Raw Stages

The History Theatre has hit its share of fouls lately—last fall’s production based on the life of Kirby Puckett was uniformly blasted, and the recent Hormel Girls had a lackadaisical score and a script wholly reliant on stereotype. But this institution also boasts a singular and noble characteristic: It commissions more original works by living, local playwrights than any other Twin Cities theater. Its annual Raw Stages series bundles four samplings of works-in-progress, each with a certain destiny for the History Theatre mainstage. This year’s lineup includes the chronicle of a haunted Summit Avenue mansion, by the edgy Minneapolitan Deborah Stein (see “Heavy Rotation”); and the story of Tyrone Guthrie and Ralph Rapson’s collaboration building the landmark Guthrie Theater at Vineland Place—by the prolific, Minnesota-based playwright and screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher.

History Theatre, 30 E. Tenth St., St. Paul; 651-292-4323.