Minneapolis / St. Paul Interviews

Samuel Green of Cantus on COVERS at Music Box Theatre
by Jared Fessler - June 04, 2022, Minneapolis

Cantus - a vocal ensemble, kicks off summer with a high-energy homage to those who advocate for change and freedom. Inspired by Sam Cooke's timeless anthem of the same name, Cantus' 15th Covers program blends the ensemble's smooth vocal harmonies with the music of Marvin Gaye, Lady Gaga, Gloria Gayn...

Mikayla Holmgren of MISS MN USA at Ames Center
by Jared Fessler - June 01, 2022, Minneapolis

Mikayla is a young lady who has a passion for dancing and loves to express herself through her dancing. She is a Model, Keynote Speaker, Best Buddies Ambassador, Miss Amazing Queen and a Self Advocate. She recently competed in the Miss Minnesota USA pageant and continues to break barriers and achiev...

Danielle Troiano of CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND at Theater Mu
by Jared Fessler - June 01, 2022, Minneapolis

Cambodian Rock Band begins as a father returns to Cambodia for the first time since he fled the Khmer Rouge 30 years ago. The reason for his homecoming? His daughter is prosecuting one of the political party's most notorious war criminals. From there, the story goes back and forth in time, showin...

Marci Lucht of LITTLE WOMEN at Lyric Arts
by Jared Fessler - May 31, 2022, Minneapolis

Jo March isn't what you call your typical prim and proper Victorian lady. She's rebellious, opinionated, and certainly isn't afraid to speak her mind. As she and her sisters grow up in the middle of the Civil War, they strive to be brave, intelligent, and imaginative young women. But the world aroun...

Ariel Pinkerton of PERFECT ARRANGEMENT at Theatre In The Round
by Jared Fessler - May 31, 2022, Minneapolis

It's 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There's just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners as a carefully constructe...

Chatting with Daniel Franzese on musical theatre and his new play 'Italian Mom Loves You!'
by Jared Fessler - May 31, 2022, Minneapolis

Best known for his roles in Larry Clark's 'Bully', and as Damian in Tina Fey's 'Mean Girls'. Danny is the creator of several live comedy shows including rock opera 'Jersey Shoresical: A Frickin' Rock Opera!', and his one-man stand-up performances 'I've Never Really Made the Kind of Money to Become a...

Chatting with Minnesota Native Scott Willits
by Jared Fessler - May 27, 2022, Minneapolis

Scott Willits is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended the Ailey/Fordham program and graduated with his B.F.A. in dance in NYC. He has performed in numerous productions and is currently an ensemble dancer playing Nachum/Yussel and understudies the Fiddler at Fiddler on the Roof Nationa...

Sasha Andreev of RUNESTONE! A ROCK MUSICAL at History Theatre
by Jared Fessler - May 25, 2022, Minneapolis

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Chatting with Broadway Veteran Tiffany Cooper
by Jared Fessler - May 25, 2022, Minneapolis

Tiffany is an Broadway and film actress, singer, dancer and arts educator with a career in the entertainment industry spanning more than two decades. In addition, she is a certified Life Coach practitioner (The Soulful Life Coach) and Executive Speech Coach (Abundant Leadership Speaking). ...

KEI TSURUHARATANI at Theater Mu
by Jared Fessler - May 24, 2022, Minneapolis

Dancer Kei Tsuruharatani (Broadway's Jagged Little Pill) will be holding two movement workshops this May at Theatre Mu. The first is focused on body awareness and interpretation, with applications to all performing arts and general mindfulness, while the second is based more on ballet technique taug...

Kevin Stocks And Gerald Gurss of AVENUE QUEER at Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus
by Jared Fessler - May 23, 2022, Minneapolis

The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus is Returning to Ted Mann Concert Hall for the first time since 2019, acclaimed stage actress, Britney Coleman, currently performing in the revival of Sondheim's Company starring Patti LuPone, takes a break from her Broadway run to join TCGMC for our pride concert! Th...

Sasha R. Cassadine (Henry Mason) of BROADWAY DRAG BRUNCH at Flip Phone
by Jared Fessler - May 19, 2022, Minneapolis

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Daniel Petzold of AIRNESS at Park Square Theatre
by Jared Fessler - May 19, 2022, Minneapolis

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Chatting with Blake McIver Ewing on Musical Theatre, Performing and More!
by Jared Fessler - May 17, 2022, Minneapolis

Recovering Child Co-Star from Full House, The Little Rascals, Hey Arnold, Recess, Ragtime the Musical and more! Recently seen on BRAVO's The People's Couch and the series finale of Fuller House! He is also a vocal coach and podcaster!...

Chatting with Joseph Corella of 567BROADWAY!
by Jared Fessler - May 09, 2022, Minneapolis

Created by Broadway dancers Joseph Corella and Jonathan Sandler, 567BROADWAY! is the totally original dance fitness workout for all levels that inspires movement, health, and happiness by harnessing the magic of musical theater song and dance....

André Ward of MOULIN ROUGE at Orpheum
by Jared Fessler - May 09, 2022, Minneapolis

Moulin Rouge will be touring through Minneapolis at the Orpheum Theatre! Enter a world of splendor and romance, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Pop the champagne and prepare for the spectac...

Jaden Corniea And Miles Johnson of ALL AMERICAN BOYS at Stages Theatre Company And Capri Theater
by Jared Fessler - May 09, 2022, Minneapolis

The lives of two high-school boys, one black and one white, powerfully intersect after a violent act of racially motivated police brutality. Unfolding through the boys' alternating perspectives, the story follows their journey as they grapple with the devastating impact of racism as it reverberates ...

Chaundre Hall-Broomfield of A RAISIN IN THE SUN at Guthrie Theater
by Jared Fessler - May 06, 2022, Minneapolis

'What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?' In 1951, poet Langston Hughes posed these questions, and Lorraine Hansberry answered with a theatrical masterpiece that broke down racial barriers both on and off the stage. The play follows the three-generation Younger fam...

Chatting with Miss Minnesota Elle Mark on Musical Theatre!
by Jared Fessler - May 01, 2022, Minneapolis

After two years of working in the field of public health, Elle competed for the title of Miss Minnesota and was crowned on June 25th, 2021. Elle now travels the state of Minnesota, promoting both the Miss Minnesota Organization and the Campaign to Change Direction....

Warren Bowles of IMAGINE A U.S. WITHOUT RACISM at Mixed Blood Theatre
by Jared Fessler - May 01, 2022, Minneapolis

Seven individuals find themselves in a strange, remedial class with an inexorable teacher intent on provoking their imaginations. Comic and somber, foolish and hopeful, the class clashes their way into something unexpected. Drawn from interviews with real-life people across the United States, this p...

Christy Johnson of HANDS ON A HARD BODY at Minneapolis Musical Theatre
by Jared Fessler - April 29, 2022, Minneapolis

Hands on a Hardbody is a regional premier playing through Minneapolis Musical Theatre and is presented at the showroom in the Luther Cadillac in Roseville. ...

Zoie Reams of CARMEN at Minnesota Opera
by Jared Fessler - April 29, 2022, Minneapolis

Sultry, bold, daring. When affection turns to obsession, romance becomes dangerous. Carmen, an iconic and beautiful woman, is bound to live life on her own terms. But shortly after a corporal military officer falls for her, what begins as a passionate story of desire quickly turns into a struggle fo...

Lara Trujillo of ATACAMA at Full Circle Theater Company
by Jared Fessler - April 29, 2022, Minneapolis

​​​​​​​Amidst the extraordinary landscape of Chile's Atacama desert, two strangers search for the long-lost remains of their children, 'disappeared' victims of the brutal Pinochet regime. In their quest for closure, they traverse Chile's history to examine the opposing views and actions that tore fa...

Chatting with Peloton Instructor Cody Rigsby On Musical Theatre and Dance!
by Jared Fessler - April 28, 2022, Minneapolis

Cody Rigsby is a former professional dancer, Cody brings energy, movement and authenticity to everything he does. Born in the West but raised in the South, Cody always dreamed of a life in the big city. Now that he proudly calls NYC home-and the best city in the world-he strives to be the best versi...

Michelle Barber and Warren Bowles of IMAGINE A U.S. WITHOUT RACISM at Mixed Blood Theatre
by Jared Fessler - April 28, 2022, Minneapolis

Imagine a U.S. without racism is playing at the Mixed Blood Theatre now through May 1st....

Samantha Raun of THE LITTLE MERMAID at Lakeshore Players Theatre
by Jared Fessler - April 27, 2022, Minneapolis

​​​​​​​Ariel, King Triton's youngest daughter, wishes to pursue the human Prince Eric in the world above, bargaining with the evil sea witch, Ursula, to trade her mermaid tail for legs. But the bargain is not what it seems, and Ariel needs the help of her colorful friends, Flounder the fish, Scuttle...

Maia Maiden of THE GREENROOM a new musical theatre fellowship at Ordway Center For The Performing Arts
by Jared Fessler - April 22, 2022, Minneapolis

The Ordway's GreenRoom is a paid musical theater training fellowship created by and for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists. The GreenRoom the first-of-its-kind fellowship in Minnesota running for six weeks that's created by and for BIPOC artists. Maia Maiden, the Ordway's new Dir...

chatting with Devin Lewis on musical theatre and music producing
by Jared Fessler - April 22, 2022, Minneapolis

Devin Lewis is an actor and music producer. He has appeared in national touring production of Newsies as well as other productions such as Kiss Me Kate, Light in the Piazza, and more! Devin also produces his own music that can be found on all music streaming platforms!...

Uchenna Korus of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE: THE MUSIC OF LEIBER AND STOLLER at Lyric Arts
by Jared Fessler - April 21, 2022, Minneapolis

Lyric Arts is putting on Smokey Joe's Cafe: The music of Leiber and stoller. Leiber and Stoller are two of the biggest songwriters in rock 'n' roll history and their songs provide the baseline for this electrifying musical revue of the songs the shaped the American soundscape in the 1950s. SMOKEY JO...

Patrick Scott McDermott And Huxley Westmeier of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID THE MUSICAL at Childrens Theatre Company
by Jared Fessler - April 21, 2022, Minneapolis

Diary of a Wimpy Kid the musical will be playing at the Children's Theatre Company....

Matt Riehle of MEMPHIS at Artistry Theater
by Jared Fessler - April 20, 2022, Minneapolis

Memphis the musical will be playing at the Artisty Theater. This musical will blast you out the door humming! Inspired by actual events in the turbulent south of the 1950s, Memphis is the story of Felicia Farrell and Huey Calhoun - one a Black singer, talented and determined to share her voice; the ...

Vie Boheme of MEMPHIS at Artistry Theater
by Jared Fessler - April 20, 2022, Minneapolis

Memphis the musical will be playing at the Artisty Theater. This musical will blast you out the door humming! Inspired by actual events in the turbulent south of the 1950s, Memphis is the story of Felicia Farrell and Huey Calhoun - one a Black singer, talented and determined to share her voice; the ...

WES WILLIAMS of AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN at Ordway Center For The Performing Arts
by Jared Fessler - April 19, 2022, Minneapolis

An Office and A Gentleman toured through the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. The musical is based on the Oscar-winning film, An Officer and a Gentleman is the timeless love story that celebrates triumph over adversity....

MISS AMERICA 2022 EMMA BROYLES and Musical Theatre
by Jared Fessler - April 17, 2022, Minneapolis

This past year, thousands of young women competed to become Miss America and on December 16th, 2021, as the organization celebrated its 100 the Anniversary, Emma Broyles from Anchorage, Alaska became the first Miss Alaska to earn the coveted Miss America crown and was awarded a record $100,000 in sc...

Nicolina Bozzo of AMERICAN IDOL SEASON 20
by Jared Fessler - April 14, 2022, Minneapolis

Nicolina Bozzo is current contest on American Idol season 20 on ABC and has made it to the top 24! She will be performing live for America's votes on Sunday/Mondays on ABC. Nicolina has a theatre background! She sang She Used To Be Mine from Waitress the musical for her first American Idol audition....