Theater Crush Thursday: Black-Led Arts Organizations

For this week's #TheaterCrushThursday, we are focusing not on a specific company but uplifiting the collective black #tctheater community. Thanks to MPR News for rounding up this list of black-owned arts organizations, all of whom needed our help anyway, but especially need our support (and our dollars) now.

It can be easy to forget just how lucky we are here in the Twin Cities to have so many independent black-run companies. That is *not* a common thing in other major U.S. cities, and that's a diversity we treasure and want to preserve.

I can confidently say that many of these organizations count among the favorite local arts organizations for our bloggers, and we want to see them stick around for many more years to come. Please click through to find some you love (and some new to you!) to donate some money today as part of your anti-racism work. And if you have stories to share about your favorite black-run companies, we'd love to hear them in the comments below!

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2020/06/03/twin-cities-black-artists-need-broad-community-support-more-than-ever

Theater Crush Thursday: Theater Latte Da

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY!
We've loved Theater Latté Da for many years for many reasons, but right now we love them because they're using this extended intermission to focus on the creation of new work. With their recently announced NEXT UP program, they are investing in the future of music-theater by supporting playwrights, composers, lyricists, choreographers, actors, and more as they write new stories. Stories that we will one day be able to share when it's safe again to gather in the same space together. Theater Latte Da will be ready for that day with some exciting new plays and musicals.

Founded by Peter Rothstein and Denise Prosek in 1998, Theater Latte Da has given us many memorable moments over the last 20+ years, and grown from a small nomadic company to one of the most popular companies in #TCTheater, consistently selling out shows in the Ritz Theater in Northeast Minneapolis, which they purchased as their permanent home a few years ago. TLD is a musical theater company, but "they don't do musical theater, they do theater musically." In everything they do, they expand the definition of what music-theater can do and be.

Their productions range from inventive new takes on classic musicals (see: their brilliant production of CHICAGO last fall), to rarely produced musicals (the haunting BERNARDA ALBA earlier this year), to enhancing the storytelling of plays with added music (e.g., UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL in 2018), to new works with a little music (Harrison David Rivers' gorgeous play TO LET GO AND FALL with cello duet) or a lot of music (the stunning new musical adaptation of CYRANO DE BERGERAC - C. by #TCTheater artists Bradley Greenwald and Robert Elhai). Other favorite memories are too many to mention - the regional premiere of the multiple Tony Award-winning ONCE, a lovely VIOLET ten years ago, the crazy brilliant carnival of Sondheim's ASSASSINS, a gut-wrenching RAGTIME, the simply beautiful original holiday classic ALL IS CALM (to be broadcast on PBS this year) - I could go on and on! Latte Da was about to open their unique take on the opera LA BOHEME when all public performances were cancelled, and they've promised to bring this to the stage whenever it's safe.

Find out more about NEXT UP, and how you can support it, here:
http://www.latteda.org/next-up

-Jill, Cherry and Spoon

Theater Crush Thursday: Theatre Elision

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY
Today, on #TheaterCrushThursday the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers want to give our love to Theatre Elision, a small theater company who cropped in 2017 and has since made a name for themselves within the Twin Cities Theater community and found a permanent home in Crystal, MN in 2019. The theater is true to their name, Elision meaning “the process of joining together or merging thing, especially abstract ideas” (I love how they have this front and center on their website. They state their purpose of developing and producing new or little known theatrical works that tell compelling stories with music. And they succeed! I know that many of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers, including myself, always try to get to an Elision show in order to experience something new. Unless they are remounting a past successful work (they have brought back Ghost Quartet and Ruthless season after season to very happy theater goers). Every time I go into an Elision show it is the first time I have seen, and heard of the work and I always walk away with a smile on my face and often times frantically searching for a recording online to hear the songs which have just been newly introduced to new over and over again.
In the 2018 Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Awards, the TCTBers choose Theatre Elision as our Under the Radar Award pick, says “They are masters of mounting new or little known works filled with beautiful, well-performed music and just the right amount of absurdity.” Not only do they choose their shows well, they also cast extremely talented performers. In 2019 they were featured in the Star Tribune for this fact. They are a company who hires at least 50% women and pays performers a union wage, impressive for a theater so young.
Theater Elision’s 2019-2020 season as always looked very interesting. It included shows such as Islander – a musical which premiered in 2019 to rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and Elision’s production is slated to be the US Premiere. And City Stories, a play with music that played Off-Broadway and Elision is going to be performing along with Rosabella Gregory who wrote the music. I can’t wait for them to come back so that I can experience these and many more new shows.
If you want to support Theatre Elision they have set up a Patreon https://www.patreon.com/Elisionistas  where you can unlock clips from some of my favorite of their past shows like Sea Cabinet and Melancholy Play: A Chamber Musical.

-Twin Cities Stages

Theater Crush Thursday: Jungle Theater

Today’s #TheaterCrushThursday comes with mixed emotions.

We’re talking The Jungle Theater, one of the buzziest venues around these days. Founded in 1991, the Jungle won dozens of Ivy Awards over the years and is well known for its taut, creative stagings, but perhaps the most notable aspect of its character is its flexibility and willingness to evolve. That first season hosted plays by the likes of Timothy Mason, David Mamet, Tennessee Williams, John O'Keefe and Samuel Beckett. In the decades since these boards have produced everything from William Shakespeare to Alfred Hitchcock to Louisa May Alcott, Kira Obolensky, Lauren Gunderson and modern, contemporary musicals. The diversity of programming at the Jungle is a wonderful testament to the creative power of theater and a reminder that you don’t need an enormous stage to produce some pretty amazing, imaginative worlds.

I first encountered the Jungle under its vaunted founder, Bain Boelke’s vision. I remember being struck by the intimate size, where every seat is truly a great one leaving clear sight lines to the stage, and the ornate lobby. It was a totally different feel from any theater I’d experienced before and the place where I learned to appreciate plays as much as musicals (what can I say, my dad was a band director – there was no way I was coming out unbiased!).

Since Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen took over five years ago the Jungle has led a marked shift in the kind of work produced on stages here in Minnesota. Quietly, one production at a time, more women and people of color have been cropping up in every facet of the Jungle’s operations – from acting to scriptwriting to production design and direction. It is now known as a place where you can go to see something completely fresh and new, whether a play like Small Mouth Sounds that was mostly silent, all-female productions like the heartbreaking teenage drama The Wolves or Rasmussen’s stunning pink and black debut production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, or new musicals like Ride the Cyclone that literally leave your jaw on the floor.

So what could be bittersweet about the fresh new voices blazing through the Jungle (and now many, many other #tctheater venues) under Rasmussen’s excellent leadership? It was recently announced that she will be leaving the Twin Cities to take the position of Artistic Director of the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey, one of the largest and most respected regional theaters in the country. While we are very sad to see her go, it’s an amazing opportunity that she richly deserves and we know she will excel at. And with the announcement that Christina Baldwin, who has been mentored by Rasmussen for the last two years, will be stepping in as interim Artistic Director we are confident in the Jungle’s future.

The cruelest part is that what is now Rasmussen’s last season at the helm was cut short by the pandemic, and we won’t be able to see what the end of her particular vision for the Jungle entailed. That said, we are grateful for the wonderful #tctheater memories she left us, the magnificent local artists she introduced us to who are sure to become superstars in their own right, and the sound footing the Jungle is on to remain a theater to watch in the years ahead. Please join us in raising a glass of best wishes to Sarah Rasmussen as she departs Minnesota this month. And while you’re at it, make a donation to the Jungle in her honor (link below) – let’s ensure their next season can kick off with a bang. - Compendium - Minneapolis

Theater Crush Thursday: Chanhassen Dinner Theatres

It's the best day of the week, so you know what that means? Time for #TheaterCrushThursday!

Today we are talking about Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. CDT was founded in 1968 and has posted some staggering statistics since then – it is the largest professional dinner theater complex in the nation, the largest privately-owned restaurant in Minnesota, and has served over 12.5 million guests. If you’re a production design junkie, this is a great place to witness some beautiful costumes and sets with local pride (Beauty and the Best and Holiday Inn were particular favorites); all productions are conceived and designed by full-time artistic teams and made on-site 100% in Minnesota. And if musical theater isn’t really your thing, no problem – the vast complex has plenty of other entertainment options including a comedy club, concert series, wedding and events business and Brindisi’s Pub if you just want to swing through for a cold one.

CDT has hosted hundreds of productions over the years. Their past performance list, lovingly reproduced in every program, reads like a who’s who of the musical world. Recent productions have included Holiday Inn, Mamma Mia, Newsies, Sister Act, Grease. One of my all time favorites was Hairspray. They had just opened a production of The Music Man before the COVID-19 crisis closed their doors, and we hope they’re able to hit the ground running when things are up and running again as well as stage their next scheduled show of Cinderella. If you want to learn more (and you should!) check out their About Page below.

Personally, CDT has a special place in my heart because I grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota, and CDT was the first place I experienced theater beyond the scope of small community theater. I will never forget being a little kid sitting in that dark theater, while the limpid notes of the pit orchestra and foggy set opened upon Brigadoon.

CDT was the only professional theater I experienced for most of my life, through annual school trips, and it was the place that opened my mind to the wonder that theater creates. It is the venue where engaging with theater became an accessible idea to me; I recognized many of the faces I continued to see on stage and was recognized and welcomed when I came through the doors.

I've branched far and wide from CDT in my understanding of #tctheater since my days as a wide eyed, wonder-filled kid, but this remains the source of my love for theater. It's now a familiar place where I can order my favorite entree (Chicken Chanhassen - don't sleep on it) and settle in for a few nostalgic hours. I love my other theaters in the Twin Cities for many reasons, but this is one that brings me back every time. 

- Compendium - Minneapolis

Theater Crush Thursday: Minneapolis Musical Theatre

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY
The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers are taking this long intermission in live theater to highlight some of our favorite #TCTheater Companies.

Today, we’re giving a little love to Minneapolis Musical Theatre, a scrappy theater with a big heart. Founded by Kevin Hansen and Steven Meerdink, MMT specializes in “Rare Musicals, Well Done” and some of our most memorable musical theater experiences have been courtesy of MMT.

MMT started its full theater seasons at Hey City Theater in downtown Minneapolis and our fond memories from that time include La Cage Aux Folles (with Hansen and Meerdink—former partners in life as well as theater—as Albin and Georges), a sweet and lovely production performed during Pride. Other shows in those years included Chess, Zombie Prom, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Zanna, Don’t and Mame with Hansen in the title role. Insert many heart emojis here. Despite changes in leadership, they continued to live up to their mission with shows like Reefer Madness, Sunset Boulevard, Carrie and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Eating Raoul, Calvin Berger and Murder Ballad. Unique shows and regional premieres are their specialty. We love their ambition and their eclectic selections.

In recent years, MMT has upped their game and entered a new era of quirky, eclectic shows with an even higher level of artistry. Three words: Silence! The Musical. This SHOW. Performed at the Lab Theater, we saw this hilarious musical retelling of Silence of the Lambs multiple times and LOVED it every single time. The production was spare but ingenious and the cast KILLED it.

And then there was High Fidelity, the musical based on the movie based on the book by Nick Hornby. Performed at Minneapolis’s legendary record store, I will NEVER forget standing in the Electric Fetus as the cast—browsing the selection among the audience—kicks off with the first song and the unbelievable joy on the faces of the audience members. Fantastic cast, perfect site-specific location, and one of the best shows we’ve seen in recent years.

Last year, MMT brought us Be More Chill, a show we saw on Broadway that left us cold, but was performed by MMT with such heart and sincerity that it was a whole new show to us. This winter, we caught MMT’s Daddy Long Legs, a sweet, two-person musical produced perfectly at the James J. Hill House and performed gorgeously. We’re beyond sad we can’t see their take on Lizzie, the rock musical about Lizzie Borden, but are hopeful we’ll see it sometime in the future.

Won’t you join us in supporting (http://www.aboutmmt.org/support/) this scrappy theater with heart? We can’t wait to see what they’ll do next.

- Minnesota Theater Love

Theater Crush Thursday: Ten Thousand Things

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY

The Twin Cities Theater Bloggers are taking this long intermission in live theater to highlight some of our favorite #TCTheater Companies.

Ten Thousand Things Theatre has a unique mission. They bring theater to people, performing in schools, shelters, jails, and in smaller venues like the one I attended at Open Book in Minneapolis to see their most recent "Thunder Knocking on My Door" and other shows. Most of the paid performances sell out. They keep their set and props to a minimum. The cast is usually small. This one has five actors and two musicians, and a few stage hands. The founder Michelle Hensley started the theater company in 1991. Her book "All the Lights On" is an insightful look at doing theater and making it accessible to all people. Marcela Lorca has taken over as Artistic Director and is carrying on the excellence of TTT.

Most of the time, I drive to Minneapolis to see their performances at Open Book. I always check to see where they're bringing the show around the state. They brought "Elecktra" up to Emily, MN, which is closer to my home.

What impresses me most about the creative team of TTT is how they get to the heart of the story. I am emotionally connected to the story and characters. Perhaps, it's the intimate experience, small spaces, chairs set around the acting space, you can see every eye twitch and facial expression, and their musicians are always top notch. What must this experience be like for someone who is incarcerated? They bring life and imagination to each performance. Themes of the shows bring out the human experience, ask questions, and give hope.

https://tenthousandthings.org/

- Mary, Play off the Page

Theater Crush Thursday: Mixed Blood Theatre

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY!
It's time for another #TCTheater that ranks as one of our favorites. This Thursday it's the Minneapolis theatre known for it's "Radical Hospitality" policy Mixed Blood Theatre Company. A program which focuses on making theater accessible to all by removing any and all obstacles whether they are physical or fiscal. Their mission "Using theater to illustrate and animate, Mixed Blood models pluralism in pursuit of interconnections, shared humanity, and engaged citizenry". A fully accessible theater featuring all single stall restrooms, a huge plus for the Transgender community. They take their role in the community seriously producing works focused on social justice and highlighting the positive aspects of the differences between us.

That may sound like a noble but boring theatre company, the kind you go to learn a lesson rather than be entertained. Nothing could be further from the truth as evidenced by their last production a world premiere of a new musical INTERSTATE which closed early on March 14th due to the Covid -19 crisis. Though the show ran for just over a week, I saw it three times. Why because it is one of the best musicals I have ever seen. it is in my top 5, and I know one 16 year old for whom it supplanted HAMILTON and RENT to become his favorite musical. That's because Mixed Blood understands that when we are entertained and moved we are open to new ideas.

Like all theatres during this crisis Mixed Blood needs our support. I encourage you to go to their website and donate if you can or become a member, there are fantastic benefits for only $9/month. go to https://mixedblood.com/

- Rob, The Stages of MN

for more about Mixed Blood check out my latest blog post at https://bit.ly/2RHSs6M

Theater Crush Thursday: Yellow Tree Theatre

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY!
We're back with another #TCTheater company that we love and want to highlight. This week's feature is Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo. If you’ve never been it may seem like a far drive and odd to enter a theater through a strip mall, but it has been transformed into one of the coziest lobbies. From the moment you pick up your tickets you are welcomed into a charming lobby space that feels like you are a guest in someone’s home. The intimate theatre space compliments the wonderful productions being presented on stage which makes being in the audience that much more enjoyable.

Reminiscing on this past season starting with the poignant and gut-wrenching THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, we then laughed until we cried through ANOTHER MIRACLE ON CHRISTMAS LAKE, and witnessed the powerful story of THE SKELETON CREW unfold before our eyes. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic; SHERWOOD THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD was cancelled with hopes to produce it in the fall.

The upcoming 13th Season has not been announced yet, but we are looking forward to see what they have planned. The trip to Osseo is well worth the drive.

http://yellowtreetheatre.com/

- Erica, Lettered in Theatre

Theater Crush Thursday: DalekoArts

THEATER CRUSH THURSDAY!
We're starting a new weekly feature to highlight a #TCTheater company that we love. This week's feature is DalekoArts in charming downtown New Prague. Yes, that sounds like a long drive for theater, but it's not really, especially if you live in the south metro, and it's a gorgeous drive that's totally worth it for the great work that Daleko does in their intimate theater space. Like many theaters, they were unable to complete their 2019-2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic; their spring musical SPELLING BEE was cancelled. But they just announced their 2020-2021 season, which is entirely work written by women, and that's something to celebrate and look forward to!
Their 9th season includes the smart, disarming, and relevant comedy NATIVE GARDENS; the utterly charming PRIDE AND PREJUDICE fan fiction MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY; a new play by co-founder Amanda White, ITASCA; and the 1985 Tony-nominated musical QUILTERS. We often complain about the fact that theaters do the same "classic" musicals (mostly written by men) over and over again, yet there are many great musicals written by women that are never done. Kudos to Daleko for bringing us one of these rarely produced gems by women playwrights/composers.
Season tickets are not yet on sale, but you can find out more about their shows and/or make a donation on their website.
See you in New Prague next season!
https://dalekoarts.com/

- Jill, Cherry and Spoon