Artistry to Stage MEMPHIS at the Schneider Theater
The production is directed by Aimee K. Bryant and runs from April 23rd through May 15th.
By: Marissa Tomeo Mar. 12, 2022
Artistry will welcome audiences back to the Schneider Theater at the Bloomington Center for the Arts with its musical theater production of MEMPHIS, directed by theater artist extraordinaire and Twin Cities favorite Aimee K. Bryant (April 23 - May 15, 2022). Winner of the 2010 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Orchestrations (with music and lyrics by David Bryan, founding member of Bon Jovi), MEMPHIS will blast you out the door!
Inspired by events and people in the turbulent south of the 1950s, MEMPHIS is a fictional story following Huey Calhoun and Felicia Farrell - one a white radio DJ whose passion for music transcends race lines; the other a Black singer, talented and determined to share her voice. As their love of music and each other grow, their lives and communities intersect, causing encounters with prejudices that challenge them to reconsider their relationships, priorities, and dreams.
"On the surface, MEMPHIS is a play about the birth of rock and roll, but this story is also an integral part of the American journey to this moment," says director Aimee K. Bryant. "We are going to rock our audiences. With this cast it would be impossible not to. My hope is that the audience also gets to see the world of the play, and our present world from a different perspective. And, that seeing our world through someone else's eyes helps us all to see ourselves and each other more truthfully."
Featuring the acting and singing chops of Vie Boheme as Felicia Farrell and Matt Riehle as Huey Calhoun, the star-studded cast also boasts Danté Banks Murray (Delray Jones), John Jamison II (Gator), Rudolph Searles III (Bobby), Carl Swanson (Mr. Simmons), Wendy Short-Hays (Mama Gladys Calhoun), and Jay Albright (Mr. Collins/Gordon Grant), with the ensemble including Nikki Anthony, Bri Graham, ShaVunda Brown, Javari Horne, Ricky Morisseau, Rodney Patrick Fair, Therese Walth, Elly Stahlke, Matthew J. Brightbill, and C. Ryan Shipley.
The decorated production team features the creative talents of Ginger Commodore (Music Director), Leah Nelson (Choreographer), Kyia Britts (Lighting Designer), Joe Samuel Burch III (Costume Designer), Jessica Goldade (Assistant Stage Manager), Franco Holder (Band Leader), Michael Hoover (Scenic Designer), Emily Madigan (Associate Director/Choreographer), C Andrew Mayer (Co-Sound Designer), John Novak (Stage Manager), Katie Phillips (Properties Designer), Alex Pikiben (Co-Sound Designer), and Anita Ruth (Music Supervisor).
"We are so thrilled about this artistic team and fantastic cast and crew," says Kelli Foster Warder, Consulting Producer. "They are all talented theater makers and artists with deep community ties. We are especially grateful to have these three accomplished Black women leading this storytelling at this time."
TICKETS, ACCESS, & INFORMATION
MEMPHIS will run in Artistry's Schneider Theater, located in the Bloomington Center for the Arts at 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55431.
Single tickets range from $15-$47 and can be purchased online at www.artistrymn.org, by visiting the Box Office (Monday - Friday, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm), or calling the Box Office at 952-563-8575. For more information, email info@artistrymn.org. Ticket fees may apply.
Free and accessible on-site parking. The building is fully accessible. Assisted listening devices are available at no charge. Public wheelchairs are available for use. A fully accessible/all-gender restroom is available on the first floor.
If you require additional accommodations, please make a request with the Box Office.
ABOUT ARTISTRY
Artistry is a multi-faceted producing arts organization and the anchor tenant at Bloomington Center for the Arts. As the South Metro's largest non-profit professional theater, Artistry produces work from the musical theater canon including large-scale classics and smaller, more contemporary chamber musicals.
Artistry, a regional cultural asset, is a producer of theater, curator of exhibitions and related public programming, and facilitator of arts-based community development. It serves more than 82,000 people per year and is committed to artistic excellence, fostering creative expression and arts access. Artistry is welcoming to diverse audiences and art-makers in its theater, visual arts, and arts education programs. Evolving as an arts organization after more than six decades, people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities continue to find opportunities at Artistry.
For more information, visit www.artistrymn.org
Pictured: Aimee K. Bryant
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