Why would anyone want to spend the weekend after Thanksgiving shopping? I mean, I know plenty of people for whom bargain hunting in the wee hours is something of a post-feast family tradition, but I don’t get it. For me, an afternoon at the museum is an ideal way to punctuate a lazy holiday weekend […]
Article · November 21, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
Somehow, this nearly slipped by me: Minnesota Public Radio’s terrific live program, “Wits,” has a show this Friday night with one of my household’s favorite writers (and “The Daily Show” Resident Expert), John Hodgman. For those of you unfamiliar with the variety show-cum-interview series, “Wits” features all manner of clever writerly types in conversation with […]
Article · November 16, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
“Opera is accused of being a ‘museum’ art form, so world premieres are a big deal — there just aren’t that many of them these days,” says the American correspondent for “Opera News,” speaking at the press meet-and-greet before the final dress rehearsal of Minnesota Opera’s newly commissioned production, “Silent Night,” which opened this weekend. […]
Article · November 14, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
“Saying ‘welcome home, good job’ — that’s not enough. It doesn’t make all that pain go away,” says one Vietnam veteran interviewed in the intimate new documentary “Souvenirs: Healing After War.” Another veteran of that war, Phong Phan, remarks, “A lot of souvenirs from Vietnam — but some souvenirs are dangerous. Some souvenirs are very heavy.” […]
Article · November 9, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
A few weeks ago, during an end-of-summer outdoor arts festival presented by mnartists.org (where I work for my day job), I heard Brian Laidlaw for the first time. He was closing out the day’s performances with an acoustic set around the campfire, playing with the Family Trade, one of a handful of ensembles and solo […]
Article · November 7, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
The Twin Cities have more than their fair share of jazz, improvisational and experimental music talent, and even with the recent closing of some beloved venues for such performing artists, St. Paul still boasts a number of great places to hear them play: Black Dog Coffee and Wine Bar in Lowertown, the Artists’ Quarter, Studio […]
Article · November 2, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
When I made plans to see Nautilus Music-Theater’s adaptation of “Joan of Arc” — its first fully staged production in the company’s small, Lowertown loft studio space — I have to admit, I was a bit dubious. Thinking of the medieval French peasant girl-turned-soldier of God, her famously transcendent visions and fiery end — the high drama […]
Article · October 31, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
Here we are, more than 50 years past the boys’ club context of the advertising and design world of the “Mad Men” era. While women have taken a much more prominent role in the field since then, they’ve done so primarily in anonymity, their many accomplishments valuable to clients and colleagues but largely unrecognized by […]
Article · October 26, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
“Whorled,” Ed Bok Lee’s recently published collection of poems, is a far bigger book than its modest page count suggests. In it, the award-winning St. Paul-based poet addresses a broad sweep of subjects — globalization, war, love and loss; the distinctions of culture, language and identity in an age of multiculturalism. But he does so […]
Article · October 24, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
Like millions of other folks, our family was riveted by Ken Burns’ recent documentary series for PBS, “Prohibition.” So, as I was looking through various arts calendars this week, my eye caught on next Tuesday’s sing-along with the internationally celebrated Rose Ensemble, where they’ll be performing at one of the St. Paul public library branches. […]
Article · October 19, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler
“Anna Bella Eema” bills itself as “a ghost story with three bodies for three voices” — that’s about as good a description as any. Obie Award-winning playwright Lisa D’Amour’s otherworldly script just doesn’t fit comfortably in the confines of a tidy subhead capsule description. Here are the story’s outlines: A single mother, Irene, and her precocious […]
Article · October 17, 2011 by Susannah Schouweiler