When I heard the new show at the Guthrie, “The Lehman Trilogy,” was three and a half hours long, I did start to panic a bit.
I had tickets for Sunday night. Would I be able to make it through the whole thing?
Yes, readers, it’s worth it, I promise.
“Trilogy” grapples with lots of big questions and the acting, directing and design are top notch. You can check out my review here as well as my thoughts on “The Reunion,” by Trademark Theater. Also this week, make your plans for Banned Book Week, stop by Birchbark Books for Rebecca Nagle, a writer from the Cherokee Nation, and check out music at Berlin with the L.A.-based Josh Johnson and Icehouse, where Eric Mayson and Toby Ramaswamy are starting a new residency.
Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28 at 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 29 at 12:30 p.m., through Oct. 13 at The Guthrie ($33-$79). More information here.
Rebecca Nagle at Birchbark Books
In “By the Fire We Carry,” Cherokee writer and “This Land” podcast host Rebecca Nagle dives into the 2020 McGirt v. Oklahoma Supreme Court case, which resulted in the largest restoration of tribal land in U.S. history. The ruling found that land reserved for the Muscogee Nation nearly 120 years ago had never been disestablished. Nagle’s book looks into the history of tribal law in eastern Oklahoma, and a generations-long fight for tribal sovereignty in the U.S. She’ll be dropping by Birchbark to promote the book. Masks required. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. (Free). More information and registration here.
Rummage w/Eric Mayson and Toby Ramaswamy
Eric Mayson and Toby Ramaswamy are starting a new residency at Icehouse’s Starlight Room trying out new material. The new residency is called “Rummage,” with the idea being that it’s a mix of styles and ways of making music developed over the years. The evening starts off with a set by Lydia Liza and Spencer Wirth-Davis (Lyds & Cats) and Alex Schaaf and Joseph Carl Hays (Yellow Ostrich). Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Icehouse in the new intimate Starlight Room ($10) More information here.
Banned Book Week
It’s Banned Book Week, which means it’s as good a time as any to stop by your nearest bookstore or library and pick up something you aren’t allowed to read if you’re a student in Florida or some other state that’s been overly-enthusiastic about stopping people from reading. There’s a number of banned book week events happening around town, such as a reading by the Bare Book Club (including head librarian Queenie von Curves and readers Me’shell Noire, Borinqueña Bonita and Dulce Diabla) of banned books with a nude twist. That’s on Friday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. at 2001 A Space ($25-$35). More information here.
Or you could hear a discussion between George Roberts and Hennepin County Library deputy director Johannah Genett as they talk about Roberts’ exhibition, “To Read or Not To Read,” on view at Washburn Library. That’s Saturday, Sept. 28 at Washburn Library (free). More information and registration here.
Another exhibition over at Metro State University’s Gordon Parks Gallery features a group of artists grappling with book banning in three-dimensional form. Organized by artists Harriet Bart and Jon Neuse, the exhibition first opened at the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art this past year. This iteration is chock full of book art, sculpture, photographs, letterpress printing and more. Just a heads up, there are violent things done to books in this show – they are chained up, shot at with arrows, torn to shreds and other ghastly things. On view through Oct. 17, open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. More information here.
Josh Johnson at Berlin
A new-ish partnership between Liquid Music and Berlin brings L.A.-based Joshua Johnson to Minneapolis, for a solo exploration of futuristic jazz. The saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy award-winning producer will groove through the night on Friday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. at Berlin ($20 standing, $30 seated). More information here.
Sheila Regan is a Twin Cities-based arts journalist. She writes MinnPost’s twice-weekly Artscape column. She can be reached at [email protected].
This post was originally published on here
