The Twin Cities is known for its culture of performing arts, and its vibrant theater scene is a thriving example. It wouldn’t be hard to find a different venue and performing company every week of the year… you can pick from performances by dozens of local theater and dance companies, as well as touring companies, universities and colleges, and more. The quality of local talent is outstanding.
The Jungle Theater is a small neighborhood theater that we have enjoyed since it was founded in a small storefront on Lake Street in Minneapolis in 1991. It has since moved to a new theater around the corner on Lyndale, but I love how it has retained its edgy, intimate feel.
In their own words…
“As a neighborhood theater with national impact, the Jungle focuses on telling stories that matter, with deep care and attention to detail… creating resonant theater that challenges, entertains, and sparks expansive conversation.”
I recently read a book that is fiction but felt more like a historical novel about what might have happened to Nora from Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House“. It was a compelling read, a life journey which felt totally plausible and gave so much insight into the challenges for women both in Norway and the US at that time. It would make a great movie.
When I saw that the Jungle was doing a show on the same topic by a different author I knew I had to see it. A friend who had also read “Searching for Nora” by Wendy Swallow came with me and we were both impressed. Although it was a totally different outcome it was also compelling.
What struck me about “A Doll’s House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath was that it was a perfect stage play to follow the original. Both took place with only a few characters in one room… both leaving questions about what is next, but with Part 2 wiping the slate clean for a fresh start for both Nora and Torvald.
This is just one example of the amazing arts scene in the Twin Cities (which also includes many writers and composers). We are large enough to attract national talent, but small enough to also support outstanding local talent. I remember standing in line to get tickets in NYC and chatting with the young woman in front of me. When I asked her about her story she said she was an actor from Minnesota! And she said she was moving back here because there are more opportunities in the Twin Cities than in NYC.
When a New York company came to St. Paul’s Ordway theater last year for a production of 42nd Street, about half the dancers were cast locally. Read below what the StarTribune reported from the NYC choreographer for that show.
The hotshot tap dancer and choreographer didn’t have high expectations when he came hunting for local talent for his Twin Cities show. He’s a New Yorker, after all, and the closest he’d ever come to Minnesota was flying overhead at 33,000 feet.
But then Jared Grimes auditioned hoofers at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. The 70 or so dancers he saw provoked an unexpected reaction.
“I was shocked,” said Grimes, a fast-rising dance phenom who has choreographed for Cirque du Soleil and performed with pop figures such as Mariah Carey and the Roots. In New York and Chicago, he said, it’s hard to find performers who can sing, dance and act at a high level. But he found that the Twin Cities area is studded with triple threats. “To have that many tap dancers who I could utilize was a dream,” he said.
It has been said that the Twin Cities is second only to New York City in number of theater companies per capita. Want to go out for the night? Pick from dozens of theater and dance companies for premieres and classics in world-class performances… it doesn’t get much better than this.
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – shensrud@homesmsp.com
