In This Program

• About The Play
• Director’s Note
• Company
• Flavors of the Stage
• Lobby Gallery
• The Newlywed Game
• Simon and Nichols
• 1963: A Year of Firsts and Historic Moments
• Up Next on the Jewell Mainstage
• Youth & Teen Acting Camps
• Taproot needs your help.
• Print Edition
• More About Taproot Theatre

About The Play

Playing in the Jewell Mainstage Theatre

Barefoot in the Park

By Neil Simon

Cast

Corie Bratter
Ays Garcia

Paul Bratter
Arjun Pande*

Mother
Alexandra Tavares*

Victor Velasco & Delivery Man
Mike Wu

Telephone Repair Man
Brian Pucheu

Understudies

Corie Bratter u/s
Kate Anders

Paul Bratter & Telephone Repair Man u/s
Christian Bolduc

Mother u/s
Ellen Dessler Smith

Victor Velasco & Delivery Man u/s
Nolan Palmer

Production

Director
Karen Lund**

Associate Director
Aaron Lamb

Scenic & Sound Designer
Mark Lund

Costume Designer
Nanette Acosta

Lighting Designer
Tucker Goodman

Prop Master
Jaiden Clark

Intimacy Director
Bretteney Beverly

Stage Manager
Brigid Ridge*

Dramaturg
Natalie Westgor

Setting

1963. The top floor of a brownstone on East 48th Street, New York City.

Barefoot in the Park is approximately two hours and 15 minutes including one 15-minute intermission.

“Barefoot in the Park” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

*Appearing through an agreement between this theatre, Taproot Theatre Company, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States

**The Director is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.

Welcome (or welcome back!) to Taproot Theatre’s 50th Anniversary Season! When we were choosing a series of plays to celebrate this milestone year, we wanted to highlight the stories, genres, and theatrical styles that Taproot has become known for. So, we knew that at least one of the plays this year had to be a romantic comedy. That’s a genre that Taproot artists and audiences have enjoyed for decades.

Also… full confession… it’s a genre that I love to direct. Anybody who knows me knows that I am a hopeless romantic. My friends laugh about the fact that in a “signature Karen Lund show,” I will find some way to work in a dip kiss. And it’s true! There’s just something about the joy and enthusiasm of two people in love that gets me every time.

A good love story explores the vast range of human emotions. It allows both the characters and the audience to experience all the vulnerabilities, all the joys and sorrows, all the petty frustrations, and the-just-plain-ridiculousness that comes with being human on this planet and trying to do life together with other humans. Humans are funny! And we are even funnier when we are trying to figure out love.

Neil Simon’s classic comedy, Barefoot in the Park, felt particularly appropriate this year because it’s about two young people who are right at the very beginning of their marriage. This sweet comedy resonated with me in a special way as I thought about the six young theatre students with a dream who founded Taproot Theatre back in 1976.

Beginnings are always hard. They are particularly hard when you are trying to launch something that you hope will last for a lifetime—whether that’s a marriage or a theatre company. In Barefoot in the Park, we are rooting for the lovers to succeed, even when they have to learn things the hard way or when their youthful naivete seems silly. When I think back to the young people who started the journey of Taproot, I can’t help but laugh at their foolish enthusiasm, but I also admire the courage it took to begin, and to choose every day to continue together… even when things got hard.

So, this show is presented as a tribute to the Taproot founders. As a tribute to all of the “foolish” young people who had the courage to love and the determination to build something real. Here’s to the young person that still lives in all of us at whatever age we are!

Enjoy the show,
Karen Lund
Producing Artistic Director

Cast

Ays Garcia (she/her)
Corie Bratter
Ays is so excited to be back at Taproot this season! Some of her favorite credits include Georgiana and Kitty (Taproot Theatre); Cinderella, Mamma Mia! (Village Theatre); and 5th Avenue Theatre’s Educational Touring Company. Ays recently finished her degree in Psychology at University of Washinton in March! She would like to send endless gratitude and love to her friends, family, and partner for always supporting her. Representation matters always. Maraming salamat! @ays.garcia 

Arjun Pande
Paul Bratter
Arjun has performed new works and old, indoors and out, with words and without, for children and adults, small audiences and large. He’s performed on the east coast and west, and if you’d like to know specific credits or places he’s worked, ask him—he’d be happy to dive into them with you. Arjun grew up in rural Pennsylvania, is a graduate of Brown University, and his favorite animal is the dragon.

Brian Pucheu
Telephone Repair Man
Brian is feeling swell to return to Taproot again! Past Taproot credits include Bardia in Till We Have Faces, Mr. Darcy in all three Christmas at Pemberley productions, and Jimmy Ray in Bright Star. Other credits include Tommy in Ripcord (As If Theatre); Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance (Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society); George in Sunday in the Park with George and Karnak in Ride the Cyclone (SecondStory Repertory); Mycroft in Miss Holmes and Invgar in Ingvar! A Musical Furniture Saga (Latitude Theatre). Brian has also worked with Village Theatre, Renton Civic Theatre, Harlequin Theatre, and Hale’s Palladium. He would like to thank the cast and crew for their work and dedication, and his house pets, whether they be bunny or human, he loves them all! 

Alexandra Tavares
Mother
Alexandra is excited to debut at Taproot! Recent works include The Little Foxes, Crave, The Lower Depths, The Bed Trick, and The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window. She has appeared at ACT, Seattle Rep, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Seattle Public Theater, Strawberry Workshop, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Arizona Theatre Company, among others. Alexandra holds an MFA from the University of Washington and is a co-founder of The Seagull Project.

Mike Wu
Victor Velasco & Delivery Man
Mike is thrilled to make his Taproot Theatre debut. He last appeared in Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story at Seattle Children's Theatre and has been privileged to also work with Village Theatre, Union Arts Center, The 5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle Public Theater, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Pacific Conservatory Theater, and San Jose Stage. He would like to thank his loved ones for their support, Taproot Theatre for this opportunity, and you for joining us!

Understudies

Christian Bolduc (he/him)
Paul Bratter & Telephone Repair Man u/s
Christian is delighted to debut at Taproot with a piece as lovely as Barefoot in the Park! Recent credits include The Foreigner, Cabaret, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Harlequin Productions); Charley in Merrily We Roll Along (SecondStory Repertory); Dracula (Tacoma Arts Live); Holiday Inn, Danny Zuko in Grease (Tacoma Musical Playhouse); Anastasia, Hello, Dolly! (Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre). 2025 WA & PNW AACT Outstanding Actor Winner. Offstage, Christian enjoys teaching, cooking, and is a friend to most coffee products. TikTok & Instagram: @christian.boldly

Ellen Dessler Smith
Mother u/s
Ellen is excited to make her Taproot debut! She was most recently seen as Sarah in Here & Their: A Nonbinary Musical (cast album coming soon!). Other recent credits include Meg Boyd in Damn Yankees (Reboot Theatre) and Baroness (et others) in The Plague Master General (Blue Hour). She is also a teaching artist and scenerio actor, tours with Last Leaf Productions (Bayou Bug Tales is up next), and will be emceeing her 10th season at Seattle Center's Movies at the Mural this summer. Love to her family, especially her husband and two pups who keep her grounded during the madness.

Nolan Palmer
Victor Velasco & Delivery Man u/s
Nolan has worked in Seattle since 1980 as an actor, director, and writer. He is co-founder of Babylon Theatre and The 15 Minute Babylon Theatre Hour. Nolan has worked with Taproot since 1981 as an actor or director in over 70 productions, and is thrilled to be back here for Barefoot in the Park. He was seen most recently as the King and Old Man in Till We Have Faces at Taproot. Thank you, Taproot, my friends. Love to Re and O.

Production

Nanette Acosta
Costume Designer
Nanette is always happy to design for Taproot! Recent designs include Brigadoon (Village Theatre); Murder on the Links, The Book of Will, The Hello Girls (Taproot Theatre); and the world premiere of Bob and Jean: A Love Story (Zach Theatre). For over 25 years, Nanette has been designing award-winning costumes for theatre and film across the country. Her designs have been seen on stage in Austin, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Paul, Bloomington, and Charleston. She is also an Associate Professor of Practice and the Costume Production Director at The University of Texas in Austin.

Bretteney Beverly
Intimacy Director
Bretteney serves as Taproot’s Associate Artistic Director. She recently directed Ain't Misbehavin', A Sherlock Carol, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Raisin in the Sun, and Sister Act at Taproot. Bretteney’s favorite theatre credits include My Lord, What a Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, 'Night Mother, Grease, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Crowns, An Octoroon, Pride & Prejudice, Flyin' West, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Bus Stop, Macbeth, and A Woman of No Importance. Favorite directing credits include Everybody, Grease, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf, R & J, Little Shop of Horrors, The Fantasticks, Crimes of the Heart, and Always… Patsy Cline. Outside of theatre, she enjoys spending time with family, friends, and her adorable pit bull, Boss Lady. She would like to dedicate this show to her dad; he would’ve loved it.

Jaiden Clark (he/him)
Prop Master
Jaiden is a prop, scenic, and sound designer and a proud Production Associate at Taproot Theatre. His recent design credits include prop design for Taproot’s Road Company productions, Till We Have Faces, and Murder on the Links, as well as scenic design for Ingvar! A Musical Furniture Saga at Latitude Theatre and Hall of Horror at Dark Council Production.

Tucker Goodman
Lighting Designer
Tucker is happy to return to Taproot where he most recently designed Till We Have Faces. Other Taproot lighting design credits include A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Importance of Being Earnest, Murder on the Links, and Happy Christmas, Jeeves. Tucker has also designed scenery for Seattle Shakespeare Company, Woodland Park Players, Butler Opera Center, and Cape Fear Regional Theatre, among others, and he works as a Scenic Designer at Analog Heart Creative Studios.

Aaron Lamb
Associate Director
Aaron is the Producing Artistic Director of Harlequin Productions in Olympia, WA, where his recent directing credits include Cabaret (won the 2024 Gregory Award for Outstanding Direction), Sweeney Todd, Is This a Room, and Romeo & Juliet. A veteran of twelve Taproot productions, including Dracula and most recently as Sherlock Holmes in A Sherlock Carol, he also received a Seattle Critics (Footlight) Award for An Ideal Husband. He holds an MFA in Acting from California State University, Fullerton.  

Karen Lund
Director & Producing Artistic Director
Karen is the award‑winning Producing Artistic Director of Taproot Theatre, named The Seattle Times Best in the PNW People’s Choice Best Theater Company in 2024, and recipient of the 2024 Gregory Award for Outstanding Performing Arts Organization of the Year. Her recent directing work includes Murder on the Links, Always… Patsy Cline, and Lewis & Tolkien, and she adapted C.S. Lewis’s Till We Have Face, which opened Taproot’s 50th Anniversary Season. This season, she also directed Brigadoon at Village Theatre. Karen is a member of SDC, a professional voiceover artist, and is grateful for her amazing family—Mark, Jake, and Hannah.

Mark Lund
Scenic & Sound Designer
Mark recently designed for Till We Have Faces, A Sherlock Carol, Murder on the Links, Always… Patsy Cline, The Book of Will, The Hello Girls, and Black Coffee at Taproot. Other design work includes Seattle Shakespeare Company, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and multiple award-winning short films. He has voiced many regional and national projects for T-Mobile, The North Face, the NHL, FedEx, Amazon, Super Smash Bros., and Starfox as Falco Lombardi. Love to Karen, Hannah, and Jake.

Brigid Ridge
Stage Manager
Brigid is excited to be back at Taproot! Previous Taproot credits include A Sherlock Carol, Sherlock Holmes and the Precarious Position, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Jeeves Takes a Bow, and See How They Run. You may have seen her work at other local theatres like Seattle Shakespeare Company (now Union Arts Center), Village Theatre, ArtsWest, and Island Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud collaborator and co-creator of the new Potluck Theatre Company.

Natalie Westgor
Dramaturg
Natalie is a playwright, educator, and dramaturg. Barefoot in the Park is her third Taproot production—last season, she was the dramaturg for The Importance of Being Earnest and the choreographer for A Charlie Brown Christmas. Her plays have been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the University of St Andrews, and for The Barrow Group’s “Restorative Stories” program. Natalie is thrilled to work with this amazing creative team.

Equity

Actors' Equity Association 
Actors’ Equity Association, founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers nationwide. Equity seeks to foster the art of live theater as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, working conditions, and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors’ Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks

Playwright

Neil Simon
Playwright
American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon (1927–2018) is widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific and performed playwrights in theatre history. In addition to Lost In Yonkers, which won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize, his plays and musicals include Come Blow Your Horn, Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, The Star-Spangled Girl, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, The Gingerbread Lady, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Sunshine Boys, The Good Doctor, God’s Favorite, California Suite, Chapter Two, They’re Playing Our Song, I Ought to be in Pictures, Fools, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, The Odd Couple (female version), Broadway Bound, Rumors, Jake’s Women, The Goodbye Girl, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, London Suite, Proposals, Hotel Suite, The Dinner Party, 45 Seconds from Broadway, Oscar and Felix, and Rose’s Dilemma.

In addition to the film adaptations he wrote of many of his plays, his screenplay credits include After the Fox, The Out-Of-Towners, The Heartbreak Kid (original 1973 version), Murder by Death, The Cheap Detective, Seems Like Old Times, Only When I Laugh, Max Dugan Returns, The Slugger’s Wife, The Marrying Man, and The Odd Couple II. Other motion pictures based on stage plays include Come Blow Your Horn, Sweet Charity, and The Star-Spangled Girl. For television, Mr. Simon wrote series, teleplays, and motion pictures, including The Tallulah Bankhead Show, The Sid Caesar Show, The Phil Silvers Arrow Show, The Phil Silvers Show, The Garry Moore Show, The Trouble with People, ABC’s Broadway Bound, and Jake’s Women.

Books by Neil Simon include Rewrites, A Memoir, The Play Goes On, four omnibus collections of Neil Simon’s plays (The Comedy Of Neil Simon, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 2, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 3, The Collected Plays Of Neil Simon, Vol. 4), and Lost In Yonkers (screenplay).

Mr. Simon received more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer. Awards he has received include the Pulitzer Prize for Lost In Yonkers, Emmy Awards for The Sid Caesar Show and The Phil Silvers Show, Tony Awards for The Odd Couple, Biloxi Blues, Lost In Yonkers and a special Tony Award for Overall Contribution To The Theatre. His nominations include Tony Award Nominations for Little Me, Barefoot in the Park, Plaza Suite, Promises, Promises, The Last of the Red Hot Lovers, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Broadway Bound, Lost in Yonkers and The Goodbye Girl (musical). Other nominations include a Writers Guild Screen Award for The Odd Couple and The Out-Of-Towners, a Writers Guild Laurel Award, an American Comedy Award for Lifetime Achievement and a Writers Guild Screen Award Nomination for Barefoot in the Park, as well as an Oscar Nomination for The Odd Couple, an Evening Standard Award, a Sam S. Shubert Foundation Award, Kennedy Center Honors, a UCLA Medal, a Peggy V. Helmerich Distinguished Author Award and a William Inge Theater Festival Award for Distinguished Achievement in the American Theater.

Production Crew

Crew   
Assistant Stage Manager – Ashley WinrodDirecting Observer – Sabrina Ruff & Olivia Widmer

Casting
Casting Director – Bretteney Beverly Casting Associate – Pilar O’Connell  

Costume Staff
Dresser – Brooke ThomasDraper – Martha MitchellStitcher – Scían HayesWig Specialist – Jaclyn DeshayeWig Designer – Joyce Degenfelder

Scenic & Lighting Staff
Master Electrician – Aiyana Stephens
Scenic Carpenters – Garrett Dill, Jaime TapiaScenic Charge Artist – Mark Lund Scenic Artist – Jaiden ClarkLight Board Operator – Matthew Ray Electricians – Morgan Poirier, Matthew Ray, Madeleine RushScenic Strike – Kenneth Bryant†, David Natale†, Alvin Scottbotler†

† All stage work performed by employees represented by I.A.T.S.E., Local No. 15.

Stop by concessions before the show to pre-order your intermission refreshments.

Taproot’s concessions menu features Pacific Northwest wine and beer, non-alcoholic beverages, and a variety of snacks, including specialty items chosen for each show.

Specials curated for Barefoot in the Park include:

• Paul’s Signature Manhattan
  Bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters, and cherry garnish
• Big Apple-tini
  Vodka, apple schnapps, and lemon
• Mother’s Favorite Ouzo Lemonade
  Ouzo, lemon, honey, and soda water
• Harry Pepper’s Punch Spritzer
  Cranberry, pineapple, and orange juice with sparkling water
• Corie’s Black & White Cookie
  from Lá Liath Bakery
• Newlywed Wedding Cake
  Chocolate frosted cupcakes from Lá Liath Bakery
• Celebrate all season long with our 50th Anniversary Specials!
  • 50th Bubbles from Browne Vineyards
  • Oatmeal Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookie from Lá Liath Bakery

March 13–April 25, 2026

The Daily Dance: Life in Shared Spaces

Paintings by Anne Livingston

Curating exhibitions for the Kendall Center Exhibition Series is a great joy. This is especially true when I find an artist like Anne Livingston, who carries such enthusiasm and deep knowledge of one of our plays. In this case, Barefoot in the Park.

A lifelong painter, Anne Livingston earned a BA from the University of Washington and an MFA from Liverpool John Moores University in England. As an extension of her thesis, she wrote a book called “Slow Color Project” that invites people to intentionally use color in art and daily life for beneficial purposes. She aims to make paintings that feel good for the viewer because she sees her art as part of her life's work of service: teaching, professional cooking, community building, parenting, and painting. Anne lives and works in Ballard.

All works are for sale unless marked by a red dot or NFS (not for sale). Please visit Anne’s website at annelivingston.com for more details about her work and to contact the artist for purchase enquiries.

—Gina Cavallo, Curator & Director of Development

On July 11, 1966 (a few years after Corie and Paul get married in Barefoot in the Park), the first episode of the hit game show The Newlywed Game premiered. This long-time American television show, hosted by Bob Eubanks, featured four newlywed couples that competed for prizes by answering questions about their relationship.

Are you here with your partner? Want to put your love to the test?
Below are some sample questions from The Newlywed Game:

By Natalie Westgor

The playwright Neil Simon and “Broadway hit” were synonymous throughout the 1960s and 70s. Barefoot in the Park, Simon’s first and longest-running Broadway show, redefined American stage comedy. Barefoot’s run lasted four years (1,530 shows) and was nominated for four Tony Awards in 1964. Barefoot’s director, Mike Nichols, took home the Tony for Best Direction of a Play. It was the first professional show directed by Nichols, who would soon go on to direct The Graduate and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. After Barefoot, Simon and Nichols were constant collaborators and worked together on many of Simon’s later plays, including The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, and Fools. 

Neil Simon began his career writing for television’s Your Show of Shows, where he wrote alongside comedy legends Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. His first Broadway play, Come Blow Your Horn (1961), was a success, but it wasn’t until Barefoot in the Park that Simon became a household name. In 1966, he made Broadway history by having four plays running simultaneously: Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Sweet Charity, and The Star-Spangled Girl.

Simon wrote Barefoot in the Park, a comedy about young newlyweds Paul and Corie Bratter, based on his experiences living in a fifth-floor walk-up in Greenwich Village with his then-wife, Joan Baim. The original Broadway production made a star of Robert Redford, who played pragmatic Paul to Elizabeth Ashley’s impulsively romantic Corie. Simon’s writing reflected modern life and relationships in a way that captivated audiences. Premiering on October 23, 1963, a month before President JFK would be assassinated, Barefoot exists at a cultural crossroads with one foot in the conservatism of the 1950s, and one foot stepping into the swingin’ sixties. This show and its characters represent a society in transition and the eternal balance between romanticism and practicality.  

Director Mike Nichols used his improv background and comedic collaboration with Elaine May as his touchstone while directing Barefoot in the Park. The comedy in Barefoot was born from the realities of New York City living. Once Mike discovered the inherent physical comedy of having to climb five flights of stairs (six if you include the stoop), he encouraged the cast to out-exhaust each other at every entrance. Through Nichols’ direction, the Bratters’ apartment became an important character in the play. Nichols encouraged his actors to employ realism, a style of acting rarely seen in Broadway comedies of the 1950s. The characters in Barefoot are rarely static; instead, they unpack boxes, pull a tie out of a dictionary, or try to fix a broken radiator. Rather than playing the “comedy” of the quick, clever banter of the script, Nichols told his cast to treat the play as if it were King Lear, allowing humor to emerge from character drama and circumstance, rather than ham-fisted performance. This endowed the show with an authenticity that audiences had rarely seen onstage. 

Barefoot in the Park redefined Broadway comedy. To this day, it is the tenth-longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.  More than 60 years later, its legacy continues to show audiences how we laugh, love, and understand human connection.

by Chloe Woodward

Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park is set in 1963, the year the play premiered on Broadway, but also a year defined by countless historic moments. From advancements in the Vietnam War to Beatlemania and civil rights movements, 1963 was a notable year in our country’s history and around the world.

First test flight of a Boeing 727 – February 9

Now on display at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, a Boeing 727 prototype departed from Renton Municipal Airport and landed at Paine Field in Everett on February 9, 1963, marking its inaugural flight. Intended for smaller airports, the 727 is now one of the most successful jet airliners in history.

The Beatles record their first album – February 11

On February 11, 1963, in just one day, The Beatles recorded almost all of their debut album, Please Please Me, at EMI Studios in London. Later rush-released on March 22, 1963, this 14-track album included hits like “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist and Shout.”

 Patsy Cline dies in a plane crash – March 5

Considered one of country music’s darkest days, legend Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash near Tennessee at the age of 30 on March 5, 1963, alongside fellow performers and her manager. The group was returning from a concert in Missouri when their plane encountered dangerous weather conditions, ultimately leading to the devastating crash.

The Birmingham campaign’s “Children’s Crusade” begins – May 2

Organized by Rev. James Bevel and supported by Martin Luther King, Jr., the “Children’s Crusade” was a major event in the civil rights movement that started on May 2, 1963, when over 1,000 African American students marched into downtown Birmingham, Alabama, to protest segregation. Met with police brutality and hundreds of arrests, this event sparked international outrage, eventually leading to the desegregation of businesses in Birmingham and the release of those jailed during the demonstration.

 The first James Bond film premieres in the US – May 8

Dr. No, the first James Bond film, starring Sean Connery, premiered in the US on May 8, 1963. The film was a major success and introduced iconic elements of the franchise like the “Bond, James Bond” introduction and Monty Norman’s theme music.

The US introduces ZIP codes – July 1

Between 1943 and 1962, mail volume doubled, averaging 66.5 billion pieces annually. To improve delivery speeds and efficient sorting, the United States Postal Service introduced the Zone Improvement Plan which included machine-readable ZIP codes. As part of a public relations campaign to launch the plan, the USPS celebrated the new codes in magazines, newspapers, radio, TV, and even created Mr. ZIP, a cartoon mascot.

 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech – August 28

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in front of about 250,000 people attending the March on Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his powerful “I Have a Dream” speech. In the year after, the 24th Amendment was ratified, abolishing the poll tax, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, outlawing segregation in public places and prohibiting racial discrimination in employment and education.

 The 100,000th MLB game – September 6

On September 6, 1963, the Washington Senators defeated the Cleveland Indians 7-2 in the 100,000th Major League Baseball game. Held at D.C. Stadium, the baseball from the first pitch, caught by Ken Retzer, was immediately taken out and later sent to the Hall of Fame.

 Barefoot in the Park premieres on Broadway – October 23

The Pink Panther premieres in Italy – December 18

The first film in the series, The Pink Panther, directed by Blake Edwards and starring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, premiered in Italy on December 18, 1963. The premiere first introduced the animated Pink Panther character in its opening credits.

Up Next on the Jewell Mainstage

Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat

Lyrics by Tim Rice
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Joseph is a dreamer. Betrayed and enslaved, he rises again with faith, forgiveness, and a dazzling colorful coat. Set against the backdrop of a summer camp, this beloved family-friendly tale bursts with pop, gospel, calypso, and rock. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s musical comedy classic invites all generations to experience a vibrant, heartfelt celebration of hope.

July 8–August 15

Early Bird tickets: $35

Make your purchase by July 8 for any performance on or before July 18.

Use promo code EARLY35 online* or by phone at 206.781.9707.

*How to purchase Early Bird Tickets: Select your performance date and time, and find the promo code field located toward the bottom of ticketing page. Enter code before adding adult regular tickets to cart. This offer is only valid for adult regular-priced tickets in seat levels B and C for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat performances. Cannot be combined with other discounts and is not valid on previously purchased tickets. Limit four (4) tickets per person.

Youth & Teen Acting Camps

Have you heard?

This summer, Taproot is offering over 40 exciting one- and two-week camps for grades Pre-K–12. From a Wizard of Oz Youth Showcase to Backstage Theatre and Stage Combat, there's the perfect camp for any theatre-loving student wanting to take the stage or go behind the scenes.

Join us this summer and dive into creativity and connection!

Taproot Theatre Summer Acting Camps start June 22 and run through August 21.

Taproot needs your help.

Greenwood needs your help.

Our theatre was recently vandalized. Two of our three air-conditioning units were torn apart and stripped for their copper. While the theft itself is small, the impact on Taproot is anything but. What was damaged cannot simply be replaced, and the consequences go far beyond the machinery itself.

This moment has left us unexpectedly vulnerable. To get Taproot through this devastating disruption, it is our goal to raise $400,000 by June 1 through grants and individual contributions to facilitate a comprehensive overhaul of our Jewell HVAC system and sustain our theatre.

Keeping Taproot’s doors open means keeping Greenwood vibrant.

From just a few canceled performances of Ain't Misbehavin', we have learned about Taproot's direct impact on our neighborhood. When Taproot's shows are canceled, restaurants and local businesses are naturally affected—supporting Taproot supports Greenwood.

If you are able to help in any way—through a gift, a connection, a referral, or simply by sharing this need with others—we would be deeply grateful.

Thank you for believing in Taproot and for standing with us during this difficult moment. We truly could not do this without you.

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More About Taproot Theatre

Taproot Theatre Contributors

Taproot Theatre gratefully acknowledges the following for their generous support of our Annual Fund and Nolte Legacy Fund. This list reflects gifts made between April 13, 2023 and April 13, 2024. If you have any questions or would like more information about making a tax-deductible gift to Taproot Theatre Company

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