Raw Stages Festival at History Theatre

History Theatre regularly commissions new work and has produced over 115 world premieres since 1978. The RAW STAGES: New Works Festival is an opportunity for YOU to get an inside look at the script development process and provide feedback for the playwrights. RAW STAGES 2024 consists of five staged readings of scripts-in-progress, directed and performed by professional artists. 

Following each reading, audiences will be invited to join a live talkback with the artistic team and cast.

Quiet Tough 

Wednesday, January 10, 7:30 pm
by Brian Grandison
Directed by Theo Langason
Dramaturgy by Lester Mayers
Cast: Ansa Akyea

Brian Grandison, who deftly penned DIESEL HEART last season, brings us a one-man story of Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, who you may also know as one of the purple people eaters of the 1970s Minnesota Vikings. In childhood one of his siblings called him not stubborn, but “Quiet Tough” – a moniker that held true throughout his life. While he is a self-described socially awkward loner, his generous spirit and singular uniqueness make him a beloved member of our community who deserves to be celebrated on the stage.

Ms. Millett 

Thursday, January 11, 7:30 pm
by Jenna Zark
Directed by Sophie Peyton
Dramaturgy by Vinecia Coleman
Cast: Emily Gunyou Halaas, Christian Bardin, Angela Timberman, Charla Marie Bailey, Erik Dagoberg and Laura Esping

In 1970, St. Paul native Kate Millett turned the world upside down with the publication of her thesis SEXUAL POLITICS by Doubleday. The book catapulted Millett to reluctant fame, showing how women had long been oppressed by a male-dominated culture. Follow Millett's journey from girlhood to an internationally-known radical feminist who championed the rights of marginalized groups which benefitted all society; and whose courage changed the way we look at each other -- and ourselves. 

Dayton's 

Friday, January 12, 7:30 pm 
Book by Bob Beverage
Music and lyrics by Denise Prosek
Directed by Kelli Foster Warder
Music Direction by Andrew Bourgoin
Dramaturgy by Alayna Jacqueline
Cast: Randy Schmeling, John Jamison, Timothy Thomas, Olivia Kemp, Junie Edwards, Julia Valen, Sandra Struthers, De'Anthony Jackson, and Linnea Cole

A new collaboration between veteran writer Bob Beverage and the composer from I AM BETTY and music director extraordinaire, Denise Prosek. This is a musical about Dayton’s 8th-floor holiday extravaganzas, a tradition that brought people and families together for over 50 years. We see the impact of one show on a group of children and adults through the eyes of Jack Barkla, the Twin Cities’ legendary designer and creative genius, who devised these amazing events for 40+ years. Throughout the play, we also learn about Jack, his life, and what inspired his unique approach to storytelling that created such lasting memories for generations of Minnesotans.

Secret Warriors

Saturday, January 13, 2 pm 
by Rick Shiomi
Directed by Lily Tung Crystal
Dramaturgy by Gemma Irish
Cast: Eric Sharp, Wes Mouri, Song Kim, Anna Hashizume, Addie Phelps, Paul de Cordova, Daniel Petzold, Rich Remedios and Alex Galick.

Veteran theatre maker Rick Shiomi will turn his hand to writing the story of the nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) who served as translators and interrogators for the US Armed Forces in the Pacific Theater during World War Two. Two of them, Koji Kimura and Tamio Takahashi, took extraordinary risks to save their fellow soldiers. The two of them and other nisei were the “eyes and ears” of General MacArthur. As Major General Charles Willoughby said, they “saved countless Allied lives and shortened the war by two years.”

Whoa, Nellie: Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West

Sunday, January 14, 2 pm 
by Josef Evans
Directed by Laura Leffler
Music Direction by Amanda Weis
Dramaturgy by Cat Hammond
Cast: Becca Hart, Lamar Jefferson, Bradley Greenwald, Lux Mortenson, Jay Owen Eisenberg, Maddy Trumble, Deidre Cochran and Luke Davidson

WHOA, NELLIE: OUTLAW KING OF THE WILD MIDDLE WEST tells the story of a fake detective, saloon girl, horse thief and all-around outlaw whose wild exploits made her a Minnesota media sensation in the boom-town days of the late 1800s. Nellie King, the alias by which she was best known, lit up the papers of Minneapolis and Saint Paul with sordid accounts of her many crimes, from kidnapping to robbery to (most frequently) dressing as a man, constantly changing her identity and leaving a trail of mystery in her wake. This fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly moving musical unpacks that mystery and touches on issues of gender, celebrity and mental health that still resonate today.