McKnight Fellows Austene Van and Sally Wingert to Present Works in Progress, 6/29

2014-15 McKnight Theater Artist Fellows Austene Van and Sally Wingert, along with their collaborators, will present selections from works in progress on June 29 at 7 p.m. at the Illusion Theater. The event is free and open to the public; advance reservations are strongly recommended and can be made at pwcenter.org. The Illusion Theater is located on the eighth floor of Hennepin Center for the Arts at 528 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

In addition to the $25,000 fellowship, the McKnight Foundation provides up to $7,000 in development funds to McKnight Theater Artist Fellows, allowing them to explore new work with collaborators they choose. This year's projects:

Austene Van is developing a musical titled "Once Upon a Time" with director Peter Rothstein and musical director Sanford Moore. Van will be joined by cast members Shá Cage, T. Mychael Rambo, and Jamecia Bennett. In the play, the legendary Josephine Baker, inspired to leave a legacy for young women worldwide, begins to write her final and most colorful autobiography on the last day of her life. As she sifts through carefully crafted fairy tales of her magical life, she is confronted by shadows baring some truths and challenging certain myths.

Sally Wingert is collaborating with Transatlantic Love Affair on "Emilie/Eurydice," directed by Isabel Nelson and with music by Joanna Harmon. The performing ensemble is Wingert, Heather Bunch, Derek Lee Miller, Eric Nelson, Adelin Phelps, Natalie Remus, and Allison Witham. The showing for "Emilie/Eurydice" is the result of thirty hours' rehearsal-based research and development by the ensemble into the myth of Eurydice, the myth of Demeter, and Emilie Gossiaux's story as told on the Radiolab episode "Finding Emilie." In particular, the ensemble has investigated the idea of a "nether" or other world and its performance using the convention of a Greek chorus. They have also explored themes of ambiguous loss: if your loved one is lost-but-not-lost (e.g., in a coma, as in Emilie's story), how do you negotiate the often-overlapping spaces of grief and hope? How does this manifest in physical ritual, in our relationships with each other, in the act of waiting? When life is on pause, how does life go on?

The McKnight Theater Artist Fellowships at the Playwrights' Center recognize Minnesota theater artists other than playwrights whose work demonstrates exceptional artistic merit and potential. Recent McKnight Theater Artist Fellowship recipients include Sarah Agnew, Ansa Akyea, Shá Cage, Sun Mee Chomet, Christopher Lutter-Gardella, Isabell Monk O'Connor, Denise Prosek, Michael Wangen, and Stephen Yoakam. Along with Van and Wingert, costume designer Mathew LeFebvre is also a 2014-15 fellow.

Seats for "McKnight Theater Artist Fellows Present Works in Progress" are free and going fast-reservations are recommended. Reserve your seats by visiting pwcenter.org, emailing info@pwcenter.org or calling (612) 332-7481.