Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From the novel by John Buchan
From the movie of Alfred Hitchcock
Original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble
Sept 10-Nov 14 | Ricketson Theatre
Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits By Caridad Svich
Based on the novel by Isabel Allende
Sept 17-Oct 23 | Space Theatre
View an interview with the playwright
Contains adult language and situations.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula By Charles Morey
From the novel by Bram Stoker
Oct 1-30 | Stage Theatre
Reckless By Craig Lucas
Nov 12-Dec 18 | Space Theatre
World Premiere Map of Heaven
By Michele Lowe
Jan 14-Feb 26 | Ricketson Theatre
View an interview with the playwright
World Premiere The Catch By Ken Weitzman
Jan 21-Feb 26 | Space Theatre
View an interview with the playwright
A Midsummer Night’s Dream By William Shakespeare
Jan 28-Feb 26 | Stage Theatre
Limited Engagement! Traces Created by The 7 Fingers
March 11-May 15 | Stage Theatre
Winner! 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama Ruined
By Lynn Nottage
March 18-April 30 | Ricketson Theatre
Contains adult language and situations.
Superior Donuts By Tracy Letts
April 1-May 7 | Space Theatre
Posted by denver center editor On March - 18 - 2010
By Meghan Wolf, actress playing Desdemona in Othello, Denver Center Theatre Company
This week I have been exploring Desdemona’s innocence and purity, which appears as fairly extreme to our modern, feminist sensibilities. At the turn of the century, even more than when the play was written, women were exceedingly obedient, so all of my modern impulses to stand up for myself are not appropriate here. Instead, we are focusing on the intention of being loving toward Othello, through and despite his mistreatment of Desdemona. The thinking is that the more Desdemona loves Othello, the more devastating the disintegration of their love will be.
It is very counter-intuitive to literally turn the other cheek; I want to fight back! But I am enjoying investigating these unfamiliar choices and foreign states of mind. One of the reasons I became an actor was to fathom the endless variety with which individuals experience and interface with reality. To do so in a way very different from my own is a valuable learning experience.
The questions I’m asking now concern Desdemona’s relationship with her innocence and purity: “Does she feel and suppress the impulse to fight back? Is she aware of the cultural attractiveness of purity in women and if so, does she consciously (or sub-consciously) utilize it to please her husband?” My actor’s instincts tell me that any awareness of innocence would undermine it…but it’s an interesting question.
Part of my training taught me to marry my actor’s inner experience with what the character is going through moment to moment. For example: if a moment in the play makes the actor feel self-conscious, then in that moment, the character feels self-conscious too. If the character’s behavior or words in that same moment happen to convey a contradictory state (say, self-assured), then the actor can play that the character is trying to appear self-assured through the presenting feelings of self-consciousness. It may sound like a fractured cerebral process but it is actually pretty intuitive and, when it works, can produce a satisfying seamlessness between actor and character states.
On a technical note, I am working against a contraindicated physical reaction right now as well, specifically in the final scene of the play. When playing the recipient of death by smothering, the impulse is to stop breathing. But holding my breath throughout the choking would result in gasping for air once I am finally ‘dead’…which would kind of kill that illusion. Remembering to keep breathing while playing suffocation like is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach! I will have to practice this a lot.
Posted by denver center editor On March - 16 - 2010
For today’s YouTube Tuesday, Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman talk about how they created the world premiere musical, Mama Hated Deisels, a rambunctious musical portrait of America’s long-distance truckers. The first preview performance, which is also the $10 Student Night, is on Friday!
Posted by denver center editor On March - 11 - 2010
This weekend we will be at the Denver Dance Festival promoting In the Heights, which will play The Buell Theatre April 28-May 9. The Denver Dance Festival is a three-day dance festival held annually in Denver featuring live performances from some of Denver’s best dance talent. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to reach out to a community that may not know that not all musicals are jazz hands and kick lines.
In The Heights tells the story of a vibrant community in Manhattan’s Washington Heights – a place where the coffee from the corner bodega is light and sweet, the windows are always open, and the breeze carries the rhythm of three generations of music. It’s a community on the brink of change, full of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave behind.
Propelled by the rhythms of hip hop and Latin music – uncommon sounds in musical theatre – In The Heights ’ invigorating beat belies a musical steeped in Broadway tradition. Plus it won four Tony Awards in 2008 for Best Musical, Best Score, Best Orchestration and, more importantly for this weekend, BEST CHOREOGRAPHY! Catch a glimpse of the dancing in this video of the song “96,000″:
We took some time to chat with Denver Dance Festival’s creators and directors Sarah Schachterle and Ken Jiminez about the Denver Dance Festival (DDF) and how it connects with In The Heights.
Denver Center: What made you start DDF?
Sarah & Ken: We wanted to display the talent of Colorado choreographers and dance companies and give them an avenue to unite with other artists and expose the greater community to the abundance of talent in the area. We wanted to gain recognition and popularity in dance within Colorado and to be known throughout the country as an up and coming prestigious dance festival offering a world-class dance experience. We wanted to include the most accomplished local and national dance talent in the festival, exposing the Colorado community to an even greater dimension of dance entertainment.
DC: Exposing them to a greater dimension of dance entertainment, that’s great and much like what we are trying to do with In The Heights! Tell us about some of the crews and companies performing.
S&K: We have everything from breakdancing to swingdancers. A couple of our groups were accepted on MTV’s hit show “America’s Best Dance Crew” and we have guest performers from New York City whose main performer and choreographer, “Stretch,” has choreographed for Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and won awards for his choreography for Will Smith. In addition to these acts there is Salsa dancing, jazz, contemporary, and more. There will definitely be something for everyone.
DC: Many people don’t know how rich with culture the dance scene is here in Colorado. What would you say to help educate folks about it?
S&K: We would say to look into it! There is more than meets the eye. These days there are countless ways to get information…take the time to look it up. You will be amazed at all the culture Denver has to offer – a hint – some of the most interesting things are somewhat “underground” and spend their time and energy on product not advertising or decorating, so you may need to do some digging!
Here’s a video preview of the Denver Dance Festival:
Posted by denver center editor On March - 9 - 2010
Bryce Baldwin grew up taking classes at the Denver Center Theatre Academy and performed in the DCTC’s mainstage productions of A Christmas Carol and Richard III. He is now performing as “Michael Banks” in the national Broadway tour of Mary Poppins, produced by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh. We caught up with Bryce at his farm in Thorton, Colorado before he began his seven-month tour:
Posted by denver center editor On March - 8 - 2010
By Heidi Bosk, DCPA employee
My first Broadway show was Phantom of the Opera. I was probably no more than 10 or 11 years old and I went with my dad who remains to be my theatre “date” after more than a decade later. Coming down to the Denver Performing Arts Complex was a REALLY big deal for me as a little patron, which is why Kids Night on Broadway is such a fantastic program.
Let me introduce myself. My name is Heidi and, in addition to other activities I coordinate around The Denver Center, I plan our local efforts for Kids Night on Broadway (aka KNOB). One of the best parts of my job hands down! So what is KNOB? It is a national audience development program of The Broadway League that basically excites little patrons (kids under 18 years old) and brings families together at the theatre. On a local level here in Denver we take the family friendly touring shows and create a one night event with activities and discounts. It just so happens we have two coming up!
Mary Poppins cast
You may already know but the world’s most famous nanny is here in Denver and, with the help of KOSI 101, we are having Kids Night On Broadway for the March 10 performance of Mary Poppins. People that purchase a full price adult ticket can get a child’s ticket for free. There will be activities in the Buell lobby from 6-7:30pm including autograph signing by the actors playing Jane and Michael Banks from 6-6:20pm, coloring, photos by McBoat Photography with official Mary Poppins umbrellas, Hammond’s Candies and official Kids Night On Broadway giveaways. Plus you can take your ticket into Rock Bottom downtown where kids eat free with the purchase of an entrée.
The other KNOB evening is April 1 for Cirque Dreams Illuminationwhere kids will have the opportunity to meet members of the Broadway tour, learn and participate in skills, costumes, tricks, activities and some of the fun acrobatic antics for which Cirque Dreams is world renowned.
These events give families an opportunity to have fun at the theatre at an affordable price, which in turn takes those little patrons into lifelong theatre fans. Much like the spirit of Mary Poppins, it gets families out and doing activities together at the theatre. And that is why it is one of the best parts of my job.
Oh, and if you are wondering how to get in on these events… for Mary Poppins you can use the promo code KNOB and for Cirque Dreams Illumination you can use the code KNOBDREAMS. Now I am off to the show, with my family of course. Hope to see you there!
Posted by denver center editor On March - 2 - 2010
It’s Texas Independence Day AND the first Tuesday of March, which means it’s time for a new episode of “10 Minutes to Curtain”!
This month, go behind-the-scenes with the creators of the world premiere musical Mama Hated Diesels, learn about how costumes are designed and created for the upcoming production of Shakespeare’s Othello, catch up with 11-year-old local Bryce Baldwin before he joined the national Broadway tour of Mary Poppins, and don’t miss highlights from Charlie’s Colorado New Play Summit video blogs.
Posted by denver center editor On March - 1 - 2010
By Jeff Rummer, DCPA employee
This morning I read the Mary Poppins article in The Denver Post and noted the ending quote from Gavin Lee the actor who plays Bert, the chimney sweep:
Ashley Brown played Mary Poppins on Broadway with co-star Gavin Lee, as Bert. Now playing Mary is Caroline Sheen, star of the original U.K. touring production. (Joan Marcus )
“I believe Mary Poppins, of all the Disney shows, has a bit more meat to it because this is a real story about a family that just cannot connect. I always say it’s not a show about a flying nanny. It’s a show about this family that needs something or someone to come along and fix them, and put them back together,” Lee said. “And 40 years on, how relevant is it that today, when we have kids doing terrible things at the schools with guns, or, less important, who sit at home and watch videos all day? This about a dad who is about to lose his job at the bank, and how cool it is that they all go out for the day together and fly a kite.”
For me this quote brings into focus the reason why I love Mary Poppins…there is joy in life (if you look for it) and things can be fixed. This might seem a little too philosophical. Especially when I think we all fell in love with the story because of the songs and the magic of a flying nanny and might not have ever thought about the deeper moral message. That depth of message though is why MP is still relevant to me today as an adult. You have to love Mary’s ability to be lighthearted in the face of troubles, and balance responsibility with an easy going attitude and a spoonful of sugar.
We are all painfully aware of the recent school shooting at Deer Creek Middle School, which just reminds us of the other troubles in our lives: broken families, unemployment and economic realities. I think we might all secretly wish for the spring breeze blow a magical nanny into our schools, families, jobs and Washington, DC to mend all the messes and make things whole. But the interesting thing about Mary Poppins is that she doesn’t just fix things…she teaches and empowers the Banks family, and us, to take responsibility for our own lives and to see the magic in the ordinary.
The world can be a better place and we have the power to make it so. I hope that we can all rediscover the wonder of Mary Poppins and be reminded of the magic and joy of sidewalk chalk and kites.
P.S. For those who need a little Mary Poppins in their lives, tickets are 30% off for select seats and performances. Just enter code CHIMNEYSWEEP when ordering online or by calling 303.893.4100. Hurry – this offer won’t last.
Posted by denver center editor On February - 26 - 2010
By Meghan Wolf, actress playing Desdemona in Othello, Denver Center Theatre Company
This week we moved from table and script work to blocking, which means we got up on our feet for the first time!
Working with Robert Jason Jackson (our Othello) is like dancing with a very skilled leader. I am grateful to be in such excellent hands. He even literally swept me off my feet in one scene — keep your eyes peeled for that move in the performance.
Today we blocked a particularly thrilling staging moment, the “bar room brawl.” Our fight director, Geoff Kent, had the exacting challenge of choreographing chaos while keeping everyone safe. He managed to create something both graceful and deadly looking — it was pretty riveting!
Playing in the round is such a unique adventure; we must act with our whole body (as always, yet even more so). In the round, we must employ a lot of “back acting,” etc. It is a great work for honing our instrument from every angle.
To help find Desdemona’s stance and stride, I’m wearing long skirts and little lace-up booties with a small heel to rehearsal. Soon, the costume shop will make a rehearsal corset available to me to help me get used to being squeezed to death on a daily basis. (I’m hoping that happens later rather than sooner..wink, wink.)
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