SteppingStone Theatre Features Irish Music & Dance

In this riveting music and dance performance, the story of Irish immigration to Minnesota, as seen through a young boy's eyes and experiences. Meticulously researched and rich in local references to the St. Paul of a hundred years ago, this performance remains relevant to issues that face any immigrants. This joyous and moving performance event celebrates the experiences and explores the universal stories of many immigrants, be they Irish, Hmong or Somali.

These special performances feature the members of the Two Tap Trio with youth performers from O'Shea Irish Dance and the Center for Irish Music, with some of the best youth performers in the area.

Norah Rendell, member of the Two Tap Trio and co-creator of Get Up Your Irish says, ³It has been incredible to see the young musicians rise to the challenge of learning how to play for Irish Dancers, and to see them taking their music to a new level of expression in the context of a local Irish story. It is exciting to see the students' music and dance skills come alive in the narrative of a play set right here in Saint Paul. There is something for everyone: live music on Irish instruments, highly-skilled Irish Dancers and a story full of themes that anyone, young or old can relate to.

Natalie O'Shea, founder of O¹Shea explored the historical aspects of the play: America is a unique petri dish that in the last few hundred years has received many of the world's folk histories, although our urban areas soon contain little evidence of many of those cultures. Each immigrating ethnicity is accompanied by its own unique tastes, textures and colorsŠ the arrival of a new flavor sometimes gives rise to clashes, sometimes to a harmonic diversity, but often within just a few generations these elements are lost, spices diluted in the pot of a homogenous society. The loss of cultural history is a loss for everyone. These traditions ground us, make our history richer and provide us with a sense of identity ­ of belonging.

O'Shea feels deeply that "These immigrant stories may vary but the heart of each story is universal. We forget what our own ancestors went though seeking a better life for themselves and their descendants ­ for us. With somuch of the story of immigration kept only in an oral tradition, think of what we have already lost. Think of the tales that will never be told... gone with each generation."

O¹Shea explains the background for the play, "St. Paul's Swede Hollow and Connemara Patch were Œstepping stone¹ neighborhoods; temporary homes where immigrants stayed only until they could afford to move up the hill. It was a place where impoverished newcomers could find cheap housing while they got started. It also served as a refuge for people who had fallen on hard times and needed a place to stay while they pulled themselves together again. It was a slum which was a mix of many groups, the Irish, the Swedes and other groups who often found themselves in clashes with each other. This play not only explores these clashes, and the rivalry between immigrant groups, but also the joy and hope of a young man's dreams, all told through the medium of dance and music."

Performance Information:
All performances of Get Up Your Irish are in SteppingStone Theatre¹s new home, a beautifully renovated 100-year-old architectural gEm Located at 55 Victoria Street North, one block north of Summit Avenue in the Historic Hill District of St. Paul.

Get Up Your Irish is appropriate for all ages. SteppingStone Theatre is fully-accessible to persons with disabilities, and has regularly-scheduled ASL & Audio Described performances. Interpreters can be scheduled for other performances at no additional cost upon request. For information, call 651-225-9265.

Ticket Prices:
Adults: $14.00, Children & Seniors: $10.00
Groups 20+: $7.00 (scholarships available)
Purchase your tickets in advance online and pay just $9.50 per ticket

Performance times and tickets are available at (651) 225-9265 or www.steppingstonetheatre.org