Access Press, Volume 15, Issue 4, April 10 2004: Accessible Performances

Accessible Performances

The following performances will be Audio Described (AD) for people who are blind or have low vision, or Interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Camelot, by Lerner & Loewe; Runs 4/15-25; AD & ASL 4/16, 8P; Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, 333 Fourth St. S., Fargo; 701-235-6778, 877-687-7469, www.fmct.org. King Arthur's quest for a unified world faces choices between his wife Guinevere, his best friend Lancelot and his kingdom.
Rent, by Jonathan Larse; Runs 4/6-18; AD & ASL 4/17, 2P; Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington, St. Paul, 651-224-4222, TTY 651-282-3100; www.ordway.org. Inspired by La Bohéme, Rent won the 1996 Tony Award(r) for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It is a joyous, breathtaking, and often bittersweet musical that celebrates a community of artists as they struggle with the soaring hopes and tough realities of today's world.
99 Histories, by Julia Cho; Runs 4/9-25; AD & ASL 4/17, 8P; Theater Mu performs at Intermedia Arts at 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., 612-871-4444; www.theatermu.org. A pregnant woman attempts to untangle the remnants of her own mother's past from a box of photos, letters and poetry from Korea.
Living Out, by Lisa Loomer; Runs 4/16-5/15; Captioning 4/17, 3P; ASL & AD 4/23, 8P; Mixed Blood Theatre, 1501 S. 4th St., Minneapolis, www.mixedblood.com. Who's taking care of whose children and why is the question probed in a comedy seen through the eyes of an El Salvadoran nanny from East Los Angeles and an affluent West L.A. lawyer, who discover what separates them and what they have in common. Featuring Sally Wingert.
As Bees in Honey Drown, by Douglas Carter Beane; Runs 3/26-4/18; AD 4/18, 2P; Theatre in the Round Players, 245 Cedar, Minneapolis, 612-333-3010, www.theatreintheround.org . A hot young novelist catches the eye of an international glam socialite in this dark and savvy satire of an age that always chooses image over substance.
Guys and Dolls; Runs 4/16 - 5/9; AD 4/22, 730P; ASL 4/30, 730P; Bloomington Civic Theatre performs at the new Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd. 952-563-8575, www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org. Directed by John Command
Anything Goes, Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter, Book by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse; Runs 4/2-25; ASL 4/24, 8P; Rochester Civic Theatre, 220 E. Center St., Rochester; www.rochestercivictheatre.org.
The Worldwide Church of the Handicapped, by John Bueche and the Interact company, adapted from Marie Sheppard Williams' short story; Runs 4/8-5/8; ASL 4/24, 3P at $10 & 730P at $15; AD 4/29, 730P at $10; Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, 212 Third Ave. N, Suite 140, Minneapolis, 612-339-5145, www.InteractCenter.com. So this psychotic-leper-hunchback walks into a bar. . .and the retarded, blind, mentally ill and brain damaged will never be the same! Exploring acceptance, dreams, labels, and the discrimination that exists within the disability community, these characters move through self-loathing and fear to create an inclusive "Church for the Handicapped." They're having such a marvelous time accepting themselves and each other, that soon the "hidden handicaps" want to join: the diabetics, the epileptics and drunks; the "personality handicaps" cave in: the shy, the angry, the confused the fearful; and finally the "circumstantially handicap": the rich, the beautiful and the strong ... all declare handicaps. And everybody belongs. Featuring Kevin Kling.
Tommy J and Sally, by Mark Medoff; Runs 4/24-5/16; AD 4/25, 2P; Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company at Hillcrest Center Theater, 1978 Ford Parkway, St. Paul; www.mnjewishtheatre.org. The regional premiere of a drama about a beautiful, famous, rich woman who is confronted by a young African American man who has come to settle a score.
Miss Saigon, by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg; Runs 4/20-25; ASL 4/25, 1P; Historic State Theatre, 805 Hennepin, Minneapolis, www.hennepintheatredistrict.com. An epic love story of our time about two young lovers torn apart by the fortunes of destiny and held together by a burning passion and the fate of a small child, Miss Saigon has been seen by over 28 million people in 13 countries and 8 languages.
The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O'Brien; Runs 4/16-5/1; ASL 5/1, 8P; University Theatre and Dance Dept. at Stoll Thrust Theatre in Rarig Center, 330 S. 21st Ave., Mpls., http://cla.umn.edu/theatre. Break out your fishnets and heels for this '70s cult classic and find out why a stormy night at Dr. Frank-n-Furter's castle has everyone doing the "Time Warp!" Audience members can purchase a participation bag in advance or at the door ($5 for a boa, playing cards, flashlight, newspaper, toilet paper and confetti). Wear a costume, win a prize!
A Dark and Stormy Night, by Cindy Snelling & Dave Zielinski; Runs 5/6-8; AD 5/7, 7P; ASL, 5/8, 7P;
Faargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, 333 Fourth St. S., Fargo, www.fmct.org. An original musical comedy version of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" featuring Prospero and shipwrecked victims on a magical island.
Free to Be You and Me, by Marlo Thomas; Runs 4/30-5/16; AD & ASL 5/8, 730P; Youth Performance Company at Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, 1900 Nicollet, Minneapolis, 612-623-9080, www.youthperformanceco.com. This musical opens children up to the possibilities of whom they could be.
Saint Joan, by Bernard Shaw; Runs 4/17-5/16; AD & ASL 5/8, 8P; Park Square Theatre, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, 651-291-7005, www.parksquaretheatre.org. Directed by Richard Cook, Shaw's unsentimental masterwork traces the life of Joan from her first appearance before the regional governor to her trial, recantation, and death at the stake. Joan learns that the 20th century cannot live with her honesty any better than the middle ages could.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School, adapted from Louis Sachar's stories by John Olive; Runs 4/23-5/23; ASL 5/13, 1230P & 5/16, 2P; AD 5/16, 2P; Stages Theatre Co., Hopkins Center for the Arts Mainstage, 1111 Mainstreet, www.stagestheatre.org. Ride along with the wacky students of Wayside School as they journey on one crazy thrill ride of a school year.

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