Pop Culture References in In the Upper Room

Adapted from Inside Out | Lynde Rosario, Editor and Reginald Edmund, Contributing Writer Set in 1974, In the Upper Room tells the story of a multi-generational black family led by the family’s controlling and secretive matriarch, Rose Berry. But to understand the Berry family requires understanding the 1970s as well as the many pop culture […]

References in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is filled with references, from single line-drops to overarching ideas. This list doesn’t cover everything that could be mentioned, but it’s a good start. Watch the show and see if you can notice any more!  Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Albee stated in a Paris Review interview, “Who’s Afraid of […]

Reviving a Legend: Rattlesnake Kate

By: John Moore Hard to believe, but it’s already been three years since Colorado New Play Summit audiences got a sneak peek at Rattlesnake Kate, which back then wasn’t much more than a promising twinkle in the eyes, ears and imagination of Neyla Pekarek. Simply put: “The Rattlesnake Kate world premiere musical that you will […]

Do Rattlesnakes Migrate?

When you hear the word “migration,” it’s likely you think of birds migrating toward warmer temperatures. Migration is usually an animal or insect’s response to a change in temperature, food supply, or amount of daylight. There are also two important factors that differentiate migration from other types of movement or travel: first, migrations are seasonal, […]

Playwright Beaufield Berry Draws on Her Own Family for In the Upper Room

By: Leo Adam Biga Generations live strong in the memory and imagination of Omaha-based playwright Beaufield Berry.   Her original family drama In the Upper Room, a 2019 Colorado New Play Summit selection, gets a world premiere production by the DCPA Theatre Company this winter.   Set in 1974 Omaha, this Black American family drama draws closely […]

A Deep Dive into the Early 1960s

The year is 1962, and in the Billy Rose Theatre (now the Nederlander Theatre) on Broadway, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is about to take the stage for the first time. The 1960s were a tumultuous time, dominated by the Vietnam War, Civil Rights protests, and political unrest. Let’s take a deeper look […]

First Look: Director Margot Bordelon talks about Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at first rehearsal

 Margot Bordelon directs the DCPA Theatre Company’s production of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? She addressed the cast and crew on the first day of rehearsals by sharing her reflections on the play, its relevance to current issues and the questions she hopes they explore as a company. I remember the precise moment […]

DCPA Theatre Company Announces Full Cast and Creative Team for World Premiere In the Upper Room

The DCPA Theatre Company is proud to announce the full cast and creative team for the world premiere of In the Upper Room in the Kilstrom Theatre running February 11 through March 13, 2022. Inspired by her own family, playwright Beaufield Berry shows “what it is to love people that drive you crazy,” and how […]

DCPA Theatre Company Announces Full Cast and Creative Team for the World Premiere Musical Rattlesnake Kate

With music and lyrics by Neyla Pekarek and book by Karen Hartman.

A Troubled World in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, playing January 7 through March 6 in The Singleton Theatre, examines the human capacity for denial and fantasy through the intense and troubled marriage of a university couple, George and Martha. The play begins as they return from a party hosted by Martha’s father, the president of the […]