Sacred Fools presents DENIM DOVES Beginning Today

The Sacred Fools Theater Company is excited to invite audiences to the West Coast Premiere of Denim Doves by Adrienne Dawes, lyrics by Cyndi Williams, original music and arrangements by Ellen Warkentine (including adaptations of music by Erik Seacrest) and directed by Rosie Glen-Lambert.

The feminist farce (with music) opens January 19 at 8 pm on the Main Stage at the Broadwater Theater Complex and runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm through February 17. The show contains strong sexual themes, brief full-frontal nudity, suggestive humor and is recommended for audiences ages 16 and up.

About Denim Doves

Taking place in the narrative territory somewhere between The Handmaid's Tale and Idiocracy, Denim Doves tells the story of a modest compound nestled deep in the woods of what was once a small Midwestern town, home to five denim-clad sister wives and their naive husband, Penis. When a mysterious sixth wife arrives to join the sisterly Braid, clad in scandalous acid-wash and singing forbidden songs of ancient riot grrls, will she compromise the security of this pious sect?

Denim Doves found its way to Sacred Fools via Co-Producer Amir Levi, a colleague of the show's playwright. "Adrienne (Dawes) is a fresh, intelligent, strong and relevant female artist of color whose work is becoming more and more recognized across the country and abroad," says Levi. "I've been a fan of hers for years and I am honored that not only can we bring her words and darkly hilarious/hilariously dark story to our community, but also to give her the platform for her West Coast Premiere!"

Sacred Fools is committed to searching for fresh viewpoints and creating unique opportunities for artists on and off stage, which made Denim Doves a great find, according to Co-Producer Tifanie McQueen.

"One of the ongoing discussions within Sacred Fools has been the need for the content and collaborators on our stage to better reflect the society and world around us," said McQueen. "There are so many fantastically talented female artists, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists of color around us; yet traditional roles both on and offstage don't often reflect that. When Amir showed me Denim Doves, I was excited to see something that offers diverse opportunities and was both hilarious and topical."

Production Team and Cast

Denim Doves playwright Adrienne Dawes is a mixed race AfroLatinx playwright originally from Austin, TX and currently based in Tulsa, OK. Other plays include Am I White, You Are Pretty, Jesus Loves Good Christians, and Heritage, Her-i-tage, and Hair-i-tage. Her work has been produced by Salvage Vanguard Theater, American Repertory Theatre of London, Live Girls! Theatre, Little Fish Theatre Company, New England Academy of Theater, NJ Rep, Hyde Park Theater, St. Idiot Collective and American Theater Company (Chicago, IL). Her plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc, Smith & Kraus, Heuer Publishing, Heartland Plays and Vintage Books. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and is the recipient of the Stanley and Evelyn Lipkin Prize for Playwriting.

The rest of the production team includes Sacred Fools veterans and several designers and team members new to the Fools. This is director Rosie Glen-Lambert's first show at Sacred Fools. She has partnered with several different Los Angeles theaters and companies, including Son of Semele Ensemble, Bootleg Theater and Mutant Collective. Her 2015 Hollywood Fringe production of Dead Dog's Bone earned her a nomination for the Spirit of the Fringe: Best Direction Award, and won the Encore! Producers' Award. She is also Founder and Artistic Director of The Attic Collective.

Co-Producers Tifanie McQueen and Amir Levi are both members of Sacred Fools and have worn many hats over the years for the company. McQueen has served as an Artistic Director and has appeared onstage in The Sirens of Titan and Resignation Day, as well as creating Scenic Designs for The Behavior of Broadus, 43 Plays for 43 Presidents, Endgame, Forbidden Zone and other productions. Levi has appeared in The Behavior of Broadus and Absolutely Filthy, as well as being a Co-Creator and Curator of Sacred Fools' ongoing theatre action We The People and also heads the company's Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Making their Sacred Fools design debuts are Musical Director Ellen Warkentine, Choreographer Darla MacDonald, Scenic Designer Lex Gernon, Lighting Designer Joey Guthman, Costume Designer Rebecca Carr, Sound Designer Lily Sorenson, Projection Designer David Murakami and Assistant Projection Designer Sam Clevenger. They join Fools alums Associate Producer Richard Levinson, Prop Designer Lisa Anne Nicolai, Fight Choreographer Laura Napoli and Hair & Makeup Artist Angela Santori Merritt.

The cast for Denim Doves features Janellen Steininger, Meg Cashel, Jennie Kwan, Lana Rae Jarvis, Teri Gamble, Evangeline Crittenden, Miss Barbie-Q, Angelique Maurnae, Corey Walter Johnson and Tyler Bremer. Understudies include Joanna Churgin, Angela Cristantello, Jennifer Christina DeRosa, Sequoia Rhian, Muriel Montgomery, Stephanie Brait, Victoria Ortiz, Taylor Bennett and Brandon Blum. The understudy performance is Sunday, February 4 at 7 pm.

Donate What You Can Performance - Friday, January 26

It's "Pay What You Can" with a twist! Half of all proceeds for this performance will be donated to ProjectQ, a non-profit organization founded by Madin Lopez to help LGBTQIA and homeless youth combat bullying, develop self-esteem and find an identity for themselves through hair styling. For the past five years, they have been working with different organizations to help realize this goal.

Additional Programming

Also during the Denim Doves run, our long-running late-night show Serial Killers continues its 13th season. Opening in mid-February in the Broadwater Black Box Theater will be the world premiere of The Art Couple by the author of Absolutely Filthy, Brendan Hunt (press release forthcoming). For more information on these and other items, please visit www.sacredfools.org.

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