Full Cast and Creative Team Announced for IN THE UPPER ROOM World Premiere
Inspired by her own family, playwright Beaufield Berry shows “what it is to love people that drive you crazy,” and how family dynamics “find each other and explode.”
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Jan. 05, 2022
The DCPA Theatre Company has announced the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of In the Upper Room in the Kilstrom Theatre running February 11 through March 13, 2022.
Inspired by her own family, playwright Beaufield Berry shows "what it is to love people that drive you crazy," and how family dynamics "find each other and explode." In the Upper Room found its time to shine at the 2019 Colorado New Play Summit. This dramatic comedy was also selected as a recipient of an Edgerton New Play Award.
In the Upper Room will include Chavez Ravine (Barbershop II) as Rose, Levy Lee Simon (The Kentucky Circle, The Royale Theatre) as Eddie, Matthew Hancock ("Seal Team" on CBS) as John, Sydney Alexander(Ocean's Eight) as Janet, Courtney A. Vinson (Unique) as Josephine, Kayla King ("Bull" on CBS) as Yvette, Yvette Monique Clark ("Orange is the New Black" on Netflix) as Jackie, and Monnae Michaell (42) as Delores.
"I knew after reading the play that it had the potential to be a big, American family drama," said DCPA Artistic Director Chris Coleman. "The surprise at the Colorado New Play Summit was how darn funny the thing is, and I know it will captivate audiences when it comes to life in a fully staged production."
The production, led by director Gregg T. Daniel (Modern Minstrelsy, The Road Theatre Company) includes scenic design by Efren Delgadillo Jr. (Indecent, DCPA), costume design by Angela Calin (Two Degrees, DCPA), lighting design by Charles MacLeod (Wild Fire, DCPA), sound design by Jeff Gardner (Native Son, L.A. Theatre Works) and dramaturgy by Regina Victor (Black Like Me, Repertory Theatre of Saint Louis).Stage management by Kristin Sutter (Something Rotten!, National Tour) and Rick Mireles (Goodnight Moon, DCPA)
Tickets for In the Upper Room start at $30 and may be purchased at denvercenter.org. DCPAccess tickets will be available for purchase on Tuesday, January 25 at noon, available online only.
SHOW DETAILS:
In the Upper Room
By Beaufield Berry
Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
February 11 - March 13, 2022 | Kilstrom Theatre
A new play about family, secrets and the power of the stories we grow up hearing.
Meet the Berrys, a multi-generational Black family living under one roof in the 1970s. Their lives orbit around Rose, a strong-willed matriarch whose superstitions and secrets drive her relatives nuts. Through pointed wit and playful sarcasm, the family elders share fantastical stories about their collective past that call into question the family hierarchy and inspire the youngest generation to take pride in their heritage (and physical appearance). Tender, comedic conversations between tight-knit relatives are interspersed with moments of intense drama that mirror the internal conflicts every family must face at some point.
Loyalty, spirituality and colorism are all at play in this dramatic dark comedy, based on the real family history of playwright and novelist Beaufield Berry.
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