BREAKING NEWS: Executive Director of the Minnesota Fringe Festival Steps Down Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre by Twin Cities Arts Reader - October 5, 2016 Last Friday, the New York International Fringe Festival announced that it was closing for a year to re-evaluate its institutional priorities and directions. The Minnesota Fringe Festival's riposte today was less seismic, but still a significant change for one of the anchors of the Twin Cities performing arts scene. Executive
NEWS: Skylark Opera’s Revival Plan Arts Music Opera Theatre by Basil Considine - October 5, 2016October 6, 2016 Cecilia Violetta Lopez and Won Whi Choi in Skylark Opera's 2015 production of Puccini's La Rondine. Photo by Matt Bellin. Last spring, Skylark Opera astonished Twin Cities opera fans with a sudden announcement that its 36th season was not to be. In a March 18 letter to subscribers, President Carrie Wesley wrote, "Skylark is
REVIEW: Still Resonant Ragtime (Latté Da) Arts Dance Music Theatre by Bev Wolfe - October 3, 2016October 3, 2016 A police action and protest turn violent in Latté Da's production of Ragtime. Photo by Dan Norman. Is musical theatre relevant or mere entertainment? The musical Ragtime deals with immigration, economic disparity, and the killing of unarmed blacks by police. Although Ragtime is a period drama set in the United States near the start of
REVIEW: Hill House Overrun by Disturbia in Bluebeard’s Dollhouse (Combustible Company) Arts Theatre by Lydia Lunning - October 2, 2016October 2, 2016 Photo by Kym Longhi. Although many things were doubtless envisioned when the James J. Hill House was constructed, a future as a go-to place for site-specific theatre was probably not one of them. Nevertheless, this Gilded Age mansion has taken on a new face at night as theatre companies increasingly explore
REVIEW: Waiting and Missing Waiting for Waiting for Godot (Loudmouth Collective) Arts Theatre by Dan Reiva - October 1, 2016October 2, 2016 Photo by Justin D. Gallo Photography. The concept of a character waiting for Waiting for Godot rather intrigued me. When I heard the Loudmouth Collective was presenting a play with that title at the Open Eye Figure Theatre space, I simply had to see it. Ironically, I arrived an hour early
REVIEW: Toruk: The First Flight (Cirque du Soleil / Target Center) Arts Dance Music Theatre Visual Arts by Basil Considine - September 29, 2016September 29, 2016 Photo by Lawrence Erisson. TORUK - The First Flight opened last night at Target Center in Minneapolis. The latest show from Cirque du Soleil is a tour de force of visual design paired with elaborate acrobatics, dancing, and magical transformation after magical transformation. It's also a brilliant showcase of the world from James
PHOTOS: The Look of MN Opera’s Roméo et Juliette Arts Dance Music Opera Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 28, 2016March 11, 2017 Minnesota Opera's Roméo et Juliette, now playing through October 2nd, features a set design by William Boles, costumes by Sarah Bahr, and lighting by Paul Whitaker. Here's a look at the opera's visual feel, which mixes contrasting color palettes for the rival houses with a dominant rose motif. Read Lydia Lunning's review
PHOTOS: Heart of the Beast’s Queen Arts Theatre Visual Arts by Twin Cities Arts Reader - September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre's Queen opened on Saturday at the Avalon Theatre in Minneapolis. Here's a look at this exploration of grandmothers, loss, wandering, and tragedies in the contemporary African American experience. All photos by Bruce Silcox. -- Queen plays through October 2nd
NEWS: Nimbus Rides on into The Kalevala Arts Dance Theatre by Basil Considine - September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 A promotional photo for The Kalevala. Pictured: Jim Ahrens. Photo by Mathieu Lindquist. Last November, Nimbus Theatre announced that it was shutting its doors at 1517 Central Ave NE in Minneapolis. The reason? A rent increase that pushed past the company's means, forcing it pack up and leave its home since 2011. The
REVIEW: Suffused with Roses – Roméo et Juliet (Minnesota Opera) Arts Music Opera Theatre by Lydia Lunning - September 26, 2016March 11, 2017 Tempers flare and swords are drawn in Minnesota Opera's production of Roméo et Juliette. Photo by Dan Norman. Minnesota Opera kicks off the 2016-2017 season with a sparkling and stylish reimagining of Roméo et Juliette, Charles-Franҫois Gounod’s 1867 adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tale of famous star-crossed lovers caught between two feuding houses. A