Fringe File #5: Previews, Round 2 Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 26, 2016July 27, 2016 The show postcard for Pound: A Musical for Dogs. Last night saw the second round of live previews for the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival. A total of 29 shows presented 3-minute excerpts, many of whose opening moments were carefully designed to discomfort and upstage Fringe Executive Director Jeff Larson during the introductions and seize
Fringe File #4: Previews, Round 1 Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - July 25, 2016July 25, 2016 The cast of SmashHammer: The Musical. Last Monday, 29 shows appearing in the 2016 Minnesota Fringe Festival gave 3-minute previews at the University of Minnesota's Rarig Center's Stoll Thrust Stage. This was the first official look (at least as far as live performance is concerned) inside the festival overtaking Minneapolis stages in 2
REVIEW: Figaro at the Hill House Arts Music Opera Theatre by Lydia Lunning - July 16, 2016July 17, 2016 Angels and Demons Entertainment’s recent production of The Marriage of Figaro at the James J. Hill House in St. Paul was a magical experience. Over the last two weekends, the music of Mozart’s masterpiece has echoed through the rooms and over the terraces of the historic mansion, breathing new life
FEATURE: Building the Opera Audience of Tomorrow Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 8, 2016July 8, 2016 Opera has a reputation, deserved or undeserved, for exclusivity. To the young audience members in attendance at The Marriage of Figaro last night, exclusivity was definitely on the menu: by the time the performance drew to a close, each of them seemed absolutely convinced that attending was like winning a lottery. Technically, this performance was the
Fringe File #3: About Fringe and How to Pick a Show Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - July 4, 2016July 5, 2016 Pictured: The official show image for Trusty Paper Ship's The Real World: Fringe Festival. Part 3 of a multipart series. Read Part 1 and Part 2. One of the great things about the Minnesota Fringe Festival is that it's a large, unjuried festival with an adventurous audience. "Unjuried" in this context means that there's
Fringe File #2: How to Plan Your Fringe; Publisher’s Picks Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - July 3, 2016July 5, 2016 Ilana Kapra Productions's Evil Twin. One of the interesting new features of this year's Minnesota Fringe Festival website is the scheduling grid, which makes it a sinch to block out your schedule. Here's how to use it: Go to http://fringefestival.org/ Create a free account (or login if you have one) by
Fringe File #1: Editor-in-Chief’s Short List Arts Dance Lifestyle Music Opera Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - July 2, 2016July 10, 2016 Good Friday with Dillinger, presented by LookBack Productions. Yesterday afternoon, the Minnesota Fringe Festival officially launched its 2016 Fringe Festival website. Almost immediately, social media began filling with theatergoers' protests about not being able to see all the shows that they wanted. The Minnesota Fringe Festival has long been the Twin Cities' great buffet
Artistic Responses to Tragedy Arts Music Opera Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - June 22, 2016June 22, 2016 Not a free seat was to be found on Tuesday night at Augsburg College as audiences gathered for the latest installment of Nautilus Music-Theater's Rough Cuts series of opera and musical theater (and things in the middle) excerpts. The performance kicked off some 15 minutes after the official 7:30 pm start time,
REVIEW: Falling in Love with Rigoletto (Capri Theater/Really Spicy Opera) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Lydia Lunning - June 6, 2016June 7, 2016 Small-scale opera productions, when well executed, are some of the underrated joys for audiences lucky enough to catch them—while their appeal of lavish design and big-budget spectacle seem synonymous with the art form, opera in a pared-down, more intimate setting is a great way to foreground fresh talent and focus
REVIEW: Fascinating, Striking Rigoletto (Capri Theater/Really Spicy Opera) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - June 4, 2016June 4, 2016 Making fun of period operas in modern settings is like shooting fish in a barrel. There are so many clunkers out there that it's tempting to dismiss the proposition entirely and say, "That's a thing" – but sometimes a staging comes along where the new setting truly enhances the material. Really Spicy Opera's new production