FEATURE: The Venezuelan Crisis and Music – A Tale of El Sistema, Bolivarists, and Sphinx Arts Music by Basil Considine - August 31, 2017September 6, 2017 The Catalyst Quartet rehearsing. It was the first of August. Dr. Deborah Justice was settling in for a month of fiddling around – musically speaking – when the email arrived. "I’m afraid I have some sad news from Caracas," it began. "Venezuela at this moment is now a war zone." At that
NEWS: Sally Ordway Award Proves Fatal to Recipient Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - August 29, 2017August 31, 2017 The late J. Otis Powell. Poet, playwright, and overall multi-talented artist J. Otis Powell died on Monday, August 28. Powell was 61 years' old, and had been awarded a Sally Ordway Irvine Award for Commitment just five days prior. He had struggled with ill health, and received a kidney transplant several
Fringe File, #30: Final Box Office Results for 2017 Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 23, 2017August 23, 2017 A bar chart showing historical box office totals for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. The Minnesota Fringe Festival announced the final statistics today for the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival. The 11-day festival brought in 46,076 butts-in-seats, spread across 860 performances of 167 shows at 17 venues in Minneapolis. Why Count Butts-in-Seats? Since 2016, the
Fringe File, #28: Graphs and Charts, Part 1 Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 21, 2017August 21, 2017 A mosaic of different graphs of Fringe Festival sold-out attendance data. It's been one week since the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival closed its doors and the Fringe staff are still tallying and double-checking festival data. While a fuller report on the festival box office is still forthcoming, here are six figures
PREVIEW: A Glimpse at Aladdin (Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Basil Considine - August 18, 2017August 18, 2017 Women dancing in Arabian Nights. Photo by Dan Van Meer. The Orpheum Theatre is getting a magic lamp. Starting September 15, the Orpheum will host the Broadway touring production of Aladdin for three and a half weeks (closing October 8). This touring production stars Adam Jacobs, who originated the title role of Aladdin
INTERVIEW: Claire Wellin and Youth in a Roman Field Arts Music by Basil Considine - August 17, 2017August 17, 2017 Actress-musician-songwriter Claire Wellin. Photo by Tiffany Topol. This Friday, Claire Wellin is bringing her band Youth in a Roman Field to Icehouse in Minneapolis. Youth in a Roman Field's "ghost folk" sound emphasizes haunting strings, acoustic instruments, and multipart vocal writing. The MSU-Mankato graduate spoke with the Arts Reader's Basil Considine about
Fringe File, #24: Phil Darg on Facility Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - August 10, 2017August 10, 2017 Jeff (Tim Williams, left) inspects a chart while Fran (Nicole Korbisch, right) converses with Lionel (Paul Brissett) in Imagined Theatre's Facility. Photo courtesy of Imagined Theatre. One of the most striking dramas in the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival is Imagined Theatre's Facility, a play about elder care and dementia – two highly charged
Fringe File, #23: Lyssa Sparrow on First Year Queer, Kink, and Consent Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - August 10, 2017August 12, 2017 The cast of First Year Queer in an previous show: Lyssa Sparrow (center) with Anthony Art (left) and Corinna Troth (right). There is a Fringe category called Something Different. Lyssa Sparrow's First Year Queer, now playing at the Minnesota Fringe Festival, has that label – and it certainly isn't inaccurate. The subject matter
Fringe File, #21: REVIEW: Sean Neely‘s Return to Fringe Arts Theatre by Basil Considine - August 8, 2017August 10, 2017 A digitally altered version of the show image for Sean Neely. Trigger warning: This review discusses Sean Neely's self-titled show about pedophilia and child abuse. Arguably, the most controversial show in the 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival is Sean Neely's self-titled show Sean Neely. This show, presented as a true confession, makes digs at local theatre
INTERVIEW: Singer-Songwriter Jackie Venson on Strange Brew Arts Music by Basil Considine - August 2, 2017August 2, 2017 Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jackie Venson. Photo by Jinni J. This Thursday and Friday, Austin-based singer-songwriter Jackie Venson opens for Gary Clark Jr. at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN. The Arts Reader's Basil Considine caught up with Jackie to discuss her music and influences. Why the live album Jackie Venson Live now?