Ibsen Festival Starts Tonight

Siobhan Bremer and Adrienne Sweeney in The Commonweal's production of John Gabriel Borkman. Photo and set design by Nayna Ramey

The Commonweal and Lanesboro begin their 13th annual celebration of Henrik Ibsen and all things Scandinavian tonight. The celebration includes food, art, music, and and the world premiere production of Jeffery Hatcher’s adaptation of John Gabriel Borkman.

Borkman finishes its week of preview performances tonight, and it opens Saturday night. Its title character has sequestered himself in the upstairs of his house after serving jail time for a money scam that he engineered while president of a bank. While the banking scandal is in the backdrop, the play is a love story of sorts that centers on the psychological tug of war between three emotionally damaged people: Borkman, his wife, and her twin sister.

The cast features Hal Cropp as Borkman and Adrienne Sweeney and Siobhan Bremer as the twin sisters. Stella Burdt, Sarah Hawkins, Tim Sailer, Laura Depta and David Henssey round out the cast.

Weekend Highlights:

Friday

7:30 pm Diane Jarvi. Scandinavian, folk, and world music
Presented by the Lanesboro Arts Center, Diane Jarvi is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and kantele player (Finnish folk harp.) Known in Finland as Minnesotan Satakieli—The Minnesota Nightingale—Jarvi is a versatile performer of Scandinavian, folk and world music. $12 – St. Mane Theatre

7:30 p.m. John Gabriel Borkman
Final preview performance
$15 – The Commonweal

Saturday

10:00 a.m. Professor Simon Williams. Coming to Terms With The Industrial Revolution.
Williams is Chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His talk will illuminate the themes of Ibsen’s John Gabriel Borkman in the aftermath of America’s own recent banking scandals.

1:00 p.m. Henry (Hank) Shea. Confronting the Temptations of Greed, Power and Money in Our Society.
Shea is a Fellow at the University of St. Thomas Law School’s Halloran Center for Ethical Leadership.

3:00 p.m. Panel discussion: Ibsen For a Contemporary Audience
former Guthrie Resident Director Risa Brainin (Director of this production of John Gabriel Borkman)
playwright Jeffrey Hatcher (author of this new adaptation of John Gabriel Borkman.)
Commonweal Theatre’s design team.

7:30 p.m. John Gabriel Borkman
Opening performance
$25 – The Commonweal

Many more events are planned. Download the Ibsen Festival Schedule of Events here.

The Commonweal has prepared this video to offer some perspective on John Gabriel Borkman. It offers thoughts on the play from playwritht Jeffery Hatcher, Director Risa Brainin, and Commonweal Artistic Director Hal Cropp:

For Ibesn Fest information go to ibsenfest.org.
Visit the Commonweal for schedules and tickets: Commonweal Theatre

Fountain City River Players present Harvey

Carew Halleck rehearses his role as Elwood P. Dowd in the in Fountain City River Players' Harvey.
Photo Rory O'Driscoll/Winona Daily News. Read the WDN story.

Harvey by Mary Chase
Directed by Judee Brone, Jasson Passow, and Jeff Hosch.

April 7 - 11
7:30 p.m.; 2:00 p.m. on Sunday

Fountain City Auditorium
42 North Main Street
Fountain City, Wisconsin

Tickets can be purchased at Waumandee State Bank or Kwik Trip in Fountain City, at Midtown Food or Hardt's Music in Winona, or a half hour before each performance at the door.
Call (608) 685-7481 to reserve tickets.

WSU presents Alice in Wonderland

Winona State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents the 43rd annual children’s theater performance of Alice in Wonderland, at 7 p.m. Friday, April 9 and 2 p.m. Saturday, April 10, on the Performing Arts Center Main Stage.

Directed by Vivian Fusillo, Alice in Wonderland is a classic tale of a teenage girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of unique creatures. This performance is perfect for young audiences. Matinee performances of the show are April 8, 9, 12 and 13 for local elementary schools.

For tickets, visit WSU at www.wsuartstickets.com or call the WSU box office at 507-457-5235 Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m. On performance dates, the box office opens one hour before each show.

Fusillo Receives Minnesota Lifetime Achievement Award

Vivian Fusillo

From the WSU Office of University Communications December, 2009

Vivian Fusillo, professor of theatre and dance and longtime director of the Winona State University Children’s Theatre, received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Arts in Minnesota from the Communication and Theatre Association of Minnesota.

Fusillo is in her fourth decade of teaching at WSU, where she has directed more than 75 performances covering the spectrum of styles and subjects.

Each year, Fusillo produces a show for her Children’s Theatre. Since 1969, more than 160,000 children have enjoyed original and classic productions on the WSU campus.

Commonweal Apprentice Company Production Opens Thursday

Death and the Ploughman
by Johannes Von Sazz,

The 2009-2010 apprentice class at the Commonweal will present its capstone project, Death and the Ploughman this month. The members of the apprentice class have been involved with all aspects of the Commonweal's 2009 season, and their faces will be familiar to Commonweal patrons. The apprentice production, in its second year, marks not only the opening of the theater season in Lansboro, but also a stimulating artistic exploration very worthy of the Commonweal stage.

Death and the Ploughman is an adaptation of a 15th century German story about a farmer who loses his young wife and starts to ask some hard questions about Life—with Death showing up to answer them.

Death and the Ploughman runs for two weeks from March 18 to March 28.
Visit the Commonweal for schedules and tickets: Commonweal Theatre

GRSF Season 7 Preview Event, March 21

The directors and designers of the Great River Shakespeare Festival will share their plans for the 2010 season at 4:00 on March 21 at Signatures restaurant in Winona. Along with presentations by the artistic and production staff, the event will have "savories & sweets, cash bar, live music, and conversation." There is a $5 suggested donation for the event.

The 2010 GRSF season will include Shakespeare’s Othello and Comdey of Errors, plus Jonathan Gillard Daly’s The Daly News.

Visit the Great River Shakespeare Festival for schedules and tickets: grsf.org

Commonweal’s Ibsen Fest April 16 - 18

The Commonweal is getting set for its 13th annual Ibsen Festival, a celebration of Scandinavian art and culture. At the heart of the celebration will be the production of the Ibsen play, John Gabriel Borkman, a world premiere production of Jeffery Hatcher’s adaptation. John Gabriel Borkman runs April 15 - June 11 with previews April 9, 10, and 11.

The Ibsen Festival is a weekend of food, music, art, lectures, and more. Download a printable schedule here: Ibsen Fest Schedule.

For Ibesn Fest information go to ibsenfest.org.
Visit the Commonweal for schedules and tickets: Commonweal Theatre