Local theater pros give us their trustworthy, somewhat biased recommendations for must-see upcoming shows.

PETER BROSIUS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, CHILDREN’S THEATRE COMPANY
Iron Ring at Children’s Theatre Company, featuring Ragamala Dance, 3/12–4/10

“It’s an epic journey across all of India done in movement and story. I’m excited to work with [Ragamala artistic director Ranee Ramaswamy] and to have her company and our company merge is something we’ve never done before and it fills me with glee.”

Children’s Theatre Company
2400 Third Ave. S., Mpls.
612.874.0400

Violet by Theater Latte Da at The Guthrie, 2/26–3/21

“I’m looking forward to Violet [set in the South during the Civil Rights Movement] because I’m a huge fan of [director] Peter Rothstein’s work and this is a piece of music theater that I have heard about for years and never seen. Also, the cast is simply terrific.”

Guthrie Theater
818 S. Second St., Mpls.
612.377.2224


ADITI KAPIL, WRITER/DIRECTOR/ACTRESS
The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Mixed Blood Theater, 4/9–5/2

“I’ve been hearing about The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity [about pro wrestling, race and pop culture] by Kristoffer Diaz for about a year now. I did a lot of traveling last year, and it seems like everywhere I went someone was talking about this script. It takes something pretty novel to get the new play aficionados this excited. Plus, Kris Diaz is a new Jerome Fellow at the Playwrights’ Center, so come out and support a local playwright!”

Mixed Blood Theater
1501 S 4th St., Mpls.
612.338.6131


GENEVIEVE BENNETT, DIRECTOR
Out There, various companies at Walker Art Center, 1/8–31

“Out There is four weekends of performance that represents artists from the U.S. and abroad that are pushing the aesthetic envelope in one way or another. This year features Rimini Protokoll’s interactive performance for one audience member at a time [Call Cutta in a Box] as well as Hotel Modern’s miniature puppetry pictorial of World War I [The Great War].”

Walker Art Center
1750 Hennepin Ave., Mpls.
612.375.7600


JOEL SASS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE JUNGLE THEATER
"Metamorphosis" by Frank Theater, location and date TBA

“I’m going to be watching my mailbox in the spring of 2010 to find out when (and where) the experimental Frank Theater will be tackling their original adaptation of Franz Kafka’s "Metamorphosis," one of the truly freaky works of the poetic imagination written in the 20th century. Frank Theater, and its artistic director Wendy Knox, have guts, grit and longevity—and they do some of their most interesting productions in non-traditional spaces like warehouses and industrial buildings. Fans of raw, edgy performance will find this a worthy ticket!”


TRISTA BALDWIN, PLAYWRIGHT
Stones in His Pockets by Ten Thousand Things Theater at Open Book, 1/15–1/31

“Ten Thousand Things is doing Stones in His Pockets [the story of what happens to a small Irish town when a Hollywood film crew arrives] with [local actors] Jim Lichtscheidl and Steve Epp. Ten Thousand Things is an incredible company with one of the most exciting missions [to bring theater to all walks of life] in the U.S. That’s enough of a reason to see everything they do, but this duo of physically comedic superstars is really exciting to me.”

Open Book
1011 Washington Ave., Mpls.
612.203.9502


LINDA KELSEY, ACTRESS
Dead Man’s Cell Phone at Park Square Theater, 4/9–5/2

Sarah Ruhl is the playwright, and she’s famous for her quirky and unexpected take on the world and humanity. [Dead Man] is a play about a woman who is plunged into a stranger’s world when she answers his incessantly ringing cell phone in a cafe she happens to be in. The Park Square has a reputation for doing theater that’s a bit risky and this play is no exception. It’s brilliant, funny and moving.

Park Square Theater
408 St. Peter St. #10
651.767.8480


JOE DOWLING, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE GUTHRIE THEATER
A Brief Encounter by Kneehigh Theatre, 2/11–4/3

“Noel Coward’s A Brief Encounter is a play I first saw in London and I’m thrilled to bring it to the Guthrie—one of only three U.S. stops on its tour. It’s funny, bittersweet, inventive, imaginative and above all, romantic. It’s played to full houses and critical acclaim everywhere and I just know our audiences will love it as well.”

Guthrie Theater
818 S. Second St., Mpls.
612.377.2224