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Performance Arts

Pillsbury House play deals with sprinters and gods
While the crowds are flocking to see the gods tussle in the movie version of "Thor," the Pillsbury House Theater in Minneapolis is about to put its own spin on struggling deities. "In the Red and Brown Water," being presented at the Guthrie Theater, uses West African traditions to tell a very modern American story.May 11, 2011
Southern Theater director remains optimistic
The executive director of the Southern Theater, Gary Peterson says he is "cautiously hopeful" his organization will raise the $400,000 it says it needs to stay afloat.April 29, 2011
In Arthur Phillips' new novel, the play is the thing
In his new novel, Arthur Phillips spins a tale within a tale about a novelist named Arthur Phillips, and his discovery of a long-lost play by Shakespeare. Is Phillips writing about himself, and is the play the real thing? Find out on Midmorning.Midmorning, April 26, 2011
New Guthrie season has a Hitchcockian twist
The Guthrie Theater will present 14 plays in its 2011-2012 season, including a new adaptation of the short story upon which Alfred Hitchcock based "The Birds."April 18, 2011
A singer, and the struggle for civil rights
A new production at the Penumbra Theatre examines the significance of the Nat "King" Cole Show, one of the first network TV programs hosted by an African American, and the role it's star played in the modern civil rights era.Midmorning, April 18, 2011
British production treats the heist as interactive art
Several hundred people are expected to try to rob a Minneapolis bank this weekend. It's not a crime spree. In fact, it's all in the name of art. MPR's Euan Kerr got a sneak preview.April 15, 2011
Controversial dance returns 30 years after first run
In 1979 a dance performance at the Northrop Auditorium on the U of M campus in Minneapolis outraged the audience. Some people booed and walked out. The object of the derision was a piece simply called "Dance" by choreographer Lucinda Childs with music composed and performed by Philip Glass. Now 32 years later, they've returned to mount the piece again at the Walker Art Center this weekend.April 7, 2011
From the Frank Theatre, a fresh 'Cabaret'
When an iconoclastic theater company like Frank Theatre tackles a musical like "Cabaret," you can almost bet it won't be anything like the original.March 4, 2011
Dancers explore the darker side of the Carpenters' story
For people of a certain age, the prospect of an evening of Carpenters music probably raises some mixed emotions. The brother-sister team of Richard and Karen Carpenter pumped out hit after hit in the 1970s. However behind the scenes the Carpenters were troubled. Karen struggled with an eating disorder which was to claim her life in 1983. That facade of pop music happiness covering a real life tragedy forms the basis of a new dance presentation in Minneapolis this weekend.March 4, 2011
Ordway's new season bringing Broadway hits to St. Paul
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will present several current Broadway hits as part of its 2011-2012 season, including Tony Award-winning Musical "Memphis."February 24, 2011
A career in the theater as a composer
It's preview week for the Guthrie Theater's new production of Shakespeare's "The Winters Tale," and one of the people scrambling to get things ready is composer Adam Wernick. Just as the actors are honing their performances Wernick will refine the music right up to Friday's opening night.February 1, 2011
Guthrie's 'savior,' Michael Langham, dies
Theater director Michael Langham has died. Langham is credited with saving the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis from ruin in the 1970s, serving as artistic director from 1971 till 1977.January 17, 2011
A snowsuit tells tales of terror
Few people would link a toddler's snowsuit with the horrors of totalitarianism. Yet this weekend at the Walker Art Center some eastern European performers are doing just that. In "Show Your Face!" the snowsuit comes alive through a mixture of puppetry, movement and music.January 6, 2011
Walker aims to break through artistic boundaries
Evolving technology, public expectations, and a constantly changing world are leading to surprising developments in artistic disciplines. In coming weeks, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will present a performing arts show with no performers, and a film screening with no film.December 30, 2010
Duluth's NorShor Theater gets planning grant
A Duluth arts group has obtained a $10,000 grant to develop a business plan for the historic NorShor theater.December 28, 2010