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Performance Arts

• 50 years of social satire at Brave New Workshop
  When it opened 50 years ago, the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis was one of the first theaters for improv sketch comedy and social satire in the nation. But can anybody remain Brave and New for 50 years?February 26, 2008
• Crime and punishment for teenagers
  A 13-year-old kid drops a rock off a bridge on a highway overpass. The rock hits a car and kills the driver. Is the teen guilty of murder? A play at the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis is asking questions of teen audiences, and getting some surprising answers.February 22, 2008
• Celebrating and satirizing Anton Chekhov
  Actors and musicians in Minneapolis are using the dark heart of winter as the perfect setting for celebrating and satirizing the great Russian playwright Anton Chekhov.February 20, 2008
• Jeune Lune gets back to basics
  This weekend in Minneapolis, Theater de la Jeune Lune opens its new show, "Fishtank." The company is in a deep financial hole. After years of doing lavish operas and classical French theater, Jeune Lune is going back to its clowning roots as it tries to rebuild.February 15, 2008
• The many sides of hip hop
  Hip hop music appeals to a wider audience than ever. Poet and dancer Marc Bamuthi Joseph says he hopes to teach people of all ages and races that hip hop is not monolithic, and not all negative.Midmorning, February 11, 2008
• Sweeney Todd: On stage and on screen
  Sweeney Todd pits the screen against the stage, with a new film version starring Johnny Depp, and a touring Broadway production at the State Theater in Minneapolis. An area Stephen Sondheim expert went to both and compares the two productions.February 8, 2008
• Martin McDonagh makes 'a black comedy about despair'
  Writer Martin McDonagh makes people laugh. He also leaves theater-goers feeling bad at what's making them chuckle. He's had a string of hit plays on Broadway. Now he's about to make a whole new audience uncomfortable as he hits U.S. screens with his debut feature film "In Bruges."February 8, 2008
• Journey through dance and continents
  Choreographer Garth Fagan brings classics and new work to the stage in homage to visual artist Romare Bearden. He also talks about the impact of jazz and the music of South America and Africa on modern dance.Midmorning, February 7, 2008
• The drama of being transgender
  Local theater companies are increasingly staging plays revolving around transgender characters.January 30, 2008
• Performances take new leaps with digital technology
  This weekend fans of the Irish supergroup U2 can enjoy a new view of their favorite band. "U23D" is a three dimensional film that plunges a viewer into a huge stadium concert. It's just one new way that digital technology is being used to present performances.January 25, 2008
• It's not just Asian-American theater, it's good theater
  After 15 years of performing in smaller theaters around the Twin Cities, the Asian-American company Theater Mu is getting some welcome exposure in high-profile venues like the Ordway Center and the Guthrie Theater.January 18, 2008
• Robert Bly takes on a Norwegian masterpiece
  Minnesota author and poet Robert Bly has written a new translation of Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt. It premieres on the Guthrie Theater stage this weekend.January 14, 2008
• 50 years of 'West Side Story'
  West Side Story, starring Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno, hit theaters all over the globe in 1961, from Los Angeles to Japan to Brazil. NPR's Scott Simon explores the story of this musical in a documentary called, "A place for us: 50 years of 'West Side Story.'"Midday, December 24, 2007
• Is everyone a critic?
  Professional criticism in newspapers may be declining, but the need for someone to weed through the wealth of media available online may be increasing.Midmorning, December 24, 2007
• All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914
  A new production retelling the true story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 reminds us of the power of music to make peace, even in wartime.December 20, 2007

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