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.
February 24, 1999 - While few people would automatically come out against environmentally-conscious design... the rainforest-friendly rubber often meets the cash-conscious road when the bills come due. Despite this, "Green" architecture is gathering steam in Minnesota. A new building opening in St. Paul next month showcases green design options, while Hennepin County is developing what architects hope will be a model for other government bodies across the country.
February 24, 1999 - Brooklyn Park's planning commission holds a public hearing tonight on whether to let the Minnesota Orchestra build an outdoor amphitheater. Some Brooklyn Park residents say the amphitheatre would be a boon to the city and enhance its image; but many neighbors fear it will be a noisy boondoggle, disturbing their tranquility.
March 1, 1999 - Breakfast on Pluto is the new novel by acclaimed Irish writer Patrick McCabe. The story takes place around Ireland and in London during the 1970's when IRA bombs were heard all-too-often. McCabe's dark, wild and comedic tale earned him his second Booker prize nomination...he was nominated for "The Butcher Boy" in the early 90s. McCabe has an atypical central character, Pussy Braden, a tranvestite prostitute who flounces through the Irish political chaos. McCabe told Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis he didn't intend to write about Braden when he started, his main character was supposed to be a little girl, but then the book took a direction of its own.
March 1, 1999 - MPR’s Michael Khoo visits the Majestic Ballroom in Cottage Grove on the venue’s last night open. Khoo interviews ballroom dancer patrons as they kick up their heels one last time. For a quarter century, the Majestic has entertained the fancy footwork of those dancers with a taste for polkas, waltzes, and foxtrots.
March 3, 1999 -
March 8, 1999 - Arts education has been something of a battleground for the past decade. Policy makers go back and forth on its importance just as school districts do about whether art should be a priority in the budget. Minnesota is now writing a new chapter in the debate. The legislature is wrestling over what to require of arts education as part of the graduation standards. Even WHEN that argument is settled, HOW and WHAT students learn about art will still be inconsistent.
March 10, 1999 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman presents a series titled “This Is Home: The Hmong in Minnesota.” In this part, Nyman looks at how the centuries-old tradition of Hmong hand stitching is a practice becoming less useful as Hmong women create new lives in the U.S.
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."
March 12, 1999 - MPR’s Vaughn Ormseth takes a look at Einojuhani Rautavaara, one of Finland’s best-loved composers. Rautavaara has come to Minnesota with new work, "Finlands Spirit: Rautavaara." The premiere is sponsored by the Plymouth Music series, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College.