We are beyond the middle of August now, and the DSSO Bridges Session is only active until August 31. Take a few moments, and move your computer to  this address:  http://dsso.com/community-education/the-dsso-bridge-sessions/.
Listen to all twenty of the local bands in competition, then choose which one you would like to see create a new composition to perform with the DSSO later this season.  You can register one vote every day between now and the end of August, so I urge you to take an active part in creating original music for the Twin Ports. I am eager to hear the composition that arises from this competition.

EASTLAND: A New Musical At RenegadeTeatro Zuccone

We are fortunate in Duluth, MN, to have such aggressive entrepreneurs. When new shows appear around the states, theaters have to get in line for permission to stage the productions that excite them the most. Renegade Theater Company was able to contract with  Eastland: A New Musical  and become the second major production in the USA this year. This performance runs through August 22, with all performances starting at 8pm at Teatro Zuccone, 222 E. Superior St.
With lyrics by Andrew White, and music created by Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman, this is a ‘folk musical’ in its style, with guitars, bass, keyboard, and violin supporting the singers as they tell the story of a fateful evening on July 24th,1915. An over-abundance of employees of the Western Electric Corporation boarded the Eastland cruise ship, only to witness its rolling over at dock before the excursion ever began. A total of 844 surprised passengers drowned that evening, most of whom were everyday factory workers looking forward to an evening’s excursion on Lake Michigan.
Peter Froehlingsdorf directed this stimulating production, with Blake Thomas acting as Captain Pederson as well as the music director. There were many arresting moments in this production, in conjunction with the tragedy of the moment. In the intimate space of Teatro Zuccone, all present were deeply involved.
Ilse, played by Rachel Ronding, had a husband who worked at Western Electric, and she was developing a relationship with a local grocer. She and David Darrow - grocer and guitarist - had many high musical moments during the evening. They sang about the fragility of life, about the unlimited hopes of forever, and about the pleasures of life being only a boat ride away. Zach Stofer played several roles, and the intensity mounted as he legally confronted Captain Pederson about his nonchalance regarding certain crowd limits to this corporate event.
I was pleased by the folk music, the blues, the ballads, all telling the story of working class people who were caught off guard by an employee benefit that turned out to be disastrous. The hanging wet clothes were somber reminders of how many innocent people became immediate victims, while the droning of the double bass offered the ongoing flow of the river, which is a constant in the experience of life.

The Barbarous Parody From A Young Will Shakespeare

Meanwhile, you can catch William Shakespeare’s early parody/play, Titus Andronicus performed at/by the Duluth Playhouse Teen Intensive actors on either August 20 or 22, starting at 7pm. Directed by Kate Horvath, this Shakespeare adventure into multiple slash murders is meant to be ironic from beginning to end. Three different times the actors share in a vaudeville style dance interlude, which definitely helps the idea of the parody.
Simon VanVactor-Lee portrays the part of Titus, who is finally murdered, after initiating an irritating series of senseless mutilations and executions, in the basic style of Queen Elizabeth I in 1590s London. One star of the evening was Marianne Peterson, as Lavinia, the much-abused daughter of Titus, who lost her hands, her tongue, her virginity, yet continued to dance and be creative until her father murdered her.
Aaron the Moor (aka The Devil himself) was played by Joe Birdseye. This is the most personable character of the evening, even though no accumulation of evil was ever adequate for his appetite. Birdseye was humorous and captivating in this one bizarre Shakespearean creation, right up to being buried chest deep in the earth as his ultimate punishment.
This show is being paired with Sweeney Todd, so if you are seeking some blood-letting in this sultry August, the Duluth Playhouse is the place to let it drain.

Amethyst  AND Agate: 70 new poems about Lake Superior

Aug. 23 (Sun) 3-5 pm:  Zeitgeist Arts Café, 222 E. Superior St., Duluth
Please come to the publication launch, poetry reading, and art exhibit opening for Amethyst and Agate: Poems of Lake Superior (Holy Cow! Press, 2015). Thirty of the anthology poets will share their work from the collection. Sara Thomsen will provide music, and there will be a sharing of Lake Superior visual art by local artists. Wine and cheese will be offered, and books for sale. The event is free and open to the public. For more information,contact Holy Cow! Press,holycow@holycowpress.org, 218-724-1653.