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Your Weekend Entertainment, December 18-20
December 17, 2009
‘Twas the weekend before Christmas, and that means a lot of programming wrapping up for the year. That includes La Natividad from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, which ends with shows at 6:30 PM Thursday through Sunday. Only Thursday night tickets are still available, but there may still be some volunteer opportunities as ways to get involved and see the show!
Also on its last weekend up is Jungle Theater’s The Seafarer. It’s gotten great reviews from MSP Magazine, Daily Planet, Star Tribune, and others, so see it while you still can! Buy tickets
Some Christmas-themed shows are wrapping up at Bryant Lake Bowl too. Letters to Santa…Postage Due! has its last show Saturday at 7:00 PM, and A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix ends Sunday with shows at 6:00 and 8:30 PM. Buy tickets
Christmastime also means Santa Claus! He’ll be at the Midtown Global Market on Friday and Saturday for free photo opportunities. That starts at 5:00 PM on Friday and noon on Saturday.
And non-holiday related but no less interesting for that, Magers & Quinn hosts Mitch Omer, the owner of Minneapolis’s Hell’s Kitchen, on Saturday. He’ll be discussing his cookbook Damn Good Food. “Omer reveals the recipes that have made his restaurant a pleasure seeker’s destination, including inventions like his tart, ethereal Lemon-Ricotta Hotcakes; dark, wild Bison Sausage Bread; and sweet, creamy Mahnomin Porridge. These dishes have the hungry and eager queued up out the doors of Hell’s Kitchen, often for hours, but now you can make them at home.”
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 11-13
December 10, 2009
There’s a very busy Lake Street arts scene this weekend. Let’s start with In the Heart of the Beast. Their yearly production of La Natividad actually starts tonight (Thursday), but is also on Friday and Sunday nights. “Much more than a straightforward enactment of the Christmas story, La Natividad unites evocative theater with an open-armed community celebration of inclusion and generosity. It has become a tradition for many in the Twin Cities who wish to push beyond the commercialism that abounds during this season and experience the essence of the holiday.” Buy tickets
To the east, Patrick’s Cabaret hosts Kinetic Kitchen on Friday & Saturday night. Featuring Cade Holmseth premiering “Just One More”, Jennifer Glaws’ Jagged Moves, Sarah LaRose-Holland’s Kinetic Evolutions dance company, and youth group The Phipps Dance Company.
Over in Lyn-Lake, it’s the penultimate weekend for Jungle Theater’s play The Seafarer. “A collection of Irish misfits lay their cards – and their souls – on the table in this tale of a poker game played on Christmas Eve. A wonderful exploration of passion, provocation, and the potential for redemption, The Seafarer showcases one of today’s greatest storytellers, and an all-star cast of local favorites.” Buy tickets
Up the street at Intermedia Arts, they’re hosting Dance Film Project, their annual festival “for dancemakers and filmmakers to collaborate and create original short works for the camera. The project aims to explore choreography through a cinematic language.” Click here for a full schedule of events. Intermedia Arts also continues its Dimensions of Indigenous exhibit, which just got a nice write-up at the TC Daily Planet.
And Bryant Lake Bowl has a very merry weekend in store. Friday night it’s Inappropriate Laughter III: Merry Sketchmas and Happy Ha-Ha-Ha-lidays at 7 PM and The Santaland Diaries at 9:30. Saturday it’s Creative Laughter Club House at noon (a show for kids K-6), and then Letters to Santa…Postage Due! at 7 PM and another round of The Santaland Diaries at 9:30. Then on Sunday, it’s one more Letters to Santa at 6 PM followed by A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix at 8:30.
And that’s just the theater spaces! How about live music? At Sauce Spirits & Soundbar, it’s local indie-rock group Pictures of Then on Friday night, and a CD release party for Al Church & State on Saturday night.
In a Scandinavian frame of mind? Come in to Ingebretsen’s on Saturday 11 – 1 for a Santa Lucia celebration. “December 13, is a celebration of light in Sweden, and all of Scandinavia; countries that are very dark in the winter. Join Ingebretsen’s to share the tradition of this special Swedish holiday with holiday music and pepparkakor served by Lucia and her attendants.”
And finally, Powderhorn residents and others may be in Getting to Know Project 8. This will be “a community event to discuss the concerns of youth in the neighborhood, to eat a free meal, and to enjoy free youth entertainment. Project 8 recognizes that there are an infinite number of things the people in our community are good at. Whether it be cooking or teaching math or giving free law advice, we want to show the youth of the Twin Cities that the support is here for them to succeed. This is a family event so bring your kids!”
Your Weekend Entertainment, December 4-6
December 03, 2009
The big, big event on Lake Street this weekend will no doubt be the No Coast Craft-o-Rama, which will be at the Midtown Global Market for the third year running. The No Coast Craft-o-Rama will provide shoppers with that warm fuzzy feeling as they experience the beauty of buying handmade goods. The sale offers a diverse atmosphere that is definitely a welcome alternative to the humdrum of the shopping malls. The craft sale will be on Friday 3 – 8 and Saturday 9 – 5, and promises to be an absolutely packed event with lots of great deals and products to be had, many from local craftmakers.
Elsewhere, Patrick’s Cabaret holds the Somewhat 90’s Variety Show this weekend, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm. An evening of hip-hop, comedy, singing, breakin, house dance, waacking, freestyle, and modern dance. It promises to be a good time.
Jungle Theater is now in the middle of its run of Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer, which has been getting rave reviews. To pick just one example, the Star Tribune says,“A spanking cast spins out this yarn in a frightfully good production directed by Joel Sass…The acting here is the best I’ve seen in quite some time not only at the Jungle but anywhere. Sass’s staging has a cohesion, pace and rhythm that is spot on….” You can see more reviews at the Jungle’s website, where you can also buy tickets!
For those with children in tow, In the Heart of the Beast has you covered with their Saturday puppet shows. This Saturday, at 10 am and noon, it’s The Fisher and the Fisher / El pescador y el pescador, which is a bilingual English/Spanish show. Don’t forget the Make-n-Take puppet workshop at 11 am.
Also for kids, Santa Claus is paying his first visit to the Midtown Global Market on Saturday, from 12 – 4. This will be at the same time as No Coast is on so be ready for a very bustling and festive atmosphere!
And finally, in an event that is more for the grown-ups, renowned local food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is paying a visit to Magers & Quinn Booksellers Friday night at 7:30 pm. She’ll be there to discuss her book Drink This: Wine Made Simple. “If you’ve been baffled by a wine list, stood perplexed before endless racks of bottles at the liquor store, or ordered an overpriced bottle out of fear of the scathing judgment of a restaurant sommelier, Dara is here to help.”
Your Weekend Entertainment, November 20-22
November 19, 2009
It’s shaping up to be a nice weekend with temperatures in the mid-50s and lots to do on Lake Street! Let’s start with two annual events.
First up, Saturday from 10 – 3 it’s the Calhoun Coffee Fest, the 20th annual incarnation. Attendees are invited to sample coffee, tea and treats from local and national vendors, participate in a variety of entertainment, and will receive a collectible Coffee Festival mug. Admission is $9, with proceeds benefiting Second Harvest Heartland.
Down the street a bit at the Midtown Global Market, it’s Do It Green! Minnesota’s 4th Annual Green Gifts Fair, also on Saturday, 10 – 5. Shop among 40+ local, eco-friendly artists and businesses, catch local chef demos, an eco fashion show, children’s eco activities and participate in workshops showcasing ideas of how to entertain green this holiday season. Free to the public.
In the theater, Pangea World Theater and Intermedia Arts are co-hosting two screenings of the movie Four Sheets to the Wind as part of Pangea’s Indigenous Voices series. “When Cufe Smallhill (Cody Lightning), a Seminole-Cree from Oklahoma, finds his father dead beside a bottle of pills, he fulfills his promise to sink the body in the family pond. The action begins, leading Cufe to the big city of Tulsa with his sister Miri (Tamara Podemski) and soon discovers an entire world opening up.” The movie at Intermedia Arts at 8:00 PM Friday and Saturday. On Saturday there’s a special panel discussion beforehand at 6:30 PM.
Also on Friday and Saturday, Patrick’s Cabaret puts on a new show, which they called Prix-Fixe Cabaret. Featuring: Erin Drummond-’Dance of the Seal Woman’; dance by Non Edwards; storytelling by Alison Bergblom Johnson; dance by Victoria Olender; bellydance with Alexandra Owings; and music by Adrienne Vaughn.
In the Heart of the Beast Theatre wraps up its run of A Story of Thich Nhat Hanh this weekend. Demand was so great that they’ve added a Saturday matinee show, at 2:00 PM. The rest are sold out so if you don’t have a ticket yet, get one now for that Saturday matinee!
At Bryant Lake Bowl, it’s one serving of Quickies 2009, two of Dykes Do Drag, two of She: Immortal Witch Queen of a Lost World, and the weekend closes with A Christmas Carol: The Golden Girls Remix. Check the theater schedule for times and all the details.
And for the literary types, Magers & Quinn hosts two author discussions. Ted Gioia discusses The Birth (and Death) of the Cool Saturday at 7:00 PM, and Connie Goldman discusses Who Am I?… Now That I’m Not Who I Was? Sunday at 5:00 PM.
Your Weekend Entertainment, Halloween edition
October 30, 2009
The Peace Coffee pumpkin
Quick version of weekend entertainment today. We’ll have a look at what to do for Halloween. In just a little bit, Midtown Global Market will have their Halloween Family Night. 5:00 – 8:00 PM on Friday, kids in costumes are invited to venture throughout the Market and load up their trick-or-treat bags with candy from participating MGM stores and restaurants. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the free, family-friendly live entertainment from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the Market’s Central Plaza.
On October 31st itself, head over to Midtown Farmers’ Market for the last regularly scheduled market of the year. Pick up your last minute pumpkins, along with a wide variety of other vegetables like peppers, cabbage, winter squash, garlic, beets, turnips, potatoes, and celery root.
And for evening entertainment, how about heading over to Bryant Lake Bowl, for Tonight We Abide: The 2nd Annual Big Lebowski Party. “We’re celebrating Halloween the best way we know how… Our 2nd Annual party paying tribute to the Worlds best bowling movie, The Big Lebowski. So join us for a masquerade-bowling tournament, free movie screenings, DJ Christian Fritz spinning tunes from the Coen Brothers film catalog, karaoke, a costume contest, and loads of prizes. Come dressed as your favorite character from the movie and drink some Dude-a-reenos as we pay tribute to the Dude, Walter, Donny, and of course Jesus. No cover.”
Happy Halloween!
Your Weekend Entertainment, October 23-25
October 23, 2009
One play closes, another play opens. This is the last weekend for Mary’s Wedding at Jungle Theater. Meanwhile, a few blocks north of Lake Street, Open Eye Figure Theatre’s newest show, Elijah’s Wake, is just getting started. “A visual poem by Michael Sommers. First created in 2003, Michael Sommers revisits this groundbreaking work to be staged in the Open Eye Theatre. ‘…a piece of art the stimulates through visual action, this is an extraordinary work.’ Star Tribune”
As always, Bryant Lake Bowl has multiple shows to see this weekend. This time around, it’s two doses of Vampires Suck: The Vilification Tennis Halloween Show (Friday and Saturday), and the last chance to see Master Works: The Goya Plays (Friday), In the Weeds (Saturday), and The Importance of Being Earnest (Sunday).
And there’s plenty more happening to satisfy your artistic cravings. Friday and Saturday, Intermedia Arts hosts Singing the Legacy of Sekou Sundiata: The America Project Twin Cities, a series of community events including Brown Bag Dialogues, Citizenship Dinners, a Film Screening, Potluck Dinner and Community Sing, all designed to inspire and ignite our passionate ideals around citizenry, civic work, and active engagement in civic life. Friday night, Pangea World Theater hosts Hyphe-NATIONS Performances/Art Installation & Community Dialog, which deals with immigration migration and displacement in our diverse Twin Cities communities, nationally and globally. And Saturdays at In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, it’s puppet shows for kids! This Saturday is Tiddalick the Frog, an Australian Aboriginal story of a grumpy frog who drinks all the water and a little eel who makes a difference.
There are now just a few Midtown Farmers’ Market days left this year, and this Saturday it features an Energy Fair. October 24th is Day 350: the International Day of Action on Climate Change. This Saturday, market hosts Metro Clean Energy Resource Team, Do It Green! Minnesota, and the MN Energy Challenge will give you ideas on ways to save money on your utilities bill while saving energy in your home!
Sunday brunch? Midtown Global Market has you covered. This week it’s Cafe Finspang serving up Swedish meatballs, sausage, pancakes, lingonberry jam, Danish rye bread, and other Nordic treats.
And for the readers out there, Magers & Quinn has three weekend author events. Friday night, Karen Casey reads from Cultivating Hope : Weekly Readings to Open Your Heart and Mind, Saturday night Rachel Coyne reads from her novel Whiskey Heart, and on Sunday Miles Proctor and his vampire posse present The New Vampire’s Handbook: a Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the Night.
Your Weekend Entertainment, October 16-18
October 16, 2009
We have a couple high-profile events happening on Lake Street for only this one weekend. First is In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, which is hosting a double feature of two nationally recognized puppeteers. Janaki Ranpura performs Lovesick Sea Play, an innovative story of love in the world of 18th century Atlantic piracy. Bart Buch presents Ode to Walt Whitman, a multi-media puppetry performance that uncovers an unspoken dialogue between Whitman’s Leaves of Grass poems and Federico Garcia Lorca’s Ode to Walt Whitman. The shows are at 7:30 PM Friday & Saturday, 2:00 PM on Sunday. Tickets available online.
And at Midtown Global Market, it’s the 2nd Annual Cheese & Apple Festival on Saturday. The theme will center around locally grown products with about a dozen different local apple and cheese varieties, cooking demonstrations and kids’ activities. Come for lunch, get ideas for your holiday get togethers, learn something new at a cooking demo and listen to some great live music! It will be a day of fun for the whole family as MGM brings the fun of a fall apple orchard tour to the urban environment.
Elsewhere, Magers & Quinn has a full weekend of events. Friday night, Thomas Larson discusses the “Age of Memoir†and his book, The Memoir and the Memoirist. On Saturday, Richard Ojakangas presents Roadside Geology of Minnesota, Beatrice Ojakangas discusses The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever, and Vermont educator Tal Birdsey discusses his book A Room for Learning: The Making of a School in Vermont. And Sunday, Paul Tough discusses his book Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America.
Bryant Lake Bowl has a busy weekend too, with Master Works: The Goya Plays and “inspire” A Tribute to Michael Jackson on Friday Night, In the Weeds and Dragmanity on Saturday, and The Importance of Being Earnest on Sunday. And don’t forget Jungle Theater continuing their run of Mary’s Wedding and another fun Saturday morning at the Midtown Farmers’ Market!
Your Weekend Entertainment, September 25-27
September 25, 2009
Happy Friday! It’s feeling a lot like fall this week, and Lake Street is just as jam-packed with entertainment as ever. Let’s see what’s in store.
First, there’s Bryant Lake Bowl. The sketch comedy show Department of Redundancy Department plays, fittingly enough, twice, Friday and Saturday at 7:00 PM. Friday at 10:00 there’s a spoken word showcase, Saturday at 3:00 a “Good Ol’ Variety Show“, Saturday at 10:00 some indy-folk music from artist Ben Connelly, and Sunday at 7:00 it’s Funny Farm, a subversive take on children’s entertainment set at the State Fair.
Just a couple blocks down the road, it’s the second weekend for Mary’s Wedding at Jungle Theater. “The year is 1914, and a young bride-to-be dreams one last night of love and war. Even with an ocean between them, Mary and Charlie inhabit each other’s dreams. But as the dark clouds of World War 1 gather overhead, the strength of their bond is about to be tested. This moving and magical play is a love letter to the power of memory, hope and innocence…” Check out the review from the Star Tribune.
A bit further west, Magers & Quinn has an interesting author discussion happening on Saturday at 7:00. History professors Eileen McMahon and Theodore Karamanski will be discussing their new book North Woods River: The St. Croix River in Upper Midwest History, about the river that serves as a boundary between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Looking to the east, the Midtown area has a lot going on too. Let’s start at the Midtown Global Market. This Saturday is the annual Midtown Yoga Festival, which goes from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM. There will be a lot going on, with free yoga classes, demonstrations, chair massages, and more! See the festival’s website for the full schedule. And the next day, it’ll be time for Sunday brunch! This week’s brunch comes from Michelle Gayer and The Salty Tart, so you know it will be a treat! Sunday brunch lasts from 11:00 – 2:00.
This Saturday at the Midtown Farmers’ Market, it’s Native American Day Celebration. “Come enjoy exhibition dancing by the Native Pride Dancers, the music of Blue Dog, cultural activities, children’s activities, and free t-shirts while supplies last!” The Market starts at 8:00 AM, and the Native American festivities at 11:00 AM.
Ingebretsen’s Scandinavian Gifts & Deli has some fun stuff happening on Saturday as well. Starting at 1:00 PM, Detta Juusola of Detta’s Spindle will demonstrate spinning dog hair into yarn. She also has some hands-on materials for children and adults who want to try their hand at spinning for themselves. And then, from From 3:30 – 5:00, Jan Zita Grover, author of A Home for Dakota will read from her book. A Home for Dakota is the story of a shelter dog and the young girl who realizes that she capable to taking care of a dog with many challenges. The artist’s model for Dakota will be joining Jan.
And finally, if you love vintage records, this is your lucky weekend! Hymie’s Vintage Records at 33rd & Lake is having a huge sale on Saturday, with all records costing only $1! That includes LPs, 45s, 78s, and more. The sale will go from 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM.
Your Weekend Entertainment, Sept. 18-20
September 18, 2009
Lots of things to do this weekend! Let’s start with Jungle Theater. Their new play, Mary’s Wedding, opens tonight, and runs through October 25. The show’s unique approach to choreography has already drawn notice, with articles in both the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press, and should be a treat to see.
Also on the theater front, we have the Here Now Show at Patrick’s Cabaret, Friday and Saturday at 8:00 PM. This cabaret performance features: Tristan Koepke- dance Kari Mosel- dance theater, Undela- music, Bryan Gerber- dance/video/photography, Phil Belknap- I R Gadgetar, and James Holdman- percussion. Check the website for more details.
Intermedia Arts has a big event this weekend as well: the B-Girl Be Block Party 2009! It’s “an all day festival that brings international, national and local female hip-hop artists together in Minneapolis for music, dance, live mural painting, film and an art marketplace.” It goes from noon – 10 PM, rain or shine. Check the site for the schedule and to buy tickets.
And this will be a good weekend for farmers’ markets, with not one but two to check out. The Midtown Farmers’ Market is on Saturday from 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM. This week, the market celebrates its annual Preserve the Harvest Day. They’ll “have demonstrations of root cellaring techniques, pickling and canning, fermenting, drying, and other ways to extend the season and make the most of the late summer bounty that now fills the market. There will be samples of preserved foods to try and handouts with recipes and tips.”
On Sunday, we move further west for the Uptown Market. This will be the last Uptown Market of the year, so don’t miss it! They’ll have four blocks of local artists and small businesses selling affordable, handmade art, clothing, and prepared foods. Stock up on summer produce and bring home fresh, locally grown flowers! And be sure to come hungry and try a hot dog from the Magic Bus Cafe and some treats from the new Sweet Shack (Chef Shack’s new rig making its Twin Cities debut.)
If it’s a good meal you’re looking for, how about Sunday brunch at the Midtown Global Market? Every Sunday from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM, a chef from a Midtown Global Market restaurant will prepare and sell brunch in the Market’s Central Plaza. This week’s brunch comes from Lorenzo Azria of A La Salsa, who always has something delicious cooking in his kitchen.
Have fun dining, shopping, and playing on Lake Street this weekend!
