State of the Arts Category Archive: Events

Your Weekend Arts Outlook

Posted at 2:23 PM on November 20, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

'Corleone: The Shakespearean Godfather' at Gremlin Theatre
Photo by Jim Clifford

One of the hits of past Minnesota Fringe Festivals was "Corleone" - a Shakespearean re-imagining of The Godfather. The one-hour piece has been expanded into a full evening's entertainment, with Coppola's iconic mobsters spouting off in iambic pentameter. It opens tonight at Gremlin Theater in St. Paul.

Franklin Art Works celebrates it's tenth anniversary tonight with the opening of a new show. The highlight? "Hello World!..." - a large-scale video installation comprised of thousands of unique video diaries gathered from the internet. The work measures 15' high x 48' long and featires multi-channel audio. Artist Christopher Baker says the project is a meditation on the contemporary plight of democratic, participative media and the fundamental human desire to be heard.

Walker Art Center went through its storage bins to put together an exhibition that shows how a particular event can shape artistic ideas around that time. Event Horizon features postwar art, from avant-garde film of the 1960s to newly created environmental works.

Uri Sands and Toni Pierce-Sands are back with their company TU Dance and a new line-up of work at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul this weekend. The program features the company premiere of Danial Shapiro & Joanie Smith's "Dance with Army Blankets," presented in its first full staging since being commissioned by Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble in 1992. Uri Sands presents two premieres: a new duet performed with Marciano Silva Dos Santos; and Sense(ability) Sketch III - Earth, the latest in his series exploring the dynamic synergy between the human senses and the elements.
Photo by Ed Bock

And, can 34 years of packed audiences be wrong? This weekend marks the opening of the Guthrie's 35th performance of A Christmas Carol.

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Fringe Festival announces new Midwest tour circuit, training for artists

Posted at 10:52 AM on November 13, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

This past August the Minnesota Fringe Festival broke a lot of personal records. 46,189 tickets were issued to an estimated 15,100 patrons to see 162 shows at 22 different venues. Executive director Robin Gillette says she thinks the festival doesn't need to grow anymore than it has already, and so she's focussing instead on getting more people into the festival from across the region. Up until now the festival has been dominated by artists from the Twin Cities.

"We're heading to Wisconsin, Iowa and all over Minnesota," said Gillette. "A huge number of people create performing arts in the Upper Midwest, and we want them to participate in our festival."

Gillette said the Minnesota Fringe is also participating in the first organized tour for U.S.-based Fringes. Four Midwestern festivals--Kansas City Fringe Festival, Minnesota Fringe Festival, Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival and Chicago Fringe Festival--have created a circuit for artists who want to participate in all four festivals. Two companies will be picked from the Minneapolis Fringe to participate in the tour.

Gillette said the Fringe is also expanding its training and support to budding performance companies. Fringe and Springboard for the Arts are organizing an all-day conference for producers of small theater.

"The goal is to teach our producers how to make a show a reality," Gillette said. "Fringe is a fantastic way for first-time producers to get their feet wet, but we want to make sure our participants walk away feeling like they've learned enough to do it again outside the framework of the festival."

Fringe is introducing two new programs: "First Steps" for first-time Fringe producers and "Next Steps" for producers with more Fringe experience. First Steps includes a mentorship program with a more established production company and Next Steps provides support to companies as they look to produce shows outside of the Fringe.

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Your weekend arts forecast

Posted at 9:40 AM on November 11, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Events

Things are going to get ugly... Dean Holt and Reed Sigmund star as the stepsisters in "Cinderella" at the Children's Theatre Company. Photo by Ann Marsden

The Children's Theatre Company is taking the fairytale classic "Cinderella" and giving it a shot in the arm. Artistic Director Peter Brosius is mounting the play in the style of English "panto," which involves lots of physical comedy, gags, and men cast as women.

To that end Reed Sigmund and Dean Holt have been cast as Cinderella's 'ugly stepsisters' Dorcas and Pearl. Sigmund is known for his roles in "A Year with Frog and Toad" and "Bert & Ernie, Goodnight!" (he was Ernie). Holt won an Ivey award for his Charlie Chaplin-esque performance in CTC's "Reeling." Joe Chvala, founder of Flying Foot Forum, choreographed the show.

The Martha Graham Dance Company brings Clytemnestra to the Northrop Auditorium tomorrow night. Fifty years after its premiere, the psychodrama is still deemed a masterpiece of 20th Century American modernism.
The shapes and structures of the set ar emeant to evoke the inner spaces of the mind and memory, accentuating dramatic scenes of betrayal, revenge, murder, and reconciliation.

The Minnesota Orchestra presents an evening of Sibelius, Mendelssohn and the world premiere of a new work by English composer Sally Beamish. Beamish's "The Song Gatherer" will be performed by guest cellist Robert Cohen, for whom it was written.

Form and Content Gallery hosts a reception for the artists in its exhibition "Calling All Angels" Saturday night from 7-9pm. It's described as an exploration of the mysterious line between the here and the hereafter - and our complex relationship with memory and loss. The show features the work of Camille J. Gage, Anders Nilsen and David Everett.

Check back tomorrow to find out what the Art Hounds are up to, and on Friday I'll have a look at the Jungle Theater's production of "The Seafarer" which also opens this weekend.

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Your Weekend Arts Forecast

Posted at 6:50 AM on November 5, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

The choices for your weekend will have you all tied up in knots...

Minnesota Dance Theater presents Carmina Burana, it's physical interpretation of Carl Orff's music, which itself was inspired by the poems of vagrant monks. The dance was originally performed with Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and features the vocal performances of Bradley Greenwald, Justin Madel, and Jennifer Baldwin-Peden. Shows run tonight through Sunday at the Lab Theater in Minneapolis.

The Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis hosts its annual "Art Attack," in which all its resident artists (they number 130+) open their studio doors to the curious. Those studios feature everything from fiber art and ceramics to architecture and poster art. The fun begins Friday from 5-10pm, and continues Saturday from noon-8pm, and again Sunday from noon-5pm.

Bryant Lake Bowl has a couple of fun shows on its cozy little stage this weekend. First, there's "Quickies," a series of comedic shorts put on by four different companies. Think of it as speed-dating for your perfect theater... Performances run for the three Fridays at 7pm.

Hardcover Theater returns to the BLB with its latest literary incarnation, this time ripped from the pages of H. Rider Haggard's 1887 novel, She. In it, pith helmet sporting Brits make their way through the wilds of Africa, and stumble across a society that worships a powerful and irresistable woman. Hardcover has described it as being "like an Indiana Jones movie onstage, but with interesting characters and provocative themes." (Hmmm... can that work?)

So don't hold back on us - what are you doing this weekend?

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Your Weekend Outlook

Posted at 10:51 AM on October 28, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

I see many cultural events in your future...
Sufjan Stevens, image courtesy of Southern Theater

Tomorrow night (Thursday) Sufjan Stevens presents his 2007 film "The BQE" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Over the course of 40 minutes Stevens explores - and sets to music - the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The piece was commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of its Next Wave Festival. Not sure if it's your thing? Check out this clip:

THE BQE- A Film By Sufjan Stevens from Asthmatic Kitty on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, the Rockstar Storytellers are back at Bryant Lake Bowl this Sunday, this time to take on the "War and Western" genre. John Wayne, anyone?

The Walker Art Center goes head-to-head with Halloween with the opening of "Dan Graham: Beyond." This retrospective reveals Graham's perspective on "the changing relationship of individual to society, as filtered through American mass media and architecture."

Open Eye Figure Theater brings back it's critically acclaimed "Elijah's Wake" at its intimate space in Minneapolis. Dubbed a "visual poem by Michael Sommers," Elijah's Wake examines what we leave behind when we're gone.

At the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, students from El Colegio have created "ofrendas" or "offerings" for the Day of the Dead. These three dimensional pieces made in crates (symbolizing the immigrants that came to Minnesota to work in the fields). The offerings, and related videos, are on display through November 15. (Check back here on Friday, when I'll have a more in-depth look at the exhibition.)

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What you could do this weekend:

Posted at 4:03 PM on October 22, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

Steve Epp stars in "This House Can't Stand" at the Southern Theater.

It's a great weekend to see theater, dance and art, so take advantage of it!

Steven Epp and Dominique Serrand of the former "Theatre de la Jeune Lune" are back with a new performance. It's a one-woman show starring... Steven Epp. "The House Can't Stand" runs tonight through Sunday at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

James Sewell Ballet presents its latest work, including one piece performed to the music of Bad Plus. The evening includes work by choreographers Linda Shapiro (of Shapiro and Smith) and Penelope Freeh. Performances run this weekend only at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium.

The Bell Museum presents "Hungry Planet," an exhibition based on the book by the same name, which documents the eating habits of families around the world. In addition to the images, the exhibition follows how food makes its way from field to table. The opening reception (tonight) features snacks from around the globe.

The inimitable Kevin Kling is back with a new production, performed by Interact Theater of Minneapolis, and Tutti Ensemble from Southern Australia. Northern Lights/Southern Cross: Tales from the Other Side of the World, is an epic tale that starts the moment Kling almost died in a motorcycle crash. The production runs through November 8 at the Guthrie Theater.

Groveland Gallery hosts a reception for its newest exhibition tomorrow night from 5-8pm. In the main gallery you can find the paintings of Rod Massey, who captures Minneapolis neighborhoods with a loving and bittersweet touch. In the annex, Dani Roach displays her hyper-realist landscapes.

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What you could see this weekend...

Posted at 12:42 PM on October 15, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

Theater Latte Da presents "The Full Monty" at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts

Theater Latte Da presents a stripped-down version of "The Full Monty" (sorry, I couldn't resist). The story, which you may remember from the movie, is about a bunch of guys who, when faced with an economic recession, decide to bare it all in the hopes of making some cash. The show opens tonight at the Ordway Center for Performing Arts.

Ballet of the Dolls presents "Pas de Quatre," a deconstruction of four ballets made famous by the Ballets Russes: Cleopatra, Sheherazade, The Firebird and Le Dieu Bleu. The company promises, In true Doll style, "No classical music, tutus or tights.......well, maybe tutus." "Pas de Quatre" runs through October 25.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Northrop Auditorium hosts the world premiere of "Moulin Rouge - the ballet." It's the creation of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and lest you were hoping for love ballads a la Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, you should know the ballet is set to a compilation of music from French composers at the time the Moulin Rouge was opening.

If you're getting in the mood for some Halloween scares, The Soap Factory presents "The Haunted Basement," an artistic re-imagining of your worst fears. This year the theme is "disturbing," and that means disturbing sights, disturbing sounds, and even disturbing smells. Yikes!

Stay tuned... later today I'll take a look at the exhibition of masterpieces from the Louvre Collection opening this weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and tomorrow I'll explore the political conflit behind Mixed Blood's production "Ruined."

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Crafty people descend on Minneapolis

Posted at 5:25 PM on October 14, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Craft, Events

Tomorrow through Sunday, the American Craft Council is holding its annual conference in Minneapolis at the Radisson Plaza Hotel. While here, curators and artists will tour local studios and art centers, including the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Highpoint Center for Printmaking and the Textile Center. The theme for the conference is "Creating a New Craft Culture."

Speaking of which, if you're interested in learning more about "Craft in America," PBS has a nifty five-part series which you can watch in its entirety on-line through October 22.

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Twin Cities Book Festival tomorrow

Posted at 9:46 AM on October 9, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Books, Events

Just a reminder - the Twin Cities Book Festival takes place tomorrow at Minneapolis Community & Technical College from 10am - 5pm. If you're at all bookish, this event is for you, featuring author talks, a storytelling circle for kids, and lots of books and literary magazines for sale. For more information on the featured authors, see my previous write-up here.

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Art Hounds: Julie Mehretu, Winona and Mississippi Volga III

Posted at 7:01 AM on October 8, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Entropia (review), 2004 by Julie Mehretu
Published by Highpoint Editions

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Jodie Ahern is senior editor at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Jodie was thrilled to see Highpoint Center for Printmaking's debut show in its new building called "Excavations: The Prints of Julie Mehretu." Mehretu is an internationally known painter and printmaker who's work received early notice from the Walker Art Center. "Excavations" is on view at Highpoint through November 21.

Greg Neidhart is a music professor and directs the arts administration program at Winona State University. Greg expects sparks to fly at the "Celebration of Words, Music and Image," a collaboration between area poets, folk and classical musicians and composers. They'll perform Sunday at 7:30pm, at an up and coming attraction in Winona, the Minnesota Marine Art Museum.

James Craven is a veteran actor at Penumbra Theater. James is very impressed with Open Eye Figure Theatre as a company and venue in South Minneapolis. His favorite artistic expressions, dance, music and light, will collide at Mississippi/Volga III, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 9th and 10th at 8pm. Mississippi/Volga III will feature performers from Russia, Hungary and Germany working alongside the local avant cello duo "Jelloslave" and the Minneapolis tap and percussive group "Buckets and Tap Shoes."

Not finding what you want here? Well don't forget, the St. Paul Art Crawl is this weekend. The Decemberists perform at the State Theatre on Friday. And Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater presents its latest work "Tales from the Book of Longing," inspired in part by the poetry of Leonard Cohen.

About Art Hounds®.

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Art Hounds: Dhvee, Marisol, and Hope Sandoval

Posted at 7:01 AM on October 1, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Image courtesy of the Walker Art Center.

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Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.

Interested in becoming an art hound? Sign up!

Sandy Agustin serves as artistic director of the Neighborhood House on St. Paul's west side and is also an arts consultant. You'll find Sandy at the Walker Art Center on Friday, Oct. 2 for "Dhvee," a sprawling production blending the Indian movement of Minneapolis-based Ragamala Dance with the music of a Balinese gamelan orchestra. "Dhvee" opens Thursday night, Oct. 1 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 4.

Heather Meyer is a Twin Cities-based actor, playwright and improvisor. Heather has nothing but praise for the Jose Rivera's absurdist play "Marisol," and the company that's performing it, Theatre Pro Rata. The play focuses on what happens to the main character, Marisol, when her guardian angel leaves to join a plot to overthrow a god who's lost his grip on the world. "Marisol" is on stage at St. Paul's Gremlin Theatre from Oct. 3 - Oct. 18.

Bill Caperton is a musician, talent buyer for the Turf Club and 501 Club, and a graduate student at the University of Minnesota. Bill's gig of the week happens this Saturday, Oct. 3, when singer songwriter Hope Sandoval and her band The Warm Inventions make a stop at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis. You may remember Sandoval's old band Mazzy Star and its '90s alt rock classic, "Fade Into You."

Still not seeing something you want to check out this weekend? Then you might consider attending Highpoint Center for Printmaking's grand opening celebration on Saturday, or seeing Rob Fischer's new exhibition at Franklin Art Works. Take a look at yesterday's post on Penumbra Theatre's latest production "Radio Golf." And don't forget the music and movies festival "Sound Unseen."

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Art Hounds: Breaking, popping, and styling

Posted at 7:27 AM on September 17, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Image courtesy of Intermedia Arts

Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.

Interested in becoming an art hound? Sign up!

Art hound Betsy Altheimer is the development program director at Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul. She's really looking forward to the B-Girl Be Block Party taking place at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 19.

Betsy thinks this afternoon of music, dance, art and film will appeal to everyone, from b-girls steeped in hip-hop culture to newbies seeking an introduction. She also loves the strong sense of sisterhood created at this gathering of female hip-hop artists from around the world.

Chris Bates is an engineer and visual artist in Sioux Falls. Chris wants to let you in on a little secret: Sioux Falls is home to some really fine jazz.

Every weekend, Touch of Europe features local and touring jazz musicians. Chris loves listening to the different styles of the artists who play there and the music helps him as he plans his own abstract visual artworks.

Laura Bidgood is a spoken word artist, storyteller, and freelance director in the Twin Cities. She was blown away by the Lyric Arts' production of Doubt, A Parable, which runs through Sept. 27.

She says she was nervous that this production wouldn't be able to live up to the big names and big budget of the recent movie, but she was amazed by the skill and talent on display on this Anoka stage.

Meanwhile, Accordo, a new Twin Cities classical music ensemble, featuring some of the finest talent from both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, performs at the Southern Theater this weekend.

The Walker Art Center launches its Coen Brothers film retrospective tomorrow night with "Blood Simple."

And in "Rise!" Twin Cities actor-vocalist-educator T. Michael Rambo take its audience on a centennial journey of African American culture, literature and civil rights activism, drawing from the writing of Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois and Martin Luther King Jr., and incorporating the music of Billie Holliday and Nat King Cole, among others.

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Art Hounds: We don't need no stinking tutus

Posted at 7:24 AM on September 10, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

There's enough dance out there this weekend to make even a ballerina's head spin... and yet not a single nutcracker in site.

Interested in trying out a dance concert, but haven't figured out yet which kind you prefer? Choreographers in Accord (CIA) present 8 @ 8, a smorgasbord of dance by eight different companies, including modern, ballet, belly dancing and flamenco.

Meanwhile, Ananya Dance Theatre presents the third and final concert in a trilogy exploring the effects of global warming and pollution on the planet. "Ashesh Barsha, Unending Monsoon," is a danced response to the overconsumption of electricity, energy, and natural resources. (Tip: check back here later today for a more in-depth report on this concert)

Local troupe Hijack joins forces with choreographer Scotty Heron to present SmithsonianSmith, the dancers' latest attempt at being even more "radical." In describing their work, they write:

We bounce to the bouncy music. We smash beer cans on our foreheads and bellies like frat boys. We glue-gun these cans into a Mardi Gras-worthy headdress. We are insects, drunk on nectar and having sex with plastic flowers. We are cleaning up after an oil spill on the Mississippi using absorbent pompoms and wearing cardboard boxes on our heads as sun shields.

Finally, British choreographer Wayne McGregor brings his dancers to Northrup Auditorium Friday night to perform "Entity." Based on collaborative research with psychologists, neuroscientists, and software engineers, "Entity" attempts to convey the complex relationship between the brain and the moving body.

Dance just not doing it for you? How about a music festival in downtown St. Paul? How about a festival celebrating the food and culture of Greece? Or India? Maybe pottery is more your thing? Or an art sale where nothing costs more than $99? How about spoken word?

Still not finding what you're looking for? (geez, you're picky) Check out what these art hounds are doing this weekend.

Of course we can always use a few more hounds to sniff out some great art. Join the pack!

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Art Hounds: Time for the harvest

Posted at 7:00 AM on September 3, 2009 by Marianne Combs (1 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Many folks are enjoying trying their hand at vegetable gardening this summer as they search for ways to simplify their lives and reduce their carbon footprint. Well if you'd really like to see what simplicity looks like, pay a visit to Historic Fort Snelling this weekend as the "residents" (i.e. reenactors) put up crops and preserve foods for the winter. Salted pork, anyone?

This is the second and final weekend of the Minnesota State Fair. I'll just mention that a guy with the initals GK who's known for wearing red socks will be on the main stage Friday night.

The Cedar Cultural Center is hosting a couple of notable events this weekend. On Friday Junkyard Empire celebrates the release of its new CD, Rebellion Politik. The album is in part a reaction to last year's Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Then on Saturday, Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles celebrate the release of their aptly named cd "Special Party Time for Everybody."

Manwhile Triple Rock Social Club hosts the 5th Annual Minneapolis Punk Rock Bowling Awards Show. That's right - bowling to live punk music (played by The Dwarves). Is it just me, or does it sound like someone's going to get hurt?

Tonight, Minnesota author Norah Labiner reads from her book German for Travelers at Magers & Quinn in Minneapolis.

And Mixed Blood Theater opens its season Saturday with "The Romance of Magno Rubio" a play staged by Theater Mu. In it, Filipino farm worker Magno Rubio dreams of a romantic affair with a beautiful American woman while his friends chide his naivete.

Looking for more to do? Check out what these art hounds are up to.

While you're at it, join the art hound collective!

So what are you doing this weekend?

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Art Hounds: Corn dogs and so much more

Posted at 7:23 AM on August 27, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Yes yes yes I know - there's a certain large event opening today. The dairy barn and the fairway are likely to be on the to-do list of many this weekend. But let's look beyond the mini-donuts and buckets-o-fries and on to some other cultural goodies that await.

Today is mnartists.org Field Day at Walker Art Center. It's billed as a "daylong extravaganza for and by Minnesota artists, musicians, writers, poets, and community members." There will be dancing, readings and kick ball. Events run from 11am to 10pm.

Intermedia Arts presents Mama Said Knock You Out, a gallery exhibition in conjunction with B-Girl-Be, a celebration of Women in Hip-Hop. The exhibition showcases 28 female artists from around the world who are employing Hip Hop culture as a means of expression, education and social and political activism.

Need your art on the go? Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents Rush Hour, an exhibition of 400 works of art that use Metro Transit bus transfers as their canvas. But don't miss your stop! The show is one night only, Saturday from 7 to 10pm.

Finally if you prefer a more casual neighborhood stroll to the crowds at the fair, check out the first ever LoLA Art Crawl. LoLA stands for the League of Longfellow Artists, and the crawl features works by about forty of them.

Not seeing what you want here? Then check out what these Art Hounds are doing.

And of course, don't forget to sign up to be an Art Hound yourself.

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Art Hounds: Faeries, fanfare and photography

Posted at 7:03 AM on August 20, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

This weekend marks the opening of the annual Minnesota Renaissance Festival. Back in the old days stalls would serve a slab of bread, a thick slice of cheese and a sausage, washed down with cider. Now you have your choice of fajitas, coconut shrimp, or a chicken teriyaki croissant (?!?!). Opening weekend events include a bellydancing contest, an arabian horse show and a martial arts demonstration.

20% Theatre Company presents "After Juliet," the story of what happens after Romeo and Juliet take their lives. The play's written by Sharman MacDonald, and she supposedly wrote the play at the prompting of her daughter, actress Kiera Knightley. The show runs August 20 - 30 at Sabes Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis.

Working through the Kulture Klub Collaborative, photographer Lauri Lyons and local teenagers are creating Home Is Where You Make It, a mobile exhibition of large-scale portraits of homeless youth. You can check out the portraits, and here Lyons talk, tonight at the Walker Art Center.

And on Friday, The Cabooze hosts a tribute to late pop icon Michael Jackson, featuring performances by JD Steele, Fred Steele, Ray Covington, Brandon Commodore, O'Dell, and more....

Not seeing what you want? Check out what these art hounds are up to.

Interested in becoming an art hound? Join the team!

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Tornado sends Guthrie audiences for cover, closes Electric Fetus

Posted at 2:42 PM on August 19, 2009 by Marianne Combs (5 Comments)
Filed under: Events

No one can upstage Mother Nature. As a tornado swept through Minneapolis this afternoon, Twitter came alive with reports from local businesses. Among them, the Guthrie Theater twitterfeed states "Sirens sounding near the Guthie. Staff and audiences taking cover in the theaters."

Meanwhile Electric Fetus reports: "Ok, apparently @efetusmpls was hit by a tornado. We are dealing with it now. No one was hurt. FETUS IS CLOSED."

More updates as they come in...

Update at 2:50pm - Guthrie Theater now reports all is clear, and the theater is back to normal operations.

Update at 2:55pm - Electric Fetus reports: "Hey all - thanks for your concern. It came fast & furious. Fire trucks there now. Staff & customers sent home. Will update as we know more."

Update at 3:03pm - Electric Fetus: "Store is mostly ok btw. Window damage & damage to outer bldg. A few cars hurt & fence down."

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Twin Cities Book Festival announces featured authors

Posted at 7:49 AM on August 19, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Books, Events

Each year the Rain Taxi Review of Books organizes the Twin Cities Book Festival. This year the festival takes place on October 10 from 10am-5pm on the campus of the Minneapolis Community and Technical College in downtown Minneapolis.

The day long event features, amongst many other things, readings and talks by acclaimed authors. This year ten authors will talk about their most recent works, covering not just fiction and poetry, but pop culture, nature and food.

Here's the complete list, from the press release:

Award-winning novelists who inspire, challenge, and entertain:

NICHOLSON BAKER is the author of a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction, including the novels The Mezzanine and Vox. He has loudly campaigned against the destruction of printed matter in the digital age, and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for his book on the topic, Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper. His new novel, The Anthologist, is narrated by a little-known poet; in this and throughout his work, Baker is a champion of things otherwise unsung, like elevators and the word "lumber."

ROBERT OLEN BUTLER is the author of sixteen novels and short story collections, a book on the creative process, and several plays and screenplays. His work has been honored with Pulitzer Prize, among many other accolades. He has, at various points, worked as a translator, counter-intelligence officer, editor, and professor. His newest novel, Hell, allows the ever-inventive Butler to cast many surprising historical and contemporary characters down into the underworld.

LORRIE MOORE is the author of three short story collections and three novels, the recipient of fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim, Lannan, and Rockefeller Foundations, and the winner of the Rae Award for the Short Story and the Irish Times International Fiction Prize. A Gate at the Stairs, her newest novel and her first book since 1998's acclaimed Birds of America, is an ambitious and visceral examination of racism, war, young love, and employment as a part-time nanny.

Celebrated poets from different countries and different aesthetics:

Acclaimed poet, novelist, and essayist ADAM ZAGAJEWSKI is one of Poland's most famous literary figures, and his talent has influenced many English-speaking poets as well. In addition to such acclaimed poetry volumes such as World Without End, Mysticism for Beginners, and Canvas, he has also published the memoir Another Beauty and two prose collections. His newest volume of verse, Eternal Enemies, came out earlier this year.

The sound poet CHRISTIAN BÖK can read very fast. He can willingly enslave himself to the tyranny of a single vowel. He can build books out of toys. He can create and translate alien languages, having worked as a xenolinguist for Gene Roddenberry and Peter Benchley. And his Eunoia--the single bestselling Canadian poetry book of all time--won the Griffin Poetry Prize and is newly released here in the states. Listen carefully...

Acclaimed writers on the art and beauty of the everyday:

DIANE ACKERMAN is a poet, essayist, naturalist, and the author of two dozen works of nonfiction and poetry. She is the recipient of the Orion Book Award, the John Burroughs Nature Award, the Lavan Poetry Prize, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. (Fun fact: the molecule dianeackerone, a sex pheromone in crocodilians, is named after her.) Her most recent work of literary naturalism, Dawn Light, explores what life is up to when the sun comes up.

RUTH REICHL has been writing about food since the book Mmmmmmmm: A Feastiary in 1972. Her acclaimed food memoirs now include Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires. The recipient of numerous awards, she was the restaurant critic for the New York Times and is now Editor in Chief of Gourmet Magazine; her books for them include The Gourmet Cookbook and the newly released Gourmet Today.

Wildlife artist DAVID ALLEN SIBLEY started birding at the age of seven. He is now the author and illustrator of more than a dozen acclaimed books and field guides on American avian life, including the fastest selling bird book of all time, The Sibley Guide to Birds. Lightning is bound to strike twice with the soon-to-be-released Sibley Guide to Trees. Mr. Sibley will give a visual presentation on how he researches and illustrates these amazing books.

And pop culture experts on comics and geekdom:

GABRIELLE BELL was born in England, raised in California, and currently resides in Brooklyn. Not ten years ago she was self-publishing her own mini-comics; since the turn of the century she has published the acclaimed autobiographical work Lucky, placed her work twice in the Best American Comics series, and appeared in the prestigious Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction. Her newest collection, Cecil and Jordan in New York, includes a story that Bell and noted film director Michel Gondry adapted for Gondry's latest film, Tokyo!

ETHAN GILSDORF's book Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks is a travel-memoir quest that explains and celebrates fantasy and gaming subcultures, whether inspired by fictions like The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, or by role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft. Gilsdorf will introduce some of the characters he encountered in his journeys across this world and other worlds; he will then invite audience members to share their "geekiest moment" onstage. PS: the audience is also encouraged to attend in costume--prizes will be awarded!

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Summer doldrums

Posted at 7:32 PM on August 17, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

It's that time of the year that many reporters dread...and also secretly love. It's the slow time of year, when a lot of people - including newsmakers - are on vacation, and so our news coverage starts to feel a bit sparse. For those reporters who always feel like they're one step behind where they need to be, it's an opportunity to breathe a little easier.

In the theater world this holds particularly true. Most theaters close for the summer, knowing Minnesotans have precious few days of good weather to enjoy, and really don't want to spend their evenings in a darkened room when they could be at the lake.

The Fringe Festival - the bright blazing comet of the summer theater season - has passed, and we're left in its quiet wake.

To make matters worse, in these hard economic times many theaters appear to be shortening their seasons as a way to tighten their budget belts. That means some companies, such as Penumbra Theater, won't launch their first production until October.

What to do, in the meantime? Enjoy the theater of the outdoors. Work in the garden. Take in an music concert in the park. Those cold fall evenings - and cozy little theaters - will welcome you in soon enough.

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Art Hounds: All That Jazz

Posted at 6:30 AM on August 13, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

It's a great weekend for music, especially if you like jazz.

Local tenor saxophonist Irv Williams celebrates his 90th birthday this weekend with performances Friday night at the Artists' Quarter in St. Paul and Monday night at the Dakota in Minneapolis. Williams first performed in Minneapolis when he was in the Navy in World War II, and still performs regularly around the Twin Cities. He's released four albums in the past six years alone, and shows no signs of slowing down.

The Ramsey Lewis Trio performs tonight at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Local vocalist Bruce Henry will make a guest appearance.

On Saturday you'll have to choose between Douglas Little and his group "Seven Steps to Havana" at the Artists' Quarter, and the Ginger Commodore Quartet at the Dakota.

If jazz is not your style, never fear, there's lots more to choose from. Tonight The Cedar hosts a screening of Bela Fleck's new documentary "Throw down your heart," in which he travels through Africa with his banjo, exploring the instruments historic roots. (You can also hear Bela Fleck discuss his documentary on Friday at 10am on Midmorning.)

Tracy Chapman is touring to promote her latest album "Our Bright Future." She lands at the O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul on Saturday.

If all this music seems a little too soft and friendly, have I got just the ticket for you! Bedlam Theater is hosting a hardcore punk fest called "Distortion Days." The line-up includes the local acts "Cognitive Dissonance," "War/Plague," "Animals and Beasts," "Misery" and "Detonate." Sounds like it will be an angry, explosive, angst-ridden affair.

Finally, choreographer Cassandra Shore and her troupe Jawaahir perform a concert of arabic music and dance this weekend and next at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

Not seeing what you want here? Then check out what other art hounds are doing this weekend.

Also, let us know what you're doing this weekend...

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Life as a musical, part two: Flash mobs

Posted at 3:16 PM on August 12, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Culture, Dance, Events, Music, Public Art

Earlier today I wrote about musical numbers, and how they make us feel like we belong to something bigger than ourselves. I cited a video of a public prank, in which a group of performers put on what appeared to be a spontaneous musical in the midst of a food court.

In response, Sharon wrote in with one of her favorite clips of a group taking over a train station in Belgium for a song and dance number:

Such events are called "flash mobs" and they're becoming increasingly popular as technology (internet, cellphones) makes them increasingly easy to orchestrate.

However, as soon as a bunch of creative folk come up with a great idea, it doesn't take long for companies to latch on to them for sales purposes. T-Mobile orchestrated its own flash mob event for a commercial:

Other flash mob events include "flash freezes" in which a large group of people appear to freeze in motion at the exact same time.

Rumor has it there may be a flash event at this year's State Fair... heard anything?

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'Africa's Denzel Washington' to visit the Twin Cities on Sunday

Posted at 2:14 PM on August 11, 2009 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Film, People

The name Van Vicker might not set your pulse racing, but apparently in Ghana, indeed in Africa, Van is the man. Now the Twin Cities Black Film Festival is bringing him the the Twin Cities for the local premier of his new film "Raj the Dancer."

Van Vicker (Image courtesy VanVickerLive.com)

Van Vicker (he has dropped his first name Joseph) is a 32 year old star of the up-and-coming Ghanaian movie industry. He has made 50 movies, usually playing the romantic lead. You can get a sense of how his fans feel by visiting his web site.

"He's the Denzel Washington of Africa," says the TCBFF's Natalie Morrow, shortly after admitting she hadn't heard of him until recently either. This is Vicker's second trip to the Twin Cities. He was here two years ago to promote his movie "American Boy." Apparently fans spotted him shortly after he arrived at the airport.

"He was pretty much mobbed," said Morrow. "He's a good actor - and he's a good-looking actor. I think that's what's the draw." She says his fan base is overwhelmingly female, but not just African. She says his visits to the US have earned him fans from all over.

Morrow says she has been dealing with Vicker personally as they organize the screening. "He's such a nice guy," she said.

The screening of "Raj the Dancer" will be at 7pm at the Earl Brown Community Center in Brooklyn Center on Sunday evening. There will then be a meet and greet at the Blue Nile restaurant on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis from 10 until 2 am.

The Van Vicker event is just a warm up for the TCBFF, which is set for September 18th-20th. The event will open with a special showing of "The Wiz," the Michael Jackson Diana Ross reworking of "The Wizard of Oz."

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MN Fringe Festival sets attendance records

Posted at 1:54 PM on August 10, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

The Minnesota Fringe Festival reports its preliminary ticket numbers are in. They show:

46,189 tickets were issued to an estimated 15,100 patrons of the 2009 festival.

Gross box office revenue was over $330,000 from 162 different productions at 22 venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Compare this to 2008's numbers, when a total of 40,926 tickets were issued, generating $297,374.

This is the Fringe's best year yet, beating out the previous banner year (that was 2006, with 44,692 tickets issued with gross box office of $338,181).

Fringe artistic director Robin Gillette says she blames the success on a number of factors. She says the festival provides a wide array of cheap entertainment, which is especially appealing during a recession. In addition, there was great weather, extensive media coverage, and a really strong line-up.

"Fringe's success is a heartening sign for all Minnesota performing arts attendance this fall," said Gillette. "In many ways, Fringe is a wind-up to the next theater season. I think our festival having such an amazing year bodes well for everyone."

Top ten shows by number of tickets issued:

1. The Harty Boys in The Case of the Limping Platypus presented by Joshua English Scrimshaw and Levi Weinhagen at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (1,067 tickets)

2. Bard Fiction presented by Tedious Brief Productions at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (1,046)

3. Sideways Stories from Wayside School presented by Four Humors Theater at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (946)

4. Blue Ribbon Burlesque presented by Lili's Burlesque Revue at U of M Rarig Center Proscenium (797)

5. Tragedy of You presented by Joseph Scrimshaw Productions at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (785)

6. The Red Tureen presented by Doolin & Dingle at U of M Rarig Center Thrust (756)

7. The Return of LICK! presented by LICK! at Southern Theater (687)

8. The William Williams Effect presented by Balance Theatre Project at Southern Theater (680)

9. Buyer's Remorse presented by Sarah Gioia and Steve Moulds at Mixed Blood Theatre (637)

10. Tales ... Of the Expected! presented by Ari Hoptman at U of M Rarig Center Proscenium (615)

Top ten shows by percentage of house capacity:

1. Projectile Thinking presented by Stages Theatre Company with Jon Ferguson at InterDistrict Downtown School (108 percent)

2. Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins presented by Empty S Productions at Augsburg Studio (107.5 percent)

3. Sarah, Your Ovaries Are Drying Up: The Musical presented by Crankador Productions at Augsburg Studio (101.5 percent)

4. Two Short Operas: Mr. Berman's Bath-Size Bar and There's a Mastodon In My Backyard presented by the Dead Composers Society at Playwrights' Center (100.3 percent)

5. Harold Pinter's The Dumb Waiter presented by Paul von Stoetzel at Playwrights' Center (99.7 percent)

6. 2 Sugars, Room for Cream presented by Shanan Wexler and Carolyn Pool Productions at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental (96 percent)

7. The Traveling Musicians presented by 3 Sticks at Nomad World Pub (95.6 percent)

8. Rumspringa the Musical presented by Best Weird Dog at Augsburg Studio (95.1 percent)

9. Squawk presented by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at Gremlin Theatre (93.6 percent)

10. June of Arc presented by Sandbox Theatre at U of M Rarig Center Xperimental (92.6 percent)

NOTE: All numbers are preliminary and have not yet been subject to a full audit of box office receipts.

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Pecha Kucha MSP lives and learns for next event

Posted at 3:24 PM on August 7, 2009 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Design, Events, People

It's been four months, but Jonas Schaefer (left, with colleague Josh Pepper on right) is still pretty pumped about the first Minneapolis St Paul Pecha Kucha Night.

Some 350 people turned up at Intermedia Arts for the first one in April and the event sold out.

"The reception was amazing. People really got into it," Schaefer says. Pecha Kucha is a community event where presenters are allowed to show 20 slides as part of a presentation on whatever topic they want. The twist is each slide is only shown for 20 seconds and then the next one pops up. Presentations can only last for six minutes and 40 seconds total. The original Pecha Kucha was in Japan, but the event has spread like wildfire all over the world.

Schaefer says the first evening had a great variety of presentations ranging from map making, urban photography, bringing youth into the wilderness, film making, bike freedom, architecture, and innovative approaches to problem solving.

Schaefer and his co-producer Josh Pepper needed to do a little problem solving of their own. There were so many people they filled the auditorium and some audience members had to watch over a video link from the gallery next door.

Schaefer says it's clear they needed a bigger venue "We realized that right away," he says. So the next event on Wednesday August 12th will be at the Theater Lab in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. The fun begins at 7pm.

They have 12 people lined up with presentations on jewelry, theoretical physics, futurism, and soar car racing among other things.

They also learned they could do with some help. "We are just two guys that wanted to do something. So there is a lot we learned." So they have expanded and Megan Baxter and Rachel Rydbeck have been added to the Pecha Kucha Night MSP Team.

They are also already looking for future venues. "The event at its core is about new ideas." And that includes cool locations

"We found a local airport that has a hanger that we thought would be a great place for an event," says Schaefer. It looks like the third Pecha Kucha MSP Night will be held there, although Schaefer says they are always open to suggestions.

"The idea is every time you come, you get something new. You get something different, something interesting, and that it doesn't feel like you have done this before."

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Art Hounds: Three art fairs, two takes on apartheid, and second helpings at the Fringe

Posted at 7:09 AM on August 6, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Sarah Agnew in "The Syringa Tree" at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis

I've got the jingle for Doublemint gum stuck in my head, because this weekend good things seem to come in pairs.

"The Syringa Tree" continues its run at the Jungle Theater in Minneapolis. It tells the story of two families in South Africa, one white and one black, with actress Sarah Agnew performing all the characters (Euan Kerr has a full report on the show, which you can find here).

Lunga Sinuka offers a different take on life under apartheid in his one-man show at Dreamland Arts in St. Paul. "The Cool Train" follows Sinuka in his childhood in a Xhosa village with no electricity or running water, to working as a glass cleaner at one of South Africa's best hotels, and eventually joining the African National Congress in the violent struggle for freedom.

Latin jazz group Tiempo Libre performs for two nights at the Dakota in Minneapolis, and the first of those nights it's a double-header with legendary flautist Sir James Galway. Pairing a classical flautist with a latin jazz group may seem like a stretch, but since Tiempo Libre is known for its riffs on Bach, this could be pretty fun.

It's the second and final weekend of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the weekend where people try desperately to get in to see the shows that have emerged as this year's faves. Some of the winners? "Alice Unwrapped," "The Harty Boys in the Case of the Limping Platypus," and "Parry Hotter and the Half-Drunk Twins."

Sometimes two just isn't enough, as in the case of this weekend's art fairs. There's the Loring Park Art Festival, the Powderhorn Art Fair and the Uptown Art Fair all in Minneapolis this weekend, with a Target shuttle bus offering rides between them. It's art-loving madness!

Not seeing what you want here? Check out what other art hounds are up to this weekend.

And let us know - what are you doing this weekend?

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Preliminary numbers for this year's Fringe Fest look good

Posted at 2:07 PM on August 3, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

According to Fringe HQ, the first four days of the annual eleven-day performing arts festival--Thurs., July 30 through Sun., Aug. 2--show that 16,814 tickets were issued, a 19% increase over last year's 14,133 tickets.

Of this year's 162 productions, nine companies sold out their first performances and a total of 18 performances sold out. Among the sold-out shows are Bring Your Own Venue productions--a Fringe program dedicated to site-specific work--and two shows at Gremlin Theatre, Fringe's first St. Paul venue.

Traffic to the festival's Web site, fringefestival.org, increased 46 percent. By 11 a.m. today, the site had received over 1,400 audience-submitted show reviews, well on pace to eclipse last year's total, and previous festival record, of 2,200.

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War at the Fringe

Posted at 12:20 PM on August 3, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Music, Theater

What do our views of war sound like? Baritone Stephen Swanson has put together a collection of war songs both dark and humorous into a one hour performance in the Minnesota Fringe. MPR's classical host Alison Young interviewed Swanson, who performed a selection of the songs. You can find out more, and take a listen, here.

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Fringe Festival reviews are in

Posted at 8:42 AM on August 3, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

Video trailer for Fringe Festival show "Sarah, Your Ovaries are Drying Up"

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is a frenzied, fantastical feast of theater, dance and music, and the numerous media outlets' attempts at covering the Fringe reflect its somewhat chaotic and slippery nature. Teams of critics are sent out by the papers to review as wide a swath of shows in the first weekend as possible, reducing their usually lengthy observations to quick first impressions. Independent bloggers give their take, and others just celebrate the fact that for ten days theater has taken over the city of Minneapolis.

But for sure the most reliable way of figuring out what's a hit and what's not is by checking out the Fringe Festival's own website, complete with video trailers and user reviews.

What's emerging as the festival's standouts this year?

First off, there's "Bard Fiction" - it's a Shakespearean retelling of "Pulp Fiction." As one Fringer writes:

I was amazed at the seamless transition of handgun to dagger, cocaine to snuff, "Bad Mother****er" to "Blasted Oedipus." The use of iambic pentameter and an Elizabethan-influenced dialect retained the spirit of the dialogue while remaining easy to follow.

Looking for good laughs in more modern English? Try "The Harty Boys in the Case of the Limping Platypus." It features a theft from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and several other Minnesota references. Adult and child actors alike have received rave reviews for their performances. The cast includes local comedic talents Josh Scrimshaw, Ari Hoptman and Leslie Ball.

Some other good bets:
Untitled Duet with Houseplant
Buyer's Remorse
Jurassic Dork
Tragedy of You
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
An Intimate Evening with Fotis, Part III
Projectile Thinking

Of course, that's just a partial list. What do you recommend people see at this year's Fringe?

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Minnesota wedding party raises the bar

Posted at 9:10 AM on July 24, 2009 by Euan Kerr (3 Comments)
Filed under: Dance, Events, People

Update: All Things Considered is going to do an interview with the mother of the bride and the pastor involved in the big dance number. They are as shocked as anyone about the popularity of the video, and have some theories to share. If all goes to plan it will air sometime after 6pm Central time.

It's always fun to see what becomes a viral success. This one is popping up repeatedly in my e-mail, and if you read the comments on YouTube and other sites it's doing the same for a lot of people.

Now, several people we know in the vicinity of State of the Arts are planning nuptials right now, and it's hard to avoid the thought that J and K have thrown down a gauntlet...

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Art Hounds: Mixing it up

Posted at 9:17 AM on July 23, 2009 by Euan Kerr (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Culture, Events, Film, Museums, Music, Sculpture, Theater

One of the delights of the late summer is that it's time when local arts folks mix it up a little.

Take tonight at IFP Minnesota's Fresh Fete at the Varsity Theater. As the local organization devoted to independent film it will of course be showing films, but blending some chat and a lot of music too. The film comes from local writer director Emily Haddad who won IFP Mn's Fresh Film grant last year and used it to make "Egg Timer" which will premier at 6.30. There will be a conversation between Mystery Science Theater 3000's Bill Corbett and local playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher. The evening will be rounded out by local icon Willie Murphy and the Angel Headed Hipsters and pianist John Sims.

If you haven't seen the Walker Art Center's examination of conceptual art "The Quick and the Dead" - or even if you have - it's worth a visit. There are some 90 pieces by 53 artists, some of which are designed to change over time, hence the value in returning. Take for example Claes von Oldenburg's "The Garden" which involved burying 100 objects and then exhuming and displaying one item per day. He didn't specify what the object should be, but the Walker staff chose lemons, and you can see the results in jars in the Center's lower lobby.

After sell out shows last week the Trylon Microcinema returns with another Buster Keaton film "The Navigator." Live accompaniment is supplied by the Dreamland Faces, complete with singing saws.

If you are considering a little road trip this weekend, there is the final weekend of the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, and the always whacky Free Range Film Festival in Webster, about half an our south of Duluth. Movie shorts in a barn, how can you miss?

And for the truly dedicated sports fan the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis is presenting live coverage on the big screen of the Tour de France. You can watch the cyclists sweat while sitting in the finest art deco movie house the Twin Cities has to offer. Admission is free, although they are collecting non-perishable goods for local food shelves, or a $2 donation.

And of course there is all the great stuff ferreted out by the Art Hounds Want to be one of them? Sign up!

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Art Hounds: Saving the planet, one show at a time

Posted at 7:00 AM on July 16, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

(Image courtesy of Brave New Workshop)

This weekend has a little something for everyone. Tomorrow night Brave New Workshop opens its latest improv show "Save the Planet; Yes we can, but do we have to?" It's a send-up of post-election lassitude and all issues in the shade of green.

If you're feeling the old political protest spirit move you, I hope you already have tickets to see folk singer Arlo Guthrie perform at the Fitzgerald Theater tonight in St. Paul. I say "hope" because last I heard the box office was sold out.

Elsewhere in the world of music, Sommerfest gets underway Friday, with a wide array of free concerts on Peavey Plaza, as well as an evening of Strauss and Mozart in Orchestra Hall.

Also, local band The Melismatics perform Friday night at The Entry along with guests Sick of Sarah.

It's also a great weekend for dance. You can see new dance works by Vanessa Voskuil and Sachiko Nishiuchi as part of Momentum: New Dance Works at the Southern Theater (the series continues next weekend with works by Sally Rousse and Megan Mayer).

If that isn't enough for you, head over to the Ritz Theater to see "Reeling Over Love" by the dance group Eclectic Edge Ensemble. It runs tonight through Sunday.

Finally, Intermedia Arts presents an Art Car show and workshop Saturday at Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis. Note: Art bikes are also welcome.

Not seeing what you want here? Check out what these Art Hounds are doing this weekend.

Want to be an Art Hound? Of course you do!

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Art Hounds: It's hot out there

Posted at 7:04 AM on July 9, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Fire, sweat and damnation are all themes in this weekend's entertainment offerings. Get yourself a cold drink and take a look:

The Flowershop Project presents "Dawn's Inferno" - an update of Dante Alighieri's classic trip through Hell, re-invented as another kind of torture: a ten-year high school reunion in small town Minnesota.

Bedlam Theatre presents "The Burning Ones: Origin of the Flame." According to Bedlam "a mad scientist's experiment conjures a spark that ignites a whole town, changing the resident's lives forever." Think Road Warrior meets Dr Frankenstein meets The Princess Bride. The production, which takes place in the parking lot, features lots of acts involving - you guessed it - fire.

Patick's Cabaret presents "The Art of Sweat," a yearly festival to "celebrate the rhythms of our lives." This years line up includes Brazilian batucada, woodwind duets, hip hop, acoustic punk, and jazz opera.

The Walker Art Center presents Dirt on Delight: Impulses that form Clay. It's an exhibition of work by 22 artists based in clay and pottery.

Illusion Theater's Fresh Ink series gets underway this weekend with the stage adaptation of Willa Cather's book "My Antonia."

Poets Wayne Miller and Dobby Gibson read from their poetry collections at Magers and Quinn tonight.

Are you a lover of zines? Stevens Square Center for the Arts presents "Zinefest," a weekend long celebration of independent print publications. In collaboration with the Twin Cities Zinefest, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts is currently hosting a zine show called Independent Variables: Contemporary Zine Publications.

If you're looking for fun for the whole family, Steppingstone Theatre presents Hans Christian Andersen's "The Nightingale."

(Update: 8:45AM) Getting back to the "heat" theme, the Southern Theater presents a sultry weekend of Spanish guitar music and flamenco dancing featuring the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet and dancer Colette Illarde.

Not finding what you're looking for? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to.

Want to be an art hound? Step right up.

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Think art is for the weekends? Think again.

Posted at 8:49 AM on July 7, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

It's Tuesday, not even Humpday, and yet when you look at what's going on, it feels like a Friday. Take a look:

If you're free at lunch you could head over to Sundin Music Hall at Hamline University in St. Paul. Today is the final quintet round for the International Piano-e-Competition, and six pianists will each play with the Rosalyra quartet, starting at noon. And it's FREE.

Fountains of Wayne play an acoustic set at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis.

At the Guthrie you can take in a performance of "When We Are Married."

Interested in cooling off? Take a walk through the Walker Art Center and stop by the lecture room for a screening of Bruce Connor's "Luke" - a behind the scenes examination of the filming of "Cool Hand Luke," starring Paul Newman. It plays on the hour, and runs 22 minutes.

Feeling sinful? Check out The Seven Deadlies at Bryant Lake Bowl tonight.

Art: it's not just for weekends.

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What the weekend wrought

Posted at 8:31 AM on July 6, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Events

It was a good weekend for music in the Twin Cities. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt played at the Excel Energy Center on Sunday. Ross Raihala at the Pioneer Press writes the band is stronger than ever after Stefani's return from a solo career. The Star Tribune's Chris Riemenschneider said the concert captured the early days of the band, but didn't reflect how their lives have changed since then. "Stefani, 39, even looked like an ultra-buff 25-year-old, with a stomach you could grate cheese on," wrote Riemenschneider (FYI she's had two kids).

Rosanne Cash gave a more mature show at the Dakota in Minneapolis, filled with witty banter as well as soulful crooning.

Elvis Costello got a mixed review for his performance at Taste of Minnesota. Part of the problem may have been that Costello was surrounded by empty seats, as no one was willing to pay $50 to be up front.

Quinton Skinner writes that Cirque de Soleil's Kooza is quite a spectacle, with a price tag to match. Meanwhile, Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston had his face licked by a man playing the circus dog.

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Art Hounds: So many ways to celebrate

Posted at 7:17 AM on July 2, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Hurray for three day weekends, national holidays, and all the cultural events that go along with them. Saturday the Walker Art Center is hosting a full day of FREE activities for the whole family, including a hula-hooping workshop, an art-bike contest, and musical performances by the Sumunar Javanese Gamelan Ensemble, Haley Bonar and M.anifest.

Taste of Minnesota is taking over Harriet Island in St. Paul tonight through Sunday, with performances by White Snake and Elvis Costello, among others. Fireworks nightly at 10pm.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention A Prairie Home Companion's 35th Anniversary party this Saturday at Lake Wobegon Park in Avon, Minnesota. It's FREE and features, according to Garrison Keillor, "a brass band, speeches, acoustic blues and rock 'n' roll, some reminiscences by old-timers, and the whole big crowd singing the national anthem, and our sound-effects man will make rockets go up in the air." (I'm guessing they might have some real ones, too)

The Minneapolis Photo Center is celebrating Independence Day with an exhibition on poverty in America titled "In Our Own Backyard." It's a touring exhibition of images by a group of photojournalists working to raise awareness about the issue.

A mild-mannered librarian ends up traveling the world in pursuit of the meaning of life and the person who returned a book 113 years overdue. "Underneath The Lintel" runs at Mixed Blood Theatre through July 25.

After so much family friendly stuff, why not something a little spicier? Friday night Lili's Burlesque Revue presents "The Underpants Show" at Bryant Lake Bowl. As the Star Tribune writes, "The singers are great, the band bumps and grinds with the beat and the dancers have just the right tongue-in-cheek attitude." Lili's motto? "We aim to tease."

Still haven't found something to tickle your fancy? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to. Want to join the Art Hound club? Come on in!

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Was the Tony Kushner festival a success?

Posted at 10:16 AM on June 29, 2009 by Marianne Combs (4 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

Sunday marked closing night for "The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures" at the Guthrie Theater. It seemed a bit of a quiet end to what's been a major theater event for both the Guthrie and the Twin Cities. The two other Kushner plays, "Caroline, or Change" and "Tiny Kushner" had already closed, and so the big blue building was relatively quiet. There was a standing ovation for the play, but it wasn't unanimous. "The Intelligent Homosexual" (or "I-Ho," as Tony Kushner likes to call it), ends with the line "I'm thinking." It's an ambiguous finish, and a fitting end to a festival that's been marked with both praise and sharp criticism.

Today the Guthrie (via an e-mailed press release) is already championing the success of the festival. It's cherry-picking the sweetest comments from reviews and boasting gargantuan numbers of tickets sold (although many of them were rush tickets, or online specials designed to get butts in seats). The Guthrie says all three plays met their "box office goals" but there's no explanation of what exactly those goals were.

Any artistic performance's success can be judged a myriad of ways. Was it compelling? Was it entertaining? Did it make money? Did it take us someplace new? Did we learn something valuable? Was it great art?

The Guthrie commissioned Kushner to write a new play, invited him to speak, and staged two other works of his as well. In so doing, it provided an opportunity for thousands of people to learn more about this living playwright, and to see theater that is steeped in modern politics. If that was the theater's goal, than it did indeed succeed.

The more long-lasting, greater success, to my mind, is what those approximately 90,000 people who partook in the Kushner Festival took away from it. And that is a much more difficult thing to gauge.

Did you see any of the Kushner plays? If so, what did you take away from them? Do you think the festival was a success?

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Art Hounds: Gay Pride, improv, Cosby and more

Posted at 7:20 AM on June 25, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

It's the end of June. How can I tell? Well, because most of the theaters in town are dark for the next two months, classical music has gone on holiday, and I'm being inundated with little postcards promoting shows at this thing called the Minnesota Fringe Festival, which is still more than a month away.

However there is quite a bit to choose from this weekend when it comes to your cultural life, especially if your culture runs queer. The annual Gay Pride festival and parade are this weekend. In conjunction with Gay Pride, the Queer Takes Film Festival at the Walker Art Center winds up tonight, and Outward Spiral Theater is presenting Queertopia, a cabaret celebration of queer love. Or, you can check out Robert Mapplethorpe's portraits of women (including a self-portrait) at the Weinstein Gallery.

In the mood for a musical? Theater Mu performs "Flower Drum Song" at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. It's a musical originally by Rogers and Hammerstein, and rewritten by David Henry Hwang of "M. Butterfly" fame. Euan Kerr has more on the show.

If you really need a good laugh this weekend, the Brave New Workshop is hosting its third annual Twin Cities Improv Festival. Local acts include the folks from BNW, Stevie Ray's Comedy Cabaret and the improv troupe Fingergun, as well as groups from Fargo-Moorhead, Texas and Utah.

Toki Wright releases his new hip hop/soul album "A Different Mirror" Friday at The Entry.

Because it's summer, and we're in Minnesota, there are lots of outdoor film series, including Minneapolis Parks and Rec's "movies in the parks." This Friday you can see "Iron Man" for FREE at McRae Park.

If you like new music, and you're anywhere near New York Mills, Zeitgeist is on the road, and will be performing at the NYM cultural center for FREE on Friday night.

And while you wont find an orchestra at Orchestra Hall, you will find Bill Cosby there on Saturday for two performances. Remember Fat Albert? Remember "I Spy?" Sigh...

Not finding what you're looking for? Check out what these Art Hounds are doing.

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A few more events for your weekend: Ballet of the Dolls, White Pine Festival and Rock the Garden

Posted at 2:41 PM on June 19, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Earlier this week President Barack Obama attempted to placate impatient gay rights activists by extending partial federal benefits to same-sex partners of US government workers. Perfect timing for Choreographer and Ballet of the Dolls Artistic Director Myron Johnson to bring back his piece "Romiette and Juleo," a re-telling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliette with two men in the lead roles. Promotional materials for the show invite us to "join Ballet of the Dolls to see how things may - or may not - have changed in the past 17 years."

There's plenty of music out there this weekend for all types. For those who are mourning the loss of Jorjo Fleezanis as concert chair of the Minnesota Orchestra, they can see her tonight at the White Pines Festival. Also scheduled to perform this weekend are the Charles Lazarus Group and the Miro Quartet.

Then there's Rock The Garden tomorrow at the Walker Art Center. This year's guests include The Decemberists, Calexico, Yeasayer and Solid Gold.

And then of course there's everything I mentioned yesterday.

So what are you doing this weekend?

Image courtesy of Ballet of the Dolls

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Art Hounds: Exploring Dreamlands

Posted at 11:52 AM on June 18, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Tonight Wang Yanshu's exhibition of digital images called "Dreamland" goes on display at the Burnet Gallery, located in Chambers Hotel in Minneapolis. Yanshu, who lives and works in Beijing, writes:

"As I see it there is little pure color in our actual lives. Everything in our eyes, even in our hearts, is likely covered with a large murky gray veil. Only when closing our eyes and dreaming can we get to the one and only pure land which is doomed to pass away once we awake but leaves us a hazy memory, an engaging impression and a flash of memory. So I try my best to capture that wonderful dreamland in my photos."

The opening reception is from 6-9pm.

If your taste runs a little less colorful but more sentimental, check out the Robert Rauschenberg exhibition at the Weisman Art Museum, opening Saturday. The exhibition, titled "Au Courant," recreates an exhibition of newsprint collages that were shown in 1970 at the then Dayton's Gallery 12 in Minneapolis (this is before my time, but evidently the Minneapolis Dayton's had an international art gallery on the 12th floor in the late '60s and early '70s).

If you want to get out, Father's Day weekend marks the annual Stone Arch Festival in Minneapolis. The festival features artist booths, four performance stages, and even a few art cars on display.

"Nothing New" is going on at the Textile Center of Minnesota, and that's a good thing, at least for the environment. The Center's new exhibition, opening Friday night, features fiber art made entirely from recycled materials.

If the body moves you, TU Dance is premiering a couple of new works at the Southern Theater this weekend. Or you can enjoy Christopher Watson's Dance company in the great outdoors for FREE at Lake Harriet.

And for the science geek in all of us, there's "Robots vs Fake Robots," put on by Walking Shadow Theatre Company at the People's Center in Minneapolis. Here's their video trailer, which expresses more than I can possibly say:

Robots vs. Fake Robots - #2 from Ben Thietje on Vimeo.

If you still haven't found what you're looking for (I suddenly have a U2 song stuck in my head), check out what the Art Hounds of the air are doing this weekend.

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Art Hounds: To the lifeboats!

Posted at 11:45 AM on June 11, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

Certainly the biggest event opening this weekend is the Science Museum of Minnesota's "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition". It includes over 200 artifacts from the fated ship, and local actors have been studying their history books in order to inhabit the roles of actual passengers and crew. They don't have any lines to memorize, per se, but will be able to tell visitors about their own lives. (i.e. don't ask the guy in the engine room "so how's the foie gras on this ship?") Oh and of course there's the movie at the Omni theater!

So far the weather forecast for this weekend looks pretty good. Which means if you're worried about catching a certain flu by hanging out with other people in closed spaces, why not try some outdoor theater? Cromulent Shakespeare Company performs "The Tempest" in four different Twin Cities' parks this weekend, starting tonight in Loring Park.

This is the last weekend for two exhibitions: "Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton" at the Walker Art Center, and an exhibition of paintings by local artist Jil Evans at the Form and Content gallery in Minneapolis. Form and Content is having a "closing reception" and poetry reading on Friday night. And as I mentioned yesterday, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is opening its new exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite paintings by William Holman Hunt.

In dance, Justin Jones presents "the SCREEN/the THING" and "RadioBrain" at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.

Not seeing what you're looking for here? Then check out what other Art Hounds are doing this week.

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Image courtesy of the Science Museum of Minnesota

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The Minnesota Fringe Festival expands to St. Paul! (just barely)

Posted at 11:52 AM on June 9, 2009 by Marianne Combs (2 Comments)
Filed under: Events, Theater

Each year the Minnesota Fringe Festival, the state's largest unjuried theater event, descends on the city of Minneapolis for eleven days, taking over every venue it can get its grubby little hands on, and creating an immense theater extravaganza out of thin air, thousands of volunteers, and boundless quantities of creativity (What is a unit of creativity? Does it comes in tons? Watts? Bytes?).

For many years the city of St. Paul has been the neglected little sister of this festival. "We have theaters, too!" she cries. "Good ones! And within walking distance of each other!" But to no avail - the festival, out of a desire to remain relatively compact (allowing audiences to get from one show to another in less than 30 minutes), has drawn the line at, well, the city line.

But times, they are a changin'. This year you'll notice the sub-heading for the Minnesota Fringe Festival is "Minneapolis and St. Paul." That's because one little venue, Gremlin Theater, lies just over the borderline on University Avenue.

While this may appear to be a small chink in the Fringe's "Minneapolis Uber Alles" armour, it's actually an indication of a larger movement at work. Fringe Executive Director Robin Gillette and Communications Director Matthew Foster (seen above shortly after drinking large quantities of coffee) say they are working at making the Minnesota Fringe Festival just that - a Minnesota festival. They've made trips across the state to visit communities with their own theaters and talk about ways they can get involved. That's not to say people will be driving three hours between shows in upcoming festivals, but it's an invitation to Minnesotans all over to claim the Fringe Festival as their own.

Want to check out the more than 160 shows that made the final list for this year's Fringe (July 30th - August 9th)? You can find them here.

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Art Hounds: What's going on this weekend?

Posted at 10:53 AM on June 4, 2009 by Marianne Combs (0 Comments)
Filed under: Art Hounds, Events

If you'd like dessert with your theater, get thee to Bedlam, which is hosting a production of King Lear. The catch is that each of the five acts is performed by a different theater company, and each company serves its own dessert to the audience. (What kind of dessert best suits a tragedy? A flambe? A trifle? A deflated souffle?)

If you're looking for laughs, Tom Segura is performing at the Acme Comedy club in Minneapolis, or you can see Harmon Leon in Ironic/Not Ironic at the Bryant Lake Bowl.

In the world of classical music, the SPCO is performing Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Ordway in St. Paul, while the Minnesota Orchestra performs Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with Steven Hough at the piano.

Looking for other ideas? Check out what these Art Hounds are up to.

And be sure to let me know - what are you doing this weekend?

Image courtesy of Bedlam Theater

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