Artscape
The latest news and events across all forms of the arts.
Delivered every Friday.
In this edition of Weekend Picks, I highlight the convergence of scholars, performing artists, interdisciplinary creators and other folks all talking about theatrical jazz, a form of theater that draws elements of jazz music to create performance. A well known example is Ntozake Shange’s work, like “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” and there are also numerous artists who have made that kind of work with bases here in Minnesota, like Laurie Carlos.
Also this week, Katy Vernon brings her new band, Favourite Girl, to Island of Discarded Women, along with Rose McGee, and Katha Dance Theatre mixes North and South Indian traditions in a music-dance piece with an environmental message. At the Minnesota Zoo, High & Mighty help kickoff the Wild Nights series, while Kate Casanova makes eerie forms with glass at Kolman & Reeb. And the Minnesota Bach Festival kicks off this weekend at the Como Lakeside Pavilion.
Theatrical Jazz Conference
Back in 2023, I had a great interview with author and theater-maker Sharon Bridgforth, who talked to me about the notion of “theatrical jazz” in her work. You can read about the very first Theatrical Jazz Conference at the University of Minnesota here.
Thursday, June 13 through Saturday, June 15 at the University of Minnesota ($235 for 3-day pass, $50 Thursday, $100 Friday, $135 Saturday. Friday evening’s performance/talkback at 8 p.m. is free. More information here.
Island of Discarded Women: Katy Vernon’s Favourite Girl and Rose McGee
British-born singer-writer and ukulele player Katy Vernon will be debuting a new song as part of the band she formed last year, Favourite Girl, at Island of Discarded Women, the live podcast recording show hosted by Sue Scott. The show also features Rose McGee, founder of the Black-led arts and culture organization Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, plus storyteller Jen Santoro Rotty and actor/improviser Shanan Custer. It takes place at the Belvedere Tent at Crooners Thursday, June 13 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. with doors at 6:30 p.m. ($30-$40). More information here.
Ganga: A Choreographic Odyssey
Katha Dance Theatre centers its latest work on the Ganga River, which flows 1,569 miles from the western Himalayas in India through Bangladesh. Katha Dance Theatre plans a double feature, with a film screening and a life performance focused on the Ganga Riverwhich you can read about here.
Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m, Sunday, June 16 at 2 p.m. ($35). More information here.
Minnesota Zoo Wild Nights
The Minnesota Zoo’s popular “Wild Nights” series kicks off this weekend, when the soul and funk band High & Mighty gets things shaking and the impersonator group Pop Rocks brings out the hits. It’s a great way to experience the zoo in an evening setting, capture the views along the Tree Top trail, and enjoy an adult beverage if desired. For the kickoff event on Friday, you’ll also be able to peruse artsy goods by local makers as part of the artisan market. Later Wild Nights events this summer bring in Chastity Brown, country singer songwriter Caitlyn Smith, Kiss the Tiger, and Nur-D.
Friday, June 14 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., with additional Wild Nights taking place June 28, July 12, July 26, and August 9 ($40 individual ticket, $110 flex ticket for two nights, $175 season pass for all five events.) More information here.
Kate Casanova
A conglomeration of glass, metal, silicone and bioplastic become amorphous blobs that look a bit alive in Kate Casanova’s new solo exhibition, “Foreign Bodies” at Kolman & Reeb Gallery. In the body work, the artist teases out questions of what makes a body, especially when you consider the various medical devices, piercings, even clothing that become a part of different bodies. Casanova developed the work with support from Kolman & Reeb Gallery’s Project Space Grant. The exhibition will have an artist talk and reception Saturday, June 15, with the artist talk at 6:30 p.m and the reception from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the show running through August 3 (free). More information here.
Minnesota’s Bach Roots Festival
Enjoy the beautiful summer weather while taking in music by Johann Sebastian Bach as part of the Bach Roots Festival. The festival kicks off on Sunday with the 2024 Bach and Brews program, with a modernized rendition of Bach’s “Peasant Cantata,” with soprano Sonja Tengblad and baritone Alan Dunbar starring. Violinist Rolf Haas will lead a string quartet of Baroque pieces for the performance, while artistic director Matthew Olson will be conducting for a round of Baroque drinking songs, complete with audience participation. Next weekend, the festival continues with two performances of Bach’s B Minor Mass and a family concert on the banks of Lake Minnetonka.
Bach & Brews: Sunday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at Como Park Pavilion ($18), Monday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Imminent Brewing, Northfield ($20); B Minor Mass: Friday, June 21 at 7:30 p.mm at Westwood Lutheran Church, St. Louis Park and Saturday, June 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, St. Paul ($25); Family Concert: Saturday, June 22 at 11 a.m. at Excelsior Commons Pavilion (free). More information here.
Sheila Regan
Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at sregan@minnpost.com.
