Talking performing arts with leaders of the Guthrie and the Ordway

After COVID-19 shuttered live performances and left theater seats empty for nearly two years, live theater returned to the Twin Cities in late 2021 and early 2022.

But performing arts companies face ongoing challenges. They continue to deal with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. And many are working to address racism and discrimination in theater after the racial reckoning in 2020.

MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with two leaders in Minnesota theater, Joseph Haj at the Guthrie in Minneapolis and Christopher Harrington at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.

Guests: 

• Joseph Haj is the artistic director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. 

• Christopher Harrington is the president and CEO of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.