Season includes seven productions including the musical The Color Purple, Shakespeare, and the return of Theatre for Young Audiences

DCPA Theatre Company Artistic Director Chris Coleman is proud to announce the 2022/23 season for the producing regional theatre arm of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). The new Theatre Company season kicks off performances on September 9 and will feature seven mainstage productions including the musical The Color Purple, William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, and a new production of the audience-favorite The 39 Steps.

“This season is a season filled with celebration. Celebrating the artists on and off stage, celebrating stories that everyone can see themselves in, and celebrating the return of live performances,” said Artistic Director Chris Coleman. “Audiences will get to experience classic productions that they know and love, as well as, hear new stories from emerging playwrights.”

Theatre Company Tickets and Subscriptions 

Subscribers enjoy up to 29% off tickets, free exchanges, payment plans, priority offers to added attractions, additional discounted tickets, a dedicated VIP hotline, free events including talkbacks, and the best seats at the best prices. All current and 2022/23 Broadway and Theatre Company subscribers will receive pre-sale access to DCPA Off-Center’s Theater of the Mind, co-created by The Talking Heads’ David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar beginning May 6.

New and renewing subscribers can now reserve tickets to 2022/23 Theatre Company subscription packages online at denvercenter.org/theatrecompany. Single tickets will go on sale at a later date. Due to the nature of live performance, all productions, prices, and dates are subject to change.

Please be advised that the Denver Center for the Performing Arts – denvercenter.org – is the ONLY authorized ticket provider for these productions in Denver. As with all productions produced and/or presented by the DCPA, ticket buyers who purchase tickets from a ticket broker or any third party run the risk of overpaying or purchasing illegitimate tickets. Patrons should be aware that the DCPA is unable to reprint or replace lost or stolen tickets and is unable to contact patrons with information regarding time changes or other pertinent updates regarding the performance. Patrons found in violation of the DCPA Ticket Purchase and Sale Terms and Policies may have all their tickets cancelled.

ABOUT THE SHOWS:

(In order by date)

DCPA Off-Center

in association with

Nate Koch, LeeAnn Rossi, and the Arbutus Foundation

present

Theater of the Mind*

Created by David Byrne and Mala Gaonkar

Directed by Andrew Scoville

August 31 – December 18, 2022 | York Street Yards

Inspired by both historical and current lab research, Theater of the Mind takes you on an immersive journey inside how we see and create our worlds. Co-created by Talking Heads frontman and artist David Byrne and writer Mala Gaonkar, the show uses stories from their own lives to shape a narrative you’ll see, feel, taste and hear.

Witness the wonders of your mind for yourself as you follow The Guide through a spectacular 15,000-square-foot installation with 16 fellow audience members. As you explore intriguing environments, participate in a narrative and try a series of sensory experiments, your Guide will question how beliefs, memories and even our identities are less fixed than we think.

Caution: the brain may wander. Side effects may include a distrust of your own senses, a disorientation of self, and a mild to severely good time. You may not be who you think you are. But we’re all in it together.

*Added attraction, not part of the subscription season.

The Chinese Lady

By Lloyd Suh

Directed by Seema Sueko

Sept 9 – Oct 16, 2022 | Singleton Theatre

Intriguing, powerful, and based on a true story, The Chinese Lady is a play unlike anything you’ve seen before.

The year is 1834 and 14-year-old Afong Moy is the first Chinese woman mainland America has ever seen. She has been put on display in a museum and is honored to share her culture in a land bustling with opportunity. Afong grows up and tours the U.S. as part of a traveling sideshow. Along the way, she and her stoic translator share poetic, pithy observations about a young nation and its relationship with the rest of the world.

Visually stunning and undeniably clever, The Chinese Lady shines a light on parts of our history that aren’t so black-and-white.

Much Ado About Nothing

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Artistic Director Chris Coleman

Sept 30 – Nov 6, 2022 | Kilstrom Theatre

The Bard is back at the Denver Center!

Don Pedro, Claudio, and Benedick arrive in the port town of Messina after a decisive victory on the battlefield. During post-war celebrations at the governor’s estate, Claudio takes a liking to their host’s daughter, Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick engages in a different sort of battle with Hero’s cousin, Beatrice. Cupid-like characters conspire to bring lovers together, while darker forces seek to drive them apart in this playful Shakespearean comedy.

A snappy, surprisingly timely meditation on gossip, gender roles, and the follies of romance, Much Ado About Nothing is not to be missed.

Theatre for Young Audiences

LITTLE RED – A New Musical!*

Book, Music and Lyrics by Chad Henry

Directed by Allison Watrous

Oct 28 – Dec 18, 2022

Randy Weeks Conservatory Theatre

Enter a forest for an adventure with lovable LITTLE RED!

This dynamic and charming song-infused original retelling of the classic, Little Red Riding Hood, finds Little Red at the center of new adventures and new ways of seeing familiar characters. With a wandering wolf, a gardening grandma, a forest at risk, and characters from other tales (even the Three Pigs!) all joining in as Little Red discovers her own power as a vital doer in her family and community. With no need of adult heroics to rescue this Little Red, changing her world for the better is all in a day’s work for this empowered young female hero!

The musical captures the warmth of Little Red and her family of smart and engaged females while also welcoming a new friendship between Red and Wolf in this family friendly musical comedy! Get your tickets to the fun!

Featuring joyful music and dance, this captivating adaptation is produced as part of DCPA’s Theater for Young Audiences program, which focuses on performances tailored for Pre-K- 3rd grade audiences. Bring your children to their first theatre experience and spark their wonder. Fully realized through the artisans of DCPA, the quality of production, staging, and audience-going experiences of previous titles, The Snowy Day, Corduroy, and Goodnight Moon, will be assured as this brand new, world premiere debuts.

*Added attraction, not part of the subscription season.

Hanzon Studios and DCPA Off-Center Present

Camp Christmas*

Created by Lonnie Hanzon
Nov 17 – Dec 24, 2022

Heritage Lakewood Belmar Park

Leave your worries behind and immerse yourself in our biggest holiday experience ever!

Journey through artist Lonnie Hanzon’s fantastical wonderland of lights, dazzling decorations, music, and memorabilia as you explore mesmerizing yuletide scenes spread across a six-acre landscape.

*Added attraction, not part of the subscription season.

A Christmas Carol*

By Charles Dickens

Adapted by Richard Hellesen

Music by David de Berry

Directed by Anthony Powell

Nov 18 – Dec 24, 2022 | Wolf Theatre

Denver’s beloved holiday tradition returns! Based on Charles Dickens’ classic novel, this joyous and opulent musical adaptation traces money-hoarding skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge’s triumphant overnight journey to redemption. A Christmas Carol illuminates the meaning of the holiday season in a way that has resonated for generations.

Producing Partner: Singleton Family Foundation

*Added attraction, not part of the subscription season.

WORLD PREMIERE

Laughs in Spanish

By Alexis Scheer

Directed by Lisa Portes

Jan 27 – Mar 12, 2023 | Singleton Theatre

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

Stylish and vibrant, Laughs in Spanish offers a light-hearted look at the struggles many Latinas go through to gain entry into cultural and artistic spaces that have historically excluded them. It examines Latinx representation in the media, the fears and uncertainties of adulthood, art as an industry, love, and family. And through it all, you won’t stop laughing — or dancing — in your seat!

Hotter Than Egypt

By Yussef El Guindi

Directed by Artistic Director Chris Coleman

Feb 10 – Mar 12, 2023 | Kilstrom Theatre

Conceived in the wake of the Egyptian Uprising of 2011 and 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.

No matter where you live, the ups and downs of married life are universal. For a middle-aged couple traveling to Egypt on a business trip-slash-vacation, their relationship is put to the test when an old connection leads to new temptation. Drawing from the political, cultural, and religious realities of the region, this fiery dramedy set in the heat of Cairo pits loyalty against attraction as its characters grapple with the ever-changing struggle of staying committed to their partners.

Colorado New Play Summit*

Feb 24 – 25, 2023

Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex

At the Colorado New Play Summit, it’s your time to shine as you meet some of theatre’s most ambitious writers while helping them fine-tune their newest works. Listen to play readings by fabulous actors, give your feedback on where you think the story should go.

*Added attraction, not part of the subscription season.

The Color Purple

Based Upon the Novel Written by Alice Walker and The Warner Bros./Amblin Entertainment Motion Picture

Book by Marsha Norman

Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis & Stephen Bray

Directed by Timothy Douglas

Mar 31 – May 7, 2023 | Wolf Theatre

1 Pulitzer Prize. 1 National Book Award. 11 Academy Award Nominations. 4 Golden Globe Nominations. 3 Tony Awards. Few stories have had the cultural significance and lasting power of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

The musical adaptation of The Color Purple features awe-inspiring soul, gospel, jazz, and blues vocals underpinned by raw dialogue and a masterful plot. It is a triumphant, uplifting piece of art that reaffirms some fundamental truths: that Black is beautiful, that women are powerful, and that love is love.

The 39 Steps

Written by Patrick Barlow from the movie by Alfred Hitchcock

Directed by Meredith McDonough

Apr 14 – June 18, 2023 | Singleton Theatre

Returning to the DCPA after it’s sold-out run in 2010 — a fresh take on an all-time audience favorite!

Combine a film masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock with a juicy spy novel and add a splash of Monty Python humor. The result? A fast-paced whodunit with four versatile actors portraying more than 50 roles!

The rather dull Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. When she is suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” This film noir gem is a hilarious comedy full of inventive stagecraft and virtuoso performances that will have you rolling in the aisles until the death-defying finale.