Raw Stages 2024 Line-Up
When I first arrived at History Theatre in April of 2022 to start my position as the New Works Associate, the first thing that landed on my desk was the file folder full of I AM BETTY information. A draft of the script – with edits scribbled in pen and no second act yet! It's apropos that the first assignment on my desk was to support a new work in progress. Of course, that’s what I was hired for, but also, that is the bedrock of what History Theatre does.Over the years History Theatre has been investing more and more into our new play development processes. In addition to our public Raw Stages festival which we produce every January, we have an internal series called the Next Stage workshops, which generally happen over the summer. History Theatre values and nurtures new work – which puts us in a unique position in our Twin Cities community. Our emeritus Artistic Director Ron Peluso used to say, “You can’t just pull plays about Minnesota history off the shelf!” Our current Artistic Director, Richard D. Thompson, says we want to expand the breadth of our storytelling and celebrate the joys and triumphs of all Minnesotans, Midwesterners, and Americans who laid the path to who we are today.
I hope you’ll join us this coming January as we nurture and support five new works and their makers in our next Raw Stages: New Works Festival.
- You’ll love a new collaboration between veteran writer Bob Beverage and the composer from I AM BETTY and music director extraordinaire, Denise Prosek. Bob and Denise are cooking up one of Richard’s first commissions as the newly seated Artistic Director with the musical DAYTON’S – a story honoring Minnesota legend Jack Barkla and his ingenious designs for the Dayton’s department store.
- Brian Grandison, who deftly penned DIESEL HEART last season, will delight us again with his one-man story of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, who you may also know as one of the purple people eaters of the 1970s MN Vikings.
- Veteran theatre maker Rick Shiomi will turn his hand to writing the story of Nisei linguists – second-generation Japanese Americans – who used their language skills as code breakers during WWII at Camp Savage.
- We welcome back Jenna Zark, whose work was last seen on the HT stage back in the 2000-2001 season, with her take on the life and accomplishments of the brilliant and difficult Kate Millett.
- And we round out the festival with HT newcomer Josef Evans, and his musical about Nellie King, a Minnesota outlaw and wild woman of the late 19th century.
Each of these writers will be paired with a director, a dramaturg, the musicals with a music director, and a cast of tenacious actors who will read drafts, offer feedback, try out material, maybe even improvise a bit, and prepare for you a new and exciting story about our shared past. Finally, the last magic ingredient in the new play stew is you – your feedback and ideas in the Raw Stages audience help us enormously to know what works. Please mark your calendars now to join in on the new work fun, January 10 – 14 in the auditorium next to our theatre. See you at Raw Stages!
- Laura Leffler, New Works & Producing Associate
