Directed by Steve Wilson
Musical Direction by Donna Debreceni
Choreography by Debbie Stark and Cindy Bray
July 14 - July 30, 2006
The Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex
Media Contact: Kristin Stork - Phone: 303.489.4671 (cell) - e-mail:
kstorkPHAMALy@aol.com
Lions and Tigers and Wheelchairs...Oh My!
Tickets Go On Sale Friday for PHAMALy's Production of "The Wiz"
May 30, 2006
DENVER - Tickets for the Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League's production of The Wiz go on sale this Friday, June 2. The show opens July 14 and runs through July 30 in the Space Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.
Tickets are $28 and can be purchased by calling Denver Center Ticketing at 303.893.4100; online at www.phamaly.org; at Tickets West outlets in all regional King Soopers stores; or at the Denver Center Ticket Office, located at the Helen Bonfils Theatre Complex in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Groups purchasing ten or more tickets receive a discount and should call 303.778.7724. Students, seniors and PHAMALy members can purchase tickets for just $20 through the box office. To become a member of PHAMALy, call 303.575.0005 or go online to www.phamaly.org.
Based on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this urban, R&B take on Dorothy's classic journey with her friends will be told in a whole new way by PHAMALy. Where else would Toto be the seeing eye dog for a blind Dorothy? Or the Tin Man be a Tin Girl in a wheelchair? Or the blind Lion have cat eyes - not contacts, actual eyes - specially made by his ocular prosthetist? It's a version of the tale as only PHAMALy can tell it.
"The unbound spectacle of PHAMALy's reinvention of Oz will surely be unlike anything audiences have ever seen before," said director Steve Wilson. "Our company will expand audiences' imaginations to embrace a funky, magical, musical world that celebrates the undiscovered beauty in us all."
A long-time favorite of one of Denver's most sought-after musical directors (and PHAMALy's own) Donna Debreceni, The Wiz features glorious tunes like "Ease On Down the Road" and "A Brand New Day."
PHAMALy's mission is to enable people with disabilities to showcase their talents and abilities through live productions and to make the performing arts more accessible to everyone. Each actor in The Wiz is physically or developmentally disabled, some are blind, others hearing-impaired and several are in wheelchairs. Their disabilities include Multiple Sclerosis, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and others. But audiences will be focused on the actors' talent, not their disabilities.
In its 17-year existence, PHAMALy has gained national recognition and received numerous honors including the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The company's inspirational 2005 production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was named Best Musical of 2005 by The Denver Post; one of the top ten productions of 2005 by the Rocky Mountain News and Best Overall Production of 2005 by the Daily Camera.
Performances of The Wiz run Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. An additional performance will be held on Monday, July 24 at 7:30 p.m. The Sunday, July 23 performance will be audio-described for low-vision and blind patrons and sign language interpreted for deaf audience members. The Sunday, July 30 show will also be audio-described. There will be a talk-back with the cast following the Friday, July 21 performance.
For media requests, please contact Kristin Stork at 303.489.4671 or kstorkPHAMALy@aol.com.
(Photos will be available June 12.)
PHAMALy's production of "The Wiz" is proudly supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Barnhart and the Rocky Mountain News.
THE WIZ
Music and Lyrics by Charles Smalls
Book by William F. Brown
Directed by Steve Wilson
Production Staff: Steve Wilson (director), Donna Kolpan Debreceni (musical director), Debbie Stark (choreographer), Cindy Bray (choreographer), Charles Packard (scenic design/light design), Jennifer Orf (scenic design/light design), Matthew C. Swartz (sound design), Todd Debreceni (properties /special effects make-up), Mallory Nelson (costume design), Charlie Miller (stage manager), Melanie Mayner (production manager).
Cast: Angie Aguilar (Munchkin), Jenna Bainbridge (ensemble), Samantha Barrasso (ensemble), Leonard E. Barrett, Jr. (The Wiz), Briana Berthiaume (ensemble), Shana Chambers (Glinda), Tara Cowan (Evillene), Mark Dissette (ensemble), Jason Dorwart (Royal Gatekeeper), Don Gabenski (Uncle Henry), Donna Gunnison (Muchkin), Mimi Holmes (ensemble), Chaz Jacobson (ensemble), Regan Linton (Tin Girl), Matt MacCarthy (ensemble), Alex Marin (ensemble), Amber Marsh (ensemble), Don Mauck (Lion), Alan McCowan (ensemble), Sean McGee (ensemble), Jacob Mundell (Lord High Underling), Molly Nash (Munchkin), Kevin Pettit (ensemble), Ry Pruett (Munchkin), Leslie Reid (ensemble), Lucy Roucis (Addaperle), Daniel Traylor (Scarecrow), Kathleen Traylor (Aunt Em), Juliet Villa (Dorothy), Katrina Weber (ensemble), Teri Westerman (ensemble), Linda Wirth (ensemble), Dierdra (Toto).