The Book of Will

by Lauren Gunderson

Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern

Oct 4–19, 2024

Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. And without Henry Condell and John Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever. After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They’ll just have to borrow, beg, and band together to get it done. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, The Book Of Will finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss, and laughter, and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.

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Three Sisters / No Sisters

Three Sisters

by Anton Chekhov in an English language version by Cordelia Lynn

Directed by Carin Bratlie Wethern

performed simultaneously with:

No Sisters, A Dramatic Poem of Heartbreak & Longing

by Aaron Posner

Directed by Julie Phillips

May 9–24, 2025

In a house in a provincial town, three sisters wait, and wait, and wait for their lives to begin. They long to leave their provincial lives, but are thwarted at every turn by heartache, disappointment, and a maddening inability to change. Three Sisters, written in 1900 by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, centers on a conflict between reality and illusions. Cordelia Lynn’s version of Chekhov’s Three Sisters is fresh, funny, and incredibly timely. While Three Sisters plays out on the mainstage, half the cast is simultaneously performing in the lobby. In that play the characters don’t know they are in a play. In this play, they know they’re in two plays! No Sisters unpacks the oddballs, the loners, and the oddities of Chekhov’s characters in a wildly funny play about wildly unhappy people. 

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CLICK HERE to bid on the silent auction!

About 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.

Performance Dates:

April 19-May 4, 2024

Performance schedule:

Week 1: Thurs preview, Fri 7:30, Sat 7:30, Mon 7:30 PWYC

Week 2: Fri 7:30, Sat 7:30, Sun 2pm matinee, Mon 7:30 PWYC

Week 3: Fri 7:30, Sat 2pm matinee, AND 7:30 Closing (note the two-show day)

Performance Venue:

The Crane Theater

2303 Kennedy St NE UNIT 120, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Rehearsal Dates:

March 11 — April 18, 2024

Nights (6:30–9:30) and weekends (1:00–5:00), 5 days a week.

Cast:
5 actors, non-AEA. Scripted as 2M, 3W. Actors will be asked to portray the gender listing in the script. Casting is gender-flexible. Queer, trans, and non-binary actors are encouraged to audition. Theatre Pro Rata is committed to a cast of at least 31% BIPOC actors, to reflect the demographics of the Twin Cities Metro community.

$650 stipend paid

Proof of Covid vaccination required

Characters:

• George: A linguist and scholar. A collector of languages. A man in his 40s. 
• Mary: George’s wife, a keen observer. A collector of feelings. A woman in her 40s.
• Emma: A lab assistant. A student of life and language. Hopeful. A woman in her 20s-30s. 
• Alta: One of the last speakers of a dying language. A resonant voice. 60+. Actor will play multiple characters. 
• Resten: One of the last speakers of a dying language, and Alta’s husband. A resonant voice. 60+. Actor will play multiple characters. 

Audition Dates:

Video Submissions: Due by Oct 1, 11:59pm. 

In-Person Callbacks: Sun Oct 8, 6:00–10:00pm 

Callback Location: 

The Crane Theater

2303 Kennedy St NE UNIT 120, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Audition Details:

Fill out this form. Note that you will be asked to upload a headshot, resume, and one short (under 3 minutes) contemporary monologue.

You will receive a copy of the form with your responses as confirmation of your submittance. Our audition coordinator will be in touch only if we are missing anything or a file will not open. Called back actors will be contacted by the morning of Wed, Oct 4, 2024.

We do not provide housing for actors; all performers must be located near the Twin Cities metro and able to arrange transportation to and from rehearsals and performances. 

Additionally, here are our Covid-19 Action Plan for Rehearsals and Performances, TPR Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement, TPR Harassment Policy and TPR Fight & Intimacy Procedure.

Please note: We welcome and encourage artists to take these documents and share them with other organizations who may be looking to adopt similar policies and procedures, we’re happy to share with our community!

If you have any questions, please contact Nissa, our Audition Coordinator, at Nissa.Nordland@gmail.com 

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.

46 Plays for America’s First Ladies

And we want YOU!

WHO CAN SUBMIT

Everyone regardless of age, affiliation, or expertise.

SUBJECT OF YOUR PIECE

We are looking for individual pieces from a variety of artists, each one based on a separate First Lady, in any way that speaks to you. Artwork should be original and avoid copyright infringement.

PARAMETERS

Pieces should be hangable artwork that fits within a 1′ x 1′ square.

TO ENTER

Please submit the following information to Andrew Troth at andrewtroth@comcast.net:

1. Your name

2. Your contact information

3. Your top five choices of First Lady — OR request a “RANDOM SELECTION.”

Andrew will reply to your email within 48 hours with further instructions and your First Lady assignment.

PHYSICAL SUBMISSIONS WILL BE DUE THE LAST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER

Artwork will be dropped off at the Crane Theater in Northeast Minneapolis. Specific drop-off dates and times will be provided.

THIS IS A DONATION TO A FUNDRAISER

Artwork will be displayed for sale during the run of the show, at a price set by the artist. Funds raised will support Theatre Pro Rata’s ongoing work and mission. 

Thank you for your interest and support.
We look forward to unveiling your masterpieces!

First Ladies to choose from:
(crossed out names have already been taken)

1     Martha Washington                              1789 – 1797
2     Abigail Adams                                       1797 – 1801
3     Martha Jefferson                                  1801 – 1809
4     Dolley Madison                                      1809 – 1817
5     Elizabeth Monroe                                 1817 – 1825
6     Louisa Adams                                        1825 – 1829
7     Emily Donelson                                     1829 – 1834
7     Sarah Jackson                                       1834 – 1837
8     Sarah Van Buren                                   1838 – 1841
9     Anna Harrison                                       1841
9     Jane Harrison                                        1841
10   Letitia Tyler                                          1841 – 1842
10   Elizabeth Priscilla Tyler                      1842 – 1844
10   Julia Tyler                                              1844 – 1845
11   Sarah Polk                                              1845 – 1849
12   Margaret “Peggy” Taylor                      1849 – 1850
13   Abigail Fillmore                                     1850 – 1853
14   Jane Pierce                                            1853 – 1857
15   Harriet Lane                                          1857 – 1861
16   Mary Lincoln                                          1861 – 1865
17   Eliza Johnson                                        1865 – 1869
18   Julia Grant                                             1869 – 1877
19   Lucy Hayes                                             1877 – 1881
20   Lucretia Garfield                                  1881
21   Mary McElroy                                         1881 – 1885
22   Rose Cleveland                                     1885 – 1886
22   Frances Cleveland                                1886 – 1889
23   Caroline Harrison                                 1889 – 1892
23   Mary Harrison McKee                           1892 – 1893
24   Frances Cleveland                                1893 – 1897
25   Ida McKinley                                          1897 – 1901
26   Edith Roosevelt                                     1901 – 1909
27   Helen “Nellie” Taft                               1909 – 1913
28   Ellen Wilson                                           1913 – 1914
28   Margaret Wilson                                    1914 – 1915
28   Edith Wilson                                          1915 – 1921
29   Florence Harding                                  1921 – 1923
30   Grace Coolidge                                     1923 – 1929
31   Lou Hoover                                            1929 – 1933
32   Anna Eleanor Roosevelt                      1933 – 1945
33   Elizabeth “Bess” Truman                     1945 – 1953
34   Mamie Eisenhower                               1953 – 1931
35   Jacqueline “Jackie” Kennedy              1961 – 1963
36   Claudia “Lady Bird” Johnson               1963 – 1969
37   Thelma “Pat” Nixon                              1969 – 1974
38   Elizabeth “Betty” Ford                         1974 – 1977
39   Eleanor Rosalynn Carter                      1977 – 1981
40   Nancy Reagan                                        1981 – 1989
41   Barbara Bush                                         1989 – 1993
42   Hillary Clinton                                       1993 – 2001
43   Laura Bush                                             2001 – 2009
44   Michelle Obama                                    2009 – 2017
45   Melania Trump                                      2017 – 2021
46   Jill Biden                                                2021 – Present

There are two reasons Pro Rata has been loving the play for this long: 1) our audience, and 2) our artists. Y’all are the thing that makes our little theater happen!

We are celebrating 20 years with an ask that mingles the two… 

Join us in a trivia game! We’re asking 20 trivia questions on Facebook and Instagram and every time you comment with a correct answer your name will be entered into a drawing for a TPR tote and a 20th Anniversary T Shirt! (one entry per question). 

During the trivia contest we are also asking for donations. We have a very specific goal: $1350.  Theatre Pro Rata is stepping up our dedication to the artists, and this money supports them by adding a week of technical rehearsals to The Bog of Cats.

Have fun as an audience member and help us support our artists today!

(You do not need to donate in order to participate in the trivia game, and you can get an anniversary t‑shirt of your own anytime).

During the trivia contest we are also asking for donations. We have a very specific goal: $1350. In order to better support our artists we are adding a week to the time we spend at The Crane during tech for By the Bog of Cats. Traditionally we have done one week of technical and dress rehearsals before we bring our audience in (taking over the space on Monday and opening on Saturday). It is a very condensed and intense time for all the artists, and although we have been able to make it work in the past, it’s time to do better by our artists. This $1350 is the cost of one week of our venue rental.

**for audience: this gives our artists a little more time and space to create the high quality production you have come to expect from Pro Rata

**for artists: this eliminates the 10 out of 12 in our tech schedule and replaces it with two straight 6s on the weekend.

Looking for other ways to support TRP? Go Here!!
Visit our online shop for 20th Anniversary apparel!

Theatre Pro Rata’s 2022/23 season will include two productions: 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies, by Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Sharon Greene, Chloe Johnston, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates; and By the Bog of Cats, by Marina Carr.

46 Plays for America’s First Ladies

by Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, Sharon Greene, Chloe Johnston, Bilal Dardai, and Andy Bayiates.
Fall, 2022. 

Following our productions of 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, (2012) and the remounted and updated 45 Plays for 45 Presidents (2016), Pro Rata of course said yes when the playwrights asked TPR directly to be a part of a rolling premiere of their new play: a ‘hot off the press’ and unpublished 46 Plays for America’s First Ladies. The show is 46 short plays (dramas, comedies, even mini-musicals) about each of the First Ladies, from Martha Washington to Jill Biden. It’s simultaneously historical, poignant, educational, silly, and inspiring.

“44 Plays is a winning production of a play that realizes its lofty aspirations while refusing to take itself too seriously.” -Pioneer Press “Theatre Pro Rata’s latest production is more than just a civics lesson disguised as a theatrical event… the overall piece works because it has strong dramatic bones.” -City Pages “energetic and well-crafted” -City Pages

Directed by Shanan Custer.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

By the Bog of Cats

by Marina Carr.
Spring, 2023. 

Loosely based on Euripides’ tragedy Medea, this is the prophetic tale of Hester Swane, an Irish Traveler, who attempts to come to terms with a lifetime of abandonment in a world where all whom she has loved have discarded her. Set on the bleak, ghostly landscape of the Bog of Cats, this provocative drama discloses one woman’s courageous attempts to lay claim to that which is hers, as her world is torn in two. By the Bog of Cats is a furious, uncompromising tale of greed and betrayal, of murder and profound self-sacrifice.

Directed by Amber Bjork.

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

COVID-19 ACTION PLAN

Theatre Pro Rata will continue to follow all CDC guidelines for audience and artist safety, as well as all MN State requirements for public gatherings. Currently, TPR requires masks and Proof of Vaccination or a Negative Covid Test within 72 hours. 

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.

Pro Rata has used this past 20 months to reflect on what we bring to our community and how to best move forward in the future. Our focus as we return to live theater this season is valuing lived experience. We want to lift up and center marginalized voices, and support our artists as best we can. Our fundraising this season is focused entirely on that goal, and you can help us meet our $3,000 match today.

We created an Equity, Inclusion, & Diversity Statement to partner with our Harassment Policy and its supplement: our Fight Choreography & Intimacy Procedure. We continue to refine our COVID Action Plan as the pandemic continues. These documents are public facing and now included with audition notices, designer postings, and board member asks. We will only consider plays written by women, LGBTQIA+, and/or BIPOC for the foreseeable future. We will increase the representation of BIPOC individuals in Theatre Pro Rata casts to reflect the diversity of our Twin Cities Metro area. We will raise our stipends to the highest our budget will allow. We will add support positions (such as Trans Consultant for our upcoming production of Orlando) as necessary so that our artists feel uplifted and valued.

Give to the Max Day is coming, and Early Giving has already started. With daily Golden Tickets between now and Nov 18, and hourly Golden Tickets on Give to the Max Day itself, PLUS our $3,000 Matching Goal there are so many ways to make your donation go farther! All donations between now and Give to the Max day will be doubled, thanks to our generous matching donors. Help us meet our goals of supporting artists today.

Thank you,

Carin Bratlie Wethern

Right now, however, GiveMN is doing a spring fundraising drive and there are plenty of great arts organizations in Minnesota to support! Pro Rata appreciates our donors, but since we are in a financially healthy position right now we’d like to use this time to highlight some of the great BIPOC led arts organizations in our community. 

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Ten-Thousand-Things

https://www.givemn.org/organization/theater-mu

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Ananya-Dance-Theatre

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Tu-Dance

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Penumbra-Theatre-Company

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Ragamala-Music-And-Dance-Theater

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Rosysimasdanseinc

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Kathadancetheatre

https://www.givemn.org/organization/New-Arab-American-Theater-Works

https://www.givemn.org/organization/Full-Circle-Theater-Company

Thanks for your support in the past, and supporting these organizations today!

Audition Dates:

Preliminary Virtual Auditions – submit audition materials by Sat, August 8, 2020 11:59 PM CST

Invited Virtual Callbacks – Sat, August 15, 2020, 12:00–5:00 pm CST

Audition Location:

Your living room

Audition Details:

Please indicate your interest here and then email the following items to nissa.nordland@gmail.com: 

• a completed copy of the Audition Form
• a headshot/resume 
• a 60–90 second contemporary monologue video

Instructions for video submission here.

We will email you within 24 hours to confirm receipt of your audition packet, and be contacting actors invited to our virtual callback by Aug 12 with additional instructions.

Questions can be directed to Nissa.Nordland@gmail.com.

About Top Girls:

If you could invite anyone from history to a dinner party, who would you invite? It’s the 80s, Marlene has just taken over the Top Girls Employment Agency, and she is celebrating. Set against Margaret Thatcher’s Britain in the early 1980s and the evolving complexities of modern feminism, this all-female cast tackles the question of what it takes to succeed. Times change, or do they?

Performance Dates:

Saturday, Nov 7- Sunday, Nov 22, 2020. 9 performances

If we need to postpone due to Covid-19 the production will run in the fall slot of our 21/22 season (specific dates TBD.)

Performing at

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

Rehearsal Dates:

Sept 28-Nov 6, 2020. Nights and weekends, 6 days a week

Read our COVID-19 Action Plan for Rehearsals and Performances HERE.

Cast:

Characters: 7 W; five white, one black, one Japanese.

Actors: We will consider gender-fluid, female, and female-presenting actors for all roles. Note that power and privilege are expressed through racism in the first scene, specifically with the characters of Marlene and Isabella, and because of this we believe it is important to cast white actors in those roles. 

non-AEA

$500 stipend paid

Two understudies will be cast as part of our COVID-19 Action Plan.

Character Breakdown and descriptions:

• Marlene (white) 
• Waitress / Kit / Shona (black)
• Isabella Bird  / Joyce / Mrs Kidd (white)
• Lady Nijo / Win (Asian)
• Dull Gret  / Angie (color-inclusive)
• Pope Joan / Louise (color-inclusive) 
• Patient Griselda / Nell / Jeanine (color-inclusive)
• Understudy 1: Marlene, Waitress/Kit/Shona, Joan/Louise
• Understudy 2: Bird/Joyce/Kidd, Nijo/Win, Gret/Angie, Griselda/Nell/Jeanine

*note that understudy groupings are based on character appearances in scenes and overall distribution of stage time.

ISABELLA BIRD (1831–1904) lived in Edinburgh, travelled extensively between the ages of 40 and 70.

LADY NIJO (b.1258) Japanese, was an Emperor’s courtesan and later a Buddhist nun who travelled on foot through Japan.

DULL GRET is the subject of the Brueghel painting Dulle Griet, in which a woman in an apron and armour leads a crowd of women charging through hell and fighting the devils.

POPE JOAN, disguised as a man, is thought to have been Pope between 854–856.

PATIENT GRISELDA is the obedient wife whose story is told by Chaucer in ‘The Clerk’s Tale’ of The Canterbury Tales.

Marlene: recently promoted managing director of the Top Girl’s Employment Agency, 33

Joyce: Marlene’s older sister

Angie: Marlene’s daughter, 16

Kit: Angie/Joyce’s next door neighbor, 12

Jeanine: applicant for Top Girls, 20s

Louise: applicant for Top Girls, 46

Win: employee at Top Girls, much younger than Louise

Nell: employee at Top Girls

Mrs. Kidd: the wife of Howard Kidd, Marlene’s co-worker

Shona: applicant for Top Girls, 21

Related Policies and Procedures:

Here is our COVID-19 Action Plan for Rehearsals and Performances.

Here is our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement.

Here is our Harassment Policy and its supplement, our Fight/Intimacy Procedure.

Please note: we welcome and encourage artists to take these documents and share them with other organizations who may be looking to adopt similar policies and procedures, we’re happy to share with our community!