2016-2017 Season

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Teen Idol: The Bobby Vee Story

October 1-30, 2016

By Bob Beverage
Directed by Ron Peluso
Musical arrangements by George Maurer
Musical direction by George Maurer

1959. With the tragic crash of Buddy Holly’s plane, a bright new star from Fargo emerged. Fifteen-year-old Bobby Velline performed at the Winter Dance Party in Moorhead, MN the day the music died. Bobby went on to record his first hit single, Suzie Baby, in Minneapolis - and soon would become a teen idol appearing on American Bandstand with Dick Clark and an international star who thrilled audiences for more than a decade with Top 40 hits like Devil or Angel, The Night Has A Thousand Eyes, Come Back When You Grow Up Girl and many more. Follow Bobby’s musical journey that includes fellow pop stars like Little Anthony & The Imperials, Ronnie & The Ronettes, Dion, and Del Shannon.

Orphan Train

November 19-December 18, 2016
Story & Book by Patty Lynch Music & Lyrics by Charlie Maguire
Directed by Ron Peluso and Anya Kremenetsky
Choreography by Regina Peluso
Musical arrangements by Richard Kriehn
Musical direction by Andrew Fleser

1889. Over 100,000 orphaned children were shipped by rail from the slums of New York City to farm families in the Midwest between 1858 and 1929. Orphan Train brings to life the struggles and joys of the children who landed in Minnesota and the families who took them in. This stirring folk musical follows a handful of children – a brother and sister who were separated, a tough boy and a spirited girl whose courage soars in the face of adversity, and an African-American girl who finds love in the home of a Buff alo Soldier’s family. Don’t miss this new look at a History Theatre classic that will tug at your heartstrings and entertain audiences of all ages with humor and love.

The Highwaymen

February 4-26, 2017
by Josh Wilder
directed by Jamil Jude

1956. The construction of Interstate 94 destroyed the thriving, tight-knit Rondo neighborhood where homes, stores and businesses once stood. The new freeway tore through the heart of St. Paul’s largest African-American community. This powerful new drama explores the dynamics surrounding the decision-making process that shattered the lives of thousands of middle-class residents and changed the face of St. Paul forever.

The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin

March 18-April 9, 2017
By Jessica Huang
Directed by Mei Ann Teo

1939.Follow the true story of Harry Chin, one of the many Chinese nationals who landed in the U.S. through a loophole in the Chinese Exclusion Act. Haunted by the ghosts of his past and provoked by the curiosity of his daughter, Harry is forced to confront his buried secrets. Through leaps of time and space, we experience the abhorrent conditions at Seattle Immigration Station, Harry’s longing for the life he left in China, and the complications of love in a new land. Jessica Huang’s powerful new drama explores the personal and political repercussions of making a group of people “illegal.”

Sweet Land, the musical

April 29-May 28, 2017
Book by Perrin Post
Lyrics & Book by Laurie Flanigan-Hegge
Music by Dina Maccabee
Directed by Perrin Post
Choreography by Joe Chvala
Music Arrangements by Robert Elhai
Musical Direction by Jason Hansen

1920. Inge Altenberg journeys to America to marry a bachelor farmer, sight unseen. But in the wake of WWI, Inge’s German heritage turns her new neighbors against the match. Under cathedral skies, the determined young immigrant and her stoic farmer fight for their lives, facing their own misgivings and the harshness of an unforgiving land. A lyrical celebration of hard-won independence and a reflection of generations past, Sweet Land reminds us of who we are - and where we came from.