DETROIT PUBLIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES CAST FOR HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES

Conceived by Moisés Kaufman and written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich

Directed by Amy Marie Seidel

DPT’s 11th Season opens with the first licensed production of Tectonic’s play in the United States.

Performances Begin October 1st and Run Through Sunday, November 2nd

Official Press Opening on Saturday, October 4th

Detroit, MI– Detroit Public Theatre (DPT) is thrilled to announce the cast for HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES, conceived by Moisés Kaufman and written by Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich. Directed by Amy Marie Seidel, (fresh from directing the Off-Broadway hit All Nighter),

this production marks the first licensed production in the United States even as the celebrated Tectonic Theater Project continues its acclaimed national tour.

In 2007, a mysterious album of never-before-seen World War II-era photographs arrives at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. As curators unravel the truth behind the images, the album makes headlines around the world. Based on real events, HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES examines what the photographs reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust—and, ultimately, our own humanity.

Performances begin with three previews: Wednesday, October 1st at 7:30pm, Thursday, October 2nd at 7:30, and Friday October 3rd at 7:30pm. The Thursday October 2nd preview is a Pick Your Price performance, as is the Wednesday, October 8th 2pm matinee. The production officially opens on Saturday, Oct 4 at 7:30pm and runs through Sunday, November 2 at 2pm.

Charles McNulty of the LA Times called HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES, by Tectonic Theater Project, “the greatest detective story ever written.” Anderson Cooper said of the play, “It makes all of us ask the question, "Well, what am I capable of doing?”

At DPT, we agree, and further we believe our audience will be riveted by this true and truly necessary story. “When the opportunity to work with Tectonic and bring this play to Detroit came to us at Detroit Public Theatre, we were deeply honored and inspired," says Sarah Clare Corporandy, one of the founding Producing Artistic Directors of DPT.

“The piece is fascinating and profoundly relevant. It invites us to consider the past and present and ask ourselves what we are capable of.” "We are inviting our community to experience Here There Are Blueberries at Detroit Public Theatre, to have brave and essential conversations, to come together, and to sit with this beautiful play and what it tells us about our current reality,” she continues. "Let’s wrestle with history and the present through this story together, and consider how we will meet this moment.”

The cast of HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES includes Eric Gutman, Diane Hill, Artun Kircali, Kate McClaine, Rebecca Rose Mims, Sam Reeder, Cheryl Turski, and Ron Williams.

The production will include scenic design by Sarah Pearline, props design by Sarah Ackerman, lighting design by David Shocket , audio design by Salvador C Zamora, costume design by Christianne Myers, projection design by Jeromy Hopgood, Angeline Ayriss is the production stage manager, Jwymon Williams is the Assistant Stage Manager, Liv Morris is the Assistant Director, and Julie Bonema is the costume Assistant.

HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES opens the season and we are honored that Tectonic Theater Project has chosen Detroit Public Theatre as the first company to license and produce the play. THE DPT HOLIDAY CABARET a new Detroit holiday tradition, now in its third season will follow and carry us through the holiday season with joy and laughter. We kick off 2026 with Katori Hall’s powerful modern classic, THE MOUNTAINTOP, and will conclude our 11th season with the hilarious and moving play KING JAMES by Rajiv Joseph.

BIOS:

MOISÉS KAUFFMAN (Playwright) Tony-and Emmy-nominated director and playwright, and recipient of the National Medal of Arts from President Obama, Moisés Kaufman has led Tectonic Theater Project since its founding in 1991. Broadway credits include Paradise Square (10 Tony Award nominations), the revival of Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song, Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo with Robin Williams, the revival of The Heiress starring Jessica Chastain, 33 Variations starring Jane Fonda (Tony Award nomination for Best Play), and Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife (Obie Award and Tony, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and Lucille Lortel Award nominations). West End: Gross Indecency, I Am My Own Wife, This Is How It Goes. Off-Broadway / Regional: Here There Are Blueberries (Tectonic Theater Project/La Jolla Playhouse), Seven Deadly Sins (Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, Tectonic

Theater Project/Madison Wells Live), One Arm by Tennessee Williams (Tectonic Theater Project/The New Group); The Laramie Project (writer/director; Theater in the Square, Drama Desk nomination); The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later (writer/director; Alice Tully Hall); Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (writer/director; Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play, Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play and the Joe A. Callaway Award for Direction); Macbeth with Liev Schreiber (Delacorte Theater); Master Class with Rita Moreno (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Opera: El Gato Con Botas (New Victory Theater). Film/TV: The Laramie Project (HBO; two Emmy nominations for writing and directing, Opening Night Selection at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, National Board of Review Award, the Humanitas Prize); The

L Word. Kaufman is the Artistic Director of Tectonic Theater Project, a Guggenheim Fellow in Playwriting, and an Obie Award and Lucille Lortel Award winner.

AMANDA GRONICH (Playwright) Amanda Gronich is an Emmy-nominated writer who has developed and scripted dozens of hours of television programming for networks including National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, WEtv, Travel Channel, Science Channel and Fine Living. Over a ten-year career, Amanda became the Supervising Senior Writer at Hoff Productions and worked as a lead series writer at National Geographic Television. Prior to her work in television, Amanda trained at NYU and performed as an actor in both theater and film. She also became a charter member of Tectonic Theater Project, where she directed the company’s Toronto production of Moisés Kaufman’s Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Amanda was a member of the original group of theater artists who traveled to Wyoming and co-created The Laramie Project. Currently, Amanda teaches graduate-school non-fiction

storytelling at City College New York and works as a dramaturg and development consultant.

AMY MARIE SEIDEL (Director) is thrilled to be making her Detroit debut with Here There Are Blueberries. Amy is a NYC-based theater artist who specializes in interview-based, archival-based, and otherwise historically inspired storytelling. She is a member of Tectonic Theater Project where she has developed numerous plays, including Here There Are Blueberries (2025 Lortel winner and 2024 Pulitzer Prize finalist) and Seven Deadly Sins (Drama Desk winner), primarily through the practice of devising. Most recently as director, Amy premiered a tap dance and practical foley-driven production of Machinal at New York City Center. Other select credits: Broadway - The Great Gatsby, Paradise Square. Regional - Billie Jean (Chicago Shakespeare Theater). www.amymarieseidel.com

ERIC GUTMAN is thrilled to return to DPT in Here There Are Blueberries and in the DPT HOLIDAY CABARET (third year as performer, music director, and vocal arranger). He is grateful to DPT’s artistic staff and proud to call DPT his “home” theatre since its inception. More: ericgutman.com | IG: @theguter.

DIANE HILL has performed across Michigan at Flint Rep, the Fisher, Meadow Brook, MOT, Gem Theatre, Purple Rose, Tipping Point, Encore Musical Theatre, Croswell Opera House, Open Book, Theatre NOVA, The DIO, and The Ringwald. Awards include Wilde Awards for Wit and The How and the Why; additional honors for ’night, Mother and I Do! I Do! Favorite roles: Diana (Next to Normal), Margaret (The Light in the Piazza), Fraulein Schneider (Cabaret), Amanda (The Glass Menagerie). Ph.D. (WSU), B.M. and M.A. (U-M). Catch her in Kayak at Theatre NOVA (Feb 2026).

ARTUN KIRCALI is thrilled to be returning to Detroit Public Theatre for their 2025-26 season! He is a native of Metro Detroit, and since graduating from the University of Michigan in 2011, he's performed on several Michigan stages in addition to some film/television and voiceover work. Recent credits include English (Tipping Point Theatre), Doctor Moloch (Theater Nova, Michigan Wilde Award for Best Lead Actor), and The Underground Color Wheel (Obsidian Theater Festival).

KATE McCLAINE has appeared in over 30 films/TV/commercials and performed more than two-thirds of Shakespeare’s canon during her 41-year career. Recent stage: Shakespeare Royal Oak (Macbeth), Detroit Repertory Theatre (Covenant, Between Riverside & Crazy), and Detroit Actors Theatre Company (The Laramie Project / Ten Years Later). She co-owned The Swiss Avenue Theatre Center (Dallas), co-founded the Dallas Theatre League, and served as Artistic Director of The Collected Works Theatre Company.

REBECCA ROSE MIMS returns to DPT after playing Sara in Confederates. Other credits include Mosaic Youth Theater of Detroit, Titania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Miranda (The Tempest), Emilia (Othello), Intimate Apparel (Esther u/s), Taylor (Stick Fly), and Elinor (Sense and Sensibility). A proud Detroiter, she dedicates her work to moving audiences toward action.

SAM REEDER is making his DPT debut. A frequent collaborator with Tectonic Theater Project, he has appeared in Here There Are Blueberries at New York Theatre Workshop and on the National Tour, as well as developmental presentations of Treatment & Data and Gross Indecency. Other favorites: Hal (Henry IV, LiveArts), Actor 2 (Ken Ludwig’s Baskerville, Virginia Theater Festival), KJ (The Aliens), Panch/Olive’s Dad (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and Septimus (Arcadia).

CHERYL TURSKI is delighted to work with DPT for the first time. Regional credits include Meadow Brook Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, The Purple Rose Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Actors Theatre of Louisville, and Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival. She serves on the Wayne State University faculty and thanks the DPT team for the opportunity to help bring this moving story to life.

RON WILLIAMS makes his DPT debut. Since returning to Michigan from NYC in 2012, he has performed widely across the state: Encore (Next to Normal), Meadow Brook Theatre (Strangers on a Train, Murder on the Orient Express, Noises Off!), JET @ DIA (The Diary of Anne Frank). National/International: The Rocky Horror Show (25th Anniversary European Tour), Grease! (U.S. National), A Bronx Tale The Musical (with Chazz Palminteri), Jesus Christ Superstar (Judas and Jesus). A proud AEA member (26+ years).

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS AND TICKET INFORMATION

We are excited to share an adjustment to our performance schedule made in response to our audiences’ input, as well as some ticket pricing changes for the season. As DPT enters its second decade, the theatre remains committed to contributing to the vibrant Detroit arts community – making theatre accessible to all, and engaging audiences with bold, relevant, thrilling, thought-provoking productions. All evening performances are at 7:30pm EST and all matinees are at 2pm EST. Season subscriptions are $172. Single tickets are $52. All Thursday performances during Season 11 have a ticket price of $30. To ensure maximum accessibility, each production will continue to include regularly scheduled pick-your-price performances with tickets as low as $5. A limited number of $25 “rush” tickets are available at the door two hours prior to each performance.

To address funding shifts and rising costs of production in our current landscape, we have also added a “True Cost” subscription option and “True Cost” single ticket prices for those with the means to pay. A True Cost Subscription is $400 and a True Cost Single Ticket is $100.

DPT remains committed to keeping performances accessible and affordable for every budget level!

Subscriptions and Individual Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased at

www.detroitpublictheatre.org or by calling 313-974-7918.

ABOUT DETROIT PUBLIC THEATRE

Detroit Public Theatre produces nationally recognized plays and programs with world-class writers, directors, actors and designers in the heart of Detroit’s cultural district. We create bold, relevant work that illuminates the thrills, joys and challenges of our shared humanity. For more information about Detroit Public Theatre and its productions and programs, or to purchase tickets visit www.detroitpublictheatre.org or call (313) 974-7918.

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