New Dawn Theatre is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with six Twin Cities' theaters a?" Penumbra, Pillsbury House, Mixed Blood, Yellow Tree, Gremlin, Plymouth Congregational Church a?" to present for free outdoor screenings of A Breath for George.
The Guthrie presents Steel Magnolias October 26 - December 15, 2019.
Park Square Theatre's summer fare continues on the Proscenium Stage with the regional premiere of AGATHA CHRISTIE'S RULE OF THUMB (July 12 - August 25, 2019). Directed by local powerhouse Austene Van*, the evening featured three one-act murder mysteries by the most-read mystery writer of all time - Dame Agatha Christie. In The Wasp's Nest, Hercule Poirot comes between a bitter triangle of lovers to prevent a sinister murder; in The Rats, adulterous lovers find themselves lured to a flat, only to be framed for murder; and completing the triple bill is a tense thriller about a woman who is hospitalized after seemingly falling from her balcony in The Patient.
Poet Langston Hughes questions in 1951 through his poem "Harlem;" What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" The legendary poem inspired Lorraine Hansbury to write the award winning drama A Raisin in the Sun eight years later. In 1959, Hansberry became the first African American women to have her play produced at New York's Barrymore Broadway theater in an era when women in general, regardless of ethnicity, were published. Opening in '59 with a primarily African American cast, the play heralded a dramatic change for theater audience in years to come. At Anoka's Main Stage Theater, Lyric Arts presents an outstanding revised thirteenth anniversary production of the play directed by Austene Van, which features a stellar cast, two tiered set designed by Peter Lerohl and lighting designed by Matt McNabb.
INTO THE WOODS is new artistic director Marcela Lorca's debut directorial outing for Ten Thousand Things after the retirement of renowned artist and social change agent Michelle Hensley, the founder of the company. Seeing this Sondheim masterpiece up close and stripped of pretentiousness is a treat.
The McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships at the Playwrights' Center recognize Minnesota theater artists other than playwrights whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic merit. The fellowship provides a $25,000 award as well as access to $7,000 in development funds. Selection is based on a commitment to theater arts, evidence of professional achievement and a sustained level of excellence in the applicant's work.
The family dramedy of a wedding in chaos is no new idea in fact it's been done to death. That's not to say there aren't good ones but it's certainly a subject that's been thoroughly mined. Or so I thought. Danai Gurira's fantastic play "Familiar", currently playing at the Seattle Rep, takes this old trope and reinvigorates it by infusing it with the story of a family choosing whether they stick with tradition or find their own way. Add to that the fact that it's just a touching and hilarious piece and Gurira proves that the old wedding play trope still has a few tricks left in her.
Seattle Repertory Theatre today announced complete casting for its production of Familiar by playwright and actor Danai Gurira, directed by Taibi Magar. A co-production with the Guthrie Theater, Familiar is set in the suburbs of Minneapolis and takes a fresh look at tradition, immigration, and assimilation as a Zimbabwean American family gathers together at their home before the rehearsal dinner for their elder daughter's wedding.
Gurira's family drama FAMILIAR has just opened in a lavishly designed and carefully calibrated production at the Guthrie. It's familiar in many ways, as a well-made play on a single set (the interior of an upscale household in Minnetonka, MN) unrolling in real time, that dives into the secrets and dreams of a family, whose distinctive characters are all drawn together now for the wedding of the elder daughter.
'The future is female.' If the main stage at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is any judge of it, this statement is true, and gives one hope for the future. The story of one 11-year-old girl who changes hearts and minds with optimism and determination is an inspiring one, as is the boundless energy and talent of the young females on stage who bring this story to life. Watching ANNIE last weekend, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the Great Depression, when at least the president cared about the people and developed (with Annie's help of course) a New Deal that would help lift the country out of poverty. A stark contrast to today's reality, when the current resident of the White House seems to care only for the rich, and those in need get served newly crappy deals nearly every day. Maybe we need to send Annie to the Washington to get Democrats and Republicans singing together about the hopeful future of America! In the meantime, head to the Ordway to see this swell production of an American musical theater classic and get your dose of optimism about our female future.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.
Following a critically acclaimed performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy at the John W. Engeman Theatre in New York this past month, Michele Ragusa comes to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to play Miss Hannigan in Annie.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.
Following a critically acclaimed performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy at the John W. Engeman Theatre in New York this past month, Michele Ragusa comes to the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts to play Miss Hannigan in Annie. Ms. Ragusa is best known for her Broadway performances in A Class Act, Titanic, Ragtime and taking over for Megan Mullally in Young Frankenstein. She has also performed with some of the top Symphonies in the country including: Detroit Symphony, Oklahoma City Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Phoenix Symphony and The Kennedy Center Holiday Pops with Marvin Hamlisch.
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts presents one of the best-loved musicals of all time, Annie, directed by the Twin Cities' own Austene Van. Full of holiday spirit and family fun, this new Ordway Original production will be on stage December 7-31.
I love a good tragic love story, and it doesn't get much more tragic than an interracial couple in 1918 South Carolina. But Penumbra's gorgeous production of the 1966 play WEDDING BAND by Alice Childress (whose TROUBLE IN MIND was seen at the Guthrie last year) is not just a beautiful, complicated, and ultimately tragic love story. It's also (not unlike TROUBLE IN MIND) a still timely work that speaks to the issues of race, racism, and privilege in ways that feel entirely relevant. With a super talented cast directed by Penumbra's founder Lou Bellamy (who recently passed the Artistic Director baton to his daughter Sarah) and gorgeous design, WEDDING BAND is a show not to be missed, and my favorite of my five-show weekend.
Penumbra Theatre kicks off its 41st season Crossing Lines with Alice Childress' nearly forgotten masterpiece, Wedding Band.
Skylight Music Theatre opens the 2017-18 season with Hot Mikado, a swinging version of Gilbert & Sullivan's comic masterpiece The Mikado, running Friday, September 29 through Sunday, October 15, 2017 in the Cabot Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Historic Third Ward, Milwaukee.
Park Square continues its 42nd season on the Proscenium Stage with its annual summer mystery tradition. Might as Well Be Dead: A Nero Wolfe Mystery leads America's version of Sherlock Holmes in search of a Saint Paul native. Directed by Peter Moore, Joseph Goodrich's world premiere commission by Park Square's own Mystery Writers Producers' Club new adaptation brings the irascible gourmand gumshoe to vivid life in a fast-paced whodunit.
The Playwrights' Center is excited to announce the 2017-18 McKnight National Residency and Commission recipient, 2017-18 McKnight Fellows in Playwriting, 2017-18 McKnight Theater Artist Fellows, 2017-2020 Core Writers and 2017-18 Core Apprentices.
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