Tag: podcasts

Episode 20 of The Stages of MN Show Featuring an interview with Anna Hashizume and my appeal for Everyone to Give to the Maz on November 20th is Up in Both YouTube and the Podcast Versions!

lo faithful readers this is to let you know that the latest episode of The Stages of MN YouTube and podcast is up and ready for your enjoyment! Of paramount importance is the appeal to donate to your favorite theaters on Thursday 11/20/25 which is MN Give to the Max Day! go to https://www.givemn.org/ and find your favorite theaters. Once you’ve donated please send me an email at robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com and let me know you did your part. You don’t need to say how much or which theaters unless you want too.

On this episode I got a chance to chat with the endlessly talented Anna Hashizume who is currently starring as Eliza Doolittle in Theater Latté Da’s production of My Fair Lady which runs through 12/28. Here’s the link to purchase tickets to that show https://www.latteda.org/my-fair-lady

We have one reviews for you this week The Resistible Rise of Arturo UI from Frank Theatre which runs through 11/23, you can get tickets here https://franktheatre.org/events/resistible-rise-arturo-ui-bertolt-brecht/ .

You can view the show here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEP20YouTube or listen here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode20Podcast.

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Episode 19 or The Purple Rain Episode of The Stages of MN Show is Up on Both YouTube and the Podcast Version!

Hello faithful readers this is to let you know that the latest episode of The Stages of MN YouTube and podcast is up and ready for your enjoyment! Mostly reviews this week but it’s got a big one Purple Rain! Even if you read my print reviews this one might be work taking a look at. But there are also two other reviews One for Primary Trust at the Guthrie and the other for Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, both are fantastic shows but Primary Trust closes this weekend and Natasha, Pierre…… is almost sold out. So watch and then get online and book those shows ASAP. Here’s a link to all three so you can do just that. https://hennepinarts.org/events/purple-rain-2025, https://www.guthrietheater.org/shows-and-tickets/2025-2026-season/primary-trust/, https://www.theatreelision.com/comet

You can view the show here bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode19 or listen here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode19Podcast .

Don’t rely on Facebook or Instagram algorithms to keep you in the loop about great shows. Subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN delivered straight to your inbox. It’s the best way to make sure you never miss out on the theater action. To subscribe on a computer, enter your email address on the home page (right-hand side) and click subscribe. On mobile, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the same option. You can also follow me on Facebook @thestagesofmn and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

The Stages of MN YouTube channel is home to the weekly Stages of MN Show. You can watch it by clicking here. Be sure to check out the latest episodes and subscribe so you’ll always know when a new one drops. Not sure you agree with one of my takes? I’m also part of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can find review roundups from my colleagues and me. Follow us on Facebook at @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Episode 8: In which The Stages of MN puts The MN Fringe to bed

Faithful readers, hopefully you are subscribed to The Stages of MN YouTube channel and already saw that a new episode was up. Apologies for forgetting to do a blog post for those who aren’t. But, a good reminder I guess to subscribe so you’ll know whenever a new episode is available. Double apologies to the podcast listeners as I still have a touch of Fringe brain and completely forgot to edit that version and post it until last night. Both are now up so view and/or listen to your hearts content.

This weeks episode I’m joined by m’colleague Jill Schafer over at Cherry and Spoon to reflect on this years Minnesota Fringe Festival. We discuss 10 of our favorite shows as well as a few honorable mentions. This week’s episodes are actually quite different between the YouTube version and the podcast version. While the YouTube version is always longer and the preferred version because of it. The differences are usually simply a matter of the exclusion of the “At a Show With….” photo montage. Well this week rather than a minute long that segment is four and a half minutes long as it covers the entire Fringe Festival. So, if you took a photo with me at Fringe this year you are probably in that episode. Also The footage of the Fringe Awards from the Closing night party has been excluded from the podcast as I think it relied heavily on the ability to read the captions in order to know who won everything. Also missing is the segment showing what shows won the highly commented on, usually with something like “What’s this now?”, The Stages of MN Fringe of the Day Award winners. That segment contained no audio other than music and so would only serve to prolong the podcast episode without adding any info to listeners. That list by the way is, in order of the day they were seen not ranked:

  1. In The Garden of American Heroes
  2. Hamluke
  3. Joan of Arc For Miss Teen Queen USA
  4. The Book of Mordor
  5. The Gentlemen’s Pratfall Club
  6. Songs Without Words (or, The Mendelssohn Play)
  7. Grief, It’s What’s For Dinner
  8. 50: A Totally Rad Comedy About the Gnarly Reckoning of a Gen Xer!
  9. An Exorcism, Don’tcha Know?
  10. The Wickie

For those with no interest is The Minnesota Fringe Festival, I can assure you, your apathy is only due to the fact you’ve never been. Make a promise to yourself to go next year and give yourself the treat of this wonderful experience. But you can also breathe a sigh of relief as this will be the final Fringe episode of the year. You can access the YouTube episode here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode8YouTube and the Podcast version here https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode8Podcast. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, share, and review the show. you can read Cherry and Spoons Fringe wrap up blog post here https://bit.ly/cs_fringe25

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I’ve officially launched The Stages of MN YouTube Channel which you can view by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the weekly episodes. Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

Episode 5: The Stages of MN Hits the Road in Search of the Great River Shakespeare Festival

Faithful readers, if you aren’t already faithful viewers, what are you waiting for? click here for the latest episode https://bit.ly/TSOMNEpisode5. On which The Stages of MN traveled down to Winona, MN for The Great River Shakespeare Festival (GRSF). I talked to the people behind the scenes and those on stage to give you a complete picture of the festival. I even got a lesson in Intimacy Coordination from the Artistic Director Doug Scholz-Carlson. But I didn’t do it alone I had a little help from my friend fellow Twin Cities Theater Blogger Jil Schafer of Cherry and spoon. You can read her reviews at http://www.cherryandspoon.com/

My MN Honest Reviews are of the two shows playing in the festival Romeo & Juliet and The Comedy of Errors. For info on the GRSF, those shows and to purchase tickets go to https://www.grsf.org/. We also have our customary “At a Show With…” montage of who I saw out at the Theater this week.

Special thanks this week to Chanhassen Dinner Theaters (CDT) for Sponsoring this episode. Check out all the happening out at CDT here https://chanhassendt.com/. If you are interested in sponsoring an episode you can email me at robdunkelberger@thestagesofmn.com

Follow me on Facebook / thestagesofmn and Instagram / thestagesofmn The show will also be available tomorrow in podcast form at https://robdunkelberger.podbean.com/ or wherever you enjoy podcasts

Don’t depend on a Facebook or Instagram algorithm to ensure you hear about a great show. You can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t miss out on any of the theater action. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn.

I’ve officially launched The Stages of MN YouTube Channel which you can view by clicking on this link. https://www.youtube.com/@TheStagesofMN. Check out the intro videos and the weekly episodes. Subscribe to the channel so you’ll always know when a new episode has dropped. Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I’m also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read review roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers.

The Stages of MN Jumps Off the Page and Into Your Eyes and Ears. The Good News is, a Short Course of Antibiotics Should Clear it Right Up.

I’m thrilled to announce that after months of hard work The Stages of MN has broken out of the confines of the blog and into new formats. The blog isn’t going away, but you might notice the reviews getting a little shorter. First off is the big one, the YouTube Show! Here is a link to the first episode https://bit.ly/TheStagesofMNEpisode1 . It clocks in at about 40 minutes but I think this first episode earns the extra time. Future episodes will be targeted at a 20 to 30 minute length, which I think is a little more digestible for the average viewer. The shows in general will feature an interview of some kind, a couple of reviews, and a montage of photos taken with people, like yourselves faithful readers, that I run into out at the theater. If you see me out at a show, or anywhere really, except standing at a urinal, don’t be shy, say hi, ask for a photo and you’ll be part of the next episode! I’m hoping this will allow me to meet more of you and connect with you in a more personal way. You love theater! I love theater! You know what I think of every show, but I want to hear what you think, I want to know what you are seeing.

I interviewed Austene Van, the Executive Artistic Director of Yellow Tree Theatre as well as an accomplished Actor, Choreographer, Director, and Writer for the first episode. You’ll see from that interview that we are having some fun with this show, but we’ll also at times talk about some really important things as well. We also have two reviews for shows closing this weekend Significant Other at Lyric Arts and Mae West and the Trial of Sex from Walking Shadow Theater Company. Along with a couple of other fun little items. I’m really proud of the show, it’s not perfect, but we’ll iron out the rough edges over time. For instance the opening sequence which was filmed in the historic Orpheum Theatre for which I’m very grateful to the folks at Hennepin Arts for allowing us to do. I think it came out great, but it is too long, you don’t want to sit through that every week. So sometime in the next few weeks I’ll get that edited down. But I wanted to share the full cut with you. And, if we have an episode that runs a little short in the future, we might pull it out and pop in from time to time.

The second new format is a podcast version of the YouTube show. You can hear the first episode by clicking here https://bit.ly/TSOMNPodcastEpisode1 or searching for The Stages of MN wherever you listen to podcasts. What’s the difference? Well the podcast version is a little shorter as some of the YouTube version is purely visual, like the opening and the photo montage, so those have been cut. My preferred version is the YouTube, but some folks don’t really want to sit and watch something on YouTube. Some would prefer to listen to a podcast, which they can do while driving, exercising, cooking, clipping their nails or shucking corn. And for those folks we have the podcast version, and to them I say happy shucking!!!

So while this exists for you to simply enjoy, you can also help do what this blog and these new versions of The Stages of MN was designed to do in the first place. Share the love of theater. You can help me spread the good words by sharing these shows on your social media pages, subscribing, liking, and reviewing them. For algorithms are a giddy thing, and this is my conclusion, the more these are viewed/listened to, the more the platforms themselves push them out to new folks. That is how we get others into the theater groove with us. They hear about a show and they check it out and then rinse and repeat! So let us rally to Austene Van’s call for us all to work together to ensure that theater does not go quietly into the night but blazes forth and comes out stronger and more vibrant and vital than ever. Theater is under attack, but we can do this.

Gratefully,

Rob Dunkelberger, Founder and Grand Poobah of The Stages of MN

PREVIEW!! Live Podcast Recording of The Mysterious Radio Listening Society at Bryant Lake Bowl Theater 4/6/24 and Live Performance at Crooners Super Club 4/20/24.

This month The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society (MORLS) have two live shows. Faithful readers and listeners will know that a fan I am of this group, not only their live performances of classic radio scripts as well as their own original scripts done in the style of classic radio, complete with the onstage creation of sound effects and music, but also their podcast. If you haven’t heard it yet now’s the perfect time to give a listen to my interview with gang on the Twin Cities Theater Chat Podcast, here’s a link to our discussion. This month starting on Sunday April 7th there is a very special performance, where you can get a little taste of both the live performances and the podcast see the details below.

Join society members Eric Webster, Tim Uren, Joshua English Scrimshaw, and special guest Laura Zabel for a live recording of their five-star (iTunes) podcast The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society. The line-up includes a classic episode from the 1940s radio program Suspense starring the legendary Angela Lansbury, a rollicking no-holds-barred debate on the merits of the episode, and a full-length improvised radio play, including live sound effects and music.

Performing at the Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
810 West Lake St, Minneapolis, MN

Sunday, April 7
Showtime: 7:00 PM
Doors are at 6:00 PM
Tickets: $18

For Tickets go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-mysterious-old-radio-listening-society-live-tickets-868537879177 . I’m planning on attending this performance with family to celebrate my Birthday, if you make it, be sure to stop by and say hi. If you can’t make it to Bryant Lake Bowl on April 7th, they have another performance on April 20th at Crooners Super Club, here are the details for that show.

Before classic shows like Gunsmoke and Dragnet were on TV, they were on the radio. Enjoy two golden age dramas performed in the style of an old-time radio broadcast, including vintage commercials and live sound effects.

“The Cabin” from Gunsmoke (1952): Marshal Dillon seeks shelter from a blizzard only to discover there are worse things to fear than the cold.

“The Big Speech” from Dragnet (1951): Joe Friday pursues “the facts, ma’am, just the facts” in his investigation of a violent drug store robbery. Once the case is solved, his mother helps him write a speech on the dangers of drugs for the local high school.

Performing at Crooners Supper Club
6161 Hwy 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN

Saturday, April 20
Showtime: 8:00 PM
Doors are at 7:00 PM
Tickets: $25-$35
Take a look at their menu!

For tickets to this performance go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mysterious-old-radio-listening-society-before-they-were-television-shows-tickets-864605888487

Tired of missing reviews from The Stages of MN? Do you find yourself left out when all your friends are talking about that great new play that you didn’t even know about? Never fear that never has to happen again. Now you too can subscribe and have every post from The Stages of MN sent directly to your email box. No more hoping the algorithm works in your favor and you actually see a post on facebook or Instagram. No relying on so-called friends to tip you to the best shows in town. To subscribe on your computer: from the home page on the right, enter your email address and click subscribe. On your mobile device scroll to the bottom of the page and do the same. You can also follow me on Facebook, @thestagesofmn click follow and on Instagram thestagesofmn. You can also read some of my reviews syndicated on the MN Playlist website https://minnesotaplaylist.com/ from time to time.

But that’s not all! Think I may have steered you wrong on a show? Well, I am also a member of the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers (TCTB), where you can read roundups of shows by m’colleagues and I when you follow us on facebook @TwinCitiesTheaterBloggers. We also produce the podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat!! which you can access through this link or wherever you enjoy podcasts https://twincitiestheaterchat.buzzsprout.com/ . Now you too can be in the know about all the fabulous theater happening in and around the Twin Cities.