“Don’t Buy Miss Saigon” unity rally, in pictures

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Artists, organizers, and community members convened in a unity gathering in downtown St. Paul’s Rice Park last Tuesday, to bring attention to what they see as racially offensive imagery and messaging in the play “Miss Saigon,” which was touring at the Ordway Theater earlier this month. A coalition of Asian American organizers and allies have brought together artists, activists and community members over the past several weeks to bring local, and even national, attention to the problematic play. The Facebook page for the event reads, “‘Don’t Buy Miss Saigon’ Coalition has been organizing against the stereotypes and misconceptions perpetuated by the production of Miss Saigon and the fact that it has come back to the Ordway for the third time. The Coalition has created the October 8 event as an opportunity for local Asian Americans and our allies to come together in solidarity and to share our own truth about what it means to be Asian American.”Above are some pictures taken by community organizer, Xay Yang, and the event’s photographer, Anna Min. Yang said the event was very well attended. “It was intergenerational and people were mobilized and energized. The organizers were strategic in their planning and had put in so much passion into this. Continue Reading

COMMUNITY VOICES | All voices are heard at OUTspoken’s first Queer Open Mic event.

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The Fox Egg Gallery in Minneapolis was packed full of nearly a hundred queer identified individuals and allies on Wednesday, October 9th 2013. Nikolas Martell, wearing a shiny purple bandeau with matching green hotpants and black high heels, and Paul Canada with a shiny red robe and a pearl necklace walked to the stage to host the kick off to the first ever OUTspoken Queer Open Mic event. “We want this to be an inclusive space, respect that please.” Says Martell. OUTspoken was started by Martell and Canada as an idea for an inclusive art space for queer identified individuals in the Twin Cities Area “Queer artists in the Twin Cities have needed this space for a really long time.” Says Renee Schminkey, the featured artist for the night’s event. The idea began when Martell and Canada were talking about ways they could “improve the community, bring the community together and find space for new voices.” One day Canada sent Martell a text message: ‘Queer open mic?’ to which Martell simply replied ‘Yes.’ and from there OUTspoken began to form together. Continue Reading

THEATER REVIEW | “How to be a Korean Woman,” at the Guthrie Theater, is a humorous and heartfelt take on adoption and identity

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Strive for one as we may, there’s really never a finish line in sight when it comes to the search for one’s true self. The same existential questions keep nagging at us for the entire short time we’re here, each adding layer upon layer of doubt that make it hard for any of us to know our innermost core. Who am I? What’s my purpose? Who would I be if things were just a little bit different? For adoptees, especially those who came from an entirely different culture and are given American names like Rachel, those same matters of identity take on an even more insurmountable amount of weight. Continue Reading

“I Love to Eat”: James Beard tells all at Illusion Theater

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Attention foodies: Garry Geiken serves up a delicious impersonation of legendary American foodie James Beard in Illusion Theater’s production of I Love to Eat: a love story with food. The one-man show is more character study than drama, but Geiken succeeds in bringing a fascinating character to life. During the performance, Geiken prepares some of Beard’s signature onion sandwiches, and a few lucky audience members get a chance to taste them.There will be more food for thought after the Wednesday, May 8 performance, when several local James Beard Award-winners, including Isaac Becker (112 Eatery, Bar La Grassa, Burch), Nick Kramarczuk (Kramarczuk’s, 2013 winner James Beard Foundation “America’s Classics”), and Tim McKee (La Belle Vie) will participate in a panel discussion on Beard’s impact on the local and national cooking scene.  The panel will be moderated by veteran Twin Cities food writer Sue Zelickson, herself a James Beard award winner for food journalism.For more details, or to purchase tickets, visit the Illusion Theater website. Upcoming shows are on: Thursday, May 2 @ 8pmFriday, May 3 @ 8pmSaturday, May 4 @ 8pmSunday, May 5 @ 7pmWednesday, May 8 @ 10amWednesday, May 8 @ 7pm – Post-show panel with James Beard Award-winning chefsThursday, May 9 @ 8pmFriday, May 10 @ 8pmSaturday, May 11 @ 8pm – Culinary Night with Art Institutes International Sunday, May 12 @ 7pm – Culinary Night with Art Institutes International Thursday, May 16 @ 8pm – Illusion Theater Birthday BenefitFriday, May 17 @ 8pmSaturday, May 18 @ 8 pm – ClosingCoverage of issues and events affecting Central Corridor communities is funded in part by a grant from the Central Corridor Funders Collaborative. Continue Reading

FREE SPEECH ZONE | With all due respects to Sunday’s Oscarcast

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THE OSCAR HOLMEN FILM FESTIVALS During the late 1970s the wonderful Oscar Holmen ran campy commercials for his Saint Paul carpet store on KSTP-TV, Channel 5, Minneapolis/St. Paul. The commercials were also produced at Channel 5. Oscar and Channel 5 agreed to let me tape portions of two Oscar Holmen Film Festivals at Channel 5 and to use Oscar’s commercials for the Timid Video Theater parodies which were produced a year apart.  These were send-ups of the Academy Award Programs and artsy fartsy film criticism on PBS and at the Walker Art Center. Both Oscar Holmen Film Festival parodies aired on KTCA-TV. Continue Reading

NEIGHBORHOOD NOTE | Winter Warm Up Scheduled for January 25

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The fifth annual Winter Warm Up, the primary source of funding for the Northeast Middle School after-school theater program, is set for Friday, January 25 from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. at the Grace Center (1500 6th St NE). All are invited to attend.The event will feature music by Buster Phelan (a local band that performs a mix of rock, pop and R & B music, food from local restaurants, beer, wine and a silent auction.All proceeds from ticket sales and the auction directly benefit the Northeast Middle School theater program, which puts on two shows each year: a winter play and a spring musical.  For this year’s fall play the Middle School students combined with the Edison theater group and performed a Shakespearean double feature.  The middle school students performed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Edison group performed Romeo and Juliet. Usually 10-15 students participate in the fall play but this year more than 40 students worked on the performance.For their spring musical, Northeast Middle School is staging the full two act version of Peter Pan on April 18 and 19.“Although this is an ambitious undertaking the middle school program has grown to the point where they are ready to tackle this classical musical,” Chris Pratt, chair of the Winter Warm-up committee said.“In keeping with the spirit of Peter Pan, we would really like to be able to “fly” a group of students above the middle school stage,” he said. Continue Reading

THEATER REVIEW | “Elf the Broadway Musical”: The Ordway delivers a holiday gift—wrapped in brown paper

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The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts this month introduces the Twin Cities to a new Broadway musical dedicated to spreading Christmas cheer. Years ago they introduced Irving Berlin’s White Christmas; showing now is Elf the Broadway Musical. While watching Elf I was comparing the two, and found Elf lacking in extravagance.

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THEATER REVIEW | “Miss Richfield 1981 2012: We’ll All Be Dead By Christmas” is as offensive as promised

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No need to worry about Christmas shopping, because the ancient Mayan Calendar predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012. What’s more, according to Miss Richfield 1981, the Mexicans have something to do with it. Such is the premise of Illusion Theater’s holiday show titled Miss Richfield 1981 2012: We’ll All Be Dead By Christmas. Russ King has returned to the Twin Cities to play his legendary Miss Richfield 1981. He puts on an entertaining, interactive show that promises to offend some, if not all, in the audience.

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