Photo Flash: INTIMATE APPAREL at Vintage Theatre

Set in 1905, Intimate Apparel tells the story of Esther, a 35-year old African-American woman moves from North Carolina years prior to seek her fortune as a seamstress in New York City. She is excellent at her trade, humble, religious, frugal and discrete - all of which make her successful and a confidante and friend to wealthy white women and prostitutes alike. In spite of her success, her two dreams - of love and marriage and of owning a beauty salon where African American women will receive the same quality of pampering and care as her wealthy white patrons do in theirs - remain unfulfilled. She does marry a man who turns out to be an opportunist and takes her money using it destructively. Yet, rather than take these setbacks and obstacles as defeat, Esther, with the same grace and character with which she has lived her entire life, begins again.

The cast includes Lisa Young (Esther), Colette Brown (Mrs. Dickson)*, Seth Maisel (Mr. Marks), Allison Learned (Mrs. Van Buren), Simone St. John (Mayme), Cris Davenport (George) and Tashara May (Mayme U/S).

Lynn .Nottage received a Pulitzer Prize for her play Ruined and numerous other awards for her work. Her writing often focuses on the lives of women - African American women, female victims of war in the Congo, women's rights and struggles for fair and equal treatment.

Vintage Theatre presents "Intimate Apparel," June3 - July 10, Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora 80010. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $24 - $30 and available online at www.vintagetheatre.org or by calling 303-856-7830. Group discounts for 6+ are available.

Lisa Young and Seth Maisel

Lisa Young and Simone St. John

Lisa Young and Colette Brown

Lisa Young and Allison Learned

Cris Davenport and Lisa Young