Theater arts has been at the center of the creative atmosphere within Minnesota for decades. The varied array of local venues have both fostered talent through the years and brought world-renowned individuals to present their artistic approaches to our Minnesota stages. The theater scene has also been integral in social dynamics within our communities…from social issues, race, to gender.
The likes of The Guthrie, Mixed Blood, Penumbra, Park Square, Stages Theater, History Theatre, Theater in the Round, Duluth Playhouse, and so many more have drawn audiences in and left an indelible mark.
Collected here are a selection of interviews, performances, critiques, and profiles of those behind and in front of the curtains.
March 28, 1997 - A Midday broadcast presentation of playwright Arthur Miller, appearing at the Guthrie Theater's "Global Voices" lecture series. Miller talks with Guthrie’s Joe Dowling about playwriting. At time of lecture, Miller’s play The Price, was having a run at the Guthrie.
May 14, 1997 - For the first time in it's 20-year history, St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre Company will perform August Wilson’s Fences on the stage of the region's best known theater, the Guthrie, in Minneapolis.
December 19, 1997 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on Penumbra's Black Nativity. Every family has their holiday traditions, but few are as complex as one Minneapolis family, whose season revolves around the Penumbra Theatre's annual production.
February 20, 1998 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on Canned Goods play and interviews playwright Silas Jones.
April 29, 1998 - MPR’s Todd Moe reports on a narration service known as 'audio description' being utilized at the Guthrie Theater. Audio describers provide information on things sighted theatergoers take for granted -- costumes, lighting effects and movement.
August 7, 1998 - MPR’s Euan Kerr talks with Minneapolis playwright and columnist Syl Jones about his social satire Black No More. Jones says the work is a social satire about race, gender, religion, and science.
February 23, 1999 - The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis has announced its 1999-2000 season. While it maintains the Guthrie's devotion to the classics, it also feature new works, including a musical that wowed critics in London and another collaboration with St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre.
March 11, 1999 - Midday presents a broadcast of Sir Peter Hall, creator of the Royal Shakespeare Company, delivering a speech at the Guthrie Theater's annual "Global Voices Forum on Art and Life."
December 27, 1999 - As part of our Voices of Minnesota series, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles Internationally acclaimed singer and actor Joe Carter, who talks about his life and career.
March 8, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson talks with composer Cooper Moore on his music direction of The Darker Face of the Earth.