In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve had a few great guest bloggers lately in our Just Passing Through blog. Steve Hendrickson — an actor in Ten Thousand Things‘ latest play, Eurydice — will be finishing his week-and-a-half stint with with an opening night post tomorrow. And before that, local playwright Aditi Kapil shared her behind-the-scenes experience with two current productions — one of which starts today! According to Kapil, Beneath the Surface is a circus about water; but I’ll write more about it later, after the evening performances begin. (Today’s is a daytime performance.)
THEATER & PERFORMANCE
The Syringa Tree
In the meantime, go check out The Jungle Theater’s latest production: The Syringa Tree, by Pamela Gien. Sarah Agnew takes on 24 different roles in this one-woman show about an interracial family — or rather, two families (one black, one white) struggling for a point of convergence — in 1960s South Africa. The tale begins through the eyes of six-year-old Elizabeth Grace as she attempts to understand her chaotic surroundings, and continues to unfurl the world of Africa through multiple characters who cut across gender, age, race, tribe, and faith.
7:30 p.m., The Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave S. Minneapolis, 612-822-7063; $26.
BOOKS & AUTHORS
One Day, One Venue, Two Great Authors
Today might be the perfect day to hang out by the University. Cut out of work early, avoid traffic, and get yourself settled into a nice, cheap parking spot somewhere between the bookstore and The Loring Pasta Bar, so you can stop in for some artichoke ramekin or a spicy tuna roll between presentations. Mmmm.
At 4 p.m., join author and former Associated Press reporter Giovanna Dell’Orto for a discussion of her book, The Hidden Power of the American Dream. I don’t know how hidden it is, frankly, but I’m guessing Dell’Orto has much more to offer beyond the usual American Dream rhetoric. Exploring the different events that have shaped how Europeans — and the rest of the world — view Americans, she sets out to prove that the future of our country lies in a global belief of the American Dream. Makes sense to me.
This, of course, is followed by the artichoke ramekin at the Loring. Or perhaps you prefer a burger and a malt at Annie’s Parlour.
After a bite to eat, head back to the bookstore to meet open-water swimmer and best-selling author Lynne Cox. Best known for her first novel, Swimming to Antarctica, Cox will be discussing her latest work, Grayson, another beautiful and personal tale, this time about a baby whale. At the age of 17, Cox was training for another long-distance swim (if you read her previous book, you already know about how she crossed the English Channel — twice!), when she discovered a baby gray whale following her. Here’s the catch: if she were to return to shore, the baby whale would follow her to its death; but if she were to swim out to sea, she would be putting her own life at risk. Find out how Cox reunited the baby whale with its mother and likely saved its life. Is there anything this woman can’t do?!
7 p.m., University of Minnesota Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-0559; free.
Leave a Reply