"The Bird Blind" by New Native Theatre at 825 Arts

Almost 20 years ago I joined an REI guided hiking trip in Northern Alaska. The trip began in Fairbanks and ended on the Arctic Ocean. We would drive North a few hundred miles, then stop, pitch our tents, and go hiking, repeating the cycle until we ran out of road. In addition to being immersed in nature, we also got to meet some locals, including a visit (via small airplane) to an Iñupiaq village. Northern Alaksa is a harsh place, but incredibly beautiful, and the people who live there are a hearty bunch, especially those who have lived there for countless generations. New Native Theatre's new play The Bird Blind tells the story of one such family living in a small village in Alaska. It's funny and sad, tragic and hopeful. Our Native communities are disproportionately plagued with alcoholism and violence due to a multitude of reasons dating back a few centuries, and this play does not shy away from that. But these sorts of family dynamics and difficulties, as well as the sense of community, are resonant through all communities. The Bird Blind officially opens this Friday and runs through May 10 at 825 Arts on University in St. Paul. It's a gripping story that's hard to watch at times, but rewarding as you get to know and love these characters and their community.

"A Christmas in Ochopee" by New Native Theatre at 825 Arts

There's a new #TCTheater holiday* tradition in town - New Native Theatre's A Christmas in Ochopee. They're remounting their 2023 production (with some returnees and some new cast members) to see if it might become an annual tradition. This was my first time seeing the show, and I found it to be fun take on the awkward family holiday dinner. This specific story of a Native family in the Ochopee community in the Everglades of Florida tells universal truths about family - the weird uncle and his new girlfriend, the newcomer that doesn't quite fit in, family members who make mistakes in an attempt to help the family and are welcomed back in, and just being together on special occasions, whether you like it or not! Playwright Montana Cypress is from the Everglades and writes about his lived experience, brought to vivid life by the nine-person all-Native mostly local cast. Check out this new holiday tradition at 825 Arts on University in St. Paul through December 21.

"Cost of Living" by Full Circle Theater at 825 Arts

Frank Theatre introduced #TCTheater to Polish-American playwright Martyna Majok's work with their excellent production of Ironbound in 2024 (a nominee for a Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Award for best play), followed by Sanctuary City earlier this year, which Theatre in the Round also produced a few months later. Now, thanks to Full Circle Theater, we finally get to see her 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning play Cost of Living. All of her plays (at least those I've seen) deal with the immigrant experience, classism, the struggles of average Americans, and the failure of the American Dream. Cost of Living does this through the stories of two disabled characters and their caregivers, with a raw and unflinching look at the lives that they lead. The good news is Full Circle's production, in the intimate 825 Arts on University in St. Paul, is excellent; the bad news is they only have eight performances (after a week of community performances), half of which are over. So if you would like to see the excellent regional premiere of this funny, moving, surprising, thought-provoking play - act fast!

"Thank You for Holding: The Caregiver Play Project" by Wonderlust Productions at 825 Arts

Wonderlust Productions is unique in the kind of theater that they make. Whether it's prison, or state government, or in this case caregiving, they spend a couple years researching a topic, specifically by interviewing people in the community who live in it. Then they create a new piece of theater, with both professional actors and these community consultants acting in the story. The result here is a very moving, raw, truthful depiction of caregiving, the pain and the joys and the endless bureaucracy of navigating a broken health care system. While I have never been a caregiver (yet, as this show reminds us), at least not to humans, I have been a witness to caregiving, and it is probably the hardest and most necessary job there is. But a thankless and often unrecognized one, so kudos to Wonderlust to shining a light on it, and letting caregivers tell their own story. Thank You for Holding continues at the new theater space 825 Arts on University in St. Paul through November 3.