"Bright Star" at DalekoArts

"Just because something ends doesn't mean it wasn't successful." This quote from Philip Dawkins' play Failure: A Love Story perfectly encapsulates my feelings about the announcement a few months ago that DalekoArts would be closing their doors for good after the production of their spring musical Bright Star. For 11 seasons they were successful. Not necessarily in a financial sense (I can't speak to that), but artistically, and in creating a community of theater-makers and theater-lovers in the far-flung town of New Prague. Daleko is a Czech word meaning "far away," but when you're at Daleko, you don't feel far away from anything, you feel connected - to the artists, to your fellow audience members, and most of all to the story playing out just a few feet in front of you. To list my favorite memories at Daleko would take too long, but I've loved everything I've seen there, from silly original comedies to scary thrillers to rarely done musicals to that time I followed a couple of crazy artists around historic downtown New Prague. I'm happy for co-founders Ben Thietje and Amanda White that they're going out on their own terms, and moving on to new adventures, and I'm grateful for every silly, profound, beautiful show I saw at the Prague Theater over the last seven years. The bluegrass musical Bright Star (in only the second professional theater production in #TCTheater) is a perfect choice for the last show, and represents the heart, humor, inventiveness, thoughtfulness, and joy that's been present for 11 seasons. I'd tell you to go see it, but the entire run has been sold out for weeks. But if you've been to DalekoArts, you know how special it was.

"Native Gardens" at Daleko Arts

It's a good time for Karen Zacarías' smart, funny, socially relevant comedies. On the heels of Theatre in the Round's hilarious production of The Book Club Play, DalekoArts is presenting Native Gardens (last seen in #TCTheater at the Guthrie in 2017). Both are really fun and entertaining shows, but with a depth that might make you think a little about some important themes, while perhaps making you a little uncomfortable (in a good way). Native Gardens deals with subtle racism (and agism, sexism, and classism), inherent biases, immigration, the environment, and what it means to be a good neighbor. With a wonderful cast and excellent design on their small stage, Daleko brings out all of the humor and the nuances in this great script. Take advantage of the mild weather this February and make the drive down to New Prague to see Native Gardens (continuing through February 26).

"White Christmas" at DalekoArts

Taking a break from their usual tradition of original holiday* comedy plays, DalekoArts is presenting the 2008 musical adaptation of the beloved 1954 move White Christmas. It may be the biggest musical they've ever done on their intimate stage in terms of size and scope. But as usual, they've created something warm, homey, and intimate out of this big show. A fantastic hard-working cast of just 13 (less than half of the original Broadway cast), a small but mighty off-stage five-piece orchestra, and simple yet effective design bring this familiar heart-warming story to life. It simply isn't Christmas without White Christmas, and to see it live at DalekoArts, after a drive through the countryside full of lights, is a treat indeed. It plays Thursdays through Sundays until December 18, and is playing in rep with the original holiday comedy White Chrismith on Sundays through Mondays. It features popular character Chris Smith from past original comedies, so they found a way to continue the tradition and do something new.

"The Thin Place" at DalekoArts

It's October, and #TCTheater is starting to get spooky. There's something about a chilling story that's so satisfying when the leaves start to turn and the weather gets cooler. A few days after I saw Theatre Elision's hauntingly beautiful Ghost Quartet, I made the gorgeous drive out to New Prague to see DalekoArts' regional premiere production of Lucas Hnath's new play The Thin Place. My drive was rewarded with a thoroughly chilling and captivating story, told by a great cast and sparse but effective design. See this deliciously spooky story at the Prague Theatre in charming downtown New Prague weekends through October 9 only!

"Once" at DalekoArts

I finally made the gorgeous springtime drive out to New Prague to see DalekoArts' production of the 2012 Tony-winning musical Once in its sold-out final weekend. Just the second #TCTheater production*, Once is a perfect choice for the scrappy little theater in the far-out suburbs, the stage packed with singer/actor/musicians and the intimate house making it feel like we're all in a cozy Irish pub together enjoying some good craic. It's such a beautiful story, and a unique kind of musical that's really more of a play-with-music. All of the music in this Irish folk-rock score (by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, who also starred in the 2007 movie from which the musical was adapted by Irish playwright Enda Walsh) is in context, in a pub or recording studio or music shop. The music is woven so naturally into the story that there's not a lot of applause during the show, not wanting to break the spell of the story being woven on stage. A multi-talented 12-person cast plus three band members embody this charming and bittersweet Once.

"Holiday Show! the holiday show" at DalekoArts

A local theater fan arranges for all of their favorite actors to come to their home under false pretenses, locks them in, and orders them to create and perform a new holiday* show. No, I'm not describing my pandemic fantasy, this is the plot of DalekoArts' return to the stage after a 21-month extended intermission (during which time they produced an all-virtual subscription box season called "Daleko Home Invasion"). The new original comedy Holiday Show! the holiday show is a ridiculous and loving ode to theater, the holidays, and being together. In other words, it's perfect for this odd and lovely season we're living in. Holiday Show plays weekends through December 19 in charming historic downtown New Prague, just a quick jaunt over the river and through the woods (and farm fields). Their programming is always worth the drive, and their 10th season looks to be a great one, continuing with the "hilarious and heart-breaking" play Lone Star Spirits, and the second regional production of the eight-time Tony-winning musical Once. If you've not been to New Prague lately, now is a good time for a visit (click here for info on the season).

Weekly Online #TCTheater Events

Hello friends. I sure miss live theater, more than I've ever missed anything in my life. I don't know when we'll be able to gather together again in the same space to share stories, but I know that day will come (watch Guthrie Theater Artistic Director Joseph Haj's inspiring message about that here). In the meantime, you can watch #TCTheater artists sharing their art online almost every night of the week! Below is a list of events occurring weekly. For other events, please visit the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers Event page on Facebook, where we are compiling #TCTheater Facebook events for online performing arts. If you know of any other events not listed there, please comment or send us a message.

"Ada and the Engine" at DalekoArts

Lauren Gunderson currently holds the title of the most produced playwright in America (see: her Pride and Prejudice fan fiction produced annually at the Jungle). Her plays often center on female heroes, fictional or historical. It's no wonder her plays are frequently produced; this is exactly the kind of play we're hungry for right now. DalekoArts is producing the regional premiere of Ada and the Engine, a play about 19th century mathematician and arguably the world's first computer programmer Ada Lovelace. This smart, funny, poignant (spoiler alert: Ada died young), insightful play is beautifully realized by DalekoArts and 100% worth the drive to charming New Prague.

2019 #TCTheater Favorites

Happy New Year #TCTheater friends! This is the 10th year-end wrap up I have written on this blog; this summer I will mark 10 years of writing about theater in Minneapolis and St. Paul. That's a lot of theater, and a lot to love. This year I saw about 200 shows (not counting 29 Fringe shows), and I would like to share with you some of my favorite experiences of the year.

"Adventures in Mating: Holiday Edition" at DalekoArts

I loved reading choose-your-own-adventure books as a kid. It was so exciting to have a bit of a control over where the story was going, to flip back and forth to specified pages based on your own choice. Who knew there was a theatrical version of this particular thrill? #TCTheater artist Joseph Scrimshaw created such a thing for the Minnesota Fringe Festival years ago, called Adventures in Mating. It was so popular he expanded it, and it was produced elsewhere, including at DalekoArts as part of their "Friends of Friends" weekend series. I'd never seen it before making the beautiful winter's drive to DalekoArts in New Prague, where they're premiering an updated holiday* version of Adventures in Mating. It's hilarious and awkward and delightful, and also has that particular choose-your-own-adventure thrill of being in control of where the story is going. They say anything can happen in theater, but this show takes that to a new level, keeping the actors and crew on their toes as we decide their fate. And as expected, the team at DalekoArts does that dance beautifully.

"Ghost Tour" at Daleko Arts

DalekoArts is opening their eighth season in New Prague (that's pray-g not prah-g to us Minnesotans), the southernmost city in the seven-county metro area, with a new original play Ghost Tour. Written by Ben Thietje, who also co-directs with Amanda White (Daleko's co-founding Artistic Directors), Ghost Tour takes its audience of a dozen people at a time on a walk around historic downtown New Prague. This fun and hilarious spoof of a ghost tour is chock full of local references (prune kolaches for the win!), and maybe one or two true facts of the area, but mostly it's an excuse to get outside, walk around, and experience theater in a non-traditional setting. Which this frequent theater-goer who tires of sitting for endless hours in uncomfortable seats loves. The show opened last weekend and runs through October 12, with three shows a night Wednesday through Saturday.

"Peter and the Starcatcher" at Daleko Arts

DalekoArts, a professional theater in New Prague, Minnesota on the very southern edge of the metro area, is closing out their seventh season with the multiple Tony-winning Broadway play-with-music Peter and the Starcatcher. It's a charming, quirky, innovative little play, and therefore a great choice for Daleko. This is my fourth year attending their spring musical(ish) and I continue to be impressed with the care and energy they put into the work that they do. Season 8 looks just as promising, with a walking ghost tour around historic downtown New Prague, a Scrimshaw Christmas comedy, a play about 19th Century mathematician Ada Lovelace, and the hilarious musical Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood for a theater road trip (about an hour from the cities), head south to Daleko.

"City Council Christmas" at Daleko Arts

This was my fourth visit to the very southern-most #TCTheater, DalekoArts in New Prague (pronounced prayg not prahg, because this is Minnesota). I spent the first 15 years of my life in a rambler on a dead-end gravel road less than 20 miles from where Daleko is now, and my parents still live in Lakeville, so the drive to New Prague is filled with nostalgia for me. Daleko has built up a loyal audience over the last five and a half years, and it seems that their original holiday* comedies are just as popular as the ones at that other theater in the 'burbs on the opposite end of town. I'm not sure I would recommend spending two hours in the car to attend an 80-minute show (although I wouldn't dissuade you if you're so inclined), but if you find yourself in the southern metro, you should definitely check out what's happening at the Prague Theater in charming historic downtown New Prague. Which right now happens to be City Council Christmas, a hilariously quirky and fun comedy about a small town city council, which Daleko calls their "goofy, idiotic, fun, and totally ridiculous love letter to our audiences, and to the good people of New Prague and the surrounding area."

"She Loves Me" at DalekoArts

The second of three #TCTheater productions within a year of the delicious and timeless 1963 musical She Loves Me is now playing on the far Southern edge of the seven-county metro area, at DalekoArts in New Prague. Based on a 1937 Hungarian play, the basic story has been told in multiple iterations, including the 1940 Jimmy Stewart movie The Shop Around the Corner, and the 1998 Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan remake You've Got Mail. But She Loves Me tells it in musical form, which IMO is always the better way to go. The current popularity of the show is perhaps due to the successful 2016 Broadway revival (broadcast live via BroadwayHD), but whatever the reason I'm glad of it. I have fallen in love with this sweet and funny show, first through Lyric Arts' production earlier this spring, then through listening to the 2016 cast recording, and now through DalekoArts' charming production. They employ a smaller cast and band on a much smaller stage (I'm not sure there are any tinier stages in #TCTheater than Daleko's), and blissfully no body mics, which only makes the experience more sweet and intimate. She Loves Me plays for one more weekend only; if you're in the Southern Metro you should definitely check out what's going on in New Prague.

"The Rink" at Daleko Arts

This was my weekend for seeing rarely produced musical theater gems. First I saw a charming production of 110 in the Shade at Theatre in the Round in Minneapolis, then I headed down to the very southern edge of the seven-county metro area to see the Kander and Ebb musical The Rink at Daleko Arts in New Prague. I found both of these musicals to be really great and I don't understand why they're not produced more, but I'm grateful for the wonderful Twin Cities (and beyond) theater community for giving me the chance to experience shows like this. On my second visit to Daleko Arts I continue to be impressed with the work that they do in the tiny Prague Theater on charming Main Street in New Prague. Part of Daleko's mission is to "help decentralize professional theatre in Minnesota," a mission that I support in theory but in practice is a bit challenging; I'd like to see all of their shows but the distance can be prohibitive. But if you live in the Southern Metro, or don't mind a road trip through some of the prettiest country in Minnesota (I may be biased because I grew up in the area), Daleko should definitely be on your radar as a destination for quality theater that includes classics, new works, and interesting unexpected choices like The Rink.

"Urinetown" by DalekoArts at the Prague Theatre

The Twin Cities theater scene is broad and deep, with over 70 professional theater companies offering a diverse array of storytelling. Most of the theater spaces are in the Cities themselves, specifically Minneapolis. But the seven-county Metro area is populous and geographically large. Why should those of us who live in the suburbs have to travel into the city to see professional theater? Fortunately there is a growing remedy to that. We have Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, on the Northwest side of the cities, about to enter their 9th season. And even further out, we now have DalekoArts in New Prague, founded by local theater artists Ben Thietje and Amanda White "as a way to help decentralize professional theatre in Minnesota." Approximately 46 miles from Minnesota's theater mecca Minneapolis, New Prague is on the very Southern border of the seven-county Metro area. When I was growing up very near there (just outside of the tiny town of New Market) in the '70s and '80s, it was a rural area, but has since experienced tremendous growth. While it's a bit sad to see the bucolic land of my childhood overcome with housing developments and fast food restaurants, the good news is that's a lot of people to support the arts. Judging by my first visit to see their hilarious and crisp production of Urinetown, Daleko (which means "far away" in Czech) seems to be filling that role quite nicely. Southern Metro-ans - take note!