Arts & Entertainment

Volunteers needed for MLK breakfast
The Center for Community-Based Learning (CCBL), the African-American Student Association (AASA), the African-American Student Support Services and the Equal Opportunity and Diversity Office (EOD) have banded together to co-chair the 2010 Martin Luther King Holiday Breakfast in January in the St. Paul area. The breakfast is part of a larger event held in Minneapolis and sponsored by General Mills since the ‘90s to recognize Dr. King’s life and accomplishments during the Civil Rights Movement.Initially a single event held downtown, the breakfast has expanded to include six satellite locations in the Twin Cities, Duluth and River Falls, Wis. A public-television broadcast will allow attendees at all satellite locations to view the Minneapolis program and keynote speakers...

Contemporary Macbeth previews Nov. 11 at Metropolitan State
Shakespeare’s Macbeth previews Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. on Metropolitan State University’s Minneapolis campus in the Stagedoor Theater in the Whitney Fine Arts Center. The play is an adaptation which “recognizes certain parallels to our contemporary society and its travails,” says director and adaptor, Camille D’Ambrose. “In Macbeth, human beings are capable of anything,” says D’Ambrose. “The man—Macbeth—is a hero, greatly loved by his friends, his wife and his king. But he is, above all, a soldier...

Metropolitan State announces next art exhibit
Metropolitan State University Third Floor Gallery is pleased to present City Behavior by Grace MN. This exhibit features a number of local urban art projects by a collective of artists who call themselves Grace MN and includes Marcus Young of St. Paul, Kathleen Maloney of Minneapolis, Aki Shibata of St. Paul and Travis Spangler of St. Paul, among others. Everyday Poems for City Sidewalk, executed in collaboration with St. Paul Public Works and Public Art St. Paul, features the poetry of 34 St. Paul poets stamped into sidewalks throughout the city. Other projects, such as Wishes for the Sky, Don’t You Feel It Too? and From Here to There and Beyond, will be presented as well...

Titanic comes out of the depths
Perhaps your knowledge of the sinking of the RMS Titanic is limited to seeing James Cameron’s famous 1997 film. Some Minnesotans were able to see a traveling exhibit showcasing a few artifacts in 1999 at St. Paul’s historic Union Depot, while online articles attempt to put into words and pictures the story that stunned the entire world almost a century ago. But the Science Museum of Minnesota (SMM) is now offering you the chance to get up-close with a recreation of part of the ship with more than 250 artifacts—most of which were not part of the Union Depot’s 1999 exhibition. Likewise, the museum’s William L. McKnight-3M Omnitheater is running a new 45-minute documentary, Titanica, to coincide with the exhibit. And even if you’ve seen films in IMAX format, prepare to be...

Ordway renovates its 25-year-old Main Hall stage
Leontyne Price sang from it, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater danced on it and the cast of Les Misérables performed 216 shows on it. After hosting 25 years of performances, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts retired its original stage floor and renovated it this summer. Work on the 4,500-square-foot stage floor was done by Minneapolis hardwood flooring firm Anderson Ladd. It is a traditional sprung floor ideal for dance, opera and musical theater performances. Throughout the seven-week-long construction...

Alumna offers feedback to screenwriting students
If you take a look at Melissa Brandt’s resume, one thing becomes clear: she truly believes in higher education. After receiving a B.A. in English in the 90s, Melissa returned to school at Metropolitan State University to earn a B.A. in screenwriting in 2004. From there, she enrolled in the master’s program at Mankato State University and received a M.A. in literature and creative writing in 2008. She’s now back at Metropolitan State as a community faculty member...

Theater putting a face to modern issues
Theater Underground and the theater department at Metropolitan State University have started an ambitious project that requires the participation of Metropolitan State students, faculty and active alums to succeed. The project is called Theater Du Jour and its goal is to put a human face on the issues of today. Theater Du Jour is an expansive project collecting many different and personal stories from the Metropolitan State community and putting them on stage. Gail Smogard, director of the theater program at Metropolitan State, explains why this project is so important and unique to the university, “Unlike many traditional state universities, Metropolitan State is generally a more...

Halloween fun without butchering your budget issues
Parents may have “budget” on the brain but those of trick-or-treat age have only costumes and candy on the cranium. Don’t let grown-up worries hinder their fun; with some creativity and improvisation, this year’s Halloween festivities can be as eerie as ever. Conjuring the festive spirit of Halloween begins at home; ingenuity is essential in creating haunting home décor that costs next to nothing. Let nature be your muse by bringing the outdoors in. By incorporating the warm colors and rustic textures of the season, you can easily and inexpensively create a fall-friendly feel...

Go “Out on a Limb” with your kids issues
If you have young children (or grandchildren), you know that despite busy schedules and a tight economy, time spent with them is never wasted. But if you’re looking for something new—or different—to do and share with them, then you should consider going “out on a limb” with them at the Minnesota Children’s Museum. Hands on, baby...

Modern MacBeth in November
The classic story of MacBeth, by William Shakespeare, is being adapted into a modern piece at Metropolitan State University. Camille D’Ambrose will direct the play, which Gail Smogard, theater department director for Metropolitan State, said will be, “a modern Macbeth with a lot of surprises.”D’Ambrose, a theater arts faculty member, has a career of acting, directing and writing for the stage across the country. She has performed in the Twin Cities area at the Guthrie, Chanhassen Dinner Theater and the Jungle Theater.D’Ambrose says that she has rearranged scenes and put together a shorter version of Macbeth. The production will be two scenes, compared to the usual five, with one intermission...