REVIEW: Older Humor in The Italian Straw Hat (Minnesota Opera) Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Amy Donahue - January 31, 2019January 31, 2019 Wedding planning runs into some snags in Minnesota Opera's production of The Italian Straw Hat. Photo by Cory Weaver. Alignment is key. Whether it's about car wheels, shakras, or humor, it's essential that elements designed to work together be arranged so that they complement and build upon individual virtues and needs, rather
INTERVIEW: David Cote and Adapting a Children’s Classic The Scarlet Ibis Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - January 14, 2019January 16, 2019 A page from the libretto of David Cote and Stefan Weisman's opera The Scarlet Ibis, which opens Thursday in Cambridge, MA in a production by Boston Opera Collaborative. January may be a frigid stormy time in much of the United States, but it's a florid time for new opera in the
INTERVIEW: NYC’s PROTOTYPE Festival Leaders Talk New Opera and Music-Theatre Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - January 3, 2019January 3, 2019 A promotional image for The Infinite Hotel at the NYC PROTOTYPE Festival of new operas. Artwork based on photos by Matthew Soltesz and Rachel Shane. Minnesota has long had a tradition of artistic leadership, influence, and practice beyond its borders. Whether in choral or popular music (or the odd Grammy-nominated orchestra
AWARDS: The Inaugural Spice Awards in the Performing Arts Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Hanne Appelbaum - December 25, 2018December 28, 2018 It's been a whiplash year for awards and the Twin Cities performing arts scene. In fact, it's just been a whiplash year, period. In 2018, allegations of sexual assault and other misbehavior emerged at several local arts organizations. Cornerstone organizations such as Intermedia Arts and the Soap Factory remain shuttered
INTERVIEW: Mill City Summer Opera’s New Artistic Director Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 17, 2018November 4, 2018 Crystal Manich, the recently named Artistic Director of Mill City Summer Opera. Photo by Laura Marie Duncan. Next summer, Mill City Summer Opera will open its festival season under new leadership: Crystal Manich, the company's recently named artistic director. Manich has directed operas across the United States and in far-off cities
REVIEW: Long La Rondine Worth the Wait (Minnesota Opera) Arts Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - October 14, 2018November 17, 2018 Celine Bryne as Magda, Leonardo Capalbo as Ruggero, and the Minnesota Opera Chorus in Minnesota Opera’s new production of La Rondine. Photo by Cory Weaver. There is a temptation that directors and designers face to re-encapsulate or reframe an old stage work for today's audience. Sometimes it is about trying to highlight
PHOTOS: Minnesota Opera’s La Rondine Takes Flight Arts Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 6, 2018October 9, 2018 Celine Bryne as Magda, Leonardo Capalbo as Ruggero, and the Minnesota Opera Chorus in Minnesota Opera’s new production of Puccini's La Rondine. Minnesota Opera's 2018-2019 season kicks off tonight with Giacomo Puccini's La Rondine, a tale of new love and spectres of the past. [Editor's note: Naturally, this plot has no bearing at all
NEWS: Crystal Manich to Take Reins at Mill City Summer Opera Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - September 26, 2018September 26, 2018 Today, Mill City Summer Opera announced the appointment of Crystal Manich as its new artistic director. Manich, a lauded stage director, will take the artistic reins for the company's 2019 season and direct its production of Mozart's Così fan Tutte. Read an interview with Crystal Manich on directing. Manich takes over
NEWS: The 2018 MN Theater Award Honorees Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Hanne Appelbaum - September 25, 2018September 25, 2018 The 2018 Minnesota Theater Awards took place on Monday, September 24 at ARIA in Minneapolis. Last night, the 2018 Minnesota Theater Awards party unfolded at Aria. Unusually, there were no award recipients announced – only honorees who had been nominated. In a typically Minnesotan development, the organizers announced last week that they
Fringe File 2018 #23 – Wish List for Next Year’s Festivals Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - August 11, 2018August 11, 2018 In no particular order, here are some of our wish list items for next year's installments of the Minnesota Fringe Festival and Family Fringe: General A return of the Family Fringe. Returning to a child-friendly venue like the Celtic Arts Junction for the Family Fringe. A Fringe Central with contracted arrangements for