IMPORTANT UPDATE ON MN THEATER AWARDS!

Hi lovely TCTB followers,

We're passing along a message we received today from the folks organizing the MN Theater Awards. For reasons they explain below, they are re-opening ballots until his Friday, September 14th at midnight. We at TCTB think that it is a good thing that they are calling out the lack of diversity among people voting and insisting on the need to "give everyone a chance to help represent the community." Please give them a read. - TCTB

Dear MN Theater Community,

We first want to thank all of you who have participated thus far in including your voice in the MN Theater Awards. From town halls to email conversations to submitting nominations, we’ve heard you, and we appreciate all of your input.

We have tallied the ballots, and are extremely concerned about the narrow scope of the results and the limited number of votes submitted. Approximately 90% of ballots came from people who self-identified as white performers and the top results in almost every category centered on the same four theaters.

Simply put, these results do not fully represent the Minnesota theater community.

We knew that our biggest hurdle would be reaching across the breadth and depth of the theater community we love.

We tried our best to reach out, but we realize that despite our best efforts, we have failed.

Therefore, ballots have been reopened and they will be available until this Friday, September 14th at midnight.

We want to give everyone a chance to help represent the community. We implore you to help us spread this message so that we can add more nominations to the ones we already have. These awards were designed to be open to all, but they lack meaning if the entire community is not represented.

Visit this link to vote and share.
https://bit.ly/2CBZ01J

Sincerely,
Four Humors

Contact us at mntheaterawards@gmail.com

Hamilton - at long last!

Now that the most beloved of all shows in American theater (yes, that one) has finally come round to the Twin Cities, what’s left for a theater blogger to say? Except  perhaps that however good you’ve heard the show is, it’s better. So say Hamilton first-timers like Brett, who exults: “Just like a cannon going through a window during the Revolutionary War, this show shattered every expectation I had” https://bretttalk.com/bloglist/hamilton-an-american-musical-at-hennepin-theatre-trust.   Disappointed that you didn’t get to see the original Broadway cast?  Don’t be! Because Phenomenal assures us that this touring company is outstanding: “I have never witnessed such energy and commitment to giving the audience their very best performance each and every night”.. This blogger was, in fact, so blown away by Nik Walker as Aaron Burr she “became completely obsessed with him  from the moment he stepped onstage”: https://www.phenomnaltwincities.com/review-hamilton/ . First-timer Mary over at Play Off the Page agrees that the play “lives up to all the hype” and exceeds it: https://playoffthepage.com/2018/09/review-of-hamilton-u-s-tour-at-orpheum-theatre-minneapolis/ . Meanwhile Cherry and Spoon’s seasoned Hamilton-goer Jill, who has seen  “the play about America’s favorite founding father” 4 times (!)insists that Hamilton is “still epic and thrilling”  the 4^th time! around http://www.cherryandspoon.com/2018/09/hamilton-broadway-tour-at-orpheum.html. And if you’re not already convinced that there simply is no such thing as Hamilton fatigue, Compendium's Becky Iverson supplies 9 lovely reasons why she “still cares about Hamilton” three years after it opened: http://compendiummpls.blogspot.com/2018/09/9-reasons-why-i-still-care-about.html.   (If you haven’t already done so,check out the handy-dandy guide from the Hamilton vets over at Minnesota Theatre Love: http://www.mntheaterlove.com/p/about-us.html.) 

And surely you are well aware of the Hamilton lottery.   What? What's this? Wait, how could you not know about the Hamilton lottery?  Try your luck here: https:/hamiltonmusical.com/lottery/

Hamilton plays through Oct 7 at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis. For tickets and information go to: https://hennepintheatretrust.org/events/hamilton-broadway-tickets-orpheum-theatre-minneapolis-mn-2018/. More info about Hamilton at www.HamiltonMusical.com

Production photo by Joan Marcus.

Hamilton: Before You See It

The near record breaking 11 time Tony-Award winning musical, Hamilton is celebrating their opening night tonight at Hennepin Theatre Trust! Some of our bloggers have put together some extra information about Hamilton and wanted to share it with you all! #HamiltonMPLS

Hamilton Lottery Information from Brett Talk - https://bit.ly/2MzqYQh

Your Guide to Hamilton: Part One - What You Need to Know by Minnesota Theater Love
https://bit.ly/2MBCIBS

Your Guide to Hamilton: Part Two - So Now You're Obsessed
https://bit.ly/2BUzRig

Your Guide to Hamilton: Part Three - A Personal Note
https://bit.ly/2LzMOOl

The Korean Drama Addict's Guide to Losing Your Virginity at Theater Mu

A large number of our bloggers saw Theater Mu new production "The Korean Drama Addict's Guide to Losing Your Virginity." The show currently is sold out and had a successful run! See what our bloggers said about it below.

Cherry and Spoon - https://bit.ly/cs_kdrama 

One Girl, Two Cities - https://bit.ly/2MYEaKH

Life in Revue - https://bit.ly/2MAdnHu

Compendium - Minneapolis - https://bit.ly/2OgQw0J

Gina Musto - https://bit.ly/2vTvpuE 

Minnesota Theater Love - https://bit.ly/2KDGQuY 

Brett Talk - https://bit.ly/2MkEZRE

The Legend of Georgia McBride at the Guthrie Theater

Currently the Guthrie Theater is wrapping up their 2017-2018 season with "The Legend of Georgia McBride," a story of how one man loses his job as an Elvis impersonator and in turn finds a family as he becomes a drag queen. This show runs through August 26. See what our bloggers thought of this hilarious and inspiring show below!

"I didn't know I needed The Legend of Georgia McBride in my life, but I can promise you that I really did (and I think you do too)." - Compendium - Minneapolis - https://bit.ly/2uJuufJ

"...it had so much heart, that my eyes well up a little as I type this." - Play off the Page - https://bit.ly/2NJQtdD

"[Rexy]'s monologue is so raw and emotional that it truly is a moment of great artistry." - Brett Talk - https://bit.ly/2NIzXus

"Georgia McBride is a really fun show, and you also may learn a bit about drag performance, and rethink some stereotypes about the real people behind all the glitz and glamour of the show." - Cherry and Spoon -https://bit.ly/cs_georgiam

Legally Blonde at Artistry MN

Bend and snap your way to Artistry MN to see their fabulous production of "Legally Blonde the Musical." This show already had limited availability for almost all their shows so be sure to get your tickets fast after reading what our bloggers thought of it!

"All the leads are marvelous. Their voices soar."
- Play off the Page - https://bit.ly/2uYilDb

"The Show is laugh out loud funny at times."
- Say Entirely - https://bit.ly/2LOOCDI

"Steele is the perfect Elle Woods.They could not have cast it better."
- Brett Talk - https://bit.ly/2LMSVDO

Guys & Dolls at Lyric Arts Company of Anoka

Sometimes you just need to go back to the classics and that is exactly what Lyric Arts does with this beautiful production of "Guys & Dolls" which is heading into it's final weekend of performances! See what two of our bloggers had to say about it and get your tickets before it closes on August 5!

"Kate Beahen and Quinn Shadko are so fabulous and perfectly cast as Adelaide and Sarah, respectively, that I wish we saw more of this pair." - Cherry and Spoon
http://bit.ly/cs_guys_dolls

"Beahen is one of the most talented performers in the Twin Cities. Her ability to completely transform to any character is mesmerizing." - Brett Talk
https://bit.ly/2JyFH7r