Fringe File #5: The Last Day of the Fringe Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - August 14, 2022August 14, 2022 Today is the last day of the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Here are seven show recommendations to close out the festival, one for the first five time slots and a split choice for the finale: 1 PM 3 Guys on Stage Who Get Hit with Hot Dogs, Snow Cones, etc. (an alleged Theatre
NEWS: Jungle Theater Cancels Rest of Cambodian Rock Band Run Arts Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - July 29, 2022July 30, 2022 The cast of the Jungle Theater's production of Cambodian Rock Band, which closed a week early due to illness in the cast. Photo by Rich Ryan. There is a saying, often used ironically: "This is why we can't have nice things." Un-ironically, it accurately describes COVID-19. Even when it is not directly
PREVIEW: Opera on the Lake Returns with The Merry Widow Arts Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - July 24, 2022July 25, 2022 Opera singer, director, and arts visionary Anne Wieben (standing) performing with the Opera on the Lake company at an outdoor concert at the Lake Harriet Bandshell in July 2021. COVID-19 has barely slowed Anne Wieben down. As theatres around the world shuttered, the Minnesota native and opera singer went about finding
NEWS: The Return of Northern Spark Arts Visual Arts by Amy Donahue - June 6, 2022June 6, 2022 Then Northern Spark art festival – an all-night, in-person, summer event in the Twin Cities – returns on Saturday, June 11. This year's festival explores the theme “What the World Needs Now”. This incarnation of Northern Spark will take place along University Avenue and downtown in St. Paul, MN on Saturday, June 11,
PHOTOS: Open Window Theatre’s Leaving Iowa Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 The cast of Open Window Theatre's production of Leaving Iowa, which opened April 29 in Inver Grove Heights, MN. Photo by Kayla Ninnemann. There is a great population reshuffling going on in the United States. In 2020 and 2021, numerous households fled the big cities for larger in-door spaces and outdoor
PREVIEW: The Return of the Spotlight Showcase (Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - April 24, 2022April 24, 2022 A promotional image for the Hennepin Theatre Trust's Spotlight Education Spotlight Showcase event. The Spotlight Showcase, Minnesota high school theater’s biggest night, returns to the historic State Theatre in Minneapolis this June. This two-evening affair organized by the Hennepin Theatre Trust unites high school theater students from across the state for
PREVIEW: The Rape of Lucretia (An Opera Theatre) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - April 1, 2022April 2, 2022 Lucretia (mezzo-soprano Kara Morgan) holds a laurel wreath – symbolizing honor in ancient Roman society – in An Opera Theatre's production of The Rape of Lucretia, which opens this evening at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, MN. Photo courtesy of An Opera Theatre. Twin Cities opera fans have a lot of choices in
PREVIEW: Weekly Concert Picks: Post-Thanksgiving to Christmas Arts Music by Amy Donahue - November 25, 2021November 25, 2021 The Champagne Drops (Emily Dussault, left; Leslie Vincent, right) will make their debut on Crooners' Mainstage in Fridley, Minnesota on December 19. A dinner with family might make you feel clammily, but a concert a week makes you feel pretty chic. Aphorisms and strained rhymes notwithstanding, Thanksgiving marks the formal start of
BREAKING NEWS: Brand New Minneapolis School of New Music Abruptly Closes Arts Music by Amy Donahue - October 6, 2021October 7, 2021 A message from Minneapolis School of New Music founder Bart Johnson on the school's closure. The Minneapolis School of New Music has closed. The charter school, which opened its doors this fall, promised middle school children a tuition-free, music-immersive curriculum. Founder Bart Johnson cited the resignations of 2 of the school'
PREVIEW: The Playwrights’ Center’s 50th Anniversary Season Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - September 26, 2021September 26, 2021 The Playwrights' Center launched its first detailed look at its 50th Anniversary Season last night with its Taste of the Season preview. While in normal times, the Taste of the Season has served as an in-person, hybrid fundraiser and preview, due to ongoing public health conditions it went online this