Posts Tagged Craig Johnson

Thrills and Chills for Every Taste!

Get the cocoa and candy ready and settle in for three nights of Halloween perfection with THEATRE OF THE MACABRE, a three-chapter online variety series presented by Park Square Theatre (Oct 29, 30 and 31, 2020). The multi-chapter event to benefit the theatre is hosted and co-directed by Twin Cities actor/director Craig Johnson, with original concept and co-direction by Kim Vasquez, the new Producing Director of the Park Square Mainstage.  Immerse yourself in three nights of horrifying tales of terror – including true ghost stories, scenes and monologues from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare.

A man holds a knife in front of a red background with two white burning candles

Craig Johnson will host the three nights of Theatre of the Macabre.

While audiences can look forward to some recurring elements, for example, each night will have a local ghost story and music, the three evenings be unique as well, with Thursday highlighting tales written and performed by women, Friday emphasizing classic literary scenes, and Saturday being an all-around Halloween Round-up! Without giving it all away, look for readings of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the witches from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, music from Kander & Ebb’s Kiss of the Spider Woman and we’ll all dance to Bobby Pickett’s Monster Mash.

An impressive group of artists have contributed their talents to the event, they include: Ryan Colbert*, Ann Daly, Sarah Michelle de Joya, Emily Gunyou Halaas*, Peter Christian Hansen*, Craig Johnson, Willie Jones, Anna Leverett, Damian Leverett, Pete Mousseaux, Hope Nordquist, Mo Perry*, Tinne Rosenmeier, Laura Salveson, Ava Saunders, Ben Shaw, Mackenzie Shaw, Dane Stauffer*, Kim Vasquez, Michelle Westlund, Meghan Williams Elkins, and Zachary Zito. “It’s a delight getting to know the work of so many talented Twin Cities artists,” says Producing Director Kim Vasquez. “Each Chapter brings an array of spine-chilling stories and classic, horror, storytelling for every taste!” 

The uniquely sculptured series will be released over three nights on zoom and be available to stream on Park Square’s website from their release dates through Halloween weekend.

*member, Actors’ Equity Association

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHIES
Craig Johnson (host and co-director) has done 52 shows at Park Square Theatre since 1979. As a locally based actor-director-writer, his work has been seen at many theaters, including Ten Thousand Things, History Theatre, The Jungle, Gremlin, Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company, Girl Friday Productions, Torch Theater, Theatre Latte Da, Yellow Tree Theatre, Artistry, and many more. He is the recipient of Ivey Awards for acting and directing and was named Theatre Artist of the Year by City Pages (2013) and Lavender Magazine (2011 and 2015). No stranger to spooky stories, for over twenty years Craig performed Victorian Ghost Stories at the James J. Hill House on Summit Avenue.

Kim Vasquez (original concept and co-director) is head of Gray Lady Entertainment, Inc., a theatrical producing and consulting company, specializing in the development and structuring of new works in plays and musicals in New York City and beyond. For over 25 years, GLE has been working in a commercial theatrical environment from Executive Producer to General Manager on various Off-Broadway and Broadway theatrical productions. Vasquez is currently an Artistic Associate and Lead Producing Director for Park Square Theatre’s Mainstage.

TICKET & REGISTRATION PRICES
Theatre of the Macabre: Individual Evenings $15, 3-Night Package $30
On sale at parksquaretheatre.org

The ticket offices are temporarily closed due to corona virus. Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org with questions.

CALENDAR INFORMATION
Theatre of the Macabre: Oct 29, 30, 31 at 7:30 pm

PHOTOS
Available at: https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/media/photos/
Under Theatre of the Macabre

PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. parksquaretheatre.org

 

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Park Square and SteppingStone spread autumn joy for all ages!

Media Contact:
Connie Shaver  shaver@parksquaretheatre.org

Saint Paul, Minn., Sept 30, 2020 – Newly partnered Park Square Theatre and SteppingStone Theatre are springing into action with virtual programs to keep audiences connected with friends and family through the autumn, embodying their concept of being “your theatre home for life” even during the pandemic. Online programs, theatre classes, a ghoulish variety show, outdoor Halloween family day, and a one-man epic play offer diverse ways to enjoy theatre – while safely at home or socially distanced – in the coming months.

While school is out for MEA Break, SteppingStone is bringing families two full days of active moving and making with VIRTUAL MEA FUN DAYS. Young people from Pre-K through 6th-grade are invited to join in live from their living room on October 15 and 16. Pre-K & K will explore “A Monster’s Dilemma,” 1st – 3rd-grade will create “Spooky Stories and Spaces,” and 4th – 6th-graders will uncover the “Legend of the Haunted.” Activities for each age will include active theatre games, creating physical props and projects, and inventing their own original play with their virtual cohort.

Monster-madness continues as The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society gets their monthly residency into the Halloween spirit with OLD-TIME RADIO: FRANKENSTEIN (October 19).  Two original stories each written and performed in the style of a classic radio series, including commercials, music and sound effects, will honor Mary Shelley’s iconic tale.  “Long Live Frankenstein,” by Tim Uren, follows the path of Captain Walton’s ship through deadly arctic conditions to capture the legendary creature, while in Joshua English Scrimshaw’s “Inglorious Monsters,” a scientist reanimates the dead to create the perfect soldier!

Keep Halloween spirits high and your family safe with FAMILY DAY OUT: HALLOWEEN EDITION, hosted by Steppingstone Theatre in collaboration with Park Square (October 25). From noon to 4:00 PM, come to the West 7th Place Plaza (outside of Park Square Theatre in Downtown St. Paul) for socially distanced trick-or-treating, a pumpkin contest, costume parade and outdoor artmaking. The cherry on top? Two performances of Mixed Precipitation’s PICKUP TRUCK OPERA in the center of the plaza. Admission will be limited for the safety of all with pre-registration available to reserve your spot.

Park Square Mainstage then presents THEATRE OF THE MACABRE, a three-chapter online variety series (Oct 29, 30 and 31, 2020) hosted by Twin Cities actor/director Craig Johnson, all to benefit Park Square. The three unique pre-recorded evening performances are filled with horrifying tales of terror, true ghost stories, and monologues and scenes from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare! Performers include local favorites Ann Daly, Hope Nordquist, Mo Perry, Tinne Rosenmeier, Laura Salveson, Eric Sharp, Dane Stauffer and The Orchard Theatre Collective: Anna Leverett, Damian Leverett, Ben Shaw and Mackenzie Shaw, with special appearances by Robert Francis Cole and Zachary Zito. “It’s a delight getting to know the work of so many talented Twin Cities artists,” says Producing Director Kim Vasquez. “Every evening a new spine-chilling chapter will haunt you with terror and thrills for every taste.” Theatre of the Macabre is produced and directed by Kim Vasquez and co-directed by Craig Johnson.

Get ready for 4 weeks of active imagination and bodies during SteppingStone’s FALL VIRTUAL STUDIOS, beginning Nov 3. These youth-driven cohorts will be captivated as they join a band of superheroes and devise their own adventure-play, explore social and climate justice through theatre, or create an original improv comedy show. Classes are available for 18-month-olds through high school students.

Early in TEARS OF MOONS (Nov 19 – 22, 2020) the vast scope of the one-man play becomes apparent. My job is called different things,” says The Poet. In West Africa, it’s called a Griot. In Greece; Homer. On Franklin and Chicago; Crazy.” Antonio Duke’s poetic tour-de-force travels through time – on the 5 bus – examining the impact and historic pervasiveness of the threat faced by Black people today. Deeply personal and encompassing an epic sweep of historical storytelling, Duke reckons with the violence and shares a vision of strength that interweaves Haitian, Nigerian, and Ghanian spiritual figures and mythology. The play will be directed by Ellen Fenster. “Well trained and highly charismatic, Duke uses his craft to give this piece light and pathos.” Star Tribune, 2018.

TICKET & REGISTRATION PRICES
Virtual MEA Fun Days: Pay-As-You’re-Able, valued at $175
Family Day Out: Halloween Edition: Pay-As-You’re-Able, valued at $25/family
Theatre of the Macabre: Individual Evenings $15, 3-Night Package $30
Fall Virtual Studios: Pay-As-You’re-Able, valued at $180
Tears of Moons: All Tickets $25

Park Square tickets are on sale at www.parksquaretheatre.org and SteppingStone registration can be found at www.steppingstonetheatre.org.
The ticket offices are temporarily closed due to corona virus. Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org  or education@steppingstonetheatre.org with questions.

CALENDAR INFORMATION
Virtual MEA Fun Days: Oct 15 & 16, 8:30 am —2:30 pm
Family Day Out: Halloween Edition: Oct 25 12—4 pm
Theatre of the Macabre: Oct 29, 30, 31 at 7:30 pm
Tears of Moons: Nov 19, 20, 21 at 7:30 pm, Nov 22 at 2:00 pm

PHOTOS
Available at: https://www.parksquaretheatre.org/media/photos/
Theatre of the Macabre: Craig Johnson. Photo by Craig Johnson
Tears of Moons: Antonio Duke. Photo by Brad Hildebrandt
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr, performed on the 7th Street Plaza. Photo courtesy of SteppingStone Theatre

PARK SQUARE THEATRE. 20 W. Seventh Place, Saint Paul. www.parksquaretheatre.org

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Announcing Theatre of the Macabre

With on stage performances on hiatus, Park Square Theatre’s new team of Artistic Associates is springing in to action with virtual programs to keep audiences connected with friends and family and with the greater community through the autumn.

Theatre of the Macabre 

October 29, 30, 31, 2020 at 7: 30 p.m

Park Square presents THEATRE OF THE MACABRE, a three night online variety series of ghoulish horror and fun-filled terror (Oct 29-31, 2020), with live and recorded performances hosted by Twin Cities actor/director Craig Johnson. Three unique nights will feature local true ghost stories by Twin City storytellers, actors and singers, and an array of monologue readings, scenes and songs that range from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare to Stephen Sondheim, along with other folkloric tales and poems.

Local performers include Tinne Rosenmeier and Dane Stauffer, with special appearances by Robert Francis Cole and Zachary Zito. The program will be co-directed by Kim Vasquez and Craig Johnson.

Learn More/Buy Tickets

ANNOUNCING FALL ONLINE PLAYS

FALL PLAYS AT PARK SQUARE OFFER COUNTERPOINT OF ONLINE FUN AND CONTEMPLATION

Media Contact – Connie Shaver
shaver@parksquaretheatre.org

Saint Paul, Minn., Sept 8, 2020 – With on stage performances on hiatus, Park Square Theatre’s new team of Artistic Associates is springing in to action with virtual programs to keep audiences connected with friends and family and with the greater community through the autumn. Two online programs, a Halloween variety show and a poetic reflection on racial violence, offer different ways to enjoy theatre – while safely at home – in the coming months.

Theatre of the Macabre 

For families looking for new experiences to fill the vacuum of Halloween parties and haunted houses, Park Square presents THEATRE OF THE MACABRE, a three night online variety series of ghoulish horror and fun-filled terror (Oct 29-31, 2020), with live and recorded performances hosted by Twin Cities actor/director Craig Johnson. Three unique nights will feature local true ghost stories by Twin City storytellers, actors and singers, and an array of monologue readings, scenes and songs that range from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare to Stephen Sondheim, along with other folkloric tales and poems.

Local performers include Tinne Rosenmeier and Dane Stauffer, with special appearances by Robert Francis Cole and Zachary Zito. The program will be co-directed by Kim Vasquez and Craig Johnson.

Buy Tickets to Theatre of the Macabre

Tears of Moons

A young man in a black hoodie. Next to him is an African mask.

Early in TEARS OF MOONS (Nov 19 – 22, 2020) the vast scope of the one-man play becomes apparent. My job is called different things,” says The Poet. In West Africa, its called a Griot. In Greece; Homer. On Franklin and Chicago; Crazy.” 

Antonio Dukes poetic tour-de-force travels through time-on the 5 bus – chronicling Americas ongoing epidemic of violence against Black people. Deeply personal and profoundly epic, Duke interweaves Haitian, Nigerian, and Ghanian spiritual figures and mythology to reckon with rage in the face of ceaseless bloodshed. Written and performed by Antonio Duke and directed by Ellen Fenster, the play was part of the 2018 Guthrie Emerging Artist Celebration and is being updated to conjure the present moment.

“Well trained and highly charismatic, Duke uses his craft to give this piece light and pathos.” Star Tribune, 2018.

Buy Tickets to Tears of Moons

Kory LaQuess Pullam: Rooting for the Underdogs

In Girl Friday’s production of Idiot’s Delight at Park Square Theatre running through July 23, Kory LaQuess Pullam plays Quillery, a French socialist who pays a high price for speaking truth to power. In an uncertain world at the brink of war, Quillery serves as a moral compass.

What drew Kory to want to be in Idiot’s Delight was the opportunity to work with the highly regarded Girl Friday Productions and the Ivey-winning director of the play, Craig Johnson. He also wanted to be in an artistically collaborative endeavor that promotes growth for all involved. This required an honest self-appraisal as to what he himself could bring to the table as part of the eclectic group of talented artists in the show.

“I’m also drawn to a relevant story that speaks to society and has meaning to an audience,” Kory said. “The themes of Idiot’s Delight reflect what’s going on today. The growing reality of a world war and global tensions drew me in.”

Some of the cast members of Idiot’s Delight
(photo by Richard Fleischman)

Kory looks to play characters who mean something to him or intrigue him. Sometimes that is “someone I can see myself in but not be”–someone like Quillery.

“Quillery cares deeply about politics and standing up for what’s right,” said Kory. “But he’s extreme in how he goes about what he wants and cares about.”

Kory himself is more even-keeled but would not stand by either if he sees a need to act upon a situation.  “I’m reserved until I see the need to be outspoken,” Kory said. ” I won’t shy away from tough conversations in matters of right and wrong. I have Quillery’s passion for what I believe is right and doing for my community.”

It is this very passion that led Kory to be a founder of two groundbreaking arts entities in the Twin Cities: Blackout Improv and Underdog Theatre. The former is the Twin Cities’ first ever all black improv group with a goal “to create comedic dialogue around serious truths,” not only through performances but also via educational workshops in schools, nonprofits and corporations. The latter’s mission is “to create art for the underserved, underrepresented and unheard,” with an inaugural production of Baltimore is Burning this past fall and the upcoming Odd Man Out in this summer’s Minnesota Fringe Festival. Both plays, written by Kory, hit on hard truths about being Black in America.

Like his character in Idiot’s Delight, Kory is not one to tiptoe around “an elephant in the room.” As such, no doubt he’ll be someone to look out for as part of a new generation of compelling theatre artists in our midst.

Addie’s Delight

Playing a part in Idiot’s Delight from Girl Friday Productions at Park Square is Adelin Phelps, who portrays the character Mrs. Cherry. I was able to catch up with her and ask her some of what she thought about the show and the relevance it can hold in our 21st century world.

From Madison, Wisconsin, she attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, receiving her B.A. in acting. Immediately after graduation, she moved on up to the Twin Cities to pursue a career in the theatre. In her time here she has firmly established herself as a performer and collaborator, working with such noted companies as Minnesota Jewish Theatre, History Theatre, Theatre Latte Da, Walking Shadow and Frank Theatre. If that’s not enough, she is a core and founding member of Transatlantic Love Affair, a group that has earned a bevy of recognition in recent years. She now finds herself within the ranks of Girl Friday Productions and the grand cast of Idiot’s Delight – Robert Sherwood’s prophetic satire on the state of the world just prior to the outbreak of World War II. This marks her debut with Girl Friday, and her second time on a Park Square stage (following 2012’s King Lear).

While definitely not from the world of medieval England, Mrs. Cherry does happen to be a Brit among the band of internationals holed up in the Alpine hotel in which Idiot’s Delight takes place. Young and newly married to the dashing Mr. Cherry (Gabriel Murphy), she must reconcile the joys of kissing, dancing and abundant love with the stark realities of encroaching war. Those themes certainly lend themsevles to the political strife currently swirling around the world, not just at home, and how we are able to overcome that discord is a central question of the piece. As Phelps says, The need for humor, the struggle for an open, brave heart, the importance to understand history, and connecting with other humans… that draws me as a person to the project.”

Especially the benefits of connecting with other humans is apparent in Sherwood’s play. An ensemble cast of characters all born in different countries are suddenly forced into company with each other, thanks to the actions of their own governments. In a sense of irony, the very people they should be at war with become their friends within the walls of the hotel.

All these international characters is most exciting to Phelps who relishes the chance to use her sense of play and imagination in creating a dialect or new physicality to bring her role to life. And the dancing! There’s much for any actor to sink their teeth into and Phelps is eager to share that infectious zeal with the audiences. Indeed, viewers are in for a treat when they take their seats this summer. Phelps has been delighted to work with Girl Friday Productions and director, Craig Johnson in getting to tell such a story!

 

 

Stacia Rice Returns

After a two-year hiatus from the Twin Cities’ stages, the inimitable Stacia Rice is back! Now through July 23, you can catch her on Park Square Theatre’s Boss Stage in Girl Friday Productions’ Idiot’s Delight, directed by past Ivey-award winner Craig Johnson. Stacia plays Irene, the enigmatic Russian companion to the unsavory French businessman, Achille Weber, and romantic interest of American entertainer Harry Van.

“My last show was To Kill A Mockingbird at the Guthrie (in 2015),” Stacia said, while discussing her choice of Idiot’s Delight as her return vehicle. “Kirby Bennett (Girl Friday’s founder and artistic director) and I had talked about doing something together in the past, but the stars had never aligned until now. I adore Kirby as a human and a producer, and I’ve loved working with Craig before.”

In fact, Craig had been the director of the first production by Torch Theater, founded by Stacia in 2005. Housed in the Theater Garage at the heart of Uptown Minneapolis, Torch was formed as a means for Stacia to, as she put it, “work with good humans and performers” and, once she’d become a mother, engage in projects that “are worth being away from my children.” Stacia is, indeed, contemplating steps for Torch Theater to eventually return, just as she has.

Some cast members of Idiot’s Delight
(Photo by Richard Fleischman)

But at present, Stacia is focused on her new role in Idiot’s Delight. When we’d talked, she was still getting to know Irene and loving that the character is so mysterious and not strictly defined in the script. Is Irene really Russian? American? Or some other nationality? What is she hiding and why? Nothing was completely spelled out by Playwright Robert E. Sherwood, which left Stacia more creative freedom to flesh out her character.

“It’s always lovely to play a rich character as you get older yourself,” Stacia added. “Irene can sometimes be very over the top. She’s pretty colorful. It’s nice to play a really big, colorful character and find out what makes her a real person.”

Throughout her acting career in the Twin Cities, Stacia Rice has gained nothing but accolades for her powerful portrayals of women. Be sure not to miss her this summer in the Pulitzer-winning dramatic comedy, Idiot’s Delight!

Craig Johnson on Reviving a Classic

In anticipation of Idiot’s Delight, this year’s offering from Girl Friday Productions at Park Square, I wanted to get to know more about some of the creative souls behind the show. Who are they and what part do they play in bringing such a production to life?

In combing through the wildly impressive credits of actors and designers, I gravitated to the person at the helm and decided to ask him a few questions first. As the director, Craig Johnson, is no rookie when it comes to either the theatre, Park Square or Girl Friday. According to his profile on Minnesotaplaylist.com, he’s a veteran of 200 productions, including 52 at Park Square over the years. This includes multiple awards and recognitions, especially for his work with Girl Friday Productions which include Our Town (director), Street Scene (director), Camino Real (actor) and The Matchmaker (director) which was one of the first shows to grace the Andy Boss Thrust at Park Square a couple of summers ago. This year, now he is in charge of Idiot’s Delight by Robert Sherwood and offers his take on the play.

What about this play drew you to the project? What speaks to you as an artist and perhaps, a “normal” person?

Idiot’s Delight…um…delighted me on several levels when I first read it. I have a nostalgic love for these big, sleek, well-constructed, entertaining yet thoughtful, limousine-like plays that Broadway produced in its heyday between the wars. It was a time when a lot of people could afford to go to the theater regularly. Of course this was mainly people in the New York area, but it was a wide swath of the population, and the good plays usually went out on tour around the country and got picked up by resident stock companies in places like Saint Paul and Minneapolis. I like dusting off these old plays whose names and authors I recognize but have never seen or read, and hoping they still have something to say to us. And I like when one of these plays, like Idiot’s Delight, still resonates. It connects us to our shared theatrical history that broadens that stream beyond yet another revival of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Uncle Vanya, or The Importance of Being Earnest — just to name three plays I absolutely love!

You’re a history buff, are there parallels to our current world situation? If so, how do you highlight this in the production? (Maybe without giving too much away!)

Author Robert Sherwood wrote Idiot’s Delight in 1936, during the depths of the Great Depression, when many were becoming increasingly alarmed by the threat of European fascism in Italy and Germany. He imagines how another world war might occur–and was startlingly accurate in some ways to actual events just a few years in the future. That alone is fascinating. But the play also looks at the toxic brew of populism, nationalism, xenophobia, and militarism, and how those forces can lead a culture away from civil society toward barbarism. In that, sadly, many might see echoes of current events making headlines in the US and Europe. So the play works as a sober cautionary tale.

You’ve worked a ton with Girl Friday Productions. What keeps you coming back to GFP?

Well, I’ve known GFP artistic director Kirby Bennett for many years — she’s a friend, neighbor, and colleague. I so admire the unique niche she’s carved out in the rich theatrical ecosystem of the Twin Cities. GFP does one show every two years. They are large-scale shows that most small professional companies wouldn’t touch because of the personnel expense. But Kirby’s care and thoughtful planning is much appreciated by actors and designers. The scripts, too, carry an interesting thread — they are usually about what it means to be an American. They’re plays that still carry meaning and hope for us today, even though they cluster in that rich period of American writing from the 1920s to the 1950s. Some productions like Our Town revisit familiar texts, but others, like Camino Real and Street Scene are like Idiot’s Delight plays once heralded that we think warrant coming off the bookshelf and having another turn in the spotlight.

I should probably get your basic info: Where do you come from in life and artistically? Your college/ training, hometown, etc.

I was born and raised in Saint Paul — though because of my Dad’s job with 3M we lived overseas in Tokyo and Belgium for several years when I was growing up. I’ve been doing plays since my triumphant debut in Green Eggs and Ham in 6th grade. I went to the University of Minnesota, and after a long career doubling my theater work with my job managing the James J. Hill House for the Minnesota Historical Society, I now focus on acting, directing and teaching full time. And love every minute of it. Also I’ve done 52 shows at Park Square going back to 1979, so this is like home to me.

What do you want audiences to come away thinking and/or feeling after seeing this show?

I hope audiences appreciate the thoughtful balance of entertainment and social commentary that Sherwood offers. There are show tunes to enjoy, a rich tapestry of quirky characters to laugh at, and a poignant love story. But there are important questions to ponder: How should Americans interact with the rest of the world? What are the forces that harden us against our neighbors? What does it mean to close a border — to keep some inside and others out? How do we balance freedom and security?

There you have it, folks, I could not have said it any better myself!

Come see just what Johnson means this summer at Park Square where Girl Friday Productions will be presenting Idiot’s Delight on the Andy Boss Thrust Stage June 29 – July 23.

GIRL FRIDAY PRODUCTIONS: From Dream to Reality

Though a small professional theatre company, Girl Friday Productions consistently aims to do it big. Created with the “We can do it!” spirit of Kirby Bennett and Natalie Diem Lewis in 2004, Girl Friday’s mission is to stage high-quality large ensemble performances of rarely produced American classics, such as Thorton Wilder’s The Matchmaker on Park Square’s Boss Thrust Stage in 2015. From June 29 to July 23, they return to our Boss Stage with the 1936 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Idiot’s Delight by Robert E. Sherwood.

“Girl Friday Productions is the result of intention and happy accident,” said Kirby Bennett, its artistic leader.

 

Founder & Artistic Director Kirby Bennett

After performing in several productions with the Mary Worth Theatre Company founded by Joel Sass, Kirby and Natalie were inspired to think about producing theater, both as a creative outlet and “as a way to contribute to the independent theatre scene that had been so important to us.” In February of 2004, Natalie just happened to have space reserved at the Bryant Lane Bowl so they made use of it to present the epistolary plays Love Letters by A. R. Gurney and Hate Mail by co-writers Bill Corbett and Kira Obolensky. The following year, Girl Friday mounted its first fully staged production, An Empty Plate in the Cafe du Grand Boeuf by Michael Hollinger, at the People’s Center Theater in Minneapolis’ West Bank.

Since then, Girl Friday has staged a singular major project every two years. Difficulty in finding available performance spaces, not to mention all the other rigors of planning any production, initially dictated Girl Friday’s long production cycles. This cycle inevitably became its natural rhythm and intentional choice, as the best way to maximize the company’s efforts to work with challenging texts, large and skilled ensemble casts, and distinguished directors and designers.

In 2011, Kirby was appointed Artistic Director by its Board (Natalie had since moved to Los Angeles); and in 2012, Girl Friday received 501(c) (3) non-profit status. Its shows repeatedly garner accolades from audience and critics alike:

Our Town by Thorton Wilder – Pioneer Press 2007 “Top Ten Shows” List

The Skin of Our Teeth by Thorton Wilder – MinnPost 2009 “Favorites” List

Street Scene by Elmer Rice – Star Tribune, Pioneer Press & Lavendar 2011 “Top Ten” Lists; Ivey Award for Director Craig Johnson

Camino Real by Tennessee Williams – Lavender 2013 notable performances recognition

The Matchmaker by Thorton Wilder – Cherry and Spoon 2015 Favorites

Girl Friday’s consistent excellence is no accident and, certainly, no small feat for a small, independent theatre company. Besides its vision to, as Kirby put it, “produce great plays and be able to do it freely, we also wanted to make sure that we maintain high standards.” That intentionality remains a strong pull for some of the Twin Cities’ finest theatre professionals, such as Idiot’s Delight leads Stacia Rice and John Middleton and Director Craig Johnson, to want to work with Girl Friday Productions. That reputation is also what steadily keeps audiences coming time and again.

Be sure to come to Park Square Theatre this summer to get your Girl Friday fix! Not only will it tide you over for another two years, but you also won’t want to miss what will surely top another favorites list.

Kathy Kohl: Doing What She Loves

 

Kathy Kohl (left) with stage manager Amanda Bowman (right) (photo by Petronella J. Ytsma)

Costume designer Kathy Kohl (left) with stage manager Amanda Bowman (right)
(Photo by Connie Shaver)

People choose their careers for many reasons: It’s what they think that they should want to be. Their parents want them to be that. They do it for the money. They really don’t know what they want to do. They love doing it.

Fortunate are those who can ultimately create a profession from a lifelong interest. Kathy Kohl, the costume designer for THE (curious case of the) WATSON INTELLIGENCE is one of those lucky people.

“I started sewing when I was little, stitching together clothing for my cat, who was not amused!” Kathy said. “I received further training through 4-H and made much of my own wardrobe in high school. I was always interested in historical clothing via old pictures and books of art, but because I was primarily a musician–playing piano and trombone, I didn’t get into theater until I was an adult.”

Kathy created her first costumes in the mid-’70s. They were commissioned by her husband Allan, who is a children’s storyteller and needed a Robin Hood costume for his presentation of the Sherwood Forest folk. She also designed a Maid Marian one for herself.

“Just for fun, I took a pattern-drafting class around that time at the extension service where we lived in Wisconsin,” Kathy recalled. “And when the call came many years later from a community theater that needed a Victorian nightgown that couldn’t be found in commercial patterns, I was on my way.”

For many years, Kathy was not only a costumer but also an actor on the college and community level.

“But my need to see the full finished production was too strong,” Kathy admitted, “so I made the difficult choice between the two, and costumes won.”

Besides her work on Watson Intelligence, currently on Park Square’s Proscenium Stage until April 30, Kathy is also the costume designer for Girl Friday Productions’ Idiot’s Delight, which will be on Park Square’s Boss Thrust Stage from June 29 to July 23.

“After that I’ll be following its director, Craig Johnson, to northern Vermont for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at a new theater in Greensboro, Vermont, very near where I grew up! ” Kathy said. “The venue is built like Shakespeare’s Globe, complete with a groundling area in the audience. Should be a blast!”

(NOTE: Look out for the upcoming post about Kathy’s costume designs for Watson Intelligence.)

Tickets

The box office is currently closed. Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org with any questions.

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