Podcasts about strike theater

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the original submission.Americana in the Historic AuditoriumJean Shore of Balsam Lake, Wis., recommends crossing into Wisconsin for an evening of American roots music. Minnesota singer-songwriters Emmy Woods, Sarah Morris and Laura Hugo will perform at The Historic Auditorium in St. Croix Falls this Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m.Jean says: Each performer brings a unique voice and style to the stage, blending folk and country and heartfelt storytelling. But what makes this even more exciting is the venue itself. The Historic Auditorium was built in 1916 and was recently renovated in 2023, and it's quickly becoming a cultural hub for this area.— Jean ShoreA Sondheim musical at the Ritz TheaterTwin Cities theater maker Kurt Engh recommends seeing Stephen Sondheim's musical “Passion,” staged by Theater Latté Da at the Ritz Theater. Written by the same team that created “Into the Woods,” the show runs through July 13.Kurt says: “Passion” is one of Stephen Sondheim's lesser-known musicals, but one of his most complex and most honest and emotional.It is a melodramatic story set in 1860s Italy during the unification of Italy. It is an uneven love triangle between a beautiful married woman, a very handsome army captain and a in the terms of the musical, a “troubled, ugly woman.” And it is about how love and desire are reflected through beauty and beauty standards.It is a very fascinating musical in that it is directed as almost a chamber opera at a breakneck speed. There are no applause breaks. It does not let you go. It just keeps moving.— Kurt EnghImprov Festival Moves to Phoenix TheaterMichael Krefting of Minneapolis loves the improv scene in the Twin Cities, and he recommends the Twin Cities Improv Festival, happening Thursday through Sunday, June 8. This is the annual festival's first year at the Phoenix Theater in Minneapolis, following the closing of HUGE Improv Theater last year.Michael says: They have artists coming in from all over the world, a couple artists coming in from Japan. There are a lot of local names. When they select the artists for the festival, they're always trying to get the local groups that are doing either the most interesting things or doing something new and creative that's picking up steam. The whole improv community is very welcoming. And I would, I would come ready to not just laugh but also feel. I would say to expect the unexpected!— Michael Krefting(Want more improv? Krefting also recommends Improv A Go-Go at Strike Theater in Minneapolis. Every first, second, and fourth Sunday, four or five improv groups are chosen by lottery to perform, offering an affordable evening of “yes, and” energy.)

He's been improvising for 30 years in the Twin Cities.  His main group is "Five Man Job", but he also ran Huge Theater.  He runs Improv-A-Go Go at Strike Theater the 1st, 2nd & 4th Sunday of each month AND he helps to run Twin Cities Improv Festival which is happening June 5th through 9th at Phoenix Theater on 26th and Hennepin in Minneapolis.  (Get tickets at the Twin Cities Improv Festival website).   Great song picks by Butch.  Enjoy!  

On Art Hounds this week: 1) BALLS Cabaret is back every Sunday at 2 at Strike Theater! 2) the Minnesota Bach's Society's Mini Mobile Concerts in St Cloud and 3) Choir! Choir! Choir! teaches the audience to sing Prince, in harmony, at First Ave on June 1. 

Minneapolis actor Nissa Nordland was drawn to the play “Wish You Were Here” because of the premise: It's a one-act improvised comedy about grief. A group shares memories about a friend who has died some time before. The show, which tends to vary each night, considers how their relationships have changed since the loss. “I love that it's the idea of bringing joy to a situation that we often are looking at with a sad lens,” said Nordland. “We are celebrating the person… and finding the joy in remembering them, and then figuring out, where do we go now?” The show was created and directed by Mike Fotis, a co-founder of Strike Theater, which is dedicated to building a community of sketch comedy, storytelling and the spoken word. Nordland says the cast features a group of Twin Cities “comedy legends” who are sure to bring a funny and heartfelt show. “Wish You Were Here” runs March 10-11 and 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. at Strike Theater in Minneapolis. Actor Meghan Kreidler of Minneapolis is a big fan of JuCoby Johnson's plays, which she says explore heavy, thought-provoking topics through the lens of love. She's looking forward to seeing his new play, “5,” at the Jungle Theater, co-produced with the Trademark Theater. Johnson acts in the play he authored, about two close friends who own a convenience store. When a real estate developer offers to buy the store located in a rapidly changing neighborhood, the two friends face decisions that will test their friendship. Kreidler says it's a show about family legacy, gentrification, and what happens to friendship as environments evolve. “I think the thing that excites me also about this piece is where it's being done,” adds Kreidler, “because the Lyndale Lake Street area [where the Jungle Theater is located] has so rapidly changed over the last five to 10 years, and I feel like audience members will be able to engage with the show in a different way based on where they're seeing it.” “5” opens Saturday and runs through April 16. Molly Anthony of Richfield is an artist and teacher who lately has focused on teaching art for self-care, and she loves the meditative process of creative Joleen Emery. The Spring Grove resident creates flowers, wall decorations, and other eye-catching designs out of old books and magazines. It's a process that involves the repeated folding and cutting of paper — and sometimes taking a bandsaw to old books. Anthony watches Emery on Tik Tok as she walks through her creative process. Emery runs yoga and artist retreats at Big Raven Farm in southeastern Minnesota, which also operates as a bed and breakfast. You can check out the space during the Bluff Country Art Studio Tour the last weekend in April. Correction (March 9, 2023): An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled an actor's last name. This has been corrected.

Slow down and look at the beauty around you. That's what Pacem in Terris Hermitage Retreat Center director Tim Drake is reminded to do when he looks at a painting by Joshua Cunningham. Cunningham's oil paintings of landscapes across Minnesota capture the seasons. “He paints places you feel you recognize, even if you've never been there,” Drake said. “They are peaceful, and peace-filled.” Cunningham started the paintings long before he knew how to finish them. He often would complete them over the course of several visits to the same place. The exhibit of Cunningham's work “Further In” is on display at the Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis now through Jan 8. Courtesy of Joshua Cunningham "Crimson Crown" by Joshua Cunningham “A Snowy Kiss: An Improvised Holiday Romance Movie” is Jorts Improv's take on a romantic movie for the holidays, and Shea Roberts Gyllen can't wait to go. They remember some of the last improv version of “A Snowy Kiss” from before the pandemic: It may have included a small-town homecoming, a meet-cute, an improbable rallying of the entire town, and sentient gingerbread — all of which they said left a warm glow afterward. This year's show, with a cast of five and music by Vanessa Tu, promises new takes on holiday movie tropes over its three-day run. It's “such a ding-dang blast,” Roberts Gyllen said. The show runs Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. at Strike Theater in Minneapolis. Masks and proof of vaccination are required. Mary Ellen Mueske loves the van Daalen pipe organ at Austin First United Methodist Church in her hometown of Austin, Minn. Mueske says the low notes “rumble your backbone,” and she's looking forward to the Advent Organ Recital at noon on Dec. 15. By Dena Denny Emily Coveyou (left), Katie Novak, Phil Petersen, Pam Mazzone, Ryan Vanasse and Jay Kistler hug as part of the Snowy Kiss show at Strike Theater in 2019. Jan Van Daalen built pipe organs in many churches, colleges and private residences in Minnesota and other states, including at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. The half-hour concert will have boxed to-go lunches available. Guest organist Neal Erickson will play Christmas classics.

On this week's edition: Strike Theater co-founder Allison Broeren "Frozen" actor F. Michael Haynie "The Play That Goes Wrong" director Eric Morris The Barley Jacks band leader Brian Wicklund See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Updated: 10:24 a.m., Nov. 20 | Posted: 4 a.m., Nov. 19 With the election over, but still reverberating, Minneapolis theater maker Nora Montañez recommends rediscovering common ground by watching “The Empathy Project” from Full Circle Theater this weekend. The virtual staged reading of the new play by Stephanie Lein Walseth is based on interviews with 20 Minnesotans across the state. “I feel that the title is so timely right now, particularly because I believe empathy grows out of stories,” said Montañez, who is the founder and coordinator of the Alliance of Latinex Minnesota Artists, or ALMA. Appropriate for a show about bringing people together, “The Empathy Project” was in partnership with several organizations statewide: The Yes! House in Granite Falls, the Department of Public Transformation, and Dreamland Arts in St. Paul. It’s directed by Rick Shiomi. The free event — watchable from home — requires registration. The show is in two acts: Act I streams Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m.; Act II streams Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Anniessa Antar, activation specialist at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, gave a shoutout to All My Relations Arts, a creator of Native American fine art exhibits in Minneapolis. Antar calls the gallery a “cornerstone in Native art, both regionally and nationally.” The current exhibit, “Bring Her Home: Sacred Womxn of Resistance” is a collection of paintings, video and other art by Indigenous women, two spirit and trans women and gender nonconforming artists sharing narratives around missing and murdered Indigenous people. Antar says the exhibit is “rooted in empowering the community to be able to address this [issue], to grieve, to mourn, but also to celebrate the resistance” of Indigenous people. All My Relations Arts has temporarily closed in order to comply with Minnesota's updated COVID-19 guidelines. The exhibition will be available online through Jan. 2. Note: Music for the audio segment linked above came from “RUINS: Movement 3” by Leah K Lemm, a Grand Rapids-based singer/songwriter and a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. St. Paul comedian Adam Mellerup recently attended a Facebook Live event that he says made excellent use of the medium: Strike Theater’s first One Minute Film Festival. The festival featured 23 one-minute films that included animation, dancing and storytelling. Comedy was the most common style, says Mellerup, and that’s understandable given the judging categories from a panel of live judges: best use of the color red, best use of peanut butter and best use of the word “collide.” “It was a nice place for people to release some creative energy and to show a little piece of what they’ve been doing, or what they like to do,” said Mellerup. The current film festival is available for viewing on Strike Theater’s Facebook page. Front of House manager Brian Scot says Strike Theater plans on hosting another festival next fall.

Independent curator John Schuerman thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth Garvey’s solo exhibition “Omphalos” at Future Tense gallery in Minneapolis. The name of the exhibition comes from the Greek work for “navel” or “belly button” – it also refers to a sacred site believed by Greeks to have been the center of the world. Schuerman says Garvey contemplates what it means to be centered – physically and spiritually – with a lighthearted touch. On display through Nov. 9. Avid theater-goer Candice Beckham-Chasnoff is looking forward to seeing “The Mess in Murder Manor” at Strike Theater. “The Mess” is an improv comedy group and “Murder Manor” is a spooky show perfect for the lead-up to Halloween. Each performance begins with the same premise – six guests arrive at a stately manor for the reading of a will – but from there, it’s a mystery as to where the improv will take you. Beckham-Chasnoff saw the show last year; she says it’s always smart, funny, and a great evening’s entertainment. Performances are Oct. 19, 25, 26 and 31. Flaten Art Museum Director Jane Becker Nelson recommends paying a visit to the Perlman Teaching Museum in Northfield. There you can see two exhibitions of work by South African artist William Kentridge. Becker Nelson says Kentridge does a wonderful job of wrestling with the legacy of apartheid in a way that’s intimate and accessible. She’s particularly fond of his animation, “Second Hand Reading,” in which you can watch Kentridge (in the form of a drawing) stroll through pages of a book. On view through Nov. 20.

Long before Aric and I met, I was a fan of his improv troupe, The Mustache Rangers. This Friday (June 7, 2019) at 7:30pm at Strike Theater in Minneapolis, go see the Mustache Rangers perform during the fundraiser for Huge Theater. Aric is also a contributor to another of my favorite improv teams in town, ShowX (Monday nights at Huge Theater).  Aric and Levi had me on as a guest to their podcast, Regret Labs, a couple years back: https://noisepicnic.com/our-lovely-podcasts/regretlabs/pitch-perception-podcast ... but we mostly talk about Aric's experience adopting a daughter. 

"That’s how you know you love someone, when you have nightmares about them." The formidable Jay Kistler wanders off the street and into the Blake up with Cody studio this week to tell us all about his checkered past. Listen to hear about Jay's version of A Hero's Journey in which he follows the same romantic cycle time and time again. This episode has everything: Spider-Man kisses, celebrity gossip, and shitty 20-year-old boys! You can catch more of Jay at A Normal Theatre Play at MN Fringe and part of KistKrauseRouse in The Blender July 13th and 20th at Strike Theater! This episode is brought to you by NeoForce Performance LLC and Minneapolis Cider Company!

We celebrate our 200th episode with embracing the code running behind most things in our existence: STORYTELLING. The podcast started out as a live show in Minneapolis, so we're thrilled to celebrate with this live show in Minneapolis at Strike Theater! Featuring comedians and storytellers Mike Fotis, Allison Broeren, and Craig Johnson! Thanks, as always, to Molly Lewis for our theme music and Bryan E. Ward for our artwork!

Ferrari McSpeedy (Joe Bozic and Mike Fotis) join us (after 3 years of trying to schedule) to talk about the many things they do: sketch, improv, and opening a new theater, Strike Theater, with Allison Broeren, for sketch, storytelling, and spoken word. They discus how the scene has changed in their 15 year’s as a […] The post Ferrari McSpeedy | Next At Bat: Episode Ninety appeared first on NoisePicnic Podcast Network.