Access Press, Volume 15, Issue 5, May 10 2004: Article

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.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Adapted from Louis Sachar's stories by John Olive. Performed by: Stages Theatre Co., ASL: Thursday, May 13, 12:30 PM; Sunday, May 16, 2:00 PM
AD: Sunday, May 16, 2:00 PM., Location: Hopkins Center for the Arts Mainstage, 1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, www.stagestheatre.org, Ride along with the wacky students of Wayside School as they journey on one crazy thrill ride of a school year.
Hot 'n Cole, Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Performed by: touring company, AD & ASL: Saturday, May 15, 2:00 PM, Location: Ordway Center for the Performing Arts McKnight Theatre, 345 Washington, St. Paul, www.ordway.org, This musical tribute to a glittering age gone by bubbles with clever rhymes, fresh and unexpected melodies, and sassy sensibilities from classic shows and movies as Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate, High Society, Can-Can and others.
The Fabulous Fable Factory, By Joseph Robinette, based on the musical by Joseph Robinette & Thomas Tierney, Performed by: Nine Mile Creek Theater (for youth), ASL: Saturday, May 15, 7:00 PM, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., www.bloomingtonartcenter.com, An inquisitive youngster discovers an old factory operated by a Mr. Aesop and an assembly line of fablemakers who enact some of Aesop's best-known fables.
Cassie the Crab and Rosita the Island Girl, by Al Justiniano, Performed by: SteppingStone Theatre, ASL: Sunday, May 16, 2:00 PM, AD: Tuesday, May 18, 11:00 AM.651-225-9265, Landmark Center lower auditorium, 75 W. 5^th St., St. Paul, www.steppingstonetheatre.org, A mythological story about the birth of the Caribbean Islands, with mystical sea creatures, fantastic adventures, and Caribbean and Latino music.
The Magic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Adapted from Betty MacDonald's books with music, book & lyrics by Chad Henry. Performed by: Children’s Theatre Co., AD & ASL: Friday, May 21, 7:30 PM; Wednesday, May 26, 10:00 AM 612-874-0400 Children’s Theatre Co., 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis, www.childrenstheatre.org, The star of this hilarious musical is Mary Poppins, Auntie Mame and Professor McGonagall all rolled into one. She even lives in an upside-down house. Visit her world where imagination sparks everyone.
Miss Nelson Is Missing: The Musical, Performed by: Omaha Theater Company for Young People, ASL: Friday, May 21, 7:30 PM, 320-363-5777, Petters Auditorium at Benedicta Arts Center, College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, www.csbsju.edu/finearts, When their beloved teacher disappears, the kids in Room 207 are faced with the mean and mysterious substitute Miss Viola Swamp
Talking Masks, Performed by: Pillsbury House Theatre and Carlyle Brown & Company, ASL – Wednesday, May 19, 7:30
AD – Friday, May 21, 7:30, 612-825-0459, Pillsbury House Theatre, 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis, www.pillsburyhousetheatre.org, World premiere of six short plays, with one shared voice. Six women characters lead us on a journey of discovery, as they search for the reality of their selves, glimpsed through the masks they wear to entertain, to find, to protect, to flee, to ease the pain. Featuring Bessie and Obie Award recipient Louise Smith.
Forbidden Christmas or The Doctor and the Patient, Adapted from the original short story by Rezo Gabriadze
Performed by: Mikhail Baryshnikov & company, AD & ASL: Saturday, May 22, 1:00 PM, 612-377-2224, TTY 612-377-6626, Guthrie Lab, 700 N. 1st Street, Minneapolis, www.guthrietheater.org, World premiere of this tale about a late night escape by a doctor and his mentally ill patient into a magical theatrical event of snowstorms, talking cars and flying objects. Directed by Rezo Gabriadze, the play incorporates a text and movement with Shostakovich, tango and Georgian folk songs.
The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Performed by: Theatre in the Round Players, AD: Sunday, May 23, 2:00 PM, 612-333-3010, Theatre in the Round Players, 245 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis, www.theatreintheround.org, This exuberant whirl of mistaken identities, duels, well-turned phrases and whimsical humor was written as a spoof of sentimental plays more than 200 years ago.
The Magic Flute, by Mozart, Performed by: Minnesota Opera Co., AD: Sunday, May 23, 2:00 PM, Tickets: Reduced to half-price for AD patrons 612-333-6669, Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, www.mnopera.org, Mozart's singspiel-style (musical comedy) fairy tale starts with a dragon attacking Prince Tamino and his rescue by three hench-women of the evil Queen of the Night, who give him a Magic Flute for protection as he searches for his beloved Princess Pamina, the Queen's daughter. After adventures with his sidekick, the bird-man Papageno, he undergoes trials of silence, fire and water; and with the help of High Priest Sarastro, emerges triumphant with his heroine. Sung in German, with English translations projected and described.
Silver Follies 2004: Grease!, Performed by: Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre senior performers, AD: Thursday, June 3, 7:30 PM, 701-235-6778, 877-687-7469, Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre, 333 Fourth St. S., Fargo, www.fmct.org. The annual revue performed and created by seniors,
How Was it Made? Exhibit, ASL: Sunday, June 6, 2:00 PM, Museum admission charged; tour free; 612-870-3131 or TTY 612-870-3132, or email dhegstro@artsmia.org, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis, www.artsmia.org, ASL-interpreted public tours of exhibits on the first Sunday of the month: This exhibit looks at how did they make that and why? Learn how geography, beliefs, needs, materials, and technology affect the creation of works of art in different times and places. Discover what these objects reveal about the lives of the people who made them and how they were used.
Sylvia, by A.R. Gurney, Performed by: Jungle Theater, ASL: Thursday, June 10, 7:30 PM, AD: Thursday, June 17, 7:30 PM, 612-822-7063, Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, www.jungletheater.com, Kirsten Frantzich reprises her howlingly funny role as the irrepressible Sylvia, a stray dog who offers her new master an escape from the frustrations of his job and the uncertainties of middle age ... much to his wife's chagrin.
The Pirates of Penzance, by Gilbert & Sullivan, Performed by: Guthrie Theater, ASL: Thursday, June 10 & Friday, June 11 or 25, 7:30 PM, AD: Friday, June 11, 7:30 PM; Saturday, June 19, 1:00 PM, 612-377-2224, TTY 612-377-6626, Guthrie Theater, 725 Vineland, Minneapolis, www.guthrietheater.org, Witty dialogue and effervescent music mix the romantic with the Romanesque and swordplay with wordplay in this zany and irreverent romp.
Tuesdays with Morrie (Replaces The Grand Excursion), By Mitch Albom, Performed by: Great American History TheatreAD: Sunday, June 13, 2:00 PM, ASL: Sunday, June 20, 2:00 PM, 651-292-4320, Great American History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul, www.historytheatre.com, "A love song to a wise old professor who taught a young man how to feel." (The New Yorker).
Blue/Orange, by Joe Penhall, Performed by: Guthrie Theater, ASL: Friday, June 18 & Tuesday, June 22, 7:30 PM, AD: Saturday, June 26, 1:00 PM, 612-377-2224, TTY 612-377-6626, Guthrie Lab, 700 N. First St., Minneapolis, www.guthrietheater.org, In this ferocious comedy, words are used as weapons as a debate between doctors becomes the basis for an ideological struggle about race, class, mental illness and human isolation.
The Golem, Performed by: Theatre de la Jeune Lune, AD: Friday, June 18, 8:00 PM, 612-333-6200, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, 105 N. First St., Minneapolis, www.jeunelune.org, Robert Rosen directs this company-created collaboration
Noises Off, by Michael Frayn, Performed by: Park Square Theatre, AD & ASL: Saturday, June 19, 8:00 PM, 651-291-7005Location: Park Square Theatre, 20 W. 7th Place, St. Paul, www.parksquaretheatre.org, Wendy Lehr directs the return of this madcap comedy.
Greater Tuna, by Joe Sears, Jaston Williams & Ed Howard, Performed by: Bloomington Art Center Gallery PlayersASL: Saturday, June 26, 7:30 PM, 952-563-8587, Bloomington Center for the Arts, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington
www.bloomingtonartcenter.com, A hilarious comedy about Tuna, Texas, where the Lions Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. Two actors portray an assortment of eccentric townspeople.
Les Miserables, by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, P,erformed by: touring company, AD & ASL: Saturday, June 26,2:00 PM. 651-224-4222, TTY 651-282-3100, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington, St. Paul www.ordway.org, Winner of the 1987 Tony Award^® for Best Musical and more than fifty major international awards, this epic saga based on Victor Hugo's classic novel sweeps through three turbulent decades of 19th century France.
See How They Run, by Philip King, Performed by: Theatre in the Round Players, AD: Sunday, June 27, 2:00 PM,

612-333-3010, Theatre in the Round Players, 245 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis, www.theatreintheround.org, A fast-moving, unabashed farce about a rambunctious American soldier, an escaped Russion revolutionary, and the dwellers of a peaceful English village.

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