Artistic director Kent Thompson announced the lineup on March 6. The two world premieres — Grace, Or The Art of Climbing by Lauren Feldman and Ed, Downloaded by Michael Mitnick — were read as part of DCTC's 2012 Colorado New Play Summit.
Mitnick, whose Sex Lives of Our Parents was produced Off-Broadway, was recently announced as librettist of a new stage musical version of "National Lampoon's Animal House."
Here's the Denver Center Theatre Company's 2012-13 season at a glance:
Fences
by August Wilson
Sept. 14-Oct. 14 (Opens Sept. 20)
Space Theatre
"Troy Maxson, a star baseball player whose career was blunted by the racism prevalent in pre-Jackie Robinson America, now supports his family as a sanitation worker. Feeling his world rapidly changing, Troy builds a fence to protect what is familiar and hold off what threatens. Both muscular and lyrical, this August Wilson blockbuster, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and two Tony Awards, shows what can happen when a strong man is robbed of his dreams."
The Three Musketeers
Adapted by Linda Alper, Douglas Langworthy, and Penny Metropulos
From the book by Alexandre Dumas
Sept. 21-Oct. 21 (Opens Sept. 27)
Stage Theatre
"In this swashbuckling adventure, young D'Artagnan comes to Paris with one goal in mind: to join the King's Musketeers. Befriended by three legendary swordsmen, he is immediately put to the test, and along the way finds love, faces temptation and thwarts evil. Loaded with dazzling sword-play, intrigue and comedy, this adaptation of Dumas' novel considers the cost of one hero’s journey." Lois Lowry's The Giver
Dramatized by Eric Coble
Sept. 28-Nov. 18 (Opens Oct. 4)
Ricketson Theatre
"When young Jonas is chosen by the Elders to be Receiver of Memories, he begins to discover the disturbing truth about his utopian world. Lois Lowry's powerful Newbery Medal novel makes for a fantastic theatrical event."
When We Are Married
by J.B. Priestley
Nov. 16-Dec. 16 (Opens Nov. 23)
Stage Theatre
"What would you do if you discovered on your 25th wedding anniversary that you weren’t legally married? Playwright J.B. Priestley cranks up the tension by multiplying the idea times three as six spouses — all prominent citizens in a small English town — struggle to figure out how to protect their reputations and resolve their newly unmarried status."
Irving Berlin's White Christmas
Based on the Paramount Pictures Film
Written for the screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by David Ives and Paul Blake
Nov. 23-Dec. 24 (Opens Nov. 28)
Stage Theatre
"With a lyrical score by Irving Berlin, this stage adaptation of the beloved film musical with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye delivers gorgeous songs with a touch of nostalgia. Two World War II vets are determined to rescue their beloved commanding officer whose country inn is imperiled by lack of snow. With the help of their girlfriends (a pair of singing sisters) they hatch an ingenious plan to save Christmas." This is an added attraction, not part of the subscription season.
World Premiere
Ed, Downloaded
by Michael Mitnick
Jan. 11-Feb. 17 (Opens Jan. 17, 2013)
Ricketson Theatre
"Equal parts live action and feature film, this intriguing comic drama tells the story of Ed, who is dying. Given a chance to be immortal, Ed selects the boutique procedure of having his brain downloaded. He's allowed ten memories to accompany him into eternity. But when his wife discovers what they are, she decides to intervene. A Denver Center Theatre Company commission."
World Premiere
Grace, or The Art of Climbing
by Lauren Feldman
Jan. 18-Feb. 17 (Opens Jan. 24)
Space Theatre
"A captivating tale of a reluctant young athlete for whom rock climbing is both metaphor and action. Emm struggles with doubt, depression and her own demons, as she trains mind, body and spirit for a world climbing competition."
Romeo & Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Jan. 25-Feb. 24, 2013 (Opens Jan. 31)
Stage Theatre
"When Romeo meets Juliet at a masked ball, a love sparks and grows, swept along by flights of poetry and ecstatic romance. But these young lovers can't withstand the buffeting of their feuding families for long. Exuberant and tragic, this timeless love story still packs a huge emotional wallop."
A Weekend with Pablo Picasso
by Herbert Siguenza
March 22-April 28, 2013 (Opens March 28)
Ricketson Theatre
"Drawing on the writings of art colossus Pablo Picasso, playwright/performer Herbert Siguenza of L.A.'s Culture Clash creates a spirited and entertaining celebration of the prolific artist's life, featuring a sparkling portrayal of the iconic artist and live, onstage painting."
Other Desert Cities
by Jon Robin Baitz
March 29-April 28, 2013 (Opens April 4)
Space Theatre
"In this explosive Broadway drama, a young writer returns to Palm Springs for a Christmas family gathering. The about-to-be-published manuscript she brings with her forces her film-industry parents and family to grapple with a painful issue they'd rather not discuss. As the day unfolds, secrets and lies unravel, revealing characters far more complex — and more human — than we had imagined."
The DCTC 2012-13 season will also feature an 11th production, to be announced at a later date. That show will run April 5-May 26, 2013, in The Stage Theatre, with an April 11 opening night.
For more information, visit www.denvercenter.org.
