The Strange Capers

Another photo of our amazing company of players. (And we do mean PLAY!)

I think I could go on and on about the Powderhorn birds and animals.  At first, we were a bit disappointed to learn that we couldn’t play and swim in the lake in the middle of the park (what we were hoping to do I’m not sure – maybe Puck could have a snorkel, appearing and disappearing from the water); now that I see such a profound reason Why, it’s much easier to let go of any watery aesthestics.

A shockingly beautiful white heron lives on that little lake.  Ducks sail around, trailing long lines of ducklings, until they bob under the water with their little tail feathers pointed up at the sky.  One of the actors pointed out to me a wild and strange phenomenon in the thick algae near the shoreline: the baby ducks would swim towards the green muck and then proudly walk up onto it, defying gravity, until it gave way to water again, and the ducklings would sink back into their natural buoyancy.  Vigilant, intimidating mama and papa geese watch us carefully if we pass close to their flock of children, which, when we started rehearsal at Powderhorn almost two weeks ago, were at that funny and strange adolescent period, the color of babies with the bodies of adults.

There are plenteous turtles.  Often they sun themselves near the shore, but it’s not uncommon to see a little boy chasing a little girl with turtle in hand; it’s hard to tell whether he wants to scare her or show her all the beauty.

I’m fond of saying that we do Shakespeare like Shakespeare did it: God is our lighting designer, and we create the middle of the night in the middle of the afternoon with words, by saying “O tedious night!”  But the Globe was a brilliant hybrid space, indoor and outdoor at once, and while it may have been the occasional home to a bear-baiting or a backstage dog, London in the 1590′s was probably not a very friendly place for wild animals.  Perhaps it’s one of the small ways that we have evolved as artists (who needs walls?) and as a society (this lake is for birds and turtles and dragonflies, not for speedboats and beaches).

-Eric

There are trees in Powderhorn Park with little doors carved in the trunks.  This is just one of the many inspirations in this park.  The Strange Capers’ production of MIDSUMMER starts at the gazebo and travels to a shaded grove, as actors traverse hill, dale, bush, and goose poop to bring this magical tale to life.  This is a much busier park than Boom Island (our home in 2009) and we’ve already had audiences of camp kids, teen bikers, and picnicing mothers with their brood observing our messy rehearsals.  There is a diversity in the neighborhood that truly reflects the audience that we aspire to reach. As we battle the heat, the humidity, various wildlife, and the challenges of this physical production, we cannot help but to be in awe of its natural beauty. Today  I discovered that exits are infinite, only marked by the entrance of another.   I am always amazed at how the outdoors, and now Powderhorn, continues to teach me how Shakespeare can be done.

-Randy

Randy here.  I had the rare experience of directing a play and not being able to come to the opening of that play.  The dates just happened to coincide with FLOWER DRUM SONG, a show that was closing that weekend.  I have never wanted to be at two places at the same time more in my life.  Luckily I had Rachael Crew, give me a play by play,via text messages.  I was amazed by the turn out.  There were over 100 people there on each of the days, equalling a weekend of over 250 witnesses.  This kind of response is a reflection of the greatness of the Twin Cities community.  The crowd was a beautiful mix of age, race, and socio-economic background.  It wasn’t strickly a theater crowd, but a Twin Cities crowd.  Of course, this is what I heard, since I wasn’t actually there.  But if you have any stories, images, moments, from this weekends performances, please do share.  Would love to hear more.

Thank you to all who donated to and made purchases at the giant yard sale on Saturday. It was great to have so many friends, family and TSC members drop by to say hello and support our company! I for one enjoyed sipping mimosas all day long while sitting outside in the warm sun.

Don’t miss The Strange Capers’ super awesome yard sale this weekend!

100% of the proceeds will benefit The Strange Capers and our production of AS YOU LIKE IT. 

Hosted by Rachael Crew

Saturday, June 13 , 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

5108 Dupont Avenue South, Minneapolis

Highlights of the sale include brand new designer clothing donated by Karma boutique in St. Paul (tags still attached!), kitchen goods, books, music, various pieces of furniture and fun home décor.