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Note: 1) performance space on 3rd floor of building, 2) free parking in parking lot (see link in discussion), 3) cabaret format is informal (don't have to be there at the beginning or stay for entire show), 4) see video in discussion for preview, 5) performance funded in part by F-O-K Creatives. Tips appreciated as always, 6) This performance is part of the St. Paul Fall Art Crawl, a three day festival of the arts.In this edition, participating artists and performers: Sarah Callahan, Sophie Caplin, and others to be announced.
This is going to be similar to my production at the 2024 Minnesota Fringe Fest, but there will be more time to perform and to chat. We'll be premiering several new songs.
At Fringe, there wasn't as much time for me to introduce the material or for the audience to participate, ask questions, and pose solutions. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to offer this show.
A lot of the material is based on solving staging problems. You can read more about this in the voluminous “More Info” section at https://minnesotafringe.org/shows/2024/musical-settings-for-shakespeare#info .
I can briefly summarize here.
How can you get people to a Shakespeare production? More generally, how can you get people back to live theatre?
It is THE existential question for many companies given that ticket sales are down about 40% nationally from pre-covid levels. Local numbers, including Minnesota Fringe, are very similar. In comparison, though, numbers for live music have rebounded better.
What can theatre do to bounce back as well?
There are more specific questions that I wanted to discuss with respect to Shakespeare.
For example, who goes to see Shakespeare? What are their interests? What can companies do to create productions that address and incorporate at least some of those interests?
On a more nuts-and-bolts level, what are your favorite passages from Shakespeare? What staging problems come to mind in producing Shakespeare? How would you solve them?
There’s no cover charge, but tips and donations are gratefully accepted. (I’d like to hold a follow-up event so any donations would help defray the costs of renting the space and compensating the people in my repertory company for their time and effort.)
I’ll also stay a little later if anyone wants to chat about all things Shakespeare and beyond.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
106 Water St W, St Paul, MN 55107-2032, United States, 106 Water St W, St Paul, MN 55107-2032, United States,Saint Paul, Minnesota
