Weekend Arts Roundup: Seeds and Beats
by Euan Kerr
October 02, 2014
MPR News Arts Reporter Euan Kerr joins Steve Seel and Jill Riley to talk about a couple of live shows that involve a lot of onstage creation and improvisation.
Seed Folks — This production is happening at the Children's Theatre, but appeals to all ages. Based on a Newbery-Award winning book by Paul Fleischman, Seed Folks centers on a derelict lot in Cleveland where nine-year-old Kim sees a place to plant some precious beans. A neighbor who thinks the girl is up to no good, accidentally destroys the garden, but through various turns it brings the community together. Actor Sonja Parks plays all 14 characters during the show, changing ethnicity, gender, age. "I got to sit in on a rehearsal, and it was magical," Euan says. "The changes between characters are instantaneous. It's stunning; jaw-dropping." Seed Folks runs Sept. 30 to Nov. 16 at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis.
Third Coast Percussion and Glen Kotche, Wild Sound at Liquid Music Series — Liquid Music opens its season with a performance by Third Coast Percussion, a group out of Chicago, who will be joined by Glen Kotche of Wilco. Together they've written a piece that is so expansive. Moreover, the worked with engineers at Notre Dame to create complicated instruments that can be built onstage during the performance. Performances take place Sunday, Oct. 5, and Monday, Oct. 6, in the Music Room at SPCO Center, located in the Hamm Building in downtown St. Paul.
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.