Here There Are Blueberries

May 13 - June 5, 2016

“The greatest detective story ever written.” — Charles McNulty, LA Times

“The greatest detective story ever written.” — Charles McNulty, LA Times

In 2007, a mysterious album of never before seen World War II-era photographs arrives at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unravel the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon makes headlines around the world. Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story behind these historical photographs—what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and ultimately, about our own humanity.

The Detroit Public Theatre production will be the first licensed production of Tectonic’s play in the United States.

Content Advisory

Here There Are Blueberries engages with the subject of Nazis and historical events of the Holocaust. The production contains loud sounds and photographic flash.

Meet The Cast

Eric Gutman

Hocker

ERIC GUTMAN (Höcker and others) 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

Judy

DIANE HILL (Judy and others) 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).

Kate McClain

Melta

KATE McCLAINE (Melita and others) 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
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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.

Some of her favourite performance credits include: Sheri in Detroit Public Theatre’s inaugural production of American Hero, Danielle in the world premiere UK tour of The Tinderbox (Glasgow, London, Edinburgh), and Cordelia in the world premier of As Flies to Wanton Boys (The Arches, Glasgow). Lisa has also acted around the United States and Canada with CubeCity Entertainment, The Berman Centre, Missoula Children’s Theatre, Jewish Ensemble Theatre, and the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village.

In addition to acting, Lisa is a trained classical opera singer, fencer, and avid traveler, She is also a core member of the Greenfield Singers. with whom she regularly sings turn of the 19th century trio repertoire.

Rebecca Rose Mims

Charlotte

(Charlotte and others) 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.

Samuel Reeder

Rainer

SAM REEDER (Rainer and others) 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

Rebecca

CHERYL TURSKI (Rebecca and others) 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

Peter

RON WILLIAMS (Peter and others) 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).

Meet The Creative Team

Amy Marie Seidel

Director

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

Moisés Kaufman

Playwright

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,
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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.

Here There Are Blueberries

May 13 - June 5, 2016

“The greatest detective story ever written.” — Charles McNulty, LA Times

Content Advisory

Meet The Cast

Eric Gutman

Hocker

Diane Hill

Judy

Kate McClain

Melta

Rebecca Rose Mims

Charlotte

Samuel Reeder

Rainer

Cheryl Turski

Rebecca

Ron Williams

Peter

Meet The Creative Team

Amy Marie Seidel

Director

Moisés Kaufman

Playwright

Amanda Gronich

Playwright

Angie Ayriss

Production Stage Manager

Jwymon Williams

Assistant Stage Manager

Sarah Pearline

Scenic Designer

David Shocket

Lighting Designer

Sarah Ackerman

Props Designer

Christianne Myers

Costume Designer

Salvador Zamora

Audio Designer

Jeromy Hopgood

Projections Designer

Liv Morris

Assistant Director

Vanessa Feil

Projections Assistant

Sarah Johnson

Technical Director

Jalise Little

Audio Technician

Owen Zabor

Lighting Technician

Season 12 Line Up