INDECENT to Open Theater Latté Da's 2026/27 Season in Minneapolis
Artistic Director Justin Lucero says the play explores art's confrontation with censorship and silencing.
Theater Latté Da has announced the single ticket on-sale of its first production of the 2026/27 Season, Indecent, by Paula Vogel, with a score and original music by Lisa Gutkin & Aaron Halva. The production's official opening will take place on Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m., with previews beginning on Wednesday, September 16. Performances take place at the historic Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; the permanent home of Theater Latté Da.
'As I envisioned this season, I kept returning to works that ask what happens when art confronts the forces that seek to silence it. Indecent is not only a remarkable theatrical achievement, it is a reminder that artists have always helped societies wrestle with questions of identity, belonging, and freedom. It opens our season with exactly the kind of conversation we hope to inspire,' states Latté Da Artistic Director, Justin Lucero.
Indecent is a play about a play—and the artists who risked everything to tell it. Inspired by the true story of Sholem Asch's seminal Yiddish work, God of Vengeance, and its infamous 1923 obscenity trial, Indecent is a haunting, klezmer-infused play with music that traces the turbulent journey of a troupe determined to stage a work deemed 'indecent.' As their story unfolds across continents and decades, so too does a powerful meditation on censorship, nationalism and the policing of queer love. At once tender and thunderously relevant, this breathtaking theatrical experience shines a light on the enduring struggle between artistic expression and societal control. In a moment when questions of whose stories are 'acceptable' feel increasingly urgent, Indecent invites us to bear witness to the courage of artists, the cost of silence and the unshakable power of theater itself.
'There are few plays that feel as urgently necessary today as Indecent,' states Lucero. 'It is a breathtaking work about artists who refuse to let fear dictate what can be imagined, expressed, or shared. At a moment when conversations around censorship and cultural memory continue to shape our public life, this play reminds us that the freedom to create is never guaranteed... it is something every generation must actively protect.'
Indecent is directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh. Music direction is by Spencer Chandler and movement direction by Emily Michaels King. The design team includes scenic and Costume Designer Sarah Bahr, lighting designer Søren Olsen, sound & projections designer Peter Morrow, props designer Madelaine Foster, hair and makeup designer Emma Gustafson and dialect coach Spencer Chandler. Shelby Reddig is production stage manager and Austin Schoenfelder is assistant stage manager.
Theater Latté Da's 2026/27 season invites audiences to engage with the complexities of the present moment through five powerful works that challenge silence, celebrate resilience, and honor the transformative power of shared experience, starting with Paula Vogel's Indecent, a klezmer-infused play tracing the 1923 obscenity trial of God of Vengeance and the artists who defied censorship. The lineup continues with the beloved holiday tradition All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, which recreates the miraculous World War I ceasefire through stirring a cappella harmonies drawn from soldiers' letters in its Drama Desk Award-winning production, followed by Justin Huertas's indie-rock musical Lizard Boy in a Midwest premiere that transforms comic book mythology into a heartfelt tale of queer self-acceptance. The season also features the world premiere of She's Come Undone, adapting Wally Lamb's bestselling novel into a sweeping journey of trauma and healing, and closes with a collaboration with the University of Minnesota on the Tony Award-winning Spring Awakening, which, through its electrifying rock score, examines the volatile coming-of-age experiences of youth in a repressive society. Together, these productions form a season of curiosity, conviction and care, reminding us that theater is not just a reflection of who we are, but a catalyst for who we might become.
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