Opera in the Twin Cities: The First Half of 2016 Arts Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - January 14, 2016February 8, 2016 New York City Opera is shuffling its way to a zombie resurrection, but opera in the Twin Cities is going through a renaissance. Here's what's in store for 2016: January Antonín Dvořák's Rusalka (Minnesota Opera) Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 1/23 @ 7:30 PM, 1/28 @ 7:30 PM, 1/30 @ 7:30 PM, 1/31 @ 2
Opera Fans Rejoice! New York City Opera’s Resurrection Begins Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - January 13, 2016January 13, 2016 The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan has approved a plan to restart New York City Opera. The celebrated company shuttered abruptly in the middle of its 2013-2014 season after an acute financial crisis. Soon afterwards, several rival plans were proposed for resurrecting the group and quickly became tangled in legal
NEWS: IRS Drops Proposed Donations Rule; Nonprofits Rejoice Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - January 8, 2016January 11, 2016 The Internal Revenue Service announced today that it has formally withdrawn proposed new regulations for donations to nonprofits. The proposed regulations would have required nonprofits to retain and provide considerable new documentation for charitable, tax-deductible donations of $250 or more. The rule was opposed by a broad spectrum of nonprofit
The Star Tribune’s 2015 Theatre Awards Arts Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 27, 2015 Roger Guenveur Smith in Penumbra Theatre's production of Rodney King. Photo: Craig Schwartz. It's the end-of-the-year awards sweeps at our sister publication. The Star Tribune's 2015 Artist of the Year is Ivey Award-winning director Peter Rothstein; honorable mentions went to: Jesse Bishop, the programming director the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul; Sha Cage, an
REVIEW: Liberty Falls, 54321 (The Moving Company) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - December 19, 2015December 20, 2015 Back in the days of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, reviewers trying to describe the company's shows often used the term mise-en-scène. A literal translation of this term is deceptively simple: "placing on stage." In practice, the term refers to the importance of how everything fits together as a whole –
INTERVIEW: Nina Archabal on 1 Year at the Helm of Minnesota Opera Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - December 14, 2015March 11, 2017 A production photo from Minnesota Opera's 2008 production of Rusalka. Photo by Michal Daniel. In November 2014, Nina Archabal was appointed as Interim General Director at Minnesota Opera. At the time, the organization was not in the best of health: despite overall strong ticket sales, the company had accrued operating deficits in two consecutive
Magic Flute Revamp Rules Box Office Arts Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - December 9, 2015 The Queen of the Night may not have succeeded in Mozart's The Magic Flute, but Minnesota Opera certainly did. The company's recent revival of its 2014 staging of the opera completely sold out, with 9,808 tickets purchased for the six public performances. Throw in about 150 people for the first dress rehearsal and 1,600 eager high
Before the Mermaid, a Papagena Arts Music Opera by Basil Considine - November 20, 2015November 21, 2015 One of the attractions of live theatre is the near-infinite list of what can go wrong during a performance and the special delight taken in seeing what the cast does in response. Last year, a backdrop tumbled to the floor in the middle of "On This Night of A Thousand Stars" when Evita opened
REVIEW: Silent Movie Magic Flute Extravaganza Still Has It Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - November 18, 2015November 20, 2015 It's been a year and a half since Minnesota Opera opened its striking and iconoclastic take on The Magic Flute. This production wowed audiences, who came in droves; at the time, the two-week run was the best-selling show in the company's 41-year history (it was dethroned by last spring's Carmen). Not everyone
INTERVIEW: Dale Johnson on Minnesota Opera’s Magic Flute Madness Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 29, 2015March 11, 2017 Minnesota Opera Artistic Director Dale Johnson. Photo by Michal Daniel. Minnesota Opera's innovative 2014 production of The Magic Flute was one of the surprise hits of the 2013-2014 season. This adaptation of the classic Mozart opera smashed the company's box office records, selling 14,584 tickets and bringing in $951,000 in ticket revenue. A year and