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 17, 2000 - On this Word of Mouth program, MPR’s Chris Roberts brings together Lou Bellamy, Penumbra Theatre artistic director; and Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press critic, to discuss viewpoints on poet Rita Dove’s The Darker Face Of The Earth play that was performed at the theatre.
March 23, 2000 - St. Paul's Penumbra Theater company has a new plan for a future home.
May 16, 2000 - On this Midday program, Larry Redmond, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts lobbyist; and Joe Dowling, artistic director of the Guthrie Theater, discuss Governor Ventura’s veto on the legislative funding for the Guthrie and an arts center in Lanesboro. Redmond and Dowling also answer listener questions.
July 18, 2001 - Joe Dowling, Guthrie Theater artistic director, sits in the studio with Gary Eichten to talk about the future of the venue and answer questions from MPR listeners.
December 17, 2001 - Stephen Sondheim, award-winning composer and lyricist, gives a speech at the Guthrie Theater's "Global Voices" series.
February 14, 2002 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles acclaimed playwright Lee Blessing's new play Thief River, which portrays two gay men growing up in rural Minnesota who choose very different paths in life. Over the next fifty years they remain in contact; their experiences reflect the changing attitudes toward homosexuality in America.
May 30, 2003 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on August Wilson’s play King Hedley II. Report includes interview with Penumbra’s Lou Bellamy and excerpts from play.
April 15, 2004 - MPR’s David Molpus profiles Snapshot Silhouette, a product of the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis. The play provides Twin Cities students a glimpse of what life is like for some of the region's newest immigrants. It is built around two 12-year-old girls, one Somali and one African American who, as circumstances have it, find themselves living together in the same Minnesota home.
February 8, 2005 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on Suzen Murakoshi’s play Slippery When Wet.
December 7, 2005 - The Twin Cities are home to two of the nation's preeminent ethnic theaters. Voices of Minnesota profiles Lou Bellamy, director of the African American Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul; and Rick Shiomi, director of Minneapolis' Mu Performing Arts, which presents Asian-American theater and traditional Japanese Daiko drumming.