Park Square And Steppingstone Programs Spread Autumn Joy For All Ages

Newly partnered Park Square Theatre and SteppingStone Theatre are springing into action with virtual programs to keep audiences connected with friends and family through the autumn, embodying their concept of being "your theatre home for life" even during the pandemic. Online programs, theatre classes, a ghoulish variety show, outdoor Halloween family day, and a one-man epic play offer diverse ways to enjoy theatre - while safely at home or socially distanced - in the coming months.

While school is out for MEA Break, SteppingStone is bringing families two full days of active moving and making with VIRTUAL MEA FUN DAYS. Young people from Pre-K through 6th-grade are invited to join in live from their living room on October 15 and 16.

Pre-K & K will explore "A Monster's Dilemma," 1st - 3rd-grade will create "Spooky Stories and Spaces," and 4th - 6th-graders will uncover the "Legend of the Haunted." Activities for each age will include active theatre games, creating physical props and projects, and inventing their own original play with their virtual cohort.

Monster-madness continues as The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society gets their monthly residency into the Halloween spirit with OLD-TIME RADIO: FRANKENSTEIN (October 19). Two original stories each written and performed in the style of a classic radio series, including commercials, music and sound effects, will honor Mary Shelley's iconic tale.

"Long Live Frankenstein," by Tim Uren, follows the path of Captain Walton's ship through deadly arctic conditions to capture the legendary creature, while in Joshua English Scrimshaw's "Inglorious Monsters," a scientist reanimates the dead to create the perfect soldier!

Keep Halloween spirits high and your family safe with FAMILY DAY OUT: HALLOWEEN EDITION, hosted by Steppingstone Theatre in collaboration with Park Square (October 25). From noon to 4:00 PM, come to the West 7th Place Plaza (outside of Park Square Theatre in Downtown St. Paul) for socially distanced trick-or-treating, a pumpkin contest, costume parade and outdoor artmaking. The cherry on top? Two performances of Mixed Precipitation's PICKUP TRUCK OPERA in the center of the plaza. Admission will be limited for the safety of all with pre-registration available to reserve your spot.

Park Square Mainstage then presents THEATRE OF THE MACABRE, a three-chapter online variety series (October 29, 30 and 31, 2020) hosted by Twin Cities actor/director Craig Johnson, all to benefit Park Square. The three unique pre-recorded evening performances are filled with horrifying tales of terror, true ghost stories, and monologues and scenes from Edgar Allan Poe to William Shakespeare! Performers include local favorites Ann Daly, Hope Nordquist, Mo Perry, Tinne Rosenmeier, Laura Salveson, Eric Sharp, Dane Stauffer, and The Orchard Theatre Collective: Anna Leverett, Damian Leverett, Ben Shaw and Mackenzie Shaw, with special appearances by Robert Francis Cole and Zachary Zito. "It's a delight getting to know the work of so many talented Twin Cities artists," says Producing Director Kim Vasquez. "Every evening a new spine-chilling chapter will haunt you with terror and thrills for every taste." Theatre of the Macabre is produced and directed by Kim Vasquez and co-directed by Craig Johnson.

Get ready for 4 weeks of active imagination and bodies during SteppingStone's FALL VIRTUAL STUDIOS, beginning November 3. These youth-driven cohorts will be captivated as they join a band of superheroes and devise their own adventure-play, explore social and climate justice through theatre, or create an original improv comedy show. Classes are available for 18-month-olds through high school students.

Early in TEARS OF MOONS (November 19 - 22, 2020) the vast scope of the one-man play becomes apparent. "My job is called different things," says The Poet. "In West Africa, it's called a Griot. In Greece; Homer. On Franklin and Chicago; Crazy." Antonio Duke's poetic tour-de-force travels through time - on the number 5 bus - examining the impact and historic pervasiveness of the threat faced by Black people today, and in our shared history. Deeply personal and encompassing an epic sweep of historical storytelling, Duke reckons with the violence and shares a vision of strength that interweaves Haitian, Nigerian, and Ghanaian spiritual figures and mythology. The play will be directed by Ellen Fenster. "Well trained and highly charismatic, Duke uses his craft to give this piece light and pathos." -- Star Tribune, 2018.

Park Square tickets are on sale at www.parksquaretheatre.org and SteppingStone registration can be found at www.steppingstonetheatre.org.
The ticket offices are temporarily closed due to corona virus. Please email tickets@parksquaretheatre.org or education@steppingstonetheatre.org with questions.

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