Art Hounds: Race and politics set the stage for a noir thriller in 'West of Central'

Playwright and theater maker Dan Pinkerton thoroughly enjoyed Pillsbury House Theatre's production of "West Central." It's a hard-boiled thriller set in Los Angeles in the wake of the Watts riots and features a black woman detective (performed by the oh-so-talented Austene Van). Pinkerton says the play — penned by local playwright Christina Ham — provides a smart look at racial dynamics in the late 1960s, while also delivering a tight mystery and great wit. Performances run through Oct. 14.

Pillsbury House Theatre's Emily Zimmer is craving a trip to Paris this fall; she's decided to skip the cost of a plane ticket and instead take in a production of "Le Cirque Feerique" ("The Fairy Circus"). The show revolves around a group of French women in the late 17th century who penned fairy tales and led scandalous lives. Produced by Collective Unconscious Performance; shows run through Oct. 14 at Off-Leash Area's Art Box in Minneapolis.

The Public Theater in New York is taking Lynn Nottage's play "Sweat" on a national tour, and Twin Cities theater artist Scotty Reynolds is excited for the company's stops in Mankato, Rochester and St. Cloud. The Public Theater is the company that premiered such famous musicals as "Hamilton" and "Hair." A few years ago, inspired in part by Twin Cities' Ten Thousand Things Theater Company, it created a "mobile unit" to tour productions to homeless shelters, prisons and community centers in New York. Now it's launched a national mobile unit, and is using Nottage's play to talk about class, politics and economic decline in America's rust-belt. Performances take place in Mankato on Oct. 11, Rochester on Oct. 12 and St. Cloud on Oct. 13.