A lot can happen in a quarter century – just ask Minnesota Citizens for the Arts Executive Director Sheila Smith, who has lead the organization since January 1996. After 25 years, however, Smith is stepping down from her role at MCA at the end of February 2021. On her retirement
Author: Basil Considine
Basil Considine is the Editor of the Twin Cities Arts Reader. He served as Performing Arts Editor and Senior Classical Music and Drama Critic for the Arts Reader's first five years before succeeding Hanne Appelbaum. He was previously the Resident Classical Music and Drama Critic at the Twin Cities Daily Planet and remains an occasional contributing writer for The Boston Musical Intelligencer and The Chattanoogan. He holds a PhD in Music and Drama from Boston University, an MTS in Sacred Music from the BU School of Theology, and a BA in Music and Theatre from the University of San Diego.
Basil was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year in 2017. He was previously the Regional Governor for the National Opera Association's North Central Region.
INTERVIEW: Taking the Multi-Site PROTOTYPE Festival Online in a Pandemic
A visual collage of six works featured in the 2021 PROTOTYPE festival. Clockwise from upper left: TIMES3, Wide Slumber Lepidopteris, Ocean Body, The Planet – A Lament, Modulation, and The Murder of Halit Yozgat. For lovers of new music-theatre, there are few events more exciting than the annual PROTOTYPE festival held
FEATURE: Unsafe on Any Stage: Alcoholism and Silence at Theatre in the Round
A word cloud generated from the text of a social media posting by actor Piper Quinn, calling on Theatre in the Round to take action against repeated misbehaviors by a fellow actor. The morning of Monday, September 14, MPR reporter Marianne Combs announced her resignation, effective immediately. The reason given? Editors
PREVIEW: Minnesota Opera Returns…to the Baseball Stadium?
FEATURE: Erasing the Tracks: How Individuals and Arts Organizations Respond to Sexual Misconduct
A series of electronic communications related to ex-Opera Theatre of Saint Louis employee Damon Bristo. Scandal hit Opera Theatre of Saint Louis on Tuesday, August 11. One of the company's senior officials, Damon Bristo, had been arrested and charged with child sex trafficking. This was news to the public, but not
FEATURE: A Monument Falls in St. Paul
A statue of Christopher Columbus lies face-down on the ground after protestors pulled it from its pedestal near the Minnesota State House on June 10, 2020. Photo by Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0). A giant statue's head on the ground. Another larger-than-life statue, bound with rope, being pulled to the ground
INTERVIEW: Amber Bjork on the Winding Sheet Outfit and Cooking through a Pandemic
INTERVIEW: Crystal Manich on Opera, Interrupted
Tenor Daniel Montenegro in Opera Santa Barbara's March 2020 production of Il Postino (The Postman), which featured projections, lighting, and set design by Tláloc López-Watermann and was directed Crystal Manich. Photo by Zach Medez. There's not normally time for moss to grow in Crystal Manich's schedule. Since taking the reins at
INTERVIEW: Leslie Vincent on Debut Albums, Making It Through Quarantine, and Puzzle Rooms
Art for Minneapolis vocalist Leslie Vincent's debut album. Design by Brittany Ottum. International quarantines and self-isolation directives have brought many things to a halt across the globe. For Minnesotans, however, being forced to stay at home is a seasonal event. Even in these extraordinary times, the urge to create art and
