L. Raymond News

Swedish playwright Jonas Hassen Khemiri's* work makes its area debut with Pillsbury House Theatre's excellent production of the odd and oddly titled ALMOST EQUAL TO . But odd in a good way, odd in that it's uniquely structured and covers many topics and doesn't always entirely make sense. In fact pre- and mid-show announcements break the fourth wall a bit and tell us what to expect (or not). According to the program, the play 'is a commentary on the constraints and effects of living within a capitalist economic system.' A mix of economics, sociology, and family drama, ALMOST EQUAL TO will leave you questioning the very meaning of money. In a world with vast inequalities of wealth, that's a worthy thing to think about in a play that's also engaging and entertaining.

Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT) is proud to announce that Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for theatre, welcomes Raymond Bobgan, CPT Executive Artistic Director to its prestigious board of directors. Raymond joins five other new members from around the country including Will Davis, artistic director, American Theatre Company, Chicago, IL; Jamie Herlich, director of development, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle, WA; Benita Hofstetter Koman, executive director, The Roy Cockrum Foundation, Reedville, VA; Johamy Morales, education director, Creede Repertory Theatre, Creede, CO; and Randy Reyes, artistic director, Mu Performing Arts, St. Paul, MN.

Medea. Even if, like me, you've never seen or read the play, we all know the story of the mother who kills her children. Worst mother ever, right? But maybe, as they say on CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND, the situation is a bit more nuanced than that. Maybe there's more to the story, maybe other people in the story see it differently. Playwright Michael Elyanow (see also the beautiful play with music LULLABY) wanted to explore the story from the children's viewpoint. He writes in the playbill, 'I started writing THE CHILDREN as a response play where somebody does take action to defend those kids. In the writing, the piece revealed itself to be a fever dream, a time-traveling mystery, a fish-out-of-water comedy, a theatrical event with a perception shift in every scene until we get at what the play is ultimately, singularly about: trauma survival.' That's about as good of a description as I could imagine. THE CHILDREN is not an easy play to categorize, but it is a wonderful one to experience for 80 minutes. It'll challenge your perception of Medea, as well as your perception of time and space.

The Twin Cities area is well known as a great theater town, so it is a fitting home to one of the nation's most celebrated new play festivals. The 32nd annual PlayLabs festival runs October 12-18 at the Playwrights' Center, a 44-year-old organization that is one of just a handful of play development centers in the country.   

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will host the award ceremony for the 2013 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards on Monday, June 9 at 5:30 p.m. For the first time in the 21-year history of the awards, the public will be invited to attend. There is no admission charge, but guests are asked to register online for free passes at www.ordway.org/sallyawards.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts announced today that nominations for the 2013 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards are being accepted through January 31, 2014. These prestigious awards, now in their 22nd year, provide an opportunity to recognize and honor extraordinary achievements in the arts throughout Minnesota.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts today announced the recipients of the 2012 Sally Ordway Irvine Awards. Now in its 21st year, the Sally Awards honor extraordinary achievement in the visual, performing and literary arts.

The Guthrie Theater today announced complete casting for the presentation of Carlyle Brown & Company's Are You Now or Have You Ever Been…, a speculative drama about the clash between art and politics that celebrates the legacy of Langston Hughes and his history of literary activism in the face of oppressive power. This new and original piece will play from May 4 - 20, 2012 in the Dowling Studio.

Military Channel has signed Hollywood film and television star Lou Diamond Phillips to host the new franchise AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE.

Military Channel has signed Hollywood film and television star Lou Diamond Phillips to host the new franchise AN OFFICER AND A MOVIE.

Pillsbury House Theatre will end its run of NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun on March 14th. NO CHILD... was directed by Noël Raymond and featured Sonja Parks in a solo performance portraying all sixteen characters. The production began performances February 12th.

Pillsbury House Theatre welcomes back NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun. NO CHILD... will be directed by Noël Raymond and features Sonja Parks in a solo performance portraying all sixteen characters.

Pillsbury House Theatre welcomes back NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun. NO CHILD... will be directed by Noël Raymond and features Sonja Parks in a solo performance portraying all sixteen characters.

Pillsbury House Theatre welcomes back NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun. NO CHILD... will be directed by Noël Raymond and features Sonja Parks in a solo performance portraying all sixteen characters.

Pillsbury House Theatre welcomes back NO CHILD... by Nilaja Sun. NO CHILD... will be directed by Noël Raymond and features Sonja Parks in a solo performance portraying all sixteen characters.

PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE is pleased to announce their 2010 Season. This year PILLSBURY HOUSE THEATRE will present three Mainstage productions, two CHICAGO AVENUE PROJECT productions and three LATE NITE presentations.