The Highwaymen
By Josh Wilder
Directed by Jamil Jude
February 4–February 26, 2017
Note: There is adult language in this play, parental discretion advised for children under 16.
1956. The construction of Interstate 94 destroyed the thriving, tight-knit Rondo neighborhood where homes, stores and businesses once stood. The new freeway tore through the heart of St. Paul’s largest African-American community. This powerful new drama explores the dynamics surrounding the decision-making process that shattered the lives of thousands of middle-class residents and changed the face of St. Paul forever.
Did You Know?
The Federal Aid Highway Act authorized and apportioned among several states $1.2 million (1957); $850 million (1958); $878 million (1959).
Special Events
Afterthoughts. Free for ticketed patrons. A lively post show talk after Sunday matinees.
- February 5 – From Page to Stage Director Jamil Jude and Playwright Josh Wilder
- February 12 – Road to 94 Commissioner of Transportation Charles Zelle and Marvin Anderson, co-founder Rondo Ave. Inc. and former Minnesota State Law Librarian
- February 19 – Behind the Scenes Cast of The Highwaymen
- February 26 – Keeping Rondo Alive Author Frank White, Old Rondo resident, Community Advocate
Learn more about "The Highwaymen"
- "The Highwaymen" tells the story of St. Paul's Rondo neighborhood (MPR, 2/2/17)
- Rondo neighborhood play dedicated to 'memories we step on and the lives we drive over' (Pioneer Press, 2/2/17)
- Paying tribute to a community that paid tremendous price for sake of progress (CityPages)
- High Stakes in The Highwaymen (Twin Cities Arts Reader, 2/4/17)
Reviews are in:
- 'Highwaymen' shows many sides of Rondo dispossession (Pioneer Press, 2/6/17)
- 'Highwaymen' shows how a St. Paul neighborhood paid the price of progress (Star Tribune, 2/8/17)
- A divide that's still ours (MN Playlist, 2/7/17)
- Fast march of progress (cherryandspoon, 2/6/17)
- The Highwaymen more than a local history (talkingbroadway.com, 2/13/17)
- The Highwaymen recounts memories of St. Paul's Rondo community (Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder, 2/21/17)
Watch Video:
- Interview with Josh Wilder and Jamil Jude about The Highwaymen
- Promotional Video: The Highwaymen
- Scene: Part 1
- Scene: Part 2
Photos from Minnesota Historical Society Collections