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
REVIEW: The Memorable Return of Les Miserables (Orpheum/Hennepin Theatre Trust) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Brian Bix - December 19, 2018December 19, 2018 The cast of the national touring company of Les Miserables takes to the barricades. Photo by Matthew Murphy. In 1832 in Paris, at a time of growing inequality, the funeral procession for a popular public figure led to an eruption of violence. Hundreds died fighting at makeshift barricades with stolen weapons.
PHOTOS: A Christmas Carol (Guthrie Theater) Arts Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - November 19, 2018November 19, 2018 The Guthrie Theater's holiday production of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol is an annual tradition for many area theatregoers. The show has been through several incarnations; the current one, now playing at the Wurtele Thrust Stage in Minneapolis, was adapted by British playwright Crispin Whittell and is directed by Guthrie Associate
PREVIEW: Prancer at Lyric Arts of Anoka Arts Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - November 16, 2018November 17, 2018 Val Heideman (as Jessica Riggs) discovers Christmas lights in an attic in the Lyric Arts Company of Anoka's upcoming production of Prancer. Photo by Twin Cities Headshots. The Lyric Arts Company of Anoka opens its production of Prancer tonight. What is Prancer? It's the first of Lyric Arts' two holiday shows, for starters.
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
Fringe File 2018 #17 – Hanne Appelbaum’s Top 10 Must-Sees Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Hanne Appelbaum - July 28, 2018July 28, 2018 A photo from last year's Fringe production of MEDUSA by Vox Medusa and Infiammati FireCircus. Photo by Max Haynes. If in doubt, set it on fire. That's my mantra for this year's Fringe festival: if you're not at all sure where to start, hit up Vox Medusa with Infiammati FireCircus's MEDUSA. This
NEWS: Jerome Foundation Announces Inaugural Organization Grant Recipients Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - June 15, 2018June 15, 2018 A photo collage of artists and art funded by the Jerome Foundation. The Jerome Foundation today announced $4,159,500 in grants to 84 arts organizations in Minnesota and New York City. These grants to nonprofit arts organizations comprise inaugural offering of the foundation's new Organization Grants Program. The two-stage application process attracted 254
REVIEW: The Lorax‘s Striking Cautionary Tale (Children’s Theatre Company) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Bev Wolfe - April 28, 2018April 28, 2018 The ensemble of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, now playing at the Children's Theatre Company. Photo by Dan Norman. “[U]nless someone likes you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” These words sum up the essence of the Children’s Theatre Company’s current musical production of the Dr.
NEWS: Four Humors to Host New MN Theater Awards Arts Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - April 17, 2018April 17, 2018 A medieval medical manuscript describing the four humors of the body. One of the big questions on the mind when the Ivey Awards announced their closure in February was, "Will anyone step up and take their place?" The answer, it turns out, is yes – and, at least to start, it's Four
NEWS: Performance Cancellations Across the Twin Cities Arts Comedy Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - April 15, 2018April 15, 2018 Performances across the Twin Cities have been cancelled yesterday and today as snowfall continues to blanket the Twin Cities. Minnesota Twins-Chicago White Sox games have also been postponed pending an improvement in the weather. One of the highlights of today's cancellations is the Downtown Choral Festival, which was scheduled to bring