"We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay!" by Frank Theatre at Mixed Blood Theatre

I saw the 1974 Italian play We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! nine years ago, a production by Candid Theater Company, a company that made great programming choices but sadly doesn't seem to have returned after the pandemic. At the time I wrote, "It's a funny farce of a play, one that almost makes you forget the issues behind the comedy, timely issues of fair wages, unemployment, and the rising cost of living." It's even more timely now, with prices of food, gas, and seemingly everything skyrocketing this year. And of course Frank Theatre, another company that makes great and interesting programming choices, saw that too, and is doing their own production of the play at Mixed Blood Theatre through November 22. I'm pretty sure this is the first straight up farce I've seen Frank do; their work is usually pretty serious, although not without some humor. We Won't Pay! We Won't Pay! is a lot of fun, but still speaks to the current world in a way that's thought-provoking and challenging.

Reading of "John Proctor is the Villain" by Table/Read at Aster House

I attended the inaugural Table/Read event last August, #TCTheater artist Grant Sorenson's new series in which a group of talented local actors read a play. The fun part is - the play is not announced until literally seconds before the reading begins. Grant has chosen plays that we have not seen here in the Twin Cities before, so it's a great way to be exposed to new plays that may not be produced here, at least anytime soon. And it's so rare that I go to the theater not knowing anything about what I'm about to see, even the title, that it's a fun surprise. Table/Read happens monthly, but I'm so busy during the theater season that I typically need my Monday nights off, so I haven't been able to go back until this month, when things are still a little quiet as we come back from holiday break. I picked a good night to attend Table/Read; the play was the buzzy recent Tony-nominated play John Proctor is the Villain by Kimberly Belflower, soon to be adapted into a film. Visit Table/Read's website or follow them on social media for news of February's event. And don't miss Grant directing the first #TCTheater professional production of Oscar Wilde's Salomé in February.