Local Theater Company Announces Creative Team of Season-Opening World Premier

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Stockade

BY Andrew Rosendorf with Carlyn Aquiline
Directed by Christy Montour-Larson

Boulder, CO – Today, Local Theater Company (LTC) announces the creative team, including cast, of its season-opening world premiere, Stockade, by Henry Award-winning playwright Andrew Rosendorf (Paper Cut, Local Theater Company, 2018) with Carlyn Aquiline, directed by Henry Award-winner Christy Montour-Larson (recently: The Minutes at Curious Theatre Company, 2023). Stockade is an LTC commission that was developed during Local Lab 13 (March 2024), directed by LTC Co-Artistic Director Nick Chase.

Set five years after the end of WWII, Stockade is an ensemble historical drama about a group of LGBTQ+ soldiers who gather on Fire Island at the height of the Lavender Scare, a period in which the US government was purging its ranks of “security risks,” code for homosexuals. The characters must choose between revealing their identities and having their personal and professional lives upended, or remaining in the closet and suffering under the scrutinous gaze of the US government.

Co-Artistic Director Nick Chase said, “There are waves of legislation washing over our country that are stripping individuals of their rights simply because of aversions to their identities. These are fear-based laws. Stockade examines a similar period in US history during which existing openly as a homosexual often meant professional collapse and social ostracization, if not worse. Shepherding such a work into the world requires a team that’s skillful, thoughtful, and sensitive. I’m proud of the group of theatermakers we’ve assembled.”

The design team includes scenic designer David Castellano (recently: Acts of Faith and Raised on Ronstadt, Local Theater Company), sound designer and LTC Associate Artist Max Silverman (recently: Acts of Faith, Local Theater Company), costume designer Nicole Harrison (professor, MSU; Guest Artist and Costume Shop Manager, Denver School of the Arts), lighting designer W. Alejandro Melendez (Recently: the disability-affirmative production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Phamaly Theatre Company at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts), and properties designer Wayne Breyer (recently: Letters of Suresh, Curious Theatre Company).

The cast includes two performers returning from the Local Lab 13 workshop/staged reading. Alex J. Gould returns as Hugh and Lisa Hori-Garcia returns as Kay. Additional cast members are Thadd Krueger (Cliff), Rakeem Lawrence (Eddy), Jacob Sorling (Glenn), and Simone St. John (Barb/Billy).

Additional team members include stage manager Lara Maerz (company manager, Pop the Holidays, Local Theater Company, 2022), assistant stage manager Caden Pazo (board member, Colorado Theatre Guild), intimacy choreographer Tammy L. Meneghini (recently: playing the titular role at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Elizabeth I: In Her Own Words, 2024), and associate intimacy choreography by Levi Franklin (LTC associate producer). Scenic construction is by University of Denver Theatre Tech Intern Program under the direction of Steven McDonald.

Stockade continues an enduring relationship between LTC and playwright Andrew Rosendorf. LTC presented the world premiere of Rosendorf’s Paper Cut in 2018 under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Pesha Rudnick. Paper Cut looked at the lives of two soldiers returning from service in Afghanistan during the early 2000s. Following the success of that production, LTC approached Rosendorf with the idea of commissioning another play that examines the experiences of LGBTQ+ US soldiers. Stockade is a thematic prequel to Paper Cut.

Executive Producer Misha S. Zimmerman said, “It has been a joy to watch this play grow from a spark of an idea when LTC commissioned it in 2020 into the beautiful story it is today. Supporting playwrights in their process is central to LTC’s mission and I think this play is a shining example of that. Each draft of the script has grown as Andrew and Carlyn have had the time to finesse their story drawing inspiration from many sources including deep historical research, audience feedback at Local Lab and astute questions from director Christy Montour-Larson, LTC’s Co-Artistic Directors and the designers. As we step into the rehearsal room next week it will continue to grow and I believe audiences will be in for a very impactful and entertaining night of theater.”

Stockade

Stockade is sponsored by Sarah Pierce Martin, and co-sponsored by Lari and Tom Abraham.

Playwrights
Andrew Rosendorf with Carlyn Aquiline

Director
Christy Montour-Larson^
^Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society

Designers (in alpha order)
Properties – Wayne Breyer
Scenic – David Castellano^^
Costumes – Nicole Harrison
Lighting – W. Alejandro Melendez
Sound – Max Silverman
^^Member of the union USA829
Cast (in alpha order)
Hugh – Alex J. Gould*
Kay – Lisa Hori Garcia*
Cliff – Thadd Krueger*
Eddy – Rakeem Lawrence
Glenn – Jacob Sorling
Barb/Billy – Simone St. John*

*Members of the Actors Equity Association

Intimacy Choreographer – Tammy L. Meneghini
Associate Intimacy Choreographer – Levi Franklin
Stage Manager – Lara Maerz*
Assistant Stage Manager – Caden Pazo
Scenic construction by University of Denver Theatre Tech Intern Program

Description
Five years after the end of WWII, a group of gay soldiers gather for a reunion of sorts on Fire Island—and are met by an outsider with a surprise that will cause them to question whether history is best left in the past. At a time when “security risk” is government code for “homosexual,” it will take courage for them to step out of the shadows and confront their past and future.

Location: Dairy Arts Center, Grace Gamm Theater 2590 Walnut St, Boulder, CO 80302

Dates: September 26* – October 13, 2024 Thursdays – Sundays (2 pm matinee)
*Sept 26 & 27: First-Look Preview Performances
Sept 28: Opening Night

Times:
Thurs – Sat: 7:30 pm
Sun: 2 pm

Come Together Events:
The Come Together initiative is designed to engage Local Theater Company audiences and artists by fostering spaces of belonging. We may enter as strangers, but we’ll leave having shared a communal experience. All Come Together events are free of charge, open to the public, and held at the Dairy Arts Center unless otherwise noted. Thur, Sept 12, 6 pm: Queer Trivia at Beyond the Mountain Brewery (6035 Longbow Dr unit 109, Boulder, CO 80301)

Thur, Sept 27: College Night + Post-Show Convo with playwrights Andrew

Rosendorf and Carlyn Aquiline

Thur, Oct 3: OUT Night
Sat, Oct 5: Post-Show Conversation
Sun, Oct 6: Pay-What-You-Will Performance
Sat, Oct 12: Post-Show Community Meal
Tickets: (Dairy Arts Center Box Office) https://thedairy.org/local-theater-company/
Website: localtheaterco.org/stockade

ABOUT LOCAL THEATER COMPANY
Local Theater Company (Local) Local Theater Company discovers, develops and produces exceptional new plays and theatrical works. We provide artists a fertile environment to grow their work, and cultivate audiences for new plays by including them in all stages of new play development. We believe theater is a local experience. When you elect to join an audience, you create a new community where, for that brief span of time, everyone is a local. Learn more at localtheaterco.org.

Local Theater Company Team
Executive Producer: Misha S. Zimmerman
Founding Artistic Director: Pesha Rudnick
Co-Artistic Director, Production & Education: Nick Chase
Co-Artistic Director, New Plays & Engagement: Betty Hart
Associate Producer: Levi Franklin
Grants Manager: Kate Roselle
Marketing Manager: Graeme Schulz
Resident Dramaturg: Jordan Lichtenheld

Social Media

Instagram: localtheaterco | Facebook: LocalTheater
Website: localtheaterco.org