David Darrow News

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that celebrated actors Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield have joined the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

Hennepin Theatre Trust announced today that celebrated actors MELISSA GILBERT and TIMOTHY BUSFIELD are joining the cast of the Minnesota premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS® on Monday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the historic Pantages Theatre (710 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis). This one-night-only event brings together the extraordinary talent of local and nationally-known artists to create six new theatrical plays within 24 hours.

In celebration of the historic Pantages Theatre's 100th anniversary, Hennepin Theatre Trust and the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) School of Fine Arts are partnering to support emerging musical theatre talent in Minnesota by presenting the premiere of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS.

Jonah and the Whale: A New Musical is an unforgettable story of faith, loss, and survival against unbeatable odds. Starring Taavon Gamble, last seen in The Scottsboro Boys at SpeakEasy Stage Company, as Jonah, this epic musical journey re-imagined from the Old Testament features a completely original pop/folk score. With a Book by Tyler Mills, Music and Lyrics by David Darrow and Blake Thomas, Orchestrations by Robert Frost, the exciting ensemble cast is Directed by Weylin Symes and Choreographed by Elliot Norton and IRNE Award-winner Ilyse Robbins. Performances run from February 23-March 12, 2017. Press Opening is Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 3:00pm.

Jonah and the Whale: A New Musical is an unforgettable story of faith, loss, and survival against unbeatable odds. Starring Taavon Gamble, last seen in The Scottsboro Boys at SpeakEasy Stage Company, as Jonah, this epic musical journey re-imagined from the Old Testament features a completely original pop/folk score. With a Book by Tyler Mills, Music and Lyrics by David Darrow and Blake Thomas, Orchestrations by Robert Frost, the exciting ensemble cast is Directed by Weylin Symes and Choreographed by Elliot Norton and IRNE Award-winner Ilyse Robbins. Performances run from February 23-March 12, 2017. Press Opening is Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 3:00pm.

There have been various responses to the new presidency and the current political climate, including Facebook groups, letter writing and calling campaigns, petitions, and a nation-wide women's march. But what do artists do in response to injustice? They make art. Last weekend 7th House Theater opened a short run of what they call a 'pop up production' of the 1959 play RHINOCEROS, written by Eugene Ionesco as a response to the rise in Fascism in pre-WWII Europe. As company member David Darrow explained before the show, their new original musicals take about a year to plan, write, create, and produce, which makes it challenging to stay current. But with this piece, 7th House is presenting 'a specific work at a specific time in history.' After just ten days of rehearsal, they very intentionally opened on the night of the inauguration, a work presented in what David called 'a mostly sort of way.' While the staging is minimal and actors have scripts in their hands, Rhinoceros is a work that is wholly entertaining, eerily relevant, and exactly what we need right now.

Musical theater is my favorite art form, and new original musicals are my favorite things in the world. I love seeing how music and theater can combine to tell a story in interesting forward-thinking ways. After re-imagining a couple of classic musicals (and one play), newish theater company 7th House Theater has turned to producing new original musicals. THE PASSAGE, OR WHAT COMES OF SEARCHING IN THE DARK, is the third such creation to be presented in the Guthrie Theater Studio. I've loved all of their work, but this one feels more personal and more modern and forward-thinking than what they've done before. THE PASSAGE feels like it's continuing along the trajectory of modern musicals like NEXT TO NORMAL and FUN HOME - an intimate family story told with a small cast and modern inventive staging. And the result is truly something special.

Trademark Theater officially launches today, November 14th, 2016 and announces their first production. Led by local theater artist Tyler Michaels (Guthrie, Theater Latte Da, History Theater), Trademark's mission is to create, develop, and produce new theatrical works in the state of Minnesota. Trademark strives to bring high-quality, original productions to life, utilizing local creators and performers from the heart of the Twin Cities arts community.

Stoneham Theatre is pleased to announce its Mainstage programming for Season 17. Kicking off the season is the musical murder mystery farce, Lucky Stiff, followed by an exploration of artificial intelligence in the science fiction play Uncanny Valley.

The new triple threat may just be actor - singer- playwright. Bradley Greenwald is well known for acting and singing on stage, and now may be just as well known for his writing abilities.

Stoneham Theatre is pleased to announce its Mainstage programming for Season 17. Kicking off the season is the musical murder mystery farce, Lucky Stiff, followed by an exploration of artificial intelligence in the science fiction play Uncanny Valley.

Signature Theatre presents ANGEL REAPERS, written by Residency Five playwright Martha Clarke and Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winner Alfred Uhry, directed and choreographed by Ms. Clarke. The production will run through March 20, 2016 with an opening last night, February 22, in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Check out photos from the special night below!

Signature Theatre presents ANGEL REAPERS, written by Residency Five playwright Martha Clarke and Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winner Alfred Uhry, directed and choreographed by Ms. Clarke. The production will now run through March 20, 2016 with an opening slated for tonight, February 22, in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues).

Signature Theatre has announced a one week extension for Angel Reapers, written by Residency Five playwright Martha Clarke and Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winner Alfred Uhry, directed and choreographed by Ms. Clarke. The production will now run through March 20, 2016 with a Monday, February 22 opening night in The Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets for extension performances begin at $35.

2015 was my 5th full year as a Twin Cities Theater Blogger, and I saw a record high 200+ shows. When I look at those numbers, or at my busy schedule, I sometimes think, why do I do this? Why do I devote all of my free time to this part-time job for which I don't get paid? And then I see a show that reminds me why I do this. That reminds me why I started going to theater, why I started writing about theater, why I think theater (and specifically music-theater) is the most beautiful and powerful art form we have. LULLABY is one such show. This new original play-with-music is everything I want music-theater to be: funny, smart, relevant, relatable, moving, poignant, with awesome songs and a brilliant cast and creative team pouring their heart and souls into the work. This is the first of 20 new works of 'theater musically' that Theater Latte Da has committed to developing by 2020 in a project they're calling 'Next 20/20.*' It's an exciting thing to create the future of music-theater, and LULLABY has set the bar high for this project.

Annie Enneking is an actor, singer and fight choreographer who plays Thea in new work, LULLABY, the world premiere in Theater Latte Da's new work initiative, NEXT 20/20. She tells a little about her part in this show and her future plans in this 6 Questions & a Plug.

I first saw the Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine musical fairy tale mash up INTO THE WOODS four years ago, and have seen it several times since then, including the recent star-studded movie. Every time I see it I like it more. I think Sondheim is like Shakespeare in that it has a very specific rhythm and cadence to it that takes a minute to get used to, but the more time you spend with it, the richer and deeper it becomes. Such has been my experience with INTO THE WOODS, so I was primed to love my favorite theater company Theater Latte Da's production of it. But it has exceeded my expectations, and even Sondheim newbies will be enthralled by this brilliant staging of a brilliantly written musical. Latte Da has pared down this big Broadway musical to something that feels intimate and innovative, using a small cast and orchestra, and inventive and thoughtful choices in every detail of the production. This, my friends, is Broadway re-imagined, or at least how I would like to see Broadway re-imagined. Simply put, it's sublime.

It's your last week to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 26th. Voting closes at the end of the year, in under one week!

Friends, the future of Minnesota theater, and perhaps American theater, is here. It can currently be seen in the Guthrie Theater's 9th floor Dowling Studio, where a group of smart, talented, ambitious, dedicated, hard-working young music-theater artists have created a beautiful new original musical, based on the biblical story of Jonah. It's everything I want theater to be - fresh, innovative, delightful, heart-breaking, inspiring, genuine, and epic. This is 7th House Theater's fourth production in less than two years, and they continue to explore new ideas and push the boundaries of what theater can be. They've proven themselves with three low-budget but high-quality productions, and now have the resources of the Guthrie behind them to expand even further in this production. The result is beautiful and breath-taking. If 7th House is the future of theater, we're in good hands.

Time is ticking on your last chance to vote for the 2014 BroadwayWorld Minneapolis Regional Awards! Check out the latest live stats as of December 19th. Voting closes at the end of the year!