From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above.
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A beloved fantasy comes to the stage
Becca Buntjer of South St. Paul is looking forward to taking her kids to see the world premiere of the play “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” at Stages Theatre Company in Hopkins. The play is an adaptation of the novel by Minneapolis author and Newbery Medalist Kelly Barnhill.
The play runs March 27 through April 19 with performances both during school hours and on weekends. The show is 75 minutes long and is recommended for audiences age 10 and up. There is a special meet-the-author and book-signing event 6-7 p.m. on April 4 before that evening’s show.
Buntjer can’t wait to see a book her family loves adapted for the stage.
Buntjer says: It is a fantastical world with a fun, magic structure, and it's got sweet characters. It is about a young girl named Luna, and she you get to see her grow up as she learns about magic, forgets magic and then learns about it again.
She has this beautiful relationship with Xan, the old witch. You get to see how the different villages that Xan interacts with view her role as the witch. Is she the helper, or is she someone to be feared?
Pro tip: There’s a free parking garage half a block from the theater.
— Becca Buntjer
Generations connect over pastries
Kim Kivens is an actor based in Crystal who has performed before with Six Points Theater, but she’s looking forward to being in the audience for their upcoming production, the world premiere of the play “Vienna, Vienna, Vienna.”
The show follows three generations of women connecting over pastries in Vienna, from where the grandmother fled as a child. The show runs Sat. March 28 through April 12 at Highland Park Community Center in St. Paul. The play is 90 minutes without intermission.
Kim says: Six Points is a theater that I love. They are telling stories that are rooted in Judaism, which is close to me, because I happen to be Jewish — but they are universal stories.
— Kim Kivens
Stargazing through science and story
Erin Makela is an educator and author in Worthington, and she’s looking forward to seeing the play “Silent Sky” at Minnesota West Community and Technical College. The show marks director Eric Parrish’s 50th production.
“Silent Sky” tells the story of Henrietta Leavitt, a 19th-century astronomer and computer (meaning she did the math and science calculations) at Harvard. Though only men were allowed to touch the telescopes, Leavitt’s careful calculations unlocked a key tool for understanding the distance between stars and galaxies.
The play runs March 27-29 at the Worthington Campus Fine Arts Theater. Parrish will be honored after the Friday evening show. Following the Saturday evening show, astronomy instructor Paul Seifert will host a star party with telescopes available to view the night sky. After the Sunday matinee, there will be a talk-back with cast and crew.
As a preview, Erin says: The set looks like a lot of fun. They've got it set up to look like an observatory at the top, and there are different constellations that will be appearing throughout the show on the background.
— Erin Makela
