Current Season - Theatre Pro Rata https://www.theatreprorata.org Your one stop shop for all things Pro Rata Mon, 22 Apr 2024 15:30:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.15 The Language Archive https://www.theatreprorata.org/language-archive/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 04:02:17 +0000 https://www.theatreprorata.org/?page_id=7572

The Language Archive

Written by Julia Cho // Directed by Nicole Marie Wilder // April 18 — May 4, 2024

 

“There are sixty-nine hundred languages in the world. More than half are expected to die within the next century. In fact, it’s estimated that every two weeks, a language dies. I don’t know about you, but this statistic moves me far more than any statistic on how many animals die or people die in a given time, in a given place. Because when we say a language dies, we are talking about a whole world, a whole way of life. It is the death of imagination, of memory.”

- George, The Language Archive 

 

George is a man consumed with preserving and documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He doesn’t know what to say to his wife, Mary, to keep her from leaving him, and he doesn’t recognize the deep feelings that his lab assistant, Emma, has for him.

Performing At:

The Crane Theater
2303 Kennedy St. NE #120
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Directions
Take 35W to the Stinson Blvd exit, go south to the Kennedy Street NE (stoplight) and turn right. The Kennedy Building (where the theater is located) will be on your right, go just past it and turn right onto McKinley Place NE. The entrance to the adjacent parking lot will be on your right, on the north side of the building. Enter the theater through the yellow door that faces the parking lot. Look for the Theatre Pro Rata sign at the bottom of the stairs. Free parking is available on the street, and on either side of the median in the center of the lot.
Tickets:

$16-$61, Sliding Scale
Tickets must be purchased online in advance

Covid policy Details here.

Performances Dates:

Thursday, April 18, at 7:30pm. Preview
Friday, April 19, at 7:30 pm. Opening Night
Saturday, April 20, at 7:30pm.
Monday, April 22, at 7:30pm. Pay What You Can Performance
Friday, April 26, at 7:30pm.
Saturday, April 27, at 7:30pm.
Sunday, April 28, at 2:00pm. Matinee; Masks Required*
Monday, April 29, at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Can Performance
Friday, May 3, at 7:30pm.
Saturday, May 4, at 2:00pm. Matinee
Saturday, May 4, at 7:30pm. Closing

*Masks optional for audience at all other performances

 

“The Language Archive… is a very funny, yet poignant and well-acted stage experience”

Aisle Say — Twin Cities 

 

Promotional Support provided by Alliance Française

 

{ CAST }

GEORGE
Joe Swanson
MARY
Megan Kim
EMMA
Eva Gemlo
ALTA
Wini Froelich
RESTEN
Nick Menzhuber

 

{ CREW }

DIRECTOR
Nicole Marie Wilder
STAGE MANAGER
Clara Costello +
SET DESIGNER
MJ Leffler +
COSTUME DESIGNER
Mandi Johnson
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Emmet Kowler
SOUND DESIGNER
Topher Pirkl
PROPS DESIGNER
Jenny Moeller
DIALECT COACH
Gillian Constable
ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER
Antonia Perez
DIRECTING OBSERVER
Ankita Ashrit
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Kamilla Sims

+ Theatre Pro Rata Company Member

]]> Bernhardt/Hamlet https://www.theatreprorata.org/bernhardthamlet/ Sat, 08 Jul 2023 23:33:46 +0000 https://www.theatreprorata.org/?page_id=7479

Bernhardt/Hamlet

Written by Theresa Rebeck // Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern // September 29 — October 14, 2023

Mark Twain wrote: “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses –
and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.”

It’s 1899 in Paris, and Sarah Bernhardt is a critically acclaimed actress with a daring spirit.  She’s triumphed in multiple theatrical roles, and the critics adore her.  When she takes on Shakespeare’s Hamlet as Hamlet, she grapples with the text written for this character as she goes through her creative process.  She struggles against societal norms of the day as she determinedly persists in creating her own version of Hamlet played by a woman.  This is a story of fierce persistence in the face of resistance to progress.

Performing At:

The Crane Theater
2303 Kennedy St. NE #120
Minneapolis, MN 55413

Directions
Take 35W to the Stinson Blvd exit, go south to the Kennedy Street NE (stoplight) and turn right. The Kennedy Building (where the theater is located) will be on your right, go just past it and turn right onto McKinley Place NE. The entrance to the adjacent parking lot will be on your right, on the north side of the building. Enter the theater through the yellow door that faces the parking lot. Look for the Theatre Pro Rata sign at the bottom of the stairs. Free parking is available on the street, and on either side of the median in the center of the lot.

Please note: This production contains flashing light sequences which may affect photosensitive audience members.

Tickets:

$16-$61, Sliding Scale
Tickets must be purchased online in advance

Covid policy Details here.

Performances Dates:

Thursday, September 28, at 7:30pm. Preview
Friday, September 29, at 7:30 pm. Opening Night
Saturday, September 30, at 7:30pm.
Monday, October 2, at 7:30pm. Pay What You Can Performance
Friday, October 6, at 7:30pm.
Saturday, October 7, at 7:30pm.
Sunday, October 8, at 2:00pm. Matinee; Masks Required*
Monday, October 9, at 7:30 pm. Pay What You Can Performance
Friday, October 13, at 7:30pm.
Saturday, October 14, at 2:00pm. Matinee
Saturday, October 14, at 7:30pm.

*Masks optional for audience at all other performances

 

Promotional Support provided by the Trylon Cinema 

 

Bring home a piece of the show and enjoy a gorgeous, canvas painted reproduction of a theatrical poster of Sarah Bernhardt by Alphonse Mucha painted by our talented set designer, Sadie Ward.

 

{ CAST }

SARAH BERNHARDT
Nicole Goeden
CONSTANT COQUELIN
Sean Dillon
EDMOND ROSTAND
Em Rosenberg +
ALPHONSE MUCHA
Derek “Duck” Washington
MAURICE / ENSEMBLE
Ben Qualley
LOUIS / ENSEMBLE
Jeremy Williams
ROSAMOND / ENSEMBLE
Ankita Ashrit
LYSETTE
Clara Marsh
RAOUL
Claire Chenoweth
FRANCOIS
Christy Johnson

 

{ CREW }

DIRECTOR
Carin Bratlie Wethern +
STAGE MANAGER
Clara Costello +
SET DESIGNER
Sadie Ward
COSTUME DESIGNER
Raphael Ferreira
LIGHTING DESIGNER
Emmet Kowler
SOUND DESIGNER
Jacob M. Davis +
PROPS DESIGNER
Jenny Moeller
INTIMACY/FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHER
Annie Enneking
DRAMATURG
Nissa Nordland Morgan +
ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER
Sarah Schniepp

+ Theatre Pro Rata Company Member

 

Director’s Notes

By all accounts Sarah Bernhardt was a legend, and possibly the original influencer. She did outrageous things (slept in a coffin, had numerous exotic pets, wore a hat decorated with a taxidermied bat…) while maintaining the Victorian equivalent of rock star celebrity. Many of the characters in the play are based on real people: Alphonse Mucha (painter of the iconic Nouveau posters we think of when we think of the Divine Sarah), Edmund Rostand (up-and-coming playwright, hard at work on a new play), Maurice (Sarah’s son — also growing up into a playwright and director in his own right)… and of course — Sarah herself. 

 

Sarah was an incredible performer, and used her fame and talent to grow her brand and her business. As her power grew, so did her investment of time and money into her status and work, culminating in purchasing a theater of her own; something practically revolutionary in 1897. She created work for herself and for dozens of other artists. And then she did something even more revolutionary in the eyes of the public: she performed the role of Hamlet. Sarah had played pants roles before (Lorenzo de Medici, for example) but this was different. At the dawn of the 20th century Sarah grappled with a persistent societal double standard when it comes to gender, both in her life and onstage. She asked why can’t a woman play a man? Why does the gender of the actor (or other identifying characteristics) matter? After all: it’s a play, and this is pretend. And over 100 years later, we continue to ask the question.

-CBW

]]> Season Announcement 2023–24 https://www.theatreprorata.org/season-announcement-2023-24/ Fri, 19 May 2023 14:05:21 +0000 https://www.theatreprorata.org/?p=7464 Theatre Pro Rata season announcement 2023–2024

Theatre Pro Rata’s 2023/24 season will include two productions: Bernhardt/Hamlet by Theresa Rebeck; and The Language Archive by Julia Cho.

Bernhardt/Hamlet

by Theresa Rebeck
Performances: September 29 — October 14, 2023

Mark Twain wrote: “There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses – and then there is Sarah Bernhardt.” In 1899, the international stage celebrity set out to tackle her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. Theresa Rebeck’s play rollicks with high comedy and human drama, set against the lavish Shakespearean production that could make or break Bernhardt’s career.

Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern

The Language Archive

by Julia Cho
Performances: April 19 — May 4, 2024

George is a man consumed with preserving and documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He doesn’t know what to say to his wife, Mary, to keep her from leaving him, and he doesn’t recognize the deep feelings that his lab assistant, Emma, has for him.

Directed by Nicole Marie Wilder

PLAYREADING SERIES

Theatre Pro Rata will also continue its on-going play reading series with two readings during the run of each show. The readings are free and open to the public. Almost all TPR productions since 2008 were initially read and discussed during the play reading series.

PERFORMANCE VENUE

All shows take place at:

The Crane Theatre, 2303 Kennedy St NE, Minneapolis

www.cranetheatre.com

THEATRE PRO RATA

Since 2001 Pro Rata, Latin for “in proportion,” has produced smart, vivid, varied, and gutsy theater in the Twin Cities. Focusing on the text of the play, the company offers performers and audiences the chance to engage the characters, themes, and language more completely. Ranging from classic dramas to modern black comedies, Theatre Pro Rata produces scripts that bring visceral theatrical experiences to the stage. 

Theatre Pro Rata utilizes a unique sliding scale for ticketing, allowing patrons to name their own price from $16 to $61.

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