Marley the most, and on a good day…Fred,” said Powell. “Of course, we all have our Scroogey days, and we have to fight against that. But to me, Marley is just the most heartbreaking of them all. I mean, this is more than a last-ditch effort to save his best friend’s soul – his own redemption is at stake, too.”

It can’t be overstated how much Dickens’ classic holiday story means to Powell. “To me, A Christmas Carol is Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanza and December 25 all rolled into one,” he said. “It covers all the bases.”

Powell holds dear to childhood memories of hunkering down on the couch with his mom to watch the 1951 British film version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim. “We didn’t do The Nutcracker at Christmas,” he said. “We would gather together and watch A Christmas Carol on TV every year, and that really was our family holiday celebration.”

Powell has directed 36 mainstage productions for the DCPA Theatre Company, most under the venerable Artistic Director Donovan Marley from 1990-2005 – and acted in 18 more. But even since becoming Artistic Director of the popular Stories on Stage live storytelling series, Powell has remained active in the Denver Center community, directing acclaimed productions including Lord of the Flies and All the Way while also teaching for DCPA Education.

When Artistic Director Chris Coleman recently asked Powell to direct A Christmas Carol for the first time, Powell said, “It was like the cartoon where the jaw drops and hits the table. I was shocked but thrilled because I love this story and this company so much.”

This year will mark the Denver Center’s 27th not-quite annual staging of A Christmas Carol, which Powell is dedicating to the legendary Laird Williamson, who died in 2020. The tradition began in 1990 with an adaptation written by Williamson and Dennis Powers. In 2005, the company switched to the current version written by Richard Hellesen and David de Berry.

Williamson was a seminal figure in Denver Center history, directing more than 40 plays from 1981-2005, including 14 stagings of A Christmas Carol. Powell had never seen A Christmas Carol as a live play until he came to work here in 1990.

“It really blew my mind what a live audience experiencing that story together in community means, and how different that is from watching a film,” he said.

What has stayed with him more than anything else, he added, was Williamson’s opening-night address reminding the cast and crew that Scrooge’s redemption is indelibly tied to the winter solstice and its promise of new beginnings, longer days and more sunlight.

“That speech stayed the same every year, and it would choke me up every time,” Powell said. “He would talk about how Scrooge’s heart had become frozen and that he had locked himself away from what he called ‘the sunshine of the spirit,’ which is an expression I dearly love. Laird would talk about how our tradition of putting up holiday lights and lighting fires is all about bringing the light back in the darkest days of winter – and that is literally what happens to Scrooge.”

Powell is humbled, resolute and a little bit daunted about not only returning to the Denver Center’s seasonal tradition, but assuming the overall direction of it. He knows what this production has meant to the company and to the community over the years. At its current pace, A Christmas Carol is about two years from crossing the 1 million attendance threshold.

— ANTHONY POWELL, DIRECTOR

Powell likens his new role to that of a train conductor keeping a locomotive on the track it has been riding strong for decades.

“A big part of my job is to really be a good steward, because not only have we inherited a wonderful production and a great adaptation of the play, but also that incredible set designed by Vicki Smith and Kevin Copenhaver’s marvelous costumes,” he said. So Powell did not plan big changes.

“I don’t think audiences will be shocked,” he said. But regular visitors will be somewhat surprised, he admitted, to see only a handful of familiar faces in recurring roles. “The good news is that almost everybody is going to be new to this production,” Powell said. “And the not-as-good news is that almost everybody is going to be new to this production.”

The new Scrooge is none other than Michael Santo, who will be making his 14th appearance in a mainstage DCPA Theatre Company production dating back to 1992.

“For Scrooge, you need to find an actor who can play both the beginning of the show, which is Scrooge as a frozen-hearted miser, as well as the redemption and being reborn at the end,” Powell said. “Michael also has a lovely sense of humor, and that is so important because Scrooge may be an old meanie, but I think he enjoys psyching people out.”

Powell knows how the story ends, of course – and chances are you do, too. But he’s approached things as if he doesn’t. He wants to maintain an innocence to the storytelling, knowing well that people need the replenishment this fable offers coming out of the pandemic.

“The last few years, every single person on planet Earth has been through a lot, and one senses that the world is getting meaner by the second,” Powell said. “At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, I think we need this story now more than ever because kindness is a muscle you have to exercise. This story illustrates in a beautiful way what it means to be a human being.

“We are not alone. We have got to do this thing called life together.”

I think we need this story now more than ever because kindness is a muscle you have to exercise. This story illustrates in a beautiful way what it means to be a human being.

IIn 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-inlaw 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. Test your memory by answering “Who Said It?” in this musical-inspired crossword puzzle.

ACROSS

2. Never knew a Bumble yet who’d turn down a pork dinner for deer meat…do your stuff.

3. I’m the official Sentry of the Island of the Misfit Toys!

4. What? You don’t like to make toys?

6. I just don’t like to make toys.

7. I think it’s a handsome nose. Much better than that silly false one you were wearing.

8. Well, this is it. The storm won’t subside by tonight. We’ll have to cancel Christmas.

9. Come here…open your mouth – oh dear. I’d better set up an appointment, week from Tuesday. Four-thirty – sharp.

11. How can you overlook that? His beak blinks like a blinkin’ beacon!

13. A toy is never truly happy until it is loved by a child

15. It sure is! It’s SANTA!! And look, Rudolph is leading the way!

DOWN

1. Who ever heard of a skinny Santa? Eat!

5. Well, they are all very sad at the loss of their friend — but they realize that the best thing to do is to get back to Christmastown.

10. Gadzooks! The Bumble strikes again! Whoopeeee!

12. Looks like we’re forgotten again.

14. I’m cude. I’m cude!

WHO SAID IT? IN RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MUSICAL

DEC 16 – 18 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: Dec 17 at 3pm

Rudolph Family and Santa

BARTLETT SHER REINVENTS A CLASSIC IN MY FAIR LADY

BY JOANNE OSTROW

MMy Fair Lady, a famously sumptuous spectacle overflowing with a long list of favorite songs, has been called the perfect musical. The Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe original ran on Broadway starting in 1956, setting records for the longest Broadway run at the time.

The 1964 movie adaptation likewise became a classic, with Rex Harrison putting a defining stamp on the role of Henry Higgins, the stodgy professor who remakes a poor flower seller into a lady, on a dare, by cleaning her up and teaching her proper elocution.

He then more or less falls for her — or at least grows accustomed to her face. A slew of romantic comedies from Pretty Woman to Miss Congeniality have cashed in on this magic makeover formula ever since.

But this revival isn’t a nostalgic replay of a frothy film or theater piece. It represents an effort to make this lovely fantasy more relevant to modern sensibilities. The revival by director Bartlett Sher aims to fashion My Fair Lady as less rom-com, more social critique.

“It is helpful to look at the original source material,” Sher said in a telephone interview ahead of the Lincoln Center Theater production’s national tour arrival in Denver.

After all, he said, “Shaw was a radical socialist writer, very interested in the suffragette movement, hanging out with Sylvia Pankhurst and a part of a lot of new thinking about women in society.” The themes of the piece are class divisions and the constraints put on women.

With an outlook that can be considered quite progressive for his time, Shaw devised the plot of Pygmalion to test the idea of upward mobility in a culture defined by strict social class distinctions and misogyny.

Spoiler alert: The ending has been altered to evoke Shaw’s clearly feminist, not so romantic intention.

To understand how he arrived at this new take, Sher said, you have to know the history. Of course My Fair Lady is based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, written in 1911 with the suffragettes in mind.

“Shaw was quite the radical thinker, heavily influenced by Ibsen and A Doll’s House. He was dead set against the idea of romantic comedy,” Sher said.

In 1938, a movie starring Leslie Howard was produced, written by Shaw from his Pygmalion. “But the studio was unhappy with the ending. They took the screenplay away from him and demanded a reshoot.” Cue the first steps toward a rom-com crowd pleaser.

Some 20 years later, the musical theater got the rights to the early movie and “kept the happy ending,” suggesting the pair get together in the end.

“By the time I got to it,” Sher said, “I reinstated a sense of the original ending.”

In this production, Henry Higgins does not sculpt Eliza Dolittle into his idea of a proper lady; rather, Eliza uses her bravery and pluck to imagine a better life for herself. At the close, this Eliza does not run to Higgins in a suggestion of happy-ever-after coupledom, but instead finds the strength to turn away and face her future, solo.

Sher sees the relationship between Eliza and Higgins as “profound and close but not romantic.” Shaw’s intention, Sher said, was to write the opposite of a romantic comedy.

Younger, more openminded theatergoers may cheer when Eliza stands up to the arrogant, narcissistic Prof. Higgins. Older, perhaps more nostalgic fans of the Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn versions may be stunned.

But Sher is resolute. “The purpose of a revival is not to make people happy, but to provoke discussion.”

His work has been hailed a success to the tune of 10 Tony nominations.

The show’s musical numbers are here in all their glory — from “I Could Have Danced All Night” to “On the Street Where You Live” to “The Rain in Spain.” The glamour is intact. But the tale exits on a note that pays allegiance more to Shaw than to Lerner.

Classic works like My Fair Lady are “very much of their time and require investigation and rethinking,” Sher said, noting that Shaw also struggled with the ending in his day.

The idea, according to the director, is that “these are living texts.” Sher is known for successfully reinterpreting and reworking such classics as South Pacific and The King and I, both of which contain troubling and outdated racial elements. With My Fair Lady, he’s made a classic from a classic for our more egalitarian era but, he asks, “Who knows, 20 years from now…?”

Lerner picks up from Shaw, Sher picks up from Lerner, but who picks up from Sher?

(“Atticus Finch”) and Yaegel T. Welch (“Tom

ALL RISE FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, To Kill a Mockingbird, is much beloved...a story of race, prejudice, and courage well-known throughout the United States. Academy and Emmy Award-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, “The West Wing”) has adapted this bestseller and given us a new play for our times. The verdict? A smash success on Broadway now coming to Denver.

Adapting a classic is no easy feat, but the stage version of To Kill a Mockingbird achieves the unimaginable. Two exceptional storytellers, Harper Lee and Aaron Sorkin, have come together with magical results. New York Magazine calls it “a real phenomenon. Majestic and incandescent, it’s filled with breath and nuance and soul.”

The star-studded production, directed by Tony Award-winning Bartlett Sher (South Pacific), features Emmy Award-winning Richard Thomas (“The Waltons”) as Atticus Finch. Audiences will also see Mary Badham, who played Scout Finch in the 1962 feature film, in the role of Mrs. Henry Dubose.

Witness this courtroom drama at The Buell Theatre from January 24 through February 5. You won’t want to miss “one of the greatest plays in history” (NPR).

MY FAIR LADY

NOV 15 – 27 • BUELL

THEATRE

ASL interpreted, audio-described and open captioned performance: Nov 27 at 2pm

The purpose of a revival is not to make people happy, but to provoke discussion.

— BARTLETT SHER, DIRECTOR

Richard Thomas

Robinson”).

Photo by Julieta Cervantes My Fair Lady . Photos by Joan Marcus.

BROADWAY SHOWS TO BRIGHTEN

SEASON

Finish your 2022 with flair and treat your loved ones to an unforgettable experience in the new year! Make a return trip to the theatre and catch your favorite shows, live and up close. Whether you’re searching for the perfect gift for the person who has everything, or you’re inclined to treat yourself, we’ve got options for everyone!

A GAYLORD HOTELS ORIGINAL EXPERIENCE

Find everything you’re looking for this holiday season – dozens of Christmas activities, themed dining, and the spectacular acrobatic feats of the all-new Cirque Spirit of Christmas. It’s all part of So. Much. Christmas. at Gaylord Rockies.

NOV. 18 - JAN. 1 ChristmasAtGaylordRockies.com

Coleman, Artistic Director

Charles Varin, Managing Director

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

BY Charles Dickens ADAPTED BY Richard Hellesen MUSIC BY David De Berry

With

SCENIC DESIGN BY Vicki Smith COSTUME DESIGN BY Kevin Copenhaver LIGHTING DESIGN BY Wen-Ling Liao

SOUND DESIGN BY Melanie Chen Cole

ORCHESTRATION BY Gregg Coffin MUSIC DIRECTION BY Darius Frowner CHOREOGRAPHY BY Grady Soapes

VOICE AND DIALECT BY Jeffrey Parker CASTING BY Grady Soapes, CSA DIRECTED BY ANTHONY POWELL

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT BY Matthew Campbell

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

Brian Bohlender*, Landon Tate Boyle, Vi Dang, Sydney D’Angelo, Seth Dhonau*, Jacob Dresch*, Jess D’Souza, Evan Duncan, Topher Embrey*, Brooks Garvey, Shabazz Green*, Victoria Hector, Christopher Hudson, Sheila Jones*, Stella Kim*, Ronan Marvin, Timothy McCracken*, Chloe McLeod, Susannah McLeod, Constantine Pappas*, Christian Ray Robinson, Marco Robinson*, Aidan Sakich, Michael Santo*, Felix Torrez-Ponce*, Logan Turner, Lucas Turner, Emily Van Fleet*, Rebbekah Vega-Romero*, Justin Walvoord*, Erin Willis* Stage Managers: Martinique M. Barthel*, Nick Nyquist*, Malia Stoner* THE WOLF THEATRE • NOV 18 – DEC 24, 2022

Chris

Street Singer

(In order of appearance)

ERIN WILLIS*

Ebenezer Scrooge MICHAEL SANTO*

Bob Cratchit TIMOTHY MCCRACKEN*

Fred / Scrooge’s Nephew SETH DHONAU*

Subscription Gentlemen SHABAZZ GREEN*, CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*

A Beggar Child SYDNEY D’ANGELO

Ghost of Jacob Marley JACOB DRESCH*

Ghost of Christmas Past ..................................................... STELLA KIM* Schoolmaster TOPHER EMBREY*

A CHRISTMAS CAROL CAST

Schoolboys SYDNEY D’ANGELO, EVAN DUNCAN, AIDAN SAKICH, LOGAN TURNER, LUCAS TURNER

Ebenezer the Child BROOKS GARVEY

Fan VICTORIA HECTOR

Ebenezer the Young Man MARCO ROBINSON*

Dick Wilkins CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*

Fezziwig SHABAZZ GREEN* Mrs. Fezziwig EMILY VAN FLEET*

A Fiddler SETH DHONAU*

Fezziwig Daughters SHEILA JONES*, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*, ERIN WILLIS*

Their Suitors BRIAN BOHLENDER*, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON

Belle CHLOE MCLEOD

Belle’s Husband

TOPHER EMBREY*

Ghost of Christmas Present TOPHER EMBREY* Mrs. Cratchit JESS D’SOUZA*

Martha Cratchit REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*

Peter Cratchit FELIX TORREZ-PONCE* Belinda Cratchit EVAN DUNCAN

Edward Cratchit AIDAN SAKICH

Tiny Tim LOGAN TURNER

Fred’s Wife SHEILA JONES* Topper CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON

The Wife’s Sister ............................................................. CHLOE MCLEOD

Fred’s Party Guests JACOB R. DRESCH*, ERIN WILLIS*

Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come MARCO ROBINSON*

Want SYDNEY D’ANGELO Ignorance BROOKS GARVEY Old Joe SHABAZZ GREEN*

The Undertaker’s Man CONSTANTINE PAPPAS* The Laundress SHEILA JONES* The Charwoman EMILY VAN FLEET*

Debtors BRIAN BOHLENDER*, STELLA KIM*

Boy in the Street LUCAS TURNER

ENSEMBLE

Laborer, Londoners, Carolers, Fezziwig Party Guests, Phantoms, Parents and Maids BRIAN BOHLENDER*, SYDNEY D’ANGELO, SETH DHONAU*, JACOB DRESCH*, JESS D’SOUZA*, EVAN DUNCAN, TOPHER EMBREY*, BROOKS GARVEY, SHABAZZ GREEN*, VICTORIA HECTOR, SHEILA JONES*, STELLA KIM*, RONAN MARVIN, TIMOTHY MCCRACKEN*, CHLOE MCLEOD, CONSTANTINE PAPPAS*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON, MARCO ROBINSON*, AIDAN SAKICH, MICHAEL SANTO*, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE*, LOGAN TURNER, LUCAS TURNER, EMILY VAN FLEET*, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO*, ERIN WILLIS*

UNDERSTUDIES

Understudies never substitute for the listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance. JUSTIN WALVOORD* (Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley); JACOB DRESCH*, MARCO ROBINSON* (Bob Cratchit); LANDON TATE BOYLE, FELIX TORREZ-PONCE* (Subscription Gentleman, Dick Wilkins/Undertaker’s Man); TOPHER EMBREY*, CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON (Subscription Gentleman, Mr. Fezziwig, Old Joe); BRIAN BOHLENDER*, CHRISTOPHER HUDSON (Fred/ Fiddler); SETH DHONAU*, SHABAZZ GREEN* (Ghost of Christmas Past, Schoolmaster, Belle’s Husband); LANDON TATE BOYLE, CHRISTOPHER HUDSON (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Young Ebenezer, Peter Cratchit, Debtor); CHLOE MCLEOD, SUSANNAH MCLEOD (Street Singer, Fezziwig Daughter); SHEILA JONES*, STELLA KIM* (Mrs. Cratchit); SUSANNAH MCLEOD, ERIN WILLIS* (Ghost of Christmas Past, Debtor); VI DANG (Martha Cratchit, Fezziwig Daughter); EVAN DUNCAN (Martha Cratchit, Fan); VI DANG, REBBEKAH VEGA-ROMERO* (Belle, Older Belle, Wife’s Sister); VI DANG, SUSANNAH MCLEOD (Charwoman, Mrs. Fezziwig, Laundress, Fezziwig Daughter, Fred’s Wife); SYDNEY D’ANGELO (Belinda Cratchit/Tiny Tim); VICTORIA HECTOR (Want, Belinda Cratchit); RONAN MARVIN (Schoolboy, Peter Cratchit, Boy in the Street, Edward Cratchit, Beggar Child); AIDAN SAKICH (Ebenezer the Child, Ignorance, Tiny Tim); LUCAS TURNER (Edward Cratchit, Beggar Child, Ignorance)

SETTING

London, 1840s

There will be one 15-minute intermission.

Martinique M. Barthel*, Nick Nyquist*, Malia Stoner* Stage Management Apprentices Angela Salazar, Lorna Stephens Youth Performer Supervisor Grace Knight, Flynn Zook Dance Captain Landon Tate Boyle Fight and Intimacy Consultant Samantha Egle

Stage Managers

*Members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

ACTING COMPANY

BRIAN BOHLENDER (Suitor/Debtor). At the DCPA: The Other Josh Cohen. Other credits include: Hair (Miners Alley Playhouse); Three Musketeers (Davis Shakespeare Festival); Trevor (Big Idea Festival). Training: Utah State University BFA, Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts.

LANDON TATE BOYLE (Understudy) (He/Him/His). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol. Other credits include: Henry VI: Parts 1-3, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Big River, The Pirates of Penzance, Ragtime (Utah Shakespeare Festival); All is Calm (Alabama Shakespeare Festival); Kinky Boots (Arvada Center); Two Gentleman of Verona, The Book of Will (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Repertory Theatre St. Louis); Romeo and Juliet (Redhouse Arts Center); The Wizard of Oz (Syracuse Stage); Tempest (Secret Theatre NYC). He holds a B.F.A. in Acting from the Sargent Conservatory at Webster University and has trained in corporeal mime and contortion.

VI DANG (Understudy) (They/ She) is so grateful to be part of this Denver holiday tradition and to be making her DCPA debut! Previous credits include: Hair, RENT, and Akeelah & the Bee (UNC). Her goal is to spread non-binary/trans representation and narratives in the artform. She is a recent UNC graduate and is excited to share this festive story with you. Happy holidays! @vi.v.dang

SYDNEY D’ANGELO (Beggar Child/School Boy/Want). DCPA debut! Sydney is a 6th grader at the Logan School for Creative Learning. She is a singer/

WHO’S WHO

songwriter on ukulele and guitar, and enjoys art, soccer, fencing, aerial arts and performing. Various productions with: The Logan School, RMTK, Colorado Children’s Theatre, Colorado Children’s Chorale and The Colorado Film School. Favorite roles include: JoJo in Seussical and Ursula in The Little Mermaid

SETH DHONAU (Fred/The Fiddler).

At the DCPA: The Other Josh Cohen, Wild Fire, Twelfth Night, Xanadu, First Date. Regional credits include: Million Dollar Quartet, Bright Star (Arvada Center); As You Like It, Love’s Labour’s Lost, King Charles III, Cyrano de Bergerac (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); and Shakespeare in Love (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center). Training: Northwestern University.

JACOB DRESCH (Jacob Marley). Credits Include: The School for Scandal (Off-Broadway/Red Bull Theater); Lend Me a Tenor, The Foreigner, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival); Shakespeare in Love, The Great Gatsby, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Twelfth Night (Orlando Shakespeare Theater); A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Pericles, The Odyssey, The Book of Will, The Alchemist (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); It’s A Wonderful Life (2021 Henry Award Winner for Outstanding Actor), The Importance of Being Earnest, and Rumors (Breckenridge Backstage Theater). Training: B.A., DeSales University. M.F.A., University of California, Irvine. www.jacobdresch.com

JESS D’SOUZA (Mrs. Cratchit) (She/Her/ Hers) hails from Sydney, Australia and is thrilled to be making her US regional theatre debut with DCPA and exploring the beautiful city of Denver at Christmas. Broadway Workshops: Come Fall in Love. New York Theatre: The Voices of Australia Cabaret. Select Australian

Theatre: Flipside, The H Team (Brainstorm Productions); You Will Be Found (K Productions); The Island of Doctor Moron (Island Grunt Ltd); Songs of the Northern River, Everything’s Coming Up Sondheim, Orlando, On the Town, and Morning Melodies. Australian TV: “The Morning Show,” “The Footy Show,” “X Factor, Life,” “Camera, Awkward!.” Education: BFA (Music Theatre) - Victorian College of the Arts, Professional Semester BDC NYC.

EVAN DUNCAN (Belinda Cratchit/ School Boy) (She/ Her/Hers) is passionate about singing and theatre. Evan was recently awarded the prestigious 2022 Henry Award for Outstanding Youth Performer for her role as Little Ti Moune in the Town Hall Arts Center production of Once On This Island Evan has played the roles of Annie and Grimhilda in productions of Annie and Descendants 3, and she has also performed at the Gershwin Theater in New York City in the Arts for Autism concert, the iconic Bluebird Theater, and the Newman Center. When Evan is not acting, singing, or dancing, she can be found sketching her own clothing designs.

TOPHER EMBREY (Ghost of Christmas Present/ Schoolmaster/Belle’s Husband) (He/Him/ His). Regional credits: Coriolanus and All’s Well That Ends Well (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); The Liar and Animal Farm (Arvada Center); Twelfth Night (Nashville Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (Red Bull Theater); The Comedy of Errors, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Christmas Carol, Sense and Sensibility (American Shakespeare Center); The Lost Colony (Waterside Theatre); Peter and the Starcatcher, Antony and Cleopatra, The Tempest, and Pericles (Orlando Shakespeare Festival); The Merchant of Venice, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar, and Richard III (Virginia Shakespeare Festival). Training: BFA in Performing Arts; Christopher Newport University.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

BROOKS GARVEY (Ebenezer the Child/ Ignorance) (He/Him/ His). At the DCPA: Anna Karenina. He has also acted in several local and school plays and has appeared in multiple local and national television commercials. His favorite role was being an extra on “Stranger Things” in season four. He has taken acting classes since he was six years old at Colorado School of Acting and most recently, Peak Acting Studios. He enjoys fencing and playing video games in his spare time.

SHABAZZ GREEN (Fezziwig/Subscription Gentleman/Old Joe) (He/Him/His). At the DCPA: Oklahoma!. New York Credits: Bars and Measures (Urban Stages), Philosophy for Gangsters (Beckett Theatre), Intruder: The Musical (Hudson Guild). Regional Credits: The Play That Goes Wrong (Syracuse Stage); Mamma Mia (Village Theatre); Topdog/ Underdog, Sister Act (Lake Dillon Theatre Company); Cinderella, Hands on a Hardbody (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center); To Kill a Mockingbird (Greenbrier Valley Theatre); The Ballad of Trayvon Martin (New Freedom Theatre); Little Rock (Passage Theatre); Portrait of the Widow Kinski (Vivid Stage); Humbug (Premiere Stages). Film: Romance in the Digital Age @shabazzgreen www.shabazzgreen.com

VICTORIA HECTOR (Fan) (She/Her/Hers) is a 12-year-old actor, singer and dancer from Broomfield, Colorado. Reel Kids acting credits include Shrek the Musical, High School Musical the Musical, Descendants, 13 The Musical, and Xanadu

CHRISTOPHER

HUDSON (Understudy) is a recent graduate from the Musical Theater program at the University of Northern Colorado. Regional credits include: Into the Woods and All Shook Up (Little Theater of the Rockies). Thank you to all of his friends, family, mentors, and castmates for making his professional debut an absolute joy. Happy holidays!

SHEILA JONES (Fred’s Wife/Fezziwig Daughter/Laundress). At the DCPA: Oklahoma!. Credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar - 50th anniversary national tour. Regional: Oklahoma! (Portland Center Stage); Swing!, Legally Blonde (Norwegian Cruise Line); Soul Doctor (Colony Theatre/Parker Playhouse). She has performed at several theme parks and cruise ships around the US and internationally, and most recently started a career as an intimacy coach. Ask her about it!

STELLA KIM (The Ghost of Christmas Past/Debtor) (She/ Her/Hers). Credits include: Into the Woods (Hollywood Bowl); Miss Saigon (Broadway World LA – Best Featured Actress); Les Misérables (McCoy Rigby - Ovation nominated); The King and I (Inland Theatre League Award); Othello, 10 Things I Hate About You (Rockwell LA); Natasha, Great Comet of 1812 (regional premiere). Stella was born and raised in Southern California and now resides in New York City.

RONAN MARVIN (Ensemble) (He/Him/ His). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol and Anna Karenina. Ronan attends the Audience of One Theatre company in Denver, with many theatre productions and roles in: Matilda, Oliver, Peter Pan, James and Giant Peach, Jungle Book (nominated for best supporting actor at National Youth Arts Awards 2018) and many more. When not on-stage Ronan enjoys animation art, creative writing and reading.

TIMOTHY MCCRACKEN (Bob Cratchit) (He/Him/ His). At the DCPA: Anna Karenina, Smart People, A Christmas Carol, The Giver, Jackie and Me, and many more. Other Colorado credits include: Arvada Center, Curious Theatre, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and many more. New York: The Dining Room (Keen Co) Troilus and Cressida (Public/NY

Shakespeare Fest), The Sea (TACT) and many more. Numerous regional theatres including: Rep. Theatre of St. Louis, Geva, Capital Rep, Alabama Shakespeare and many more. TV/ Film: “Law and Order,” “Delocated,” Small Beautifully Moving Parts, Publish or Perish. Awards/ Training: Drama Desk Award (The Dining Room). MFA: National Theatre Conservatory. Head of Acting for DCPA Adult Education.

CHLOE MCLEOD (Belle/Maid/The Wife’s Sister) At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol, Anna Karenina, and This is Modern Art. Other credits include: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Two Gentleman of Verona, The Book of Will, The Odyssey, You Can’t Take It With You (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet (DCPA Shakespeare in the Parking Lot); Fun Home, Biloxi Blues (Miners Alley Playhouse); Bad Jews (Edge Theater); Little Women (Aurora Fox). Training: American Musical and Dramatic Academy, NYC.

SUSANNAH MCLEOD (Understudy) (She/ Her/Hers). DCPA credits include: The Other Josh Cohen and Goodnight Moon Other credits include: Hurricane Diane (Thunder River Theatre Company); Fun Home (Miner’s Alley Playhouse); Sunday in the Park with George (Arvada Center); Junie B. Jones (Arvada Center); The Humans (Curious Theatre Company); Life Sucks (Aurora Fox); Red, Hot, & Cole (Cherry Creek Theatre.) www.susannahmcleod.com. When not on stage, Susannah stays busy with her photography business, McLeod9 Creative–www.mcleod9creative.com.

CONSTANTINE

PAPPAS (Subscription Gentleman/Dick Wilkins/The Undertaker’s Man) (He/Him/His). National Tour: The Phantom of the Opera. OffBroadway: Penelope (York Theatre). Regional: Kismet (dir. Lonny Price, Granada Theatre), A Christmas Carol (WPPAC), First Date (Seven Angels), Into the Woods (GVT), Les Misérables (Fox Theatre). Opera: Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), La Boehme

WANT MORE BROADWAY IN YOUR LIFE?

We’ve got you covered with a massive lineup of the hottest shows direct from NYC. Next season, we’re bringing you a selection of music and nostalgia-filled spectacles that celebrate cultural megastars like Tina Turner, Alanis Morissette, Sting, MJ, all six wives of Henry VIII, Beetlejuice, and more! And we’re doing it all for you — our beloved patrons — so you can savor every heart-pounding, tear-inducing, stand-up-and-cheer moment of the season.

1776 Mar 21 – Apr 2, 2023

Buell Theatre

What will it take to get two dozen powerfully passionate, exceedingly complicated, and all-too-human individuals to settle their di erences, while they hold the very future of a nation in their hands? American Repertory Theater at Harvard University/ Roundabout Theatre Company’s new production of the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, 1776, is a tuneful, witty, and constantly surprising reexamination of a pivotal moment in American history from directors Je rey L. Page (Violet) and Diane Paulus (Waitress). 1776 comes to Denver with the celebrated Broadway cast that reflects multiple representations of race, gender, and ethnicity. You may never think about our country—who we are and why—the same way again.

SIX

Dec 5 – 24, 2023

Buell Theatre

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the microphone to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st century girl power! This new original musical is the global sensation that everyone is losing their head over!

Featuring an all-woman cast and all-woman band, SIX has won 23 awards in the 2021/2022 Broadway season, including the Tony Award® for Best Original Score (Music and Lyrics) and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

The New York Times says SIX “TOTALLY RULES!” (Critic’s Pick) and The Washington Post hails SIX as “Exactly the kind of energizing, inspirational illumination this town aches for!”

The SIX: LIVE ON OPENING NIGHT Broadway album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard cast album charts and surpassed 6 million streams in its first month.

Cabaret Show

To Be Announced • Garner Galleria Theatre

In our acclaimed Garner Galleria Theatre, we’ve brought you some of the best musicals and comedies in Denver Center history, including Always...Patsy Cline, Forbidden Broadway, An Act of God, Xanadu, The Other Josh Cohen, and I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. This season we’ll bring another great cabaret title to the Galleria stage and as a valued subscriber, we’ll make sure you hear about this show first!

Jagged Little Pill

Aug 16 – 27, 2023

Buell Theatre

SOME SHOWS YOU SEE. THIS SHOW YOU FEEL. Joy, love, heartache, strength, wisdom, catharsis, LIFE— everything we’ve been waiting to see in a Broadway show— is here in the exhilarating, fearless new musical based on Alanis Morissette’s world-changing music.

Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin, upcoming 1776) with a Tonywinning book by Diablo Cody (Juno) and Grammy-winning score, this electrifying production about a perfectly imperfect American family “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). “Redemptive, rousing and real, Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway” (The New York Times).

You live, you learn, you remember what it’s like to feel truly human… at Jagged Little Pill

Message In A Bottle

Feb 13 – 25, 2024 Buell

Theatre

Message In A Bottle is a spectacular new dance-theatre show from triple-Olivier Award nominee, Kate Prince inspired by and set to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting, including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Walking On The Moon and more.

With a mix of exhilarating dance styles, high-energy footwork and breathtaking athleticism, Message In A Bottle tells a unifying and uplifting story of humanity and hope. The peaceful village of Bebko is alive with joyous celebrations. Suddenly, under attack, everything changes forever. Three siblings, Leto, Mati and Tana, must embark on perilous journeys in order to survive.

Message In A Bottle is the latest masterpiece from the groundbreaking choreographer behind several West End hits including Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and features the astonishing talents of dance storytelling powerhouse, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE

Beetlejuice

Sep 5 – 17, 2023

Buell Theatre

He earned his stripes on Broadway…now the ghost-with-the-most is coming to Denver.

It’s showtime! Based on Tim Burton’s dearly beloved film, this hilarious musical tells the story of Lydia Deetz, a strange and unusual teenager whose whole life changes when she meets a recently deceased couple and a demon with a thing for stripes. With an irreverent book, an astonishing set, and a score that’s out of this Netherworld, Beetlejuice is “SCREAMINGLY GOOD FUN!” (Variety). And under its uproarious surface (six feet under, to be exact), it’s a remarkably touching show about family, love, and making the most of every Day-O!

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical

Oct 18 – 29, 2023

Buell Theatre

HER VOICE IS UNDENIABLE. HER FIRE IS UNSTOPPABLE. HER TRIUMPH IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER.

An uplifting comeback story like no other, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is the inspiring journey of a woman who broke barriers and became the Queen of Rock n’ Roll.

One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in music history.

Featuring her much loved songs, TINA – The Tina Turner Musical is written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Katori Hall and directed by the internationally acclaimed Phyllida Lloyd.

MJ

Apr 10 – 28, 2024

Buell Theatre

The music. The showmanship. The icon. Now, the unparalleled artistry of the greatest entertainer of all time comes to Denver as MJ, the Tony Award®winning new musical centering on the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, begins a tour of its own. Created by Tony Award®-winning Director/ Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, o ering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Michael Jackson into legendary status. MJ is startin’ somethin’ as it makes its Colorado premiere at the Buell Theatre in April 2024.

Company May/Jun 2024 Buell Theatre

PHONE RINGS, DOOR CHIMES, IN COMES COMPANY.

Winner of 5 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical, Company is “sophisticated, intimate and in-tune with the currents of modern life—brilliantly conceived and funny as hell.” (Variety).

Helmed by three-time Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (War Horse, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Angels in America) this revelatory new production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking musical comedy is boldly sophisticated, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious.

It’s Bobbie’s 35th birthday party, and all her friends keep asking, why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man and isn’t it time to settle down and start a family? As Bobbie searches for answers, she discovers why being single, being married, and being alive in the 21st-century could drive a person crazy.

(Marcello), The Secret of Luca (Luca). Film: The Package (YT/IG short - Edge Sound Research), Ruthless Spectator (Amazon Prime). Voiceover: “Tales from the Creepery” (Spotify). www.constandpappas.com

CHRISTIAN RAY ROBINSON (Topper/ Suitor). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol Off-Broadway: Ocean in a Teacup (Theatre Row). Regional: Native Gardens (Eagle Theatre); The Legend of Georgia McBride, Joseph... Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Producers (CS Fine Arts Center); Ragtime (Midtown Arts Center); You Can’t Take It With You, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Odyssey, Edward III, Richard III, and various others (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Dogfight, Altar Boyz, The Addams Family Musical (Little Theatre of the Rockies); Shakespeare in the Parking Lot (DCPA Education). TV/VO/Film: “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Plot Against America,” Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links, “Expulse.” Training: BA Musical Theatre University of Northen Colorado.

MARCO ROBINSON (Young Ebenezer/ Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) is a Denver based actor and photographer who grew up in Colorado Springs and graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2016. At the DCPA: Xanadu, Rattlesnake Kate, Wild Fire, A Christmas Carol Loves Labours Lost, Cyrano, Twelfth Night, and Romeo and Juliet (Colorado Shakespeare Festival).

AIDAN SAKICH (Edward Cratchit/ School Boy) is 11 years old and is making his professional acting debut. Aidan aspires to one day become a writer. He has taken part in numerous class plays and is a member of the theatre club at a local public Waldorf School where he is in the 5th grade. Aidan plays the French horn and baseball, enjoys spending time with his friends and being outside. He loves to read, play Minecraft, and his dog Denali.

MICHAEL SANTO (Ebenezer Scrooge)

At the DCPA: Shadowlands, Jackie and Me, Death of a Salesman, Glengarry Glen Ross, Merry Wives of Windsor, Love’s Labour’s Lost, Lips Together Teeth Apart, Taking Leave, The Living, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, You Never Can Tell, and Love, Janis. Regional: Holmes & Watson (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), The Tempest (American Conservatory Theatre), God of Hell (Magic Theatre), The Price (Aurora Theatre), Pentecost (The Old Globe), Talley’s Folly (Pasadena Playhouse), Cyrano de Bergerac (Marin Shakespeare).

FELIX TORREZPONCE (Peter Cratchit/Suitor) (He/ Him/His). Regional credits include: Light in The Piazza, Newsies (American Gothic). TV/Film: “Alex,” Grey Sheep, “Sam Fletcher,” Josh Taylor’s Prom Date. Awards/Training: BFA, UW Stevens Point. 2017 Jimmy Awards nominee.

LOGAN TURNER (Tiny Tim/School Boy) (He/Him/His). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol Other Theatres: Kinky Boots (Bucks Co. Playhouse, PA) A Charlie Brown Christmas (Neighborhood Music & Theatre). Film: Word of Life (Augustine Institute Studios), On the Rocks & Dojo Dad (Denver 48 Hour Film Festival), O.D.D.I.T.Y. Intermission (Impaired Vision), I Am Jacob (Chestnut Tree Films), Alphabet Athleticalz (Adam Rosenberg Films). Modeling: Eyesmiles Photography, Colorado Parent Magazine, Jack & Nicole Clothing, Lucky & Me Clothing, Children’s Hospital TX. Logan is a Youth Ambassador for Feeding Denver’s Hungry, is in 5th grade and enjoys baseball, football, basketball, skiing, and martial arts.

LUCAS TURNER (Boy in the Street/School Boy) (He/Him/His). At the DCPA: A Christmas Carol Other Theatres: Kinky Boots (Bucks Co. Playhouse, PA), A Charlie Brown Christmas (Neighborhood Music & Theatre). Film: Word of Life (Augustine Institute Studios), On the Rocks and Dojo Dad (Denver 48 Hour Film Festival), O.D.D.I.T.Y. Intermission (Impaired Vision), I Am Jacob (Chestnut Tree Films). Commercials: “Track Ninja,” “Holiday Home.” Modeling: Eyesmiles Photography, Colorado Parent Magazine, Jack & Nicole Clothing, Children’s Hospital TX. Lucas is a Youth Ambassador for Feeding Denver’s Hungry, is in 6th grade and enjoys baseball, football, basketball, skiing, and martial arts.

EMILY VAN FLEET (Mrs. Fezziwig/ Charwoman) (She/ Her/Hers). At the DCPA: The Wild Party Arvada Center: 4 seasons in the Black Box Repertory Company and multiple musicals including A Man of No Importance, Death Takes a Holiday, and Sunday in the Park with George Additional credits include: featured vocalist in the Indianapolis Symphony’s Yuletide Celebration (8 seasons), Creede Repertory Theatre (7 seasons), Colorado Shakespeare Festival (3 seasons), Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival (3 seasons), Carousel Dinner Theatre, BDT Stage, & Little Theatre of the Rockies. www.emilyvanfleet.com

REBBEKAH VEGAROMERO (Martha Cratchit/Maid/ Fezziwig Daughter) (She/Her/Ella) is delighted to be making her DCPA debut! She is a NYC native and has performed at theatres across America including: The Fantasticks (Cape Playhouse), West Side Story (The 5th Avenue Theatre), Seussical (TheatreworksUSA), and in many readings and workshops. Rebbekah is a YoungArts award-winning writer and holds a BA in English from Boston University. Rebbekah’s poetry has been published in Sixfold and featured by Ars.Poetica; she wrote, starred in, and produced the short film The Question,

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

a comedy about #DatingWhileMixed. Rebbekah hopes her work will inspire other mixed-race girls to realize “there’s a place for us.”

JUSTIN WALVOORD (Understudy Ebenezer Scrooge/ Jacob Marley) (He/ Him/His). At the DCPA: A Flea in Her Ear, Jackie and Me, Measure for Measure, A Christmas Carol, Sweet & Lucky, Travelers of the Lost Dimension, and Between Us. New York: The Apartment (Queens Theatre in the Park), 5 O’clock (Algonquin Theatre). Regional credits: True West (Vermont Stage Company); Expedition 6 (Magic Theatre); A Question of Mercy (Artist Repertory Theatre); The 39 Steps (Theatreworks); The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide… (Curious Theatre Company); Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Bloomsday (BETC); Metamorphoses (Aurora Fox). TV/Film: Hoax, Looking for Sunday, “Law & Order: CI”. Training: BA, CSUF, MFA, National Theatre Conservatory.

ERIN WILLIS (Street Singer/Fezziwig Daughter) At the DCPA: Over 12 DCPA productions including Rattlesnake Kate, Oklahoma!, and The Who’s Tommy. National tour: My Fair Lady (National Theatre Tour). Other regional: Travlin’ and Memphis (Arvada Center), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre), Ragtime (Cohoes Music Hall), Dreamgirls (Asbury Park). NY/Regional Workshops: Infinity Lunch Minutes, Amazing Grace, Tender Mercies, Celia, A Slave, and Discount Ghost Stories. Erin also provides vocals and keyboards for the Indie Rock band Kenji Urada. Training: The Boston Conservatory

PLAYWRIGHT

RICHARD HELLESEN (Playwright/ Adaptor) is the author of numerous plays and musicals for adult and young audiences. In addition to the DCPA, his work has been seen at South Coast Repertory, Geva, Florida Stage, Gretna Theatre, Los Angeles Repertory Company, Sacramento Theatre Company, Sundance Children’s Theatre, Imagination Stage, City Theatre in Miami, and Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC, where he is an Associate Artist. He is the recipient of

writing awards from PEN USA-West, the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays, and the National Theatre Conference for his play Kingdom, which premiered at the DCPA. His most recent project, the solo play Eisenhower: This Piece of Ground starring Tony-winner John Rubinstein, recently premiered at Theatre West in Los Angeles.

DIRECTOR

ANTHONY POWELL proudly began his professional career on a bus, touring the US as a performer with John Houseman’s The Acting Company. As an Associate Artist at the DCPA Theatre Company for 18 seasons, Anthony directed more than 25 productions, including The Pillowman, Wit, The Dresser, Racing Demon, The Leenane Trilogy, Hamlet, Blue/ Orange, Misalliance, Macbeth, Death of a Salesman, and Lord of the Flies He directed The Moors at The Arvada Center, and more recently, Coriolanus for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Anthony has served as Artistic Director of Denver’s Stories on Stage since 2010.

CREATIVE TEAM

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

MELANIE CHEN COLE (Sound Designer) (She/Her/Hers) is thrilled to be making her design debut at the DCPA with this production of A Christmas Carol! Regional: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Playhouse, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, The Huntington, Indiana Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, Milwaukee Rep, The Old Globe, PlayMakers Rep, South Coast Rep, Utah Shakespeare Festival. Education: M.F.A. in Theatre and Dance from UC San Diego.

GREGG COFFIN (Orchestrations). Off-Broadway: Composer/lyricist: Five Course Love (Minetta Lane Theatre). Regional: Alley Theatre, American Players Theatre, Arizona Theatre

Company, Arena Stage, Asolo Rep, Berkeley Rep, Dallas Theatre Center, DCPA Theatre Company, Geva Theatre Center, Guthrie Theater, Human Race Theatre, Indiana Rep, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, PCPA TheatreFest, Pioneer Theatre Company, South Coast Rep, Unicorn Theatre, and the Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, St. Louis and Utah Shakespeare Festivals. International: (Canada) Stratford Festival, Tarragon Theatre, National Arts Centre, Manitoba Theatre Center, CanStage, (Seoul) ChungMu Art Hall. Affiliations: Dramatists Guild, Society of Composers and Lyricists, American Federation of Musicians.

KEVIN COPENHAVER (Costume Designer) At the DCPA (31 seasons): Wild Fire, Twelfth Night, Goodnight Moon, Sweat, Corduroy, The Who’s Tommy, The Snowy Day, Sweeney Todd, Frankenstein, The Christians, Lord of the Flies, Animal Crackers, Just Like Us, Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash, The Whale, Dracula, Mama Hated Diesels, A Christmas Carol, Tantalus and many others. Other Theatres: Hair (Geva Theatre Center); Sylvia, The Explorer’s Club, Passing Strange, Hairspray, Young Frankenstein, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, The Divine Sister, Tommy, Dream a Little Dream, 12th Night, Titus Andronicus, regional premiere of Peter and the Starcatcher and Love, Janis (USF). Training: BA in Theatre Design, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Centro Maschere e Strutture Gestuali, Padua, Italy.

DAVID DE BERRY (Composer/Lyricist)

– A Cappella, Sisters: A Legend, original scores for Twelfth Night, The Good Person of Setzuan, All My Sons, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, ’Night Mother, The Time of Your Life (Sacramento Theatre Company).

Composer: The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Comedy of Errors, The Glass Menagerie, King Lear, Betrayal, Our Country’s Good, The Recruiting Officer, Terra Nova, The Miser (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (San Francisco Shakespeare Festival); M. Butterfly (Arizona Theatre Company). Actor: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Arizona Theatre Company, PCPA, Pennsylvania State Theatre, Charles Playhouse, Sacramento Theatre Company.

DARIUS FROWNER (Music Director) is very happy to return to DCPA!

Darius’ previous work at the DCPA includes Oklahoma!, which was an

incredible experience. Darius resides in NJ where he is musical supervisor for a performing arts school at Mayo Performing Arts Center. He has also worked in the Manhattan cabaret scene for many years. Darius has travelled extensively with Ain’t Misbehavin’, as well as other Broadway based shows. He hopes you enjoy A Christmas Carol!

WEN-LING LIAO (Lighting Designer) (She/Her/Hers). DCPA debut! Off Broadway Credit: The Boy Who Danced on Air (Abingdon Theater Company). Selective Recent Regional Credit: AW, Wilderness! (Hartford Stage); Quixote Nuevo, House of Joy and Winter’s Tale (California Shakespeare Company, 44th Humana Festival); Are you there? Nicole Clark is Having a Baby and Flex (Actors Theater of Louisville); Gloria and Vietgone (A.C.T.); The Catastrophist and The Wickhams Christmas at Pemberley (Marin Theater Company); and White Pearl (Studio Theater). Education: She earned her MFA from University of California, San Diego.

JEFFREY PARKER (Voice and Dialect Coach) (He/Him/His) is honored to be following in the footsteps of Kathy Maes, former coach of A Christmas Carol and dialect-coach extraordinaire. Jeffrey is a Professor of Theatre at MSU Denver, a Certified Teacher of both Fitzmaurice Voicework and Knight-Thompson Speechwork, and the Director of Voice and Text for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Jeffrey is also a Henry Award-winning actor. Training: MFA, UC Irvine. BA, UCLA. Jeffrey is the co-author of Experiencing Speech, a book that helps develop speech and accent skills for any reader at any level. God Bless Us — Everyone.

VICKI SMITH (Scenic Designer). At the DCPA: The Christians, Animal Crackers, When We Are Married, Fences, and 54 others. Other Theatres: South Coast Repertory Theatre, Children’s Theatre Company, Arizona Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre Company, Geva Theatre Center, IRT, and many others. Awards: Bay Area Critics’ Awards – Kite Runner, Execution of Justice; Dramalogue Award – Cyrano; Colorado Theatre Guild Henry Award – Mariela in the Desert, Plainsong, Doubt; Denver Post Ovation Awards – Mariela in the Desert, Pierre, I’m Not Rapaport; Prague Design Exposition 2007 –Pierre. Museum Exhibitions: “Penumbra Theatre at 40”, Minnesota History Center; “Scale Models in Theatre Set Design”, Museum of Miniatures, Tucson.

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

STAGE MANAGEMENT

MARTINIQUE M. BARTHEL (Stage Manager) (She/Her) Other Credits include: Sweeney Todd, All’s Well That Ends Well (Utah Shakespeare Festival); New Age, Toni Stone, The Niceties, The Nativity Variations (Milwaukee Repertory Theatre); Milwaukee Black Theatre Festival (2020 and 2021); Stew, Underneath the Lintel (Milwaukee Chamber Theatre); The Gospel at Colonus (Skylight Music Theatre); BE-longing!, Native Gardens, Sex With Strangers (Renaissance Theaterworks); Black Nativity (Black Arts Milwaukee, 2017 & 2018); A Christmas Carol (Children’s Theatre of Madison); Assassins, A Little Night Music, Spamalot, Big Fish, Guys and Dolls, Man of La Mancha, The Light in The Piazza, Kiss Me, Kate (Four Seasons Theatre); Romeo and Juliet, Lines, Constellations, The Bed (Theatre LILA); The Mojo and The Sayso (Theatre LILA/ Bronzeville Arts Ensemble); La Boheme (UW-Madison Opera); Die Fledermaus (Madison Savoyards); Change Your Mind, Change The World (2012) and The World We Make (2016) (panel discussions with His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama) Professional Affiliations: Actor’s Equity Association.

NICK NYQUIST (Assistant Stage Manager) At the DCPA: Choir Boy and Indecent. Other favorite credits include: Falstaff and Don Giovanni (Aspen Music Festival); Richard III, You Can’t Take It With You, and Edward III (Colorado Shakespeare); and many more. Nick holds a BFA in Stage Management from DePaul University and spends his time off running in the mountains.

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

THEATRE COMPANY LEADERSHIP TEAM

CHRIS COLEMAN (Artistic Director) is passionate about the connection between stories and community. He joined the DCPA Theatre Company as Artistic Director in November of 2017 and has directed Much Ado About Nothing, Rattlesnake Kate, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, A Doll’s House, Anna Karenina, and Oklahoma! Previously, Chris served as Artistic Director for Portland Center Stage in Oregon for 18 years. Under his leadership, PCS renovated the city’s historic Armory into a new home, saw annual attendance nearly double, workshopped 52 new plays that went on to productions at over 100 theaters around the US and UK, and became a national leader in how theaters engage with their community.

In 1988, Chris founded Actor’s Express in Atlanta (in the basement of an old church), a company that continues to be a cultural force in the Southeast today. He has directed at major theaters across the country, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Alliance Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Baltimore Center Stage, Actors Theatre of Louisville, ACT/Seattle, the Asolo, Pittsburgh Public, 59E59, and

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

New York Theater Workshop. He and his husband, actor/writer Rodney Hicks, live in Reunion with their 100 lb. English blockhead yellow lab and their 18 lb. terrier mix. Since moving to Colorado, he has hiked Dominguez Canyon, wandered at the Cliff Dwellings of Mesa Verde, explored a working mine in Creede, and rafted down the Arkansas River.

CHARLES VARIN (Managing Director) and his team are responsible for the administrative, financial, and business operations for Theatre Company and Off-Center productions and other artistic initiatives. Since joining the Theatre Company in 2006, he has played a major role in executing the artistic vision of the organization and facilitating the production of shows such as Sweet & Lucky, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Sense & Sensibility the Musical, The 12, Sweeney Todd with DeVotchKa and many more. Charles is passionate about artistic innovation and firmly believes in DCPA’s long-standing commitment to new plays and new voices.

In addition to DCPA staff, the following crew worked on this production: Delaney Althauser, Andy Bruening, Sam Caredig, Lisa Ehrle, Jensina Endresen, Riley Goossen, A.J. Hansen, Amoreena Knaab, Katarina Kosmopoulis, Michelle Landsberger. Nikki Mayer, Connor Robertson, Sarah Steen

TAKING PHOTOS AT THE THEATRE

We welcome you to take photos in the theatre before and after the performance. If you post on social media, please credit, and tag the DCPA and the design team:

@denvercenter #DCPAToday #DCPAChristmasCarol

Director: Anthony Powell

Scenic Designer: Vicki Smith

Costume Designer: Kevin Copenhaver

Lighting Designer: Wen-Ling Liao

Sound Designer: Melanie Chen Cole

Music Director: Darius Frowner

Orchestrations: Gregg Coffin

Choreographer: Grady Soapes

Photos and the video and/or audio recording during any part of the performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited

PLEASE BE ADVISED

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

• CHILDREN 4+ are welcome in our theatres and must be ticketed.

• 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 accessibility@dcpa.org

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is one of the largest non-profit theatre organizations in the nation, presenting Broadway tours and producing theatre, cabaret, musicals, and innovative immersive plays. In its 2019/20 season, the DCPA engaged with more than 672,000 visitors, generating a $131 million economic impact in ticket sales alone.

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

The actors and stage managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

Backstage and Ticket Services Employees are represented by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. (or I.A.T.S.E.)

The scenic, costume, lighting and sound designers in LORT Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists, Local USA-829 of the IATSE.

The Theatre Company is grateful for the funds provided by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District. Special thanks also to grants from the Helen G. Bonfils Foundation; and contributions from corporations, foundations and individuals. The Theatre Company is a division of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, a non-profit organization serving the public through the performing arts.

The Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States; and the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. The Theatre Company also operates under an agreement with Denver Theatrical Stage Employees Union, Local No. 7 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada.

The Theatre Company is constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for not-for-profit resident theatre companies.

The costumes, wigs, lighting, props, furniture, scenic construction, scenic painting, sound and special effects used in connection with this production were constructed and coordinated by the Theatre Company’s Production Staff.

EVERY PLAY HAS A STORY

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

LEARN MORE denvercenter.org/news-center

Created by DAVID BYRNE & MALA GAONKAR

Created By Lonnie Hanzon

MAKING IT THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL WITH

BY JOHN MOORE

FFor millions of us, high school was no laughing matter. More like downright grotsky. Until there was Tina.

Celebrated comedy writer Tina Fey found fetch in your mom’s chest hair when she wrote the catchphrase-rich screenplay for Mean Girls, which rocketed from teen cult fave to bona-fide box-office pink in 2004, grossing more than $128 million. Fey’s take on the well-worn subject of cliques who rule the school was different from its many pop-culture predecessors, her husband says, “because she’s funny – and she’s funny in a way that holds up.”

Fey adapted Mean Girls into a stage musical that has found widespread audience appeal because unlike, say, Stephen King’s Carrie, the nasty kids don’t end up fried in the high-school gym. They are redeemed. That’s because Mean Girls is about more than just the mean girls.

“Oh, there are many mean people in high school,” said Jeff Richmond, an Emmy-winning composer who married Fey in 2001 and wrote the music for the Mean Girls musical. “But there are also very sweet people, and very broken people, and very hurt people, too. And with this musical, we are trying to give all of them a voice and a sense of self-importance.”

The irony of the musical’s title, Richmond said, “is that the show is so joyful and so much fun. The title does hang on that one word – Mean – but there’s so much more to it than that.”

Fey based her film on the self-help book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman. The story follows

a homeschooled girl who joins a girl group called The Plastics, only to learn first-hand the price of sacrificing your true self for a spot at the top of the popularity food chain. Fey’s script produced one classic line after another, some that theatregoers now shout out during live performances. (“Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! ”)

Successfully adapting that proven source material to the stage largely depended on how the music of Richmond and lyricist Nell Benjamin would enhance the show’s overall message of acceptance. Their versatile score produced multiple anthems, among them “I’d Rather Be Me (Than Be With You)” and “Where Do You Belong?”

Richmond cites “I See Stars” as a song that strikes to the heart of Mean Girls. “That’s a song that says everybody is a star, in their own right, no matter what group you are in,” he said. “The song contains an important line that says: ‘I see you there. I see you.’ People in high school – or really anyone at any time in their lives – might feel like they disappear amongst all the noise and glitz of the world. Just being seen is important.”

When Richmond was in high school in Ohio, he was not an athlete. But he was funny, and he navigated adolescent tribulations using comedy as a defense. He found his way into choir and singing groups and marching band, all of which pointed him in the direction of a musical career that has run through “Saturday Night Live,” where he spent five seasons composing original songs for stars such as Jack

(L-R): English Bernhardt (Cady Heron), Jasmine Rogers (Gretchen Wieners), Nadina Hassan (Regina George),Morgan Ashley Bryant (Karen Smith), Lindsay Heather Pearce (Janis Sarkisian) and the National Touring Company of Mean Girls Credit: © 2022 Jenny Anderson

Black, Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones; “30 Rock,” with his wife; and most recently “Girls5eva,” for musical comedy on Peacock.

If they had prepped together, Richmond said, he and Fey might have been high-school sweethearts. “Actually, no, that would have been terrible,” he self-corrected with a laugh. “We would have broken up by junior year for sure.”

It’s probably no coincidence that the motto of Fey’s Pennsylvania high school was, “Where Every One Is Royalty.” Like Richmond, Fey found the funny people at her Upper Darby High School. “She played tennis, but she wasn’t really an athlete,” Richmond said. “She did drama, but she also loved being on the stage crew, and she loved any opportunity for writing. I think she found her way through high school with her caustic wit.”

Richmond and Fey met at Chicago’s famed Second City, and now have two children. When Fey left “SNL” to develop “30 Rock” in 2006, Richmond composed the theme song, appeared as the character “Alphonso Disperioso” and directed five episodes.

HONORING OUR ELDERS

— JEFF RICHMOND, EMMY-WINNING COMPOSER AND HUSBAND TO BOOK WRITER TINA FEY

Now 18 years since the Mean Girls film, Richmond isn’t surprised that the story is still speaking not only to a new generation of girls but to their parents and grandparents as well.

“There is just a very universal feeling about the whole thing,” he said. “Everyone knows how it feels to be bullied, and that transcends high school. Bullying certainly has gotten into our day-to-day culture, especially in the past 10 years. But Mean Girls asks, ‘If you’re bullying somebody, why are you doing that? Are you hurt also?’”

And Fey is asked by young people all the time for her advice on making it through high school.

“Tina will remind any kid that, yes, four years feels like eternity, but it’s really not,” Richmond said. “You will come out the other side ready to face life, and all those problems you had before will be behind you.

“There’s a line in the opening number where Damien says, ‘And no one died.’ For a while, we had that as the last line in the show. Because the whole idea is that you’re going to get through this. I actually liked high school very much, and I have to say: Life just keeps getting better as you get past all that. And you do get past it.”

MEAN GIRLS

DEC 20 – JAN 1 • BUELL THEATRE

ASL Interpreted, Audio Described and Open Captioned performance: Dec 30, 2pm

We invite our audiences to join the DCPA as we honor our Elders for the care of the land on which we perform with an official land acknowledgement. These words are shared at company meetings, first rehearsals, public forums and in the pages of Applause to recognize and respect Indigenous Peoples, their traditional territories and the care they have shown to all who reside here.

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

We pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future, and to all those who have stewarded the land and water for generations.

May this acknowledgment express the DCPA’s commitment to grow and deepen its relationships with the vibrant Indigenous communities who continue to thrive and uphold their sacred relation to this land.

Learn more about land acknowledgements.

“Bullying certainly has gotten into our day-to-day culture…. But Mean Girls asks, ‘If you’re bullying somebody, why are you doing that? Are you hurt also?’ ”

Mean Girls Creative Team (L-R) Casey Nicholaw, Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, Nell Benjamin. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Ever dreamed of acting on stage? Have ideas for that next great play?

DCPA Education has a class for you! Led by professional instructors who are active in the field, we offer everything from intro classes to master-level instruction.

ducation & Community Engagement

LITTLE RED Book, Music, and Lyrics by Chad Henry Directed by Allison Watrous Music Direction by Trent Hines Choreography by Jake Mendes

SPOTLIGHT SPONSORS: The Oscar & Elsa Mayer Family Foundation Al & Carol Meny Tomblin Family Foundation

Photo

SPECTACULAR EVENTS. SIMPLIFIED.

DCPA Event Services

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

BE A PART OF THE

CREATIVE PROCESS

At the Colorado New Play Summit, we workshop new plays by some of the industry’s most talented artists. We offer them our resources. We recruit professional actors for readings in front of a live audience. And that’s the key. Your participation is the most important part of the Summit. Your reaction to every punchline. Your comments after each performance. Your ideas for improving the script.

Our New Play Summit audiences were instrumental in bringing last season’s In the Upper Room and Rattlesnake Kate to life. In 2020, they fine-tuned Yussef El Guindi’s Hotter Than Egypt, which makes its Denver Center debut in February. With your help, who knows what we might discover next?

LEARN MORE

SPONSOR SEASON SPONSORS

LEARN MORE DENVERCENTER.ORG/VENUE-RENTALS

SPOTLIGHT

PREMIERE SPONSORS: Robert & Carole Slosky

Geoffrey Kent and Dana Green. Photo by Michael Martin Photography

BUILT IN DENVER

SHARED WITH THE

WORLD

Want to see a real impact from investing in the arts?

Become a production or season sponsor and watch the inspiration unfold!

SPOTLIGHT SPONSOR - $10,000+

Sponsor a show of your choice and get access to exclusive Opening Night festivities, meet-and-greets with the cast and crew, recognition in Applause magazine, and more sponsor perks!

PREMIERE SPONSOR - $25,000+

Get everything included in a Spotlight Sponsorship, plus behind-the-scenes tours, access to rehearsals, and invitations to a sponsor dinner with the show’s Director and Managing Director.

HONORARY PRESENTING SPONSOR - $50,000+

Get everything included in a premiere sponsorship, plus a guided tour of the DCPA costume, prop, or scene design workshop. You’ll also get a two complimentary Directors Society memberships, private meet-and-greets with the creative team, and a private luncheon with the company’s Artistic Director.

HONORARY SEASON SPONSOR - $100,000+

Sponsor the entire season and experience theatre like never before! The DCPA will build a customized theatre experience for you and your guests. And you’ll get unprecedented access to every step of the play’s development, from first rehearsal to final product. Almost anything is possible!

GET INVOLVED

(Top photo) Amanda Robles, Jennifer Paredes, Natalie Camunas, Crissy Guerrero and Heather Velazquez in American Mariachi (Inset photo) Rakeem Lawrence and Mercedes Perez in Goodnight Moon

DCPA

Janice Sinden President & CEO

Gretchen Hollrah COO

Lydia Garcia Executive Director, Equity & Organization Culture

Donna Hendricks President & CEO Executive Assistant

Lisa Prater Production COVID Safety Officer

Julie Schumaker Manager, Board Relations & COO Executive Assistant

BROADWAY & CABARET

John Ekeberg Executive Director

Administration

Ashley Brown Business Manager

Alicia Bruce General Manager

Garner Galleria Theatre

Abel Becerra Technical Director

Jason Begin+, Anna Hookana+ Core Stagehands

DEVELOPMENT

Jamie Clements Vice President

Daniel Escobar Manager, Corporate Partnerships

Amanda Gomez Manager, Annual Fund

Kaylie Groff Manager, Grants & Reports

Marc Ravenhill Associate Director, Donor Relations

Megan Stewart Manager, Events Erin Walker Senior Director

EDUCATION & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Allison Watrous Executive Director

Stuart Barr Technical Director

Claudia Carson Teaching Artist & Manager, Playwriting & Bobby G

Leslie Channell Director, Business Operations

Emily Doherty Teaching Artist & Manager, Theatre for Young Audiences Programming

Patrick Elkins-Zeglarski Director, Education & Curriculum Management

Emma Kimball Assistant Registrar

Jesús Quintana Martínez Director, Community Engagement

Timothy McCracken Head of Acting

David Saphier Teaching Artist & Manager, In-School Programming

Elizabeth Schmit Executive Assistant & Community Engagement Manager

Melissa Sumner Registrar & On Site Class Manager

Charlotte Talbert Librarian

Rachel Taylor Teaching Artist & Manager, Literary Engagement & Resiliency

Justin Walvoord Teaching Artist & Manager, Shakespeare in the Parking Lot

Samuel Wood Teaching Artist & District Liaison

FACILITIES

Glen Lucero Director

Dwight Barela, Mark Dill, John Howard, Zak Merten Engineers

Calum Abeywickrema, Jodi Benavides, David Bright, Benjamin Koenig, Gabe McNally-Nakamura, Anthony Saavedra Security Specialists

Judy Briggs Front Desk

Quentin Crump Manager, Security & Guest Relations

Merry Davis Financial Manager

Jane Deegan Administrator

Michael Kimbrough Manager, Engineering

Brian McClain Manager, Custodial Casey Meschievitz Manager, Environmental Health & Safety

Steven Bilbao, Lindsey Cervantes, Carmen Molina, Judith Primero Molina, Juan Loya Molina Custodians

EVENT SERVICES

Savanna Campbell, Samantha Egle, Phillip Rohrbach, Alex Skaar Event Managers

Thomas Duffin Manager, Event Technology

Stori Heleen-O’Foley Lighting, Team Lead

John Hess Manager, Sales & Business

Shane Hotle Audio Engineer

Samuel Kisthardt Lighting

David Mandlowitz, Ben Peitzer Video Engineers

Tara Miller Manager, Event Operations

Brook Nichols Technical Director Brooke Wyatt Manager, Event Logistics

MARKETING, SALES & PATRON SERVICES

Marketing

Giorgio Ausenda Media Producer

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

Sofia Contreras Graphic Designer

Emmy Cook Coordinator, Broadway & Cabaret

Brenda Elliott, Paul Koob Senior Graphic Designers

TJ Forlenza Copywriter

Michael Garcia Manager, Web Content

Claire Graves Director, Produced Programs

Brittany Gutierrez Manager, Communications

Jeff Hovorka Director, Sales & Marketing, Broadway & Cabaret

Emma Hunt Coordinator, Communications & PR

Emily Kent Director, Insights & Strategy

Lucas Kreitler Junior Graphic Designer

Linda Lang Project Manager

Michael Ryan Leuthner Director, Digital Marketing

Emily Lozow Manager, Broadway & Cabaret

Kyle Malone Director, Design

Katie Mount Manager, Email Marketing

Whitney Testa Executive Assistant, Marketing & Broadway

Kong Vang Social Media Coordinator

Julie Whelan Associate, Produced Programs

Suzanne Yoe Director, Content & Communications

Ticketing & Audience Services

Jennifer Lopez Director

Christina Adamoli*, D.J. Dennis*, Edmund Gurule*, Chris Leech*, Elias Lopez*, Hayley Solano*, Sam Stump* Counter/Show Leads

Kirsten Anderson*, Scott Lix*,

Liz Sieroslawski*,

Greg Swan* Subscription Agents

Wisline Cledgett*, Elliot Davis*, Jen Gray*, Chántel Healy*, Natalie Jaramillo*, Genevieve Gionet, Phi Johnson-Grimes, Noah Jungferman*, Lane Randall*, Andrew Sullivan*,

Dewey Tran* Ticket Agents

Jon Collins Manager, Subscription

Katie Davis Coordinator, VIP Ticketing

Billy Dutton Associate Director, Operations

Danielle Freeman Manager, Customer Service

Roger Haak Manager, VIP Ticketing

Claire Hayes, Ella Mann Managers, Box Office

Katie Spanos Associate Director, Subscriber Services

Group Sales

Jessica Bergin Associate Director

Brad Steinmeyer Coordinator

Maddie Young Education & Group Sales Associate

Theatre Services

Evan Gendreau Associate Director Elliot Shields Manager

Bryan Faciane, Kaylyn Kriaski, Leilani Lynch, Aaron McMullen, Stacy Norwood, Valerie Schaefer Assistant Managers

Nora Caley, Teresa Gould, Robin Lander, Myrisa Martin, Barbara Pooler, Wendy Quintana House Managers

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE

Jane Williams CFO

Sara Brandenburg Director, Accounting Services

Michaele Davidson Treasury Accountant

Jennifer Jeffrey Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Valerie Lingbloom General Ledger Accountant

Kristina Monge Accounts Payable Specialist

Jennifer Siemers Director, Accounting

HUMAN RESOURCES

Laura Maresca Vice President Brian Carter, Lizette Collazos Directors

Kate Faust Coordinator

Paul Johnson Payroll Specialist

Monica Robles Supervisor, Mailroom Kinsey Scholl Operations Specialist

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Lisa Roebuck Vice President

For security purposes, the IT team has been omitted.

OPERATIONS

Vincent Bridgers Senior Analyst

Adam Busch Junior Analyst

Aaron Chavez Lead Ruben Cruz Engineer

Simone Gordon Associate Director

Kyle Greufe Analyst

Brandon LeMarr Manager

Sarah Martinez Analyst

Jacob Parker Associate Director

Joseph Reecher Senior Engineer

Chris Robisch Analyst

Cordelia Taylor Coordinator Allyssa Welker Administrator

OFF-CENTER

Charlie Miller Executive Director & Curator

THEATRE COMPANY

Administration

Charles Varin Managing Director

Madysen Hunter Business Admin/ Assistant Company Manager

Ann Marshall General Manager

Sabina Rivera Company Manager

Artistic

Chris Coleman Artistic Director

Melissa Cashion Artistic Producer Grady Soapes Artistic Producer & Director of Casting

Leean Kim Torske Director of Literary Programming

Production

Jeff Gifford Director

Julie Brou Administrative Assistant/ Office Manager

Matthew Campbell Production Manager

Peggy Carey Associate Production Manager

Scenic Design

Lisa Orzolek Director

Kevin Nelson, Nicholas Renaud Assistants

Lighting Design

Charles MacLeod Director

Lily Bradford Assistant Joseph Price+ Production Electrician Sound Design

Alexander Billman Supervisor Meagan Holdeman+, Timothy Schoeberl+ Technicians

Stage Management

Michael Morales Production Stage Manager

Martinique Barthel, Corin Davidson, Rachel Ducat, Wendy Blackburn Eastland, Stephanie Holmes, Anne Jude, Rick Mireles, Nick Nyquist, Katie An Siegel, Malia Stoner, Kristin Sutter, Christine Woods Stage Managers

Angie Salazar, Devon Weisnsch Stage Management Apprentices

Anna Cordova, Katy Gentry, Harper Hadley, Sage Hughes, Katie Liguori, Kaden Dolph, Kelsea Sibold, Alex Koszewski, Tristan Andersen TOTM Experience Attendants

Scene Shop

Eric Moore Technical Director

Albert “Stub” Allison, Robert L. Orzolek, Josh Prues Associate Technical Directors Tyler D. Clark, Amy Wynn Pastor, Kyle Scoggins Scenic Technicians Louis Fernandez III Lead Scenic Technician Brian “Marco” Markiewicz Lead Carpenter

Prop Shop

Meghan Markiewicz Supervisor Jamie Curl, Georgina Kayes, Ashley Lawler Artisans Cat V Kerr Associate Props Supervisor Andrew McGlothen Prop Carpenter

Paint Shop

Jana Mitchell Charge Scenic Artist Kristin Hamer MacFarlane, Melanie Rentschler Scenic Artists

Costume Shop

Janet Macleod Director/Design Associate Meghan Anderson Doyle Design Associate Stephanie Cooper, Ingrid Ludeke, Carolyn Plemitscher Draper Costume Crafts

Kevin Copenhaver Director Chris Campbell Assistant

Wigs

Diana Ben-Kiki Supervisor

House Crew

Douglas Taylor+ Supervisor James Berman+, Forest Fowler+, William Loving+, Dave Mazzeno+, Kyle Moore+, Matt Wagner+ Stagehands Calli Lavarnway+ Kelley “Reznik” Russell+ Assistants

Wardrobe

Heidi Echtenkamp Supervisor Robin Appleton^, Amber Krimbel^, David La Beaux^, Lauren LaCasse , Lisa Parsons Wagner , Kami Williams^ Dressers Jerome Horng^, Marisa Sorce^ Wig Assistants

* Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local B-7

+ Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local

^ Member, I.A.T.S.E. Local

LLocated in the heart of Denver, BMW of Denver Downtown has always had its fingers on the pulse of the city. Denver is such a unique and exciting place to live and do business and BMW of Denver Downtown has made giving back to such a vibrant community its preeminent goal. From the very beginning, they’ve made it their duty to ensure that they made a difference with how they did business.

From the moment one walks into the state-of-the-art showroom, there’s no doubt that this will be a different experience. One that is just as elegant and powerful as the German-engineered vehicles sold and serviced at the dealership. More than that, the promise of transparency that BMW of Denver Downtown makes to all customers is what has made it such a fixture in the lives of Denver’s citizens.

Never pay dealer handling fees, never pay over MSRP, never pay addendums or market adjustments to pricing, always pay less for a new BMW compared to the competition. These few words speak for themselves on why more people have chosen to do business with BMW of Denver Downtown – they are a dealership whose mission is to provide an experience that their guests want and deserve.

This commitment to excellence and a higher call to the community are things that come naturally to BMW of Denver Downtown. It’s an experience that everyone should be able to enjoy, just like the impressive outreach made possible by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, which is why BMW of Denver Downtown has partnered with the DCPA.

Both are proud members of the Denver community and share a passion for turning the unattainable into very much attainable for everyone. It’s a passion that goes so much further beyond and into making Denver a city everyone wants to live in.

To learn more about all the ways BMW of Denver Downtown is helping the greater Denver community, visit BMWofDenverDowntown.com and see why more people choose BMW of Denver Downtown for their next luxury vehicle.

BMW of Denver Downtown has made giving back to such a vibrant community its preeminent goal.

PROUD SPONSOR OF CAMP CHRISTMAS AND DCPA BROADWAY’S GOLDEN CIRCLE

FEBRUARY 3 – 12,

MARCH 10 – 19,

ASUKA SASAKI & JONNATHAN RAMIREZ BY RACHEL NEVILLE TICKETS

2023

presented by LYNNETTE MORRISON

2023

presented by MidFirst Bank

JENNIFER GRACE BY RACHEL NEVILLE

At the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with live music featuring the Colorado Ballet Orchestra Supported by:

PROUD SPONSOR OF THE DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

— THE DENVER POST COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

TThe Denver Post is proud to support the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, both through sponsorship of its acclaimed theatre productions as well as with grant funding through The Denver Post Community Foundation. Our longstanding partnership with DCPA has given countless individuals of all ages, the opportunity to experience and develop a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

The Denver Post Community believes in giving back to the communities in which it serves and proudly supports hundreds of nonprofits’ programs and events. Support is given in many ways: through The Denver Post Community Foundation, employee volunteering, and in-kind advertising.

The Denver Post Community Foundation, a recognized 501 (c)(3) nonprofit agency, raises funds through individual and corporate donations, through its unique signature events and programs and through the annual holiday Season To Share campaign. The overall mission is to improve and enrich the lives of those in our community through support of programs that benefit arts and culture; children and youth; education and literacy, and the provision of basic human services. To date, over $8,377,750.00 has been raised and distributed.

· Signature Events and Programs

These well-established events and programs have become staples in the community. They offer partners, participants and volunteers something unique each year. They include: Pen & Podium Literary Lecture Series, Passport To The Arts, and the Colorado State Spelling Bee

· The Denver Post Season To Share

The Denver Post Season To Share holiday fundraising campaign kicks off on October 30 and runs through December 31, 2022. Donations up to $1,000,000 will be matched at $.50 per dollar, by our matching partner the Denver Children’s Foundation, making an even greater impact for our neighbors in need. These funds will support more than 50 local nonprofit agencies working to nourish those who experience hunger, house those in need of a permanent home, prepare children and youth for success in the classroom and in life and protect children and families in need with medical care. Visit seasontoshare.com for more information.

Together We Can Make A Difference denverpostcommunity.com

We are so grateful to our partners and to the thousands of donors and event participants over the years that have helped to improve and enrich the lives of those in our community.

The Denver Post Pen & Podium Series

(right) Author Colm Toibin

The Denver Post Season To Share

“CBS Colorado is here to bring you the news about what’s happening at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and arts and culture in your neighborhood, because your community is our community too. We cover Colorado first and we care about continuing to make Colorado a great place to live, work and play. Enjoy the show and tune in to CBS Colorado or visit www.cbscolorado.com for regular updates on performances in your community.”

COMMITTED TO COVERING ARTS AND CULTURE AND PROUD PARTNER OF THE DENVER CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

— CBS COLORADO GENERAL MANAGER TIM WIELAND

TOP: CBS4 The ARTS | (l-r) Actor Gareth Saxe, Multi-Media Journalist Dillon Thomas & Actress Desirée Mee Jung in a choreography rehearsal for Much Ado About Nothing | BOTTOM: 20th Chalk Art Festival