A fabulous spring season for the Denver Center Theatre Company

This spring, the Denver Center Theatre Company will complete an extraordinary journey through the decades of the Twentieth Century with director Israel Hicks and August Wilson’s Radio Golf, remember the story of faith in a stage adaptation of John Irving’s sweeping novel in A Prayer for Owen Meany, and laugh with the Serrano family in the world premiere of Sunsets and Margaritas.

Read more after the jump.


August Wilson’s Radio Golf
Directed by Israel Hicks
March 20 – April 25, 2009 (Opening Thursday, March 26) The Space Theatre


An unprecedented theatrical event – one director, one theatre company and all ten plays. With this production of Radio Golf director Israel Hicks will complete his singular vision of the cycle of August Wilson’s ten-play chronicle of the 20th Century African-American experience.

Again the setting is the Hill District of Pittsburgh and Radio Golf begins as redevelopment threatens the preservation of a landmark house with important spiritual meaning to the neighborhood. With the history of a people at stake, an entrepreneur, who hopes to become the city’s first Black mayor, is trailed by his past and secrets that could become his undoing.

Many in Hicks’ design team and cast have accompanied him through his DCTC journey. Designing the set is Michael Ganio, set designer for the previous productions of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Seven Guitars and Two Trains Running. Costume designer David Kay Mickelsen has designed DCTC productions of Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II, Jitney, Two Trains Running and Seven Guitars. Charles R. MacLeod has been Hicks’ lighting designer on Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II, Jitney, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Seven Guitars, Two Trains Running, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and The Piano Lesson. Sound Designer Jason Ducat (Dusty and the Big Bad World, Glengarry Glen Ross) joins the team for Radio Golf.

The cast includes Harvy Blanks (Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II, Jitney, Seven Guitars, The Piano Lesson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Fences) as Sterling Johnson, Terrence Riggins (Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II) as Harmond Wilks, Kim Staunton (Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II) as Mame Wilks, Charles Weldon (Gem of the Ocean, King Hedley II, Jitney, Two Trains Running, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Elder Joseph Barlow, and making his Denver Center debut is Darryl Alan Reed (St. Louis Black Repertory, Pasadena Playhouse) as Roosevelt Hicks.


A Prayer for Owen Meany a novel by John Irving
Adapted by Simon Bent
Directed by Bruce K. Sevy
March 27 – April 25, 2009 (Opening Thursday, April 2) The Stage Theatre
Mature Audiences


Simon Bent adapted John Irving’s sweeping novel A Prayer for Owen Meany for London’s National Theatre. Artistic Director Kent Thompson was drawn to the play for Denver audiences because it is so extraordinary to find a contemporary play about religious faith. Director Bruce Sevy “cherished the ‘ride’ of reading the play” and found surprise and mystery in this adaptation.

Narrated by John Wheelwright recounting his childhood memories, the play selects specific memorable images and characters from the epic novel. Owen Meany, a curiously small child with a high-pitched voice, was John’s best friend. When Owen accidentally kills John’s mother in 1950s New Hampshire, the two boys are forever linked as they search for truth in this provocative dark comedy of friendship, faith and destiny.

Scenic Designer William Bloodgood (Dusty and the Big Bad World, You Can’t Take It With You) has set the play in a neutral space with the stepped walls of a granite quarry in the colors of a perfectly remembered New England autumn. The costume designer is Bill Black (Dusty and the Big Bad World, Doubt, Mrs. Warren’s Profession), lighting design is by Tony-nominated Ann G. Wrightson (Inana), and the sound designer is Craig Breitenbach (Richard III, Noises Off, The Merry Wives of Windsor). Music was composed or arranged by Gregg Coffin (A Christmas Carol, The Merry Wives of Windsor), fight direction is by Geoffrey Kent (The Miracle Worker, Noises Off) and the vocal coach is Hilary Blair.

The large cast of A Prayer for Owen Meany is led by Denver Center newcomer Michael Wartella (Off-Broadway’s Seusical, Oliver Twist) as Owen and company member David Ivers (Noises Off, Pride and Prejudice) as John Wheelwright. They are joined by Jeanne Paulsen (Richard III, Doubt) as Harriet Wheelwright, Kathleen McCall (Richard III, Plainsong) as Tabitha Wheelwright, Kathleen M. Brady (Richard III, The Trip to Bountiful) as Lydia, James Michael Reilly (Glengarry Glen Ross, You Can’t Take It With You) as Dan Needham, John Hutton (The Miracle Worker, Plainsong) as Reverend Merrill, Mike Hartman (Glengarry Glen Ross, Plainsong) as Mr. Meany, Gordana Rashovich (Master Class, Cripple of Inishmaan) as Mrs. Meany/Mrs. Lish, newcomer Cheryl Lynn Bowers (Off-Broadway’s Essential Self-Defense, The Underpants) as Barb Wiggins, Sam Gregory (Noises Off, Doubt) as Rector Wiggins/Jarvit Dad, Philip Pleasants (Noises Off, Plainsong) as Mr. Fish and Dr. Dolder, Randy Moore (The Merry Wives of Windsor, You Can’t Take It With You) as Randy White, and Douglas Bynum, Megan Byrne, Kelli Crump, Sean Lyons, Rebeca Martin, Chris Mazza, M. Scott McLean, Shauna Miles, Larry Paulsen, Jenna Panther, Dawn Scott and Joseph Yeargain.



A Denver Center World Premiere
Sunsets and Margaritas by José Cruz González
Directed by Nicholas C. Avila
April 3 – May 16, 2009 (Opening Thursday, April 9) The Ricketson Theatre


Denver Center commissioned playwright José Cruz González traveled to Denver and Pueblo in September 2006 to talk with Colorado Latino groups. He found four topics that came up repeatedly in his conversations – family, food, music and ritual – along with the themes of middle age crisis and aging parents. The result is his funny and touching world premiere Sunsets and Margaritas.

Three generations of a Mexican-American family are plunged into one hilarious crisis after another when patriarch Candelario Serrano begins to lose control of his restaurant and his family. Candelario’s traditional conservative values have been abandoned by the family’s younger generation and the appearance of a mysterious vision sends everyone spinning comically out of control. At the heart of Sunsets and Margaritas is “family” – the Serrano family’s reexamining of their beliefs while emerging stronger.

Director Nicholas C. Avila has put together a team to design the interior of Serenata Colorado Restaurant and Cantina. They include Scenic and Costume Designer Sara Ryung Clement (making her Denver Center debut), Lighting Designer Jane Spencer (Doubt, The Pillowman, Jesus Hates Me) and Sound Designer Morgan A. McCauley (Inana, The Miracle Worker, The Trip to Bountiful). The dramaturg is Douglas Langworthy (The Miracle Worker, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Trip to Bountiful).

The cast includes Romi Dias (Living Out, The Clean House) as Virgin de Guadalupe/La Soldadera/La Llorona/Olivia Serrano, Ricardo Gutierrez (Lydia) as Candelario Serrano, April Ortiz (Barrio Babies) as Luz Serrano, and making their Denver center debuts are Sol Castillo (South Coast Repertory, national tour of Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor) as Jojo Serrano, Sarah Nina Hayon (LAByrinth Theater Company, The Public Theater) as Gabby Serrano, Philip Hernandez (Broadway’s Les Miserables, Kiss of the Spider Woman) as Gregorio Serrano, Bryant Mason (New York Classical Theatre, Rattlestick Playwright’s Theatre) as Sheriff Hubert Montoya, and Jamie Ann Romero (Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Listen Productions) as Bianca Carrillo.


Season 30 Performance Schedule
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday performances are at 6:30pm.
Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm.
Saturday matinees are at 1:30pm


Tickets and Subscriptions
Single tickets start at $34 ($25 for the world premiere) and are on sale now. The Denver Center Box Office located in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex is open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone call (303) 893-4100 – for those outside the Denver calling area, 1 (800) 641-1222, TTY (303) 893-9582. Buy and print tickets on-line by visiting www.denvercenter.org.




Tickets on sale now for 'Tang Concubines'

From the producers of 'Heartbeat' and 'Terracotta Warriors' comes 'Tang Concubines', a spectacular Chinese stage show featuring awe-inspiring dance and martial arts, and telling a tale of love, lust, life and death amidst the ghostly ruins of a great Chinese dynasty. Written, produced and directed by Denver resident Dr. Dennis Law, in 2006 'Tang Concubines' became the only show in Chinese history to win Canada’s prestigious Dora Award for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design. 'Tang Concubines' will play Denver’s Buell Theatre April 7-19, making Denver the first U.S. city to witness this lavish production.

Tickets are on sale now at www.denvercenter.org.

Read more about 'Tang Concubines' after the jump.


China’s Tang Dynasty (618-906 AD), regarded as the pinnacle of progress and prosperity in Chinese history, serves as the intriguing backdrop for TANG CONCUBINES - the true story behind the unlikely rise of two legendary concubines. At a time when social constraints dictated that women had little hope of affecting their nation’s history, two women climbed their way to the top of the power structure–one by way of treachery, the other through devotion–and irreversibly changed their country’s fate.

Both women began as royal concubines and both radically redefined the role of women in imperial China, but the similarities stop there. The ambitious Wu Ze Tian would stop at nothing in her ruthless rise to become China’s first and only Empress, while the selfless Yang Guifei served her country loyally and ultimately gave her life to restore peace to the dynasty. The two women’s legacies were enduring: Wu ushered in an era of unprecedented women’s empowerment, while Yang’s sacrifice and much-lauded beauty brought her immortality in the culture’s poetry.

TANG CONCUBINES tells their extraordinary stories, conjuring imperial China with a thrilling combination of ballet, Chinese opera, martial arts, sumptuous sets, lavish costumes and cirque-like diversions. The cast of 80 invites audiences into the splendor of a majestic palace, and the soaring score combines traditional Chinese musical stylings with the cinematic sounds of a Western symphony.

TANG CONCUBINES is choreographed by Chinese dancer Jonathan Feng Han. The Chinese government ranks dancers on a scale of one to four, with Class I being considered a top skilled dancer in China. It takes years to earn a Class I ranking, and Jonathan Feng Han, lead dancer and choreographer for TANG CONCUBINES, is one of these rare talents. Jonathan graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy in 1997 and is the youngest male National Class I dancer in China today. Fen Han’s unparalleled talents were last seen in Denver when he performed all three lead roles in Terracotta Warriors. Feng Han is often found instructing at the Law Brothers Chinese Performing Arts International Dance Academy and will perform as the lead dancer in TANG CONCUBINES.

TANG CONCUBINES is produced and directed by Denver resident Dennis K. Law, MD. Retired from a career as a well-known surgeon in Denver, Colorado, Dr. Law started his interest in the field of entertainment by producing Warriors of Virtue, a high budget family feature film distributed by MGM, Warner Brothers and Columbia Artists worldwide. In China, he also produced a prize-winning CCTV children’s film Xiwa as well as the acclaimed television series “April Rhapsody.” After the acquisition of The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts by the Law family in early 2002, Dr. Law became the C.E.O. and President of The Centre and its associated production company Sight, Sound & Action Ltd. Over the last three years, in addition to presenting many Broadway shows and the acclaimed Colorado Ballet Dracula, he also produced the Canadian premiere of Plaid Tidings, the concert “From China with Love” and “Dragon Meets Eagle.” Most importantly, Dr. Law has utilized The Centre to allow Vancouver to launch a new genre of Action-Musicals, notably Of Heaven & Earth in 2002 and Terracotta Warriors in 2004. In 2005, by starting the First Annual Chinese Performing Arts Festival in Vancouver and Toronto, Dr. Law continues to dedicate efforts to introduce Chinese performing arts of international packaging and quality to North American audiences. The two shows from the summer of 2005, Senses and Heartbeat, combined for 120 performances in the three cities of Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto.




Bill Cosby coming to Denver

Legendary comedian, writer and actor Bill Cosby is coming to Denver for a limited two show engagement. Best known for his family friendly, insightful and frequently hilarious observations about human nature, this American icon takes the stage March 28th at 5pm and 8pm at The Buell Theatre. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Bill Cosby is, by any standard, one of the most influential stars in America today. Whether it’s through concert appearances or recordings, television or films, commercials or education, Bill Cosby has the ability to touch peoples’ lives. His humor often centers on the basic cornerstones of our existence, seeking to provide an insight into our roles as parents, children, family members, and men and women. Without resorting to gimmickry or lowbrow humor, Bill Cosby’s comedy has a point of reference and respect for the trappings and traditions of the great American humorist such as Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx.

The 1984-92 run of The Cosby Show and his books Fatherhood and Time Flies established new benchmarks on how success is measured. His status at the top of the TVQ survey year after year continues to confirm his appeal as one of the most popular personalities in America. Cosby’s believability and humor makes him most effective as the spokesman for JELLO. His lifelong contributions to American culture were recognized with a Kennedy Center Honor in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in July 2002.

Denver Center announces 2009 New Play Summit readings

The Denver Center Theatre Company’s fourth annual Colorado New Play Summit continues its climb to the top tier of American new play festivals with the announcement of four readings of new American plays and a musical that will join the world premieres of Inana by Michele Lowe and Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram at the February 2009 event.

Artistic Director Kent Thompson, Director of New Play Development Bruce Sevy and Literary Manager Douglas Langworthy have selected the following new works to present to artistic directors, literary managers, dramaturgs, directors and press representatives who will travel to Denver February 12, 13 and 14 for the 2009 Summit.

More after the jump.



The Unsinkable Molly Brown

Lyrics and Music by Meredith Willson, Book by Dick Scanlan

Based on the Original Book by Richard Morris, Directed by Kathleen Marshall



The Unsinkable Molly Brown rises again! The Colorado New Play Summit workshops Dick Scanlan’s sparkling new adaptation of this great Meredith Willson

(The Music Man) musical. Two-time Tony-nominee playwright Scanlan, co-creator of Broadway’s Tony Award winning Thoroughly Modern Millie, is completely overhauling

the book of this exuberant musical, based on his extensive research into Colorado and Brown’s colorful Gold Rush past. Never before heard compositions from the Willson trunk add luster to the already outstanding score. Directed by two-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall, this promises to be a fascinating look at the titanic rewrite process of a musical theatre classic.





Eventide by Eric Schmiedl, Based on the novel by Kent Haruf

(Commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre Company)



A moving companion piece to Eric Schmiedl’s adaptation of Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, Eventide continues the story of the aging McPheron brothers and their “adopted” daughter, Victoria Roubideaux. At the same time, Haruf turns his focus on a mismatched group of parents and children, residents of Holt, whose unvarnished lives are both fragile and tough. An honest, compassionate tale of how families in this small Colorado town are forged out of necessity.





When Tang Met Laika by Rogelio Martinez

(Commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre Company and Magic Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation New Science & Technology Plays Initiative)



In the 1990s Americans and Russians started to work together building the International Space Station. With more than a half century of hostilities under their space suits, can two old foes start to trust one another again? A play about the cold war warming up, a space shuttle program finding its purpose as it nears retirement, one very large robotic arm, weightlessness and a gun. (Workshopped at the 2008 New Works Festival (Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director) at Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Camp in Steamboat Springs, CO)





Take Me to the River by Constance Congdon

(Commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre Company and Magic Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation New Science & Technology Plays Initiative)



Working a farm that's been in the family for four generations, the Campbells face the loss of their crops, their home and way of life over a water dispute. Kansas is suing Colorado for water owed from a river that originates in Colorado, but is shared with Kansas and Nebraska. Based on real stories, two families, the Campbells and the Montoyas, become torn apart as they are engulfed in this contentious environmental and political crisis.





Flooded by Julie Marie Myatt

(Commissioned by the Denver Center Theatre Company)





A star TV meteorologist turns oracle when he abandons bland L.A. for the wilder weather of North Carolina. As natural disasters mount world-wide, William unknowingly channels an on-camera voice of doom that ties extreme climate events to the sins of mankind. Despite the show’s popularity, he finds to his sorrow that telling truth to power may cost him everything he holds dear. Playwright Myatt deftly plucks the dark threads of myth, folk tale, and religious prophecy that lie unquiet beneath the surface of modern existence.





Artistic Director Kent Thompson commented, “We called the event a ‘summit’ because of the glorious Rocky Mountains, but also have built this event into a ‘peak’ experience – we have created a new play festival that we feel is a must-see event for theatre professionals from across the United States.”

The 2009 Colorado New Play Summit will also include a nationally-known panel of

artistic directors discussing “What’s New for New Plays?” The Denver Center’s Kent Thompson will moderate the discussion joined by panelists Polly Carl, Producing Artistic Director of The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis; John Clinton Eisner, Producing Director of the Lark Play Development Center in New York; and Janice Paran, Dramaturg at the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Another panelist will be announced later.

The Denver Center is continuing to create one of America’s most ambitious new play commissioning programs – developing new works to be featured at future Colorado New Play Summits and eventually in full productions at the Denver Center and other national stages. With additional funding from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, the Denver Center Theatre Company currently has commissioned new works from playwrights Jose Cruz Gonzalez – author of September Shoes and this season’s Denver Center world premiere of Sunsets and Margaritas; Jason Grote – author of the 2007 Summit’s critically-acclaimed world premiere 1001; Steven Cole Hughes – company member and author of Slabtown and cowboyily, Octavio Solis – author of the 2008 Summit world premiere Lydia, produced at four

theatres this season and published in the December issue of American Theatre; and Elyzabeth

Gregory Wilder – author of Gee’s Bend and winner of the 2007 ATCA M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award for an emerging playwright.





For more information and Summit registration visit www.denvercenter.org/summit or call 303.893.6030 / TTY 303.893.9582.



Members of the media contact Chris Wiger at 303.446.4848 or cwiger@dcpa.org for information or Summit registration.







Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust for supporting new American plays at the Denver Center Theatre Company.



The Colorado New Play Summit workshop of The Unsinkable Molly Brown has been made possible by the extraordinary support of Joy Burns, Leo & Susan Kiely and Daniel L. Ritchie.



Producing Partners for the Colorado New Play Summit are Daniel L. Ritchie and Leo & Susan Kiely.



The Colorado New Play Summit is sponsored by Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Additional funding provided by the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation.



Colorado New Play Summit hotel sponsors include The Curtis and Courtyard by Marriott.



Inana is the recipient of a major Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.



Producing Partner for Inana is Carol E. Wolf.



Inana is sponsored by The Women’s Voices Fund and Fleming’s Steakhouse and Wine Bar.



Producing Partners for Dusty and the Big Bad World are Terry & Noel Hefty and Jim Steinberg & Karolynn Lestrud.



Dusty and the Big Bad World is sponsored by The Women’s Voices Fund and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company



Season sponsors are The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust,

Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado, Wells Fargo and Great-West Life.



Media sponsors are SCFD, CBS 4 and The Denver Post.


Denver Center in 2009: Color Purple, Tang Concubines, Little House on the Prairie A Bronx Tale, August: Osage County, Spring Awakenings, and more

Denver Center Attractions (DCA) today announced its 2009 subscription season. In a year that celebrates the 30th anniversary of Robert Garner joining his Garner Attractions with The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, DCA brings to Denver Tony honored hits and return engagements of Broadway’s best.

Read all about them after the jump.


Oprah Winfrey Presents THE COLOR PURPLE opens the season at The Buell Theatre January 7-18. This soul-stirring musical, based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the Oscar-nominated film by Steven Spielberg, is the unforgettable and inspiring story of a woman named Celie who triumphs over tremendous odds to find joy in life and her true inner beauty. Nominated for eleven Tony Awards®, THE COLOR PURPLE features a Grammy®-nominated score of jazz, gospel and blues. THE COLOR PURPLE, called “a bright odyssey of survival and triumph” by The New York Times, captures the hearts of young and old and unites audiences in a celebration of love. THE COLOR PURPLE is sponsored in Denver by HealthONE and Alto Restaurant.

In April, the enchanting world of the Chinese Tang Dynasty will be brought to life in TANG CONCUBINES, playing The Buell Theatre April 7-19. TANG CONCUBINES compares the treacherous power of one concubine with the immortal love and sacrifice of another. The show illuminates the glamour and impact of women in China’s Tang Dynasty and takes the audience to unprecedented heights of visual splendor through costumes, scenic design and compelling action. TANG CONCUBINES made history for Chinese shows in the international arena by winning two Canadian Dora Awards for musical theatre in 2006 in the categories of Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

DCA subscribers will again join Denver Center Theatre Company (DCTC) subscribers for the touching pioneer musical QUILTERS, May 22 – July 12 in The Stage Theatre. Written by Molly Newman and Barbara Damashek, QUILTERS is a Denver Center original, returning home in a shining new production in celebration of the DCTC’s 30th season. An international hit for more than 25 years following its 1982 world premiere at the DCTC, the rousing heritage musical was inspired by real-life stories of American pioneer women, written in diaries and letters as they braved the dangers and hardships of life on the frontier. Nominated for six Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, QUILTERS is an inspiring tale of strength and courage. QUILTERS is sponsored by Aurora Loan Services

Academy Award®-nominated actor Chazz Palminteri’s remarkable one man show A BRONX TALE comes to The Ellie Caulkins Opera House June 9-21. Palminteri’s unforgettable performance recently earned high praise from audiences and critics in its successful run on Broadway. In A BRONX TALE, the celebrated play on which he based the legendary movie, Palminteri vividly depicts a young boy’s rough childhood in the 1960s-era Bronx and the unforgettable people he encountered. A classic coming-of-age story about reaching your true potential and trusting your heart, A BRONX TALE is directed by four-time Tony Award®-winner Jerry Zaks and was called “a vibrant, warmhearted saga” by the Associated Press.

In July, DCA will launch the national touring production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY direct from its phenomenal award-winning run on Broadway. The 2008 Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning Best Play will heat up The Ellie Caulkins Opera House July 24 – August 8. Written by Tracy Letts, this grand, gripping new play tells the story of the Westons, a large extended clan that comes together at their rural Oklahoma homestead when the alcoholic patriarch disappears. Forced to confront unspoken truths and astonishing secrets, the family must also contend with matriarch Violet, a pill-popping, deeply unsettled woman at the center of this storm. Directed by Anna D. Shapiro, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY is a rare theatrical event—a large-scale work filled with unforgettable characters, a powerful tale told with unflinching honesty and the unforgettable breakthrough of a major American playwright. The New York Times deemed AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY “flat-out, without qualification, the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years.”

The Tony-winning hits continue in December, when the 2007 Tony Award®-winner SPRING AWAKENING plays The Buell Theatre. Winner of eight Tony Awards® including Best Musical, SPRING AWAKENING is a groundbreaking fusion of morality, sexuality and rock & roll that has awakened Broadway like no other musical in recent memory. SPRING AWAKENING celebrates the unforgettable journey from youth to adulthood with a power, a poignancy and a passion you will never forget. The show has rocked the Great White Way, causing the The New York Times to declare, "Broadway may never be the same again!"

Closing out the year, the new musical LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE will bring a heartwarming family tale to The Buell Theatre December 22 – January 3. For over 75 years, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books have enthralled children with the stories of pioneer America. Now the classic American story takes on a new frontier as the inspiring experiences of this pioneer family come to life in LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Laura is almost grown up and her coming of age story is the centerpiece for this new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who starred as Laura in the beloved television series, plays the role of Ma, giving LITTLE HOUSE an added dimension as a new generation discovers the Ingalls family on the American stage. Director Francesca Zambello (Disney’s The Little Mermaid) leads an accomplished creative team, including lyricist Donna di Novelli, Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman (Emma) and Tony Award®-winning book writer Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).

2009 season ticket packages start at just $202. To reserve your new subscription now, please call Denver Center Ticket Services: 303.893.4100 or 800.641.1222, or visit the ticket office located in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex at Speer & Arapahoe. Subscription packages can also be reserved online at www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs. Single tickets are not available at this time.

DCA subscribers will also receive priority notice to the following added shows in 2009: The eagerly-awaited return of WICKED, RENT with Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp reprising the roles that they made famous on Broadway, return engagements of CHICAGO, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and SPAMALOT, as well as the Denver premieres of CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG and CIRQUE ELOIZE: NEBBIA. Details for these shows will be announced at a later date.

At the time of subscription, new and renewing series subscribers can purchase single tickets for THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, WICKED, and RENT ahead of the general public, ensuring their chance to get great seats for these popular shows. Subscribers will also receive priority notice to purchase tickets for other added attractions prior to the general public. Additional subscriber benefits include preferred seating, free ticket exchanges and various special offers throughout the season. Subscribers will also receive a complimentary, one-year subscription to Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine with their 2009 season ticket package.

New this year, DCA subscribers will have added flexibility with the new Ticket Trade program. Ticket Trade allows subscribers the opportunity to exchange tickets from one subscription show into another subscription show or selected added attraction. For full details and a list of which shows are eligible for trade please visit www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs.

Also new for the 2009 season, DCA introduces the Designer Series, our most flexible subscription package which allows subscribers to choose which shows they’d like to see and when, even to added attractions like WICKED and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The Designer Series is a package of ten ticket vouchers for use in any combination of shows and times throughout the season, and can be used for any show DCA presents including non-subscription added attractions. For details, please contact the DCPA box office or visit www.denvercenter.org/bwaysubs.

Denver Center Attractions’ 2009 season is generously sponsored by United Airlines. Media sponsorship is provided by The Denver Post, CBS 4, Colorado Homes & Lifestyles magazine. Denver Center Attractions is supported in part by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts presents and produces live theatre with Broadway touring shows, cabaret productions and a professional theatre company. The DCPA is the site of training schools for actors, a voice research laboratory and unique rental facilities. Denver Center Attractions is a preferred stop on the Broadway touring circuit and has launched many national touring premieres. Center Attractions also produces cabaret shows. The Tony Award®-winning Denver Center Theatre Company is the largest professional theatre company between Chicago and the West Coast. It produces traditional and contemporary drama and world premieres. For more information, please visit www.denvercenter.org.



Glengarry Glen Ross opens tonight at Denver Center

It's been a long week already and it's not even noon on Thursday yet.

I am definitely looking forward to an excellent show tonight in David Mamet's Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Glengarry Glen Ross'.

I really have to tip my hat to The Denver Center, with superb shows like 'Trip to Bountiful' and 'Noises Off', I have to say this is the best year for theatre I can remember. If 'Glengarry Glen Ross' is half as good as those two shows (and the Pulitzer Prize would lead me to believe that it is) then it's sure to be a heckuva entertaining evening.

Noises Off: An interview with Set Designer Vicki Smith

In the show within a show called ‘Noises Off’ a troop of actors perform a show called ‘Nothing On’ and so the set for ‘Noises Off’ is actually the set of ‘Nothing On’.

Vicki Smith, Set Designer for ‘Noises Off’ at The Denver Center, had to pack a lot of design into not a lot of space but she did it with room to spare.

Two inches, to be exact.

I spoke with Smith on the day of the show’s dress rehearsal and she sounded off about 'Noises Off'. Read what she had to say after the jump.






Drew: What are the challenges of designing the set for ‘Noises Off’.
Vicki: Because this is the classic door-slamming farce we’ve got all these doors, actually seven doors, a window, and a curtained entrance, and they all have to be in a very specific order. I’s very inflexible and it was meant to be in a proscenium space which this isn’t. I’ve put in a phony proscenium here but the problem here is that we don’t have much depth at all so trying to get this unit to revolve, well, it’s very tigh. We have maybe two inches of space before we hit the back wall when this turns.

Given my druthers, I would want more parts of the set on the turntable so that people wouldn’t have to pick up and carry things but I just cannot do that here. There simply isn’t enough room and the doors can’t flex so they are where they are.

How long has this project taken for you from start to finish?
I think we met on this in March for the first time and I had my first sketches to the director in April and a model of it in May and then I’ll be leaving here in four days so this has been a long project.

How did you become a professional set designer?
I was an artist at first, a sculptor, and I wasn’t making any money. I’m one of the few people in the world who went into theatre to make money. Most people do not. But I had been living in Seattle at the time and working with a film director who did film animation and I met a bunch of people from the theatre program and I thought maybe this is for me. So that’s how I got into it.

For those of us who don’t know what a set designer does can you give it to us in a nutshell?
Well the way the whole thing looks is completely my doing. The ground plan is what’s given to you to let you know that you need to have the certain door arrangement on two levels but beyond that you can kind of do with it what you will.


How would you describe the set you’ve come up with for this production of ‘Noises Off’?
It’s a 16th century building that’s been ‘extensively remodeled’ and we wanted this kind of Tudor style with the cross timber and that’s a fairly easy style to research. I have a number of books on English architecture that show you both the paneling and the cross timbering. The specifics of I wanted to do was not get so pushed by the technical demands that it didn’t still look like a house and didn’t still have furniture and things on the wall. I did a bunch of English countryside cliches - dog pictures, antlers, fish on the wall, big flowered chintz. That’s english country style and I just did ‘em all.”

Were you influenced at all by the movie version of ‘Noises Off’?
I had never seen the movie or a stage version before but it is certainly the most complicated script I’ve ever read because in Act 2 it rotates and now we’re backstage.

And backstage we have the classic backstage construction - dumpy. Through the window you see the actors performing theirplay and a million things going wrong backstage even though everybody is trying to be quiet and hushing each other so in the script there are a a series of lines that are the play within the play and there are lots of stage directions and there’s as much of that as there are in the script and I’ve never seen a script like that before. I just read it and thought ‘oh my goodness that is extraordinary’. Why would a director want to do that to himself? It’s so difficult.

What’s the difference between good set design and bad set design?
Um, boy that’s a hard question to answer.

You should generally be coming away with the whole picture because the first thing is to tell the story and scripts vary wildly about location and specificity and what the director wants to say and you need to be able to tie that to the script and augment it, not distract from it.


'Noises Off' opens tonight at The Denver Center in The Stage Theatre. For tickets or more information visit www.DenverCenter.org.



This is MileHighGayGuy: Vicki Smith, Scenic Designer for Noises Off

Vicki Smith, Scenic Designer of 'Noises Off' at The Denver Center, gives a shout out to MileHighGayGuy.com.

She was kind enough to give me a behind-the-scenes look at the amazing set she designed for the production and if you haven't seen the show onstage before, you're in for quite a surprise.

'Noises Off' plays at The Denver Center through November 1 in the Stage Theatre.

Noises Off opens tomorrow

Noises Off, the classic theatre slamming door farce opens tomorrow night at the Denver Center and I was lucky enough to get to check out some behind-the-scenes action that I will be sharing with you a little bit later. Get your tickets now because it looks like a hoot and a half.

The Trip to Bountiful opens tomorrow

I'm attending the opening performance of 'The Trip to Bountiful' tomorrow at the Space Theatre at The Denver Center. The only thing I know about this is that is was a movie in the '80s. Has anybody seen this? Is it good?

(L to R) Julie Jesneck as Thelma and Kathleen M. Brady as Mrs. Carrie Watts in the Denver Center Theatre Company production of Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful.

Photo by Terry Shapiro