Raw Stages: New Works Festival
Take part in a new script’s first brave steps from the page to the stage!
RAW STAGES: New Works Festival is YOUR chance to be involved from the beginning as we develop new plays and musicals just for you. Staged readings of works-in-progress are part of the fall 2024 festival; following the readings audiences are invited to participate in lively discussions aimed at advancing the work. Salons are new this year and will delve deeper into new play development and new works created around the Twin Cities. Come and be a part of the magic!
Since 1978, History Theatre has produced over 140 world premieres. We are building a new canon of stories with and for our community that shape, reflect, and affect our shared experience. Note: The readings will be performed in the Auditorium at History Theatre, 30 E. 10th Street, St. Paul. All readings are general admission.
Tickets: $15 for individual readings; $45 for All-Access Pass to readings (limited availability).
- Laura Leffler Talks Raw Stages at History Theatre (Bad Mouth Theatre Company, 10/14/24)
- History Theatre Reveals Raw Stages Line-Up (Broadway World, 8/7/24)
Read the Playbill
Rollicking! A Winter Carnival Musical
book & co-lyrics by Rachel Teagle
music & co-lyrics by Keith Hovis
directed by Richard D. Thompson
music directed by Joshua Burniece
dramaturgy by Alayna Jacqueline
stage managed by Jaya Robillard
Friday, October 25, 7:30 pm
The cast: Benjamin Bailey, Erin Capello^, Zola Dee*, Ben Dutcher*, Anna Hashizume*, Abby Magalee*, Abilene Olson, Cameron Reeves^, Randy Schmeling*, Leslie Vincent^, Kyle Weiler*, and Adrienne Zimiga-January.
When Saint Paul city architect Clarence “Cap” Wigington is tasked with designing a glorious ice palace for the Winter Carnival, he and his wife Viola get much more than they bargained for when the magic of the Carnival enters their lives. With a gust of icy wind, Viola and Cap are whisked away into the realm of King Boreas and find themselves at the center of the epic myth that drives the festival. In this magical land of the North Wind, historical figures from the Carnival’s long and storied history are seeking a new King to bring back the magic and see in Cap’s brilliance the leader they’ve been hoping for. Meanwhile, jealous Fire Lord Vulcanus and his right-hand woman Klondike Kate see in Viola an opportunity to disrupt the winter king and end the festival once and for all. In a journey through both myth and history, they meet Minnesota figures from 19th-century amateur poets to champion snowmobile racers, all of whom helped make the Winter Carnival a lasting and marvelous tradition. As the realm discovers the magic in creativity and community, Cap and Viola melt the ice that has formed between them, and the power of the Winter Carnival is ignited once again.
In this brand-new musical comedy adventure, playwright Rachel Teagle and composer Keith Hovis explore the strange and wonderful world of the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and the resilience, imagination, and heart that make Minnesota such a wonderful place, especially in the snow.
So Help Me God
by Lester Mayers
directed by Vanessa Brooke Agnes
dramaturgy by Vinecia Coleman
stage managed by Keara Lavandowska
Saturday, October 26, 1 pm
The cast: Idman Adan, Justin Michael Cooke*, Sean Dillon, Erin Farsté^, Peyton Dixon*, Valencia Proctor, Josh Simpson, Cherene Snow*, and Dana Lee Thompson.
So Help Me God is a powerful depiction of Lena O. Smith's extraordinary life, showcasing her journey as the first Black woman lawyer and President of the NAACP in the 1920s. The play explores her personal growth, triumphs, and legal battles, focusing on a landmark case where she represented an African American family facing racial violence in an all-white neighborhood. As "the negotiator" and "Fearless and from the West," Smith fearlessly confronted systemic obstacles to African American rights during a time of rampant violence. The production also sheds light on the suppression of women, offering an empowering portrayal of a trailblazing woman ahead of her time.
*Actors Equity Association | ^rehearsal swing
Hungry Like The Wolf
by Sandra Struthers
directed by Laura Leffler
dramaturgy by Cat Hammond
stage managed by Katie Cornish
Saturday, October 26, 7 pm
The cast: Kathryn Fumie^, Tracey Maloney*, Addie Phelps*, Luverne Seifert*, Angela Timberman*, and Allison Vincent.
Hungry Like the Wolf is a fast-paced, irreverent comedy exploring the first American bank strike and fight for women's labor rights, an '80s tv-movie flop, a starlet's battle with McCarthyism, and a young woman's obsession with Duran Duran. In this coming-of-age story, audiences will learn about the Willmar Eight — the eight local women who led the famous 1977 strike, the film made about them, and Lee Grant —the fascinating actress-turned-director who told their story.
Don’t miss Doris Hines
by TyLie Shider
directed by Aaron Todd Douglas
dramaturgy by Faye Price
stage managed by Lee Johnson
Sunday, October 27, 2:30 pm
The cast: Comfort Dolo*, Erin Farsté, Kelechi Jaavaid, Paul LaNave, and Ashwanti Sakina Ford.
When Doris Hines, a promising nightclub singer, moves to Minneapolis from Yonkers, NY, her young marriage is on the rocks, but she is determined to establish a career in show business to raise her six children in a post-WWII society still gripped by the horrors of racism. Reputedly, Nat King Cole told Ella Fitzgerald, "Do NOT miss Doris Hines!" and she didn't. This quote encompasses Doris' career in show business and playwright TyLie Shider’s interest in adapting her relatively unsung story for the stage.
New this year: SALONS
Free events are open to the public and all festival goers to dig deeper into the new play development and the New Work being produced across the Twin Cities.
Playwrights on New Plays and History Plays
moderated by Richard D. Thompson
Learn about the secrets of some of History Theatre’s favorite playwrights and their writing process. Discover how writing a history play differs from fiction and get a chance to ask questions directly to the writers.
- Jeffrey Hatcher
- Alayna Jacqueline
- Laurie Flanigan Hegge
- Josef Evans
- Denise Prosek
Supporting the New Play Environment
moderated by Laura Leffler
Wondering what you can do to help even more new work get made at History Theatre and in the Twin Cities? Listen as new work leaders from the community discuss what exactly is needed to help new plays thrive.
- Christopher Bineham, Director of Advancement, The Playwrights' Center
- Tyler Michaels-King, Artistic Director, Trademark Theatre
- Rick Shiomi, Co-founder of Mu Performing Arts and Full Circle Theater
- Nicole A. Watson, Producing Artistic Director, The Playwrights' Center
