The Denver Center Prepares for Laughs with WELL and ABSURD PERSON CINGULAR, 11/6 - 12/19

Comedy takes over at the Denver Center Theatre Company for this pre-holiday season - Lisa Kron's autobiographical comedy Well opens the 2009/10 season in The Ricketson Theatre and Absurd Person Singular, Alan Ayckbourn's  adult comedy set on three consecutive Christmas Eves warms up The Space Theatre.

Well by Lisa Kron
Directed by Christy Montour-Larson
November 6 - December 19, 2009 (Opening Thursday, November 12)
The Ricketson Theatre

Lisa Kron wrote her autobiographical play Well - a humorous exploration of wellness and illness - as an innovative comedy of ideas in a play that knows it's a play. Kron (Kate Levy) layers her 30-something life story with interruptions from her on-stage mother (Kathleen M. Brady) who admonishes her daughter to be honest about her intentions for the play and "lovingly" corrects her memories of the past. An ensemble of actors weave their way in and out of the scenes as mother and daughter explore the power of illness, family and community with endearing poignancy and frankness.

Director Christy Montour-Larson makes her Denver Center directing debut with Well. Her design team includes Scenic Designer Lisa M. Orzolek (The Voysey Inheritance, The Trip to Bountiful, Gee's Bend), Costume Designer Meghan Anderson Doyle (Denver Center debut), Lighting Designer Jane Spencer (The Voysey Inheritance, Sunsets and Margaritas, Doubt) and Sound Designer Kimberly Fuhr (Doubt, Lydia, The Diary of Anne Frank). The Dramaturg for Well is Douglas Langworthy (The Voysey Inheritance, Quilters, Sunsets and Margaritas) and Fight Direction is by Geoffrey Kent (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard III, The Miracle Worker).

The cast is led by Kate Levy (Uncle Vanya, A Christmas Carol) as Lisa Kron and Kathleen M. Brady (Quilters, The Trip to Bountiful) as her mother Ann Kron. The ensemble includes Rachel Fowler (The Miracle Worker, Measure for Measure), Shauna Miles (A Prayer for Owen Meany), Robert Jason Jackson (Richard III, King Lear) and Erik Sandvold (Plainsong, The Diary of Anne Frank).

Absurd Person Singular
by Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Sabin Epstein
November 13 - December 19, 2009 (Opening Thursday, November 19)
The Space Theatre

Outlandish behavior and dark, adult humor disrupt three consecutive Christmas Eves in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn (Season's Greetings) - Britain's acclaimed comic playwright. In what Artistic Director Kent Thompson jokingly calls "the perfect adult antidote to A Christmas Carol," three British married couples scuffle to position themselves on the ladder of social mobility. Adding to the hilarity, Ayckbourn sets the action not in the rooms where the holiday parties are actually happening but in the three kitchens behind them.

Director Sabin Epstein, Head of Performance Skills at the National Theatre Conservatory, makes his debut with the Denver Center Theatre Company. The design team for Absurd Person Singular includes Scenic Designer Bill Forrester (Glengarry GLen Ross, All My Sons), Costume Designer Angela Balogh Calin (The Miracle Worker), Lighting Designer Charles R. MacLeod (A Raisin in the Sun, Radio Golf, Dusty and the Big Bad World) and Sound Designer Jason Ducat (The Voysey Inheritance, Radio Golf, Dusty and the Big Bad World). Fight Direction is by Geoffrey Kent (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard III, The Miracle Worker) and the Vocal Coach is Michael Cobb (Noises Off,Plainsong, Pride and Prejudice).

The three couples in the cast are Chris Mixon (A Christmas Carol, White Christmas) and Megan Byrne (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Noises Off) as Sidney and Jane Hopcroft, John Hutton (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard III) and Jeanne Paulsen (A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Miracle Worker) as Ronald and Marion Brewster-Wright, and David Ivers (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Noises Off) and Kathleen McCall (A Prayer for Owen Meany, Richard III) as Geoffrey and Eva Jackson.

Tickets start at $34 for Well and at $18 for Absurd Person Singular and are on sale now. The Denver Center Box Office located in the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex is open from 10am to 6pm Monday through Saturday.

To purchase tickets by phone call (303) 893-4100 or (800) 641-1222. Tickets can also be purchased online: www.denvercenter.org. Student $10 rush ticket are available one hour prior to curtain with a valid student ID subject to availability. Performances will run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 6:30pm; Friday and Saturday evening performances at 7:30pm; and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 1:30pm.  

For a complete performance schedule, visit www.denvercenter.org

No children under six will be admitted to any theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.