Weekend Arts Roundup: Open Your Heart
February 13, 2014
With Valentine's Day tomorrow, MPR News Arts Reporter Marianne Combs joins Steve Seel and Jill Riley to talk about three events that look at different meanings of love, whether love for one's fellow human beings, love for one's special someone or the "eros" meaning of love.
The Ballad of Emmett Till — Named for the African American teenager whose murder was a spark that ignited the civil rights movement, The Ballad of Emmett Till introduces audiences to the young man and celebrates his life through the eyes of those who new and loved him best. This play runs to March 2 at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul.
The Naked I: Insides Out — 20% Theatre Company Twin Cities presents the world premiere of The Naked I: Insides Out the third in a series of Naked I plays that explore LGBTQ experiences through monologues, short scenes and spoken word poems. This production features the work of nearly 100 LGBTQ artists and allies, including contributing writers, directors, performers, designers and technicians. This production is for mature audiences. Performances run Feb. 13 to 23 at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis.
The Erotica Slam — The Erotica Slam emerged from the poetry slam scene; it is a three-day tournament in which up to 24 poets will compete in preliminary bouts over Thursday and Friday evenings and the top four poets from each preliminary bout will advance to the Finals night explosion of words. The winner will take home $500, and other cash prizes will be awarded to 2nd-4th place. Naturally, the Erotica Slam is for grown-ups. It happens Feb. 13 to 15 at Kieran's Irish Pub in Minneapolis.
Marianne Combs joins The Current's Morning Show for the Weekend Arts Roundup every Thursday at 8:30 a.m. Read about all the latest arts news at the State of the Arts blog at mprnews.org.