Sonya Berlovitz News

History Theatre will present the world premiere of The Defeat of Jesse James book by Jeffrey Hatcher and music and lyrics by Chan Poling.

'1898. Swedish immigrant Olaf Ohman digs up a rock on his property near Kensington, MN with 'a story on carved runes' that tells that the Vikings were the first Europeans to set foot in Minnesota. He is praised for his discovery but soon controversy erupts and his life is turned upside down with claims of 'Fake! Fraud! Liar!' Step back in time and enjoy the ride with this whimsical rock 'n roll musical. Rock on!!'

Park Square Theatre rings in the winter holidays with its first ever production of a Jane Austen novel with the regional premiere of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (Nov 15 a?" Dec 22, 2019) adapted from the classic by Kate Hamill (SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, LITTLE WOMEN) and directed by Lisa Channer in her Park Square debut. This clever comedy offers a decidedly progressive take on the trials of Lizzy, Mr. Darcy, and the whole Bennet clan, with a few dance breaks thrown in for good measure.

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.

When a family of shepherds in the suburbs of Corinth learns their adopted son Oedipus has ascended the throne of Thebes, they plan a bender to end all benders. But who's on cleanup after the party's over? Equal parts irreverent comedy and emotional journey into family dysfunction, Dionysus Was Such A Nice Man by Kate Tarker examines with horror and humor the lasting effects of personal trauma. The first ever World Premiere commissioned for Wilma's HotHouse, this searing new play directed by French physical theater master Dominique Serrand runs April 23 - May 12 at The Wilma Theater.

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 Moving Company (which grew out of the ashes of the Tony-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune) is back this fall with a very Moving Company kind of show. Which is to say original, profound, silly, thoughtful, delightful, sweet, surprising, and a little odd. Conceived by co-Artistic Directors Steven Epp, Nathan Keepers, and Dominique Serrand, THE 4 SEASONS was inspired by the idea of the four seasons, including Vivaldi's famous composition FOUR SEASONS and Piazzolla's less famous composition FOUR SEASONS. They also drew inspiration from Chekhov, and this quote from the Russian playwright about his work could also describe MoCo's work, and this piece in particular: 'What happens onstage should be just as complicated and just as simple as things are in real life. People are sitting at a table having dinner, that's all, but at the same time their happiness is being created, or their lives are being torn apart.'

I love sad plays. I love stories of miserable families who love each other but don't know how to express it in healthy ways. AWAKE AND SING!, now playing at Artistry's black box theater, is one such tragically beautiful and beautifully tragic play, like Tennessee Williams set in the Bronx. Or rather, since Clifford Odets' 1935 play predates Williams' major works, I guess I should say that Tennessee Williams is like Odets set in the South. The multi-generational Berger family has become beaten down by life, with the younger generation trying to break free and make a new life in this new country, if only it will let them. With a strong cast and detailed design in an intimate space, Artistry's production is beautiful and heart-breaking.

From Minneapolis, Minnesota's Children's Theatre Company comes Seedfolks, making its Off-Broadway Premiere at The New Victory Theater from May 4 - 11, 2018. Based on the book by Newbery Medal-winning Paul Fleischman (Joyful Noise) and directed by Children's Theatre Company Artistic Director Peter C. Brosius (TCG's Alan Schneider Directors' Award), the many diverse characters of an immigrant neighborhood are brilliantly brought to life by Ivey Award-winning actress Sonja Parks.

17 McKnight Theater Artist Fellows Sonya Berlovitz (costume design), Thomasina Petrus (actor) and Kimberly Richardson (actor) will present selections from theatrical works in progress on Monday, June 26, 2017 at 7 p.m. at Mixed Blood Theatre. This free event is presented by the Playwrights' Center, which is taking reservations at pwcenter.org, info@pwcenter.org or 612-332-7481. Mixed Blood Theatre is located at 1501 South 4th Street in Minneapolis.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) will bring its production of Seedfolks to the prestigious ASSITEJ International World Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. Prior to this international touring stop, CTC will bring Seedfolks to Seattle Children's Theatre in the Unites States.

The Jungle's 26th season concludes with the Midwest premiere of THE OLDEST BOY, an astonishing original tale by award-winning playwright Sarah Ruhl (In the Next Room, The Clean House). Directed by the Jungle's Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen, The Oldest Boy is on stage November 4 through December 18 at the Lyn-Lake neighborhood theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S. in Minneapolis. The lyrical drama with evocative puppetry and live musical elements is being brought to life through a partnership with the Tibetan community of Minneapolis-St. Paul. 

The Playwrights' Center is pleased to announce the 2016-17 recipients of the McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships:

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.

Park Square begins its 41st season next month with Quiara Alegria Hudes' moving and funny indictment of war, ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE.

Park Square begins its 41st season next month with Quiara Alegria Hudes' moving and funny indictment of war, ELLIOT, A SOLDIER'S FUGUE.

?The village of Farmingtown has been devoid of men for so long that when one returns from the far away and long-lasting war, the first woman he meets rushes up to him and inhales him deeply. This hilarious and oddly touching moment at the beginning of Kira Obolensky's new play FORGET ME NOT WHEN FAR AWAY sets the tone for this playful and poignant fairy tale about a soldier returning to a home he once knew. Ten Thousand Things has been on the road with the show for a few weeks, performing at correctional facilities, community centers, and other unlikely venues. As director Michelle Hensley said in her introduction of the show, the fact that this play has resonated with such diverse audiences in different ways is a credit to the skills of the playwright, who has created a world outside of time and space that somehow feels familiar and relatable to everyone. This world is brought to life in the beautifully sparse way that only Ten Thousand Things can do, with a brilliant cast of six performing in a fully lit room in a space so small that they literally trip over the audience. The fanciful story is grounded in truth and made to feel very real by the universality of the story, the charming accessibility of the language, the up-close-and-personal performances by the actors in whom you can feel every nuance of every emotion through a look in the eyes, the twinge of a facial muscle, or a subtle movement of the body. Ten Thousand Things harnesses the magic of theater in its most basic form like no other company can.

No one does musicals like Ten Thousand Things does musicals. And even though it defies everything we know about musical theater, after seeing a TTT musical I think that maybe that's the way musicals should always be done. The music, like everything else about the show, is stripped down to the very basics, extraneous layers removed to reveal the very heart of the matter. A one-man orchestra provides the minimal accompaniment, and the small cast imperceptibly transitions from speaking to singing, so that you can't even tell where songs end and begin, it's just all one seamless story. And above all else, Artistic Director Michelle Hensley and all of the artists at Ten Thousand Things are storytellers. Whether it's Shakespeare or a classic American musical, they share the story in a pure and unadorned way so that all of their audiences, whether prisoners or seasoned theater-goers, can hear it and see themselves in it. One such masterpiece is their latest musical venture, THE UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN, a reprise of their very first musical venture 15 years ago. It's lovely, spirited, sweet, funny, moving, heart-warming, and real.

Brilliance! Made Here, downtown Minneapolis' urban walking gallery, will unveil a new fall/winter series of nearly 40 storefront window "Showcases," featuring Minnesota art inspired by the creative interpretation of light, on November 28, 2014. Led by Hennepin Theatre Trust and Joan Vorderbruggen, the Trust's Cultural District Arts Coordinator, Made Here is the largest storefront window initiative in the country. Brilliance! lights up the downtown Minneapolis Cultural District during an unveiling and free public launch from 6-7:30 p.m. on the Today after Thanksgiving, November 28. Festivities will begin at Marin Restaurant and Bar, located at 901 Hennepin Avenue, and lead into guided walking tours of the window galleries at 6 and 7 p.m. The launch also coincides with the opening of the Holidazzle Village featuring the Minneapolis Christmas Market in Peavey Plaza. For more details, visit MadeHereMN.org.