Art Hounds: Creative work abounds this spring

Actors perform on a stage in a prop car.
Hunter Reeve (left) and Bob Davis perform in a brand new play by Lee Blessing, "The Family Line."
Courtesy of Documentary America

Actor Gabriele Angieri of Burnsville went with his family to see the play “The Family Line” at the Capri Theater in Minneapolis. The 2-man show takes place entirely within a car, as a Jewish grandfather and his 15-year old biracial grandson meet for the first time and embark on a 24-hour road trip from Florida to Minnesota.

The grandson, whose mother has just died, struggles with a sense of abandonment as his grandfather swoops into his life to deliver him to a new life in Minnesota with a father he does not know. Set in 2020 during the unrest in Minneapolis, it's a show interwoven with family secrets and social commentary that Angieri said sparked both laughter and tears, as well as an excellent discussion with his 12 year-old daughter afterward.

“The Family Line” is the second show for Stage North, which launched in fall of 2021 with a focus on plays about urban life. Its shows are performed at the newly remodeled Capri Theater in North Minneapolis. Stage North has a partnership with Patrick Henry High School Drama Club, whose student members worked on the crew for the show.

The show runs through April 17th, with 2 PM matinees Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday and evening shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 PM.

Fiber and textile artist Nora Rickey has enjoyed watching Cecilia Rolando’s evolving art show at the Front Porch Coffee & Tea Co. in Ely. In place since January, the show has been extended through April, and Rolando has continued to add new work as pieces sell. Rolando’s creative work is wide-ranging, from realistic watercolor florals to bold abstract paintings, from collages to jewelry to haiku. Rickey says the throughlines of the visual work on display are Rolando’s vivid colors, which add to the warmth of the popular community coffee shop. If you miss the show at the Front Porch, Rolando’s work is also on display at Art and Soul Gallery and Gift House down the street.

Paintings on display for a gallery.
Cecilia Rolando and her work at Art and Soul gallery in Ely during a 2021 show.
Courtesy of Cecilia Rolando

Bassist Rob Morgan clearly recalls the massive transition he made from music student to touring performer, and he’s excited to see a theater version of that launching ground when the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater’s BFA students mount “The School for Lies,” starting Friday. This will be the first time in two years that graduating seniors in the acting program will take to the Dowling Stage on the Guthrie’s 9th floor. The play by David Ives is an adaptation of Moliere’s classic comedy “Le Misanthrope,” so you can expect to see larger-than-life characters and drama with plenty of witty repartee. Scenes, costume, light, and sound were all designed by University of Minnesota faculty. The show runs through April 23.

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This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.