I know a lot of us are feeling motivated these days to do something to make a change in the world for the better. I’m not much a fan of gift guides for giving stuff; this is America after all and I can guarantee that 90% of us have at

Screaming fresh. Screaming fresh is the only word I can think to describe the last couple of seasons at Mixed Blood Theatre, which has been producing some truly modern, new stories. It’s exciting to see theater describing our contemporary experience, feeling it’s way through our increasingly diverse society and holding

Partner with Finnegans and Brave New Workshop to feed the homeless. As we enter a season of thanks and giving, I always like to take a pause and try to find ways to pay it forward. I’ve been extremely lucky in my life to always have a backup plan of

Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions. – Dalai Lama Photo by Dan Norman. I’m pretty sure that a couple decades from now, our kids are going to ask what we were doing last night, on the election of the 45th President. Where were you?

Classics are classics for a reason. Photo courtesy of Park Square Theatre. That is immediately obvious after seeing A Raisin in the Sun, currently playing at Park Square Theater. Lorraine Hansberry’s timeless story feels more relevant than ever (if that’s even possible) in this gorgeous portrayal, which features an all-star

What is the beginning? Photo by Meredith Hanafi. Where do we start? Historically it seems humanity’s origins are traced back to Africa, back to the jungle and the sand and the heat and the steady, beating heart of unbounded nature. One of history’s greatest tragedies is the forceful severance of

Nothing is sacred – and I like it. Do you like Shakespeare? Chances are that at some point in your schooling you read at least one of his plays. There’s a reason for that: Shakespeare’s plays are good. Some of them are REALLY good. They deserve their place in the

“I seek to live as though what ought to be, is.” Photo by Laura Pates. Did you know that during World War II, anyone with more than 1/16 of Japanese descent was rounded up and thrown into an internment camp for the duration of the war? If you did, gold

I forget sometimes what an embarrassment of riches the theater community in the Twin Cities is. I’ve seen a whole lot of shows in the last few weeks, more than usual, and I keep coming away from them with profound reactions. There is a movement of late to provide audiences

What do you do when a show punches you right in the gut? Photo by Dan Norman. That was the first feeling I got watching The Parchman Hour, the new show at the Guthrie’s McGuire Proscenium Stage. Shortly after opening a bus “explodes” on stage; obviously the explosion isn’t literal,