June 2012
1 post
May 2012
1 post
17 tags
The Addams Family — Singing a different tune?
By Diane Snyder
What does being Addams-y mean? That’s a question the creative team behind the splashy Addams Family Broadway musical had to decide as they wrote—and rewrote—their show, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams and brought to life in the 1960s TV series, and 1990s feature films, and finally on Broadway in 2009.
To production supervisor Jerry Zaks, Morticia,...
April 2012
9 posts
8 tags
Profile: Bruce Sevy, Director of Heartbreak House ...
Bruce Sevy, Associate Artistic Director of the Denver Center Theatre Company, is tackling one of George Bernard Shaw’s most unusual plays, the mysterious HEARTBREAK HOUSE. The brittle wit and clever ripostes are there, but there is also an air of rue about this piece. With World War I on the horizon, it is, on some levels, somber. See what Bruce has to say…
Denver Center: In what way does this...
10 tags
Chas Addams: The Man Behind the Family
The musical The Addams Family is inspired by the creations of the legendary American cartoonist Charles Addams, who lived from 1912 until 1988. In 1933, when he was just 21, his work was published in The New Yorker, and over the course of nearly six decades, he became one of the magazine’s most cherished contributors.
Bizarre, macabre and weird are all words that have been used to describe...
7 tags
National Theatre Conservatory 2012 graduates...
The National Theatre Conservatory, a Master of Fine Arts graduate acting school at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, is currently presenting NTC Rep - two productions playing back-to-back in repertory through April 21, 2012. The selections? CHARLEY’S AUNT and FAHRENHEIT 451.
We asked some of the students to share their favorite memories of the three-year program as they gear up for...
7 tags
10 tags
Off-Center Presents Luciann Lajoie’s First Play -...
By Megan Quinn
Freelance Writer, Team-OFF Member (Off-Center’s External Committee)
What happens when one woman discovers online dating and becomes addicted to the rush?
The result is DATE*, the world premiere play presented by Off-Center @ the Jones. Incorporating real-life interviews with more than 100 people, Denver-based writer Luciann Lajoie weaves her own tales of the online dating world...
March 2012
9 posts
4 tags
George Bernard Shaw on HEARTBREAK HOUSE: An...
by Dan Sullivan for Applause program magazine
DS: How have you adjusted to the Great Beyond? You and Shakespeare must have wonderful conversations up there. I imagine you’ve buried the hatchet.
George Bernard Shaw (GBS): “Up there?” As you should have learned from Don Juan in Hell, all the interesting people are Down Here. This may explain why I’ve never run into Shakespeare. As for burying the...
9 tags
Diving into Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire
by Sylvie Drake for Applause program magazine
Unless you are a dedicated fan of country western, gospel, hillbilly or rockabilly music, Johnny Cash could conceivably lie on the periphery of your consciousness. Which would be a shame, because when you pay closer attention, you discover that Cash was a complex man and unique artist who fit no pigeon hole. With his unmistakable, booming bass-baritone...
5 tags
Part 2 - Johnny Cash: Unmistakably Himself
Continued from Part 1 - “Johnny Cash: Unmistakably Himself”
Johnny Cash grew up in a dirt-poor, hardscrabble family during the Great Depression. The family, Johnny in particular, was deeply scarred by the death of his older brother, 15-year-old James, following a table-saw accident. Cash’s mother taught him to play guitar and encouraged him to become something more than a...
4 tags
Beauty & The Beast: Facts & Figures
Facts & Figures
THE SHOW
35 million / Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has become an international sensation, playing to more than 35 million people
21 countries / The production has been mounted worldwide in 21 countries
13 years / The musical ran for more than 13 years on Broadway
8th/ Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the 8th longest running musical in Broadway history
59 people / The...
8 tags
Part 1 - Johnny Cash: Unmistakable Himself
The Man in Black at the heart of RING OF FIRE was a complicated and driven artist filled with compassion, contrition, creativity and a furious talent
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”
These words, delivered in Cash’s commanding baritone, opened every Johnny Cash concert and became a signature of his plainspoken but passionate mission.
Cash—singer, songwriter, actor, novelist and consummate...
3 tags
Out Front's David Marlowe posts a Q&A with... →
7 tags
A history of Disney's BEAUTY & THE BEAST
A traditional fairytale first published in France in the mid-18th century, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is an enduring story of love and friendship that has been translated into hundreds of versions worldwide. When Walt Disney Pictures released the animated feature film Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1991 with a score by composer Alan Menken and the late lyricist Howard Ashman, it was hailed as an...
February 2012
25 posts
7 tags
Post 3 - When First We Practice to Deceive: Denver...
Reprinted from Prologue, the Denver Center Theatre Company’s subscriber newsletter
GREAT WALL STORY is a clever playwright’s riff on a daring—some might say foolhardy—event that transpired in Denver on the cusp of the 20th century. Four journalists looking for a story and finding none, conspired over drinks at The Oxford Hotel to concoct a tall tale sure to draw attention. China, they...
5 tags
Post 4 - When First We Practice to Deceive: Denver...
Reprinted from Prologue, the Denver Center Theatre Company’s subscriber newsletter
GREAT WALL STORY is a clever playwright’s riff on a daring—some might say foolhardy—event that transpired in Denver on the cusp of the 20th century. Four journalists looking for a story and finding none, conspired over drinks at The Oxford Hotel to concoct a tall tale sure to draw attention. China, they...
7 tags
Post 2 - When First We Practice to Deceive: Denver...
Reprinted from Prologue, the Denver Center Theatre Company’s subscriber newsletter
GREAT WALL STORY is a clever playwright’s riff on a daring—some might say foolhardy—event that transpired in Denver on the cusp of the 20th century. Four journalists looking for a story and finding none, conspired over drinks at The Oxford Hotel to concoct a tall tale sure to draw attention. China, they...
8 tags
When First We Practice to Deceive: Denver Center...
Reprinted from Prologue, the Denver Center Theatre Company’s subscriber newsletter
GREAT WALL STORY is a clever playwright’s riff on a daring—some might say foolhardy—event that transpired in Denver on the cusp of the 20th century. Four journalists looking for a story and finding none, conspired over drinks at The Oxford Hotel to concoct a tall tale sure to draw attention. China, they...
11 tags
A Tall Tale, A Great Wall and Denver: Great Wall...
by Doug Langworthy, Literary Manager for the Denver Center Theatre Company, for Applause magazine
In 1894 Denver was in the middle of a severe economic depression. The Silver Panic engulfed the city when the bottom fell out of the silver market. Unemployment was high and many banks had failed. Middle class families had to give up newly purchased homes. Angry citizens coalesced around the...
3 tags
Just in time for Valentine's Day: Relationship...
Our return engagement of I LOVE YOU, YOU’RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, playing now through June 24 in the Garner Galleria Theatre, is all about relationships. To coincide with this day that’s all about love, here are some tips from the cast to help you avoid those painful bumps in the road.
Heather Lacy: “My husband proposed to me in grand fashion on Valentine’s Day years ago, and...
8 tags
Day 6: Colorado New Play Summit concludes
A packed house of 500 patrons just saw the final reading at our 2012 COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT. Based on the novel by JANE AUSTEN, with Book & Lyrics by Jeffrey Haddow and Music by Neal Hampton, SENSE & SENSIBILITY THE MUSICAL was a lovely conclusion to our three-day new play festival.
If you haven’t seen the interviews, please tune in to get a glimpse at what happened during...
7 tags
Day 5d: Colorado New Play Summit
Our second day of readings (more if you are in a cast) wrapped up with the world premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s THE WHALE. Read last year during the COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT, this new, riveting play was recently extended for an additional week.
This moving play about a man who has dealt with adversity by eating his way to the brink of death, had the 250-person crowd riveted. Determined to...
6 tags
Day 5c: Colorado New Play Summit
Michael Mitnick’s multi-media play, ED, DOWNLOADED, just let out at our COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT. Question: if you were able to preserve 10 memories, what would they be?
That’s exactly what Ed’s wife discovers following his death. Set sometime in the future, Ed had the ability to preserve 10 memories that would live in perpetuity. Unfortunately for him, his wife didn’t...
5 tags
Day 5b: Colorado New Play Summit
We’ve just wrapped up our third reading of the COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT. Lisa Loomer’s HOMEFREE was a moving play about three homeless youths. During the course of the play, we gained insight into each of their motivations behind seeking a life on the streets vs. the relative security of their own homes or a shelter.
Consider what “Homefree” means - free of the constraints...
13 tags
Day 4c: Colorado New Play Summit
Following two exciting new play readings, our guests headed into the world premiere of TWO THINGS YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AT DINNER. One of the most exhilarating aspects of a new play festival is when you can see the play’s development from a reading one year to a full production in a subsequent year.
That’s what we experienced with Lisa Loomer’s play about how the taboo...
6 tags
Day 4b: Colorado New Play Summit
The second reading of the COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT just let out - Richard Dresser’s THE HAND OF GOD. Filled with humor and innuendo, this new play explores what happens when life becomes entertainment.
If you’ve ever wondered what’s more unreal - reality or reality TV - then this biting comedy fits the bill. With his love life and career in disarray, Joe valiantly struggles to...
5 tags
Day 4a: Colorado New Play Summit
GRACE, OR THE ART OF CLIMBING by Lauren Feldman just completed its first reading during our COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT to an enthusiastic response from the 200+ audience members.
Professional rock climbing serves as a metaphor and catalyst in a young athlete’s life. Much as our own Colorado Rockies have peaks and valleys, so to does Emm’s life in a variety of ways - health, emotions,...
30 tags
Day 3: Colorado New Play Summit
Wow! A combined 125 hours of rehearsal have been put into preparing for our COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT, which begins tomorrow! Plus we are officially SOLD OUT. (If you want to come and don’t have a ticket, you are still encouraged to head down and check for available seats.) But at this point we have DOUBLED the number of “industry” representatives over last year.
PLAYWRIGHTS who...
20 tags
Day 2: Colorado New Play Summit
The second day of the COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT had our 100 artistic team members actively engaged in five hours of rehearsal. The casts and crews of Lisa Loomer’s HOMEFREE and Richard Dresser’s THE HAND OF GOD had an “on stage” rehearsal when they worked in The Jones and The Ricketson theatres respectively.
Meanwhile, the casts and crews of Jeffrey Haddow and Neal...
Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Handle with...
By Dan Sullivan for Applause magazine
What’s in a name? Shakespeare gives his romantic comedies evasive titles (As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing) that set the mood but say nothing about the plot. Perhaps he was still working on it.
But The Taming of the Shrew says it all. There will be a bossy woman, also known as a scold. Somebody—doubtless a man—will put her in her place. And all will...
21 tags
Kent Thompson opens Colorado New Play Summit
And we’re off! More than 100 playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, actors, stage managers and other key staff gathered this morning to kick off the DENVER CENTER THEATRE COMPANY’s seventh COLORADO NEW PLAY SUMMIT.
Five readings of new works in development, plus two full productions of new plays and the ever-popular Playwrights’ Slam will be experienced by theatre industry...
4 tags
Wicked: Facts & Figures
Currently in its 9th year on Broadway, WICKED’s North American and international companies have cumulatively grossed $2.5 billion and have been seen by over 30 million people worldwide.
NORTH AMERICA
The New York Times called WICKED “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” and, more recently, the Times referred to WICKED as “the defining musical of the decade.”
Over 6 million people have seen WICKED on...
5 tags
Talking About Two Things You Don't Talk About At...
by Sylvie Drake for Applause magazine
The highlight of her film acting career, says Lisa Loomer, was getting to say, “Wanna go out?” on screen to Paul Newman. “I was frustrated by the kinds of roles I got, not so much in the theatre, but certainly on TV and film.
“I played a lot of Latin hookers.”
It’s one of the reasons she became a playwright.
Loomer, who was born and grew up in New York until...
January 2012
8 posts
15 tags
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: Looking into the...
By Brendan Lemon
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, now embarked on a lavish and visually re-imagined new tour presented by NETworks, is one of best-loved of all musicals. It’s easy to understand why. Its classic story — of a beautiful village girl, Belle, who is first repelled by, then attracted to a gruff yet big-hearted Beast —is indeed, as one of the show’s numbers has it, “a tale as...
8 tags
His Own Private Idaho: Samuel D. Hunter,...
by Douglas Langworthy for Applause magazine
Weighing in at 600 lbs, Charlie’s health is failing fast. He refuses to go to the hospital because he has no insurance and doesn’t want to lose the substantial nest egg he has squirreled away for Ellie, his daughter, with whom he desperately wants to reconcile. But Ellie’s a bitter, angry girl who blames Charlie for abandoning the family 15 years...
13 tags
Denver Center Theatre Company Artistic Director...
In anticipation of the Denver Center Theatre Company’s upcoming Colorado New Play Summit (Feb 10-12) and to coincide with the world premieres of THE WHALE and TWO THINGS YOU DON’T TALK ABOUT AT DINNER, the DCPA blog talked with Artistic Director Kent Thompson about new plays and new play development.
DCPA: You’ve selected 3 brand new plays to produce this season. What was it about...
6 tags
Shrew-ing it up in the 1950s
The Taming of the Shrew has been a paradox of late.
Despite harsh feminist critiques over the past 40 years (in fact there are many who feel the play is so deeply misogynistic that Kate and Petruchio should be banished from the stage for good), Shrew remains one of Shakespeare’s most popular comedies. How can this be? Artistic Director Kent Thompson, who is directing the play this season,...