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On Sept. 12 the Star Tribune published a story depicting the upcoming theater scene as unadventurous (“Twin Cities fall theater lineup is heavy on classics”). And, after reading the author’s “Top 10 Twin Cities theater events this fall,” it’s no wonder he finds the programming “derivative” and full of “popular movie” adaptations. With funding being cut more and more every month, it’s irresponsible to not see the artists here who are trying to reach your aspirations. If you look beyond the downtown venues programing mostly work from out of town, you can find there’s a lot of creative and adventurous theater happening this fall.
This month, there are three original new works dealing with modern love in a unique way. Whether it’s the messy gays in “Only Ugly Guys” at the Gremlin Theatre or the limitations of being a queer women coming of age in a Muslim family in Theater Mu’s “Maybe You Could Love Me.” These artists are brave enough to put sexual vulnerability center stage. Nubia Monks’ show “A Lesson in Love” at Pillsbury House Theatre also uses theatrical storytelling that plays with time as the liminal space of a Lyft ride in L.A. traffic reunites former lovers.
Later this month Felicia Cooper debuts a new performance piece at Red Eye Theater which has been cooking up innovative and experimental work with local artists. Cooper is a puppet artist who has been all over this city in many different theaters, and has emerged as someone to keep an eye on. Her new show “Please!” looks at surveillance culture by placing her as a cam girl eating peas that she describes as a “high intensity trip through expressionism and indie sleaze.”
In October, you have three opportunities to delve into Russia and all the moody existentialism that comes with. The Cherry Orchard gets a new adaptation by the Moving Company and the Jungle, a group of artists who have continually proved themselves adept at bringing life to classic work. This production brings back on to the stage local legend Dominique Serrand who founded the late company Theatre de la Jeune Lune in 1978. In a different but similar Soviet feel at Theatre Elison is “Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812,” a musical that developed a cult following in small houses in New York, and became a big Broadway hit in 2017. Theatre Novi Most is working with a Belarussian playwright forced to flee the country after their recent election on “An Ocean Away”, a new play that leans on the knowledge of local Minnesotans to tell stories of immigrants from the post-Soviet diaspora.
Later this fall you can find adventure just within the venue itself. While retail vendors have left Seven Points (formerly Calhoun Square) mostly vacant, Frank Theatre will be moving in and filling the space with “The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui,” a famous play that takes Hitler and other Nazi figures and retells many true events through a gang in Chicago. Limitations like space and not having a permanent home can bring out some of the most creative choices. Likewise zAmya Theatre premieres “Living in America: The Waiting List is Full,” a project they’ve been workshopping for over a year. This play about the state of public housing in Minnesota was developed from stories of participants with the lived experience of housing insecurity. This show will also adjust to different spaces as they are touring in venues across the Twin Cities.
The Twin Cities has an arts scene that demands journalists put in the effort to listen through the noise and tune in to find where the next big thing is.
