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Sam Gregory and Jeffrey Roark in DCPA's "A Christmas Carol" (Photo by Sam Adams)

Denver Center for the Performing Arts Announces 2017-18 Season

DCPA introduces the 39th season for its Theatre Company and the largest lineup yet for Off-Center.

DENVER: The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) has announced the 2017-18 lineup for its Theatre Company and its Off-Center program, which presents works that “expand on the traditional definition of theatre.”

“The 2017-18 DCPA Theatre Company season represents the microcosm at the heart of the American experiment,” DCPA associate artistic director Nataki Garrett said in a statement. “Theatre has the opportunity and the ability to help bridge our differences by offering performances that inspire us to seek deeper connections with one another. We are honored to provide a space for conversations and connections to the Denver community this year through this seasons offerings.”

The Theatre Company season will open with Shakespeare’s Macbeth (Sept. 15-Oct. 29). Robert O’Hara will direct.

Following will be Smart People (Oct. 13-Nov. 19), by Lydia R. Diamond. This comedy tells the story of a group of Harvard students who try to unravel the complications of race in their society. Nataki Garrett will direct.

The holidays will bring A Christmas Carol (Nov. 24-Dec. 24), by Charles Dickens, adapted by Richard Hellesen with music by David de Berry, following grouchy Ebenezer Scrooge’s nighttime journey through his past, present, and future, accompanied by three ghosts. Melissa Rain Anderson will direct.

The new year will open with the world premiere of Zoey’s Perfect Wedding (Jan. 19-Feb. 25, 2018), by Matthew Lopez, about a wedding gone horribly awry. Zoey’s perfect day turns to disaster when her wedding planner goes missing and her friends are too preoccupied with their own dramatic relationships to help. Mike Donahue will direct.

Next will be the world premiere of American Mariachi (Jan. 26-Feb. 25, 2018), by José Cruz González, following Lucha and Bolie as they battle gender stereotypes within their family and society to create an all-female mariachi band.

The next show will be the world premiere of The Great Leap (Feb. 2-March 11, 2018), by Lauren Yee, about an American college basketball team that travels to Beijing in 1989 for an exhibition game.

Following will be Native Gardens (April 6-May 6, 2018), by Karen Zacarias, a comedy following a young Latino couple new to a well-established D.C. neighborhood. Lisa Portes will direct.

Next up will be The Who’s Tommy (April 20-May 27, 2018), by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff with music and lyrics by Townshend and additional music and lyrics by John Entwistle and Keith Moon. The jukebox musical based on rock group The Who’s 1969 album, Tommy, follows a young boy as he navigates the aftermath of a traumatic incident. Sam Buntrock will direct.

The final show of the Theatre Company’s season will be the world premiere of Human Error (May 18-June 24, 2018), by Eric Pfeffinger. Two couples with extremely different political and worldly views find themselves in a bind when a fertility doctor impregnates the wrong wife with the other’s child.

The Off-Center lineup will open with Mixed Taste: Tag team lectures on unrelated topics (July 5-Aug. 23). This lecture series presents two speakers who get 20 minutes each to discuss unrelated subjects but cannot make connections to each other.

Next up will be The Wild Party (Oct. 12-31), by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe, with music and lyrics by LaChiusa, based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March. At a party in 1920s New York City, flappers, divas, and vaudevillians mingle as personal dramas and scandalous relationships are revealed. Amanda Berg Wilson will direct.

Following will be The SantaLand Diaries (Nov. 24-Dec. 24), by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello, presented with Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company. This one-man show follows Crumpet, a disgruntled elf, and his various holiday shenanigans. Stephen Weitz will direct.

The new year will open with This is Modern Art (March 22-April 15, 2018), by Kevin Coval and Idris Goodwin, about graffiti artists living in Chicago who sneak out night after night to project their art and make a bold statement on society. Idris Goodwin will direct.

Next will be Remote Denver (Spring/Summer 2018), by Rimini Protokoll, with concept, script, and direction by Stefan Kaegi and research, script, and direction Denver by Jörg Karrenbauer. This immersive experience will bring audiences onto the streets of Denver for a guided audio tour through the history of the city and through little-known places.

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is dedicated to bringing musicals, plays, and education programs to its community.

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