PREVIEW: The Montserrat Boy Choir’s Minnesotan Adventure Arts Music by Amy Donahue - October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 The Montserrat Boy Choir. One of the most-anticipated performances coming to the Twin Cities is coming all the way from Catalonia. The Montserrat Boy Choir, an elite choir from one of Spain's oldest music schools, will perform at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on November 11. “We are thrilled to be
NEWS: MAP Fund Executive Director to Step Down Arts Theatre by Amy Donahue - October 15, 2022October 15, 2022 Moira Brennan, the head of one of the nation's most influential organizations fostering new theatre creations, will step down at the end of the year. This resignation will mark the end of two decades at the MAP Fund, rising from Program Associate to a transformative tenure as Executive Director. The New
PREVIEW: The Mystery Cafe’s Murderous Mood Arts Lifestyle Theatre by Amy Donahue - October 14, 2022October 15, 2022 Patrons eating at a performance by The Mystery Cafe. Photo courtesy of The Mystery Cafe. Murder is the holiday game at The Mystery Cafe. And not just any murder, but one involving regifting presents. This interactive, murder mystery dinner theater series (say that three times fast) is going downright homicidal as it
NEWS: Wickedness Has Its Perks, Economic Impacts Arts Music Theatre by Amy Donahue - August 29, 2022August 29, 2022 Jennafer Newberry as Glinda in the National Tour of Wicked, which closed yesterday at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. Photo by Joan Marcus. "Wickedness is in the heart of man," says an old proverb. But for the Hennepin Theatre Trust, and downtown Minneapolis, it turns out that Wicked-ness has its perks. Let's
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