Ryan Colbert News

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) together with The Old Globe (San Diego) in partnership with The Old Vic (London) today announced details for the Minneapolis and San Diego productions of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, based on the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. The musical is adapted for the stage by David Greig (Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company; recent work: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cover My Tracks) with music and lyrics written by Charlie Fink (Frontman/songwriter for the hit musical group, Noah and the Whale (2007-2015)). The musical will have its U.S. premiere at CTC followed by an immediate transfer to The Old Globe in San Diego. H. Adam Harris, combined with Meghan Kreidler and Rick Miller puppeteering, will play The Lorax. Joining them is Steven Epp as The Once-ler. Playing multiple roles in the ensemble are Ansa Akyea, Christopher Becknell, Stephanie Bertumen, Brian Bose, Ryan Colbert, Lynnea Doublette, Johannah "Joh" Easley, Rajane Katurah, Ryan Lear, Ryan Dean Maltz, Emily Michaels King and CTC Company Member Autumn Ness. See below for complete bio information.

The Old Globe, together with Children's Theatre Company (CTC), and in partnership with The Old Vic, today announced details for the Minneapolis and San Diego productions of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax in its U.S. premiere. The production, based on the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, is adapted for the stage by David Greig (Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company; recent work: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Cover My Tracks) with music and lyrics written by Charlie Fink (Frontman/songwriter for the hit musical group, Noah and the Whale (2007-2015). H. Adam Harris, along with Meghan Kreidler and Rick Miller puppeteering, will play The Lorax. Joining them is Steven Epp as The Once-ler. Playing multiple roles in the ensemble are Ansa Akyea, Christopher Becknell, Stephanie Bertumen, Brian Bose, Ryan Colbert, Lynnea Doublette, Johannah "Joh" Easley, Rajane Katurah, Ryan Lear, Ryan Dean Maltz, Emily Michaels King, and Autumn Ness.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) together with The Old Globe (San Diego) in partnership with The Old Vic (London) today announced details for the Minneapolis and San Diego productions of Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, based on the book The Lorax by Dr. Seuss.

A musical about youth hockey with an abominable snowman, er... yeti? It's gotta be Minnesota, and it's gotta be the Children's Theatre Company. It's no surprise that this new original musical is a surefire hit, the only surprise is that it took them so long to come up with the idea. THE ABOMINABLES was developed by The Civilians, a NYC-based theater company, and researched and workshopped right here in Minnesota. This feels like authentic portrayal, if a bit extreme and fantastical. I attended a backstage tour at the Children's Theatre a few weeks ago, which was hugely exciting as things were starting to come together. It's such a thrill to see the final product this opening weekend and to report to you that this is not only a super fun and entertaining new original musical for kids and adults alike, but also one that celebrates the good (and gently mocks the less than good) of our beloved state of Minnesota while telling a heart-warming story about teamwork, friendship, community, and family that, yes, brought tears to my eyes.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) brings to the stage the very first Minnesota hockey musical, The Abominables. Produced in association with New York City's extraordinary theatre company The Civilians, the musical is written and directed by Steve Cosson with music and lyrics by the late Michael Friedman and choreography by Joe Chvala. BroadwayWorld has a fresh batch of shots, featuring a first look at Ryan Colbert as 'the Yeti' and more, below!

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) brings to the stage the very first Minnesota hockey musical, The Abominables.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) announces the casting for the premiere of The Abominables, the first Minnesota hockey musical produced in association with The Civilians, written and directed by Steve Cosson with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and choreography by Joe Chvala. Ryan Bourque (son of Ray Bourque) will serve as Fight and Hockey Choreographer (Ryan is a former Rangers player and current Hershey Bears player).

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) brings to the stage the very first Minnesota hockey musical, The Abominables.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) announces the casting for the premiere of The Abominables, the first Minnesota hockey musical produced in association with The Civilians, written and directed by Steve Cosson with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman and choreography by Joe Chvala. Ryan Bourque (son of Ray Bourque) will serve as Fight and Hockey Choreographer (Ryan is a former Rangers player and current Hershey Bears player).

Park Square concludes its 2016-2017 season with the area premiere of Tim Firth's hilarious and heartfelt comedy Calendar Girls. Based on the hit 2003 film, the play explores loss, friendship, and baring it all as a group of women pose in the buff to benefit a local charity. The ensuing media firestorm puts the women's friendship to the test and reveals the love shared by an extraordinary group of women.

Sometimes theater is more than just theater. Sometimes theater is about giving a voice to people whose voices are not often heard. Sometimes theater is about increasing our understanding of people who seem different than us, but who really are the same. Sometimes theater is about giving everyone a chance to see their lives and experiences reflected back at them, validating their existence and importance in the world. Mixed Blood Theatre's work often checks all of the above boxes, as is the case with the new play CHARM by Phillip Dawkins. Inspired by the true story of a transgender woman who teaches a charm school to homeless and at risk transgender youth, CHARM premiered in Chicago last fall, but Mixed Blood's production is the first to include five transgender actors in the cast, which lends an air of poignant authenticity to this moving, funny, and at times difficult story.

Philip Dawkins' CHARM is the story of Mama Darleena, an African American trans woman in her 60s teaching an etiquette class to trans youth experiencing precarious housing in a LGBTQI Chicago community center. Her students range in sexuality, race, and gender identity from a Latina trans woman, to a cisgender couple, to a member of a local gang, to a gay suburban teen. They fight each other and their instructor in equal measure, struggle through their daily battles with poverty, prejudice, and personal identity, seek solace in each other, succeed and fail separately and together.

Park Square begins 2016 with a world premiere adaptation of Charles Dickens's GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

Park Square begins 2016 with a world premiere adaptation of Charles Dickens's GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

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.   

What do you get when you combine a talented young playwright, an excellent cast that includes five up-and-coming actors and two beloved veterans of local stages, stirring a capella gospel music arranged by a local musical legend, and the Twin Cities' best director of 'theater musically?' You get CHOIR BOY, a lovely and affecting play about a young gay man coming of age in an African American boarding school. The playwright is Tarell Alvin McCraney of the excellent Brother/Sister trilogy that Pillsbury House Theatre has produced in its entirety in the last several years. While those plays have an epic, mythical quality, CHOIR BOY is more grounded in reality, but just as beautifully written. Add in musical direction and arrangement by Sanford Moore and direction by Peter Rothstein, an expert at using music in the best possibly way to enhance the theatrical storytelling, and you have something quite special going on in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio.

Park Square Theatre will produce the musical The Color Purple featuring a cast of 20 actors, a live orchestra, and some of the finest talent in the Twin Cities on its Proscenium Stage January 16 - February 15, 2015.

Performed in four 15-minute quarters with a half-time show, featuring a dance company, a drum corps, and a fully-padded cast, COLOSSAL is an epic event that simultaneously celebrates and attacks our nation's most popular form of theater: football.

Performed in four 15-minute quarters with a half-time show, featuring a dance company, a drum corps, and a fully-padded cast, COLOSSAL is an epic event that simultaneously celebrates and attacks our nation's most popular form of theater: football.

With Sexy Laundry opening tonight, the entire cast roster for the theatre's biggest season is almost complete. Nearly 300 Minnesota artists - including actors, directors, designers and technical operators - will mount 18 productions on two stages. The season lineup confirms Park Square's commitment to the work of women writers like Amy Herzog, Michele Riml and Alice Walker. The casting emphasizes Park Square as a home for local artists of color, from returning favorites like James A. Williams, T. Mychael Rambo and Regina Williams to dozens of debuts like Dominique Wooten, Kurt Kwan and Sarah Ochs.