City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Address: 1501 South Sixth St.
92. Brave New Workshop
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 332-6620
Address: 2605 Hennepin Ave. South
Description: The country’s longest-running satirical comedy theater, founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958 (and, amazingly, still directed by Riggs today), features original comedy shows and late-night improvisation—sometimes for just a dollar. The Brave New Workshop is known for its satirical takes on pop-culture icons and news-dominating factoids of the moment, creating shows like Happiness for Dummies: An Idiot’s Guide to the Soul and Brett Favre’s Christmas Spectacular: The Immaculate Interception. The company also offers classes on improvisation, acting, and writing.
93. Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 825-3737
Address: 810 West Lake St.
Description: The Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater has become a mainstay of local performance acts, bringing live music (including opera), dance, comedy, and theater to an intimate stage tucked behind the bowling alley. On any given night you may wander in and find the tiny performance area packed in support of local talent. No matter where you decide to sit, make sure to take advantage of the extensive beer and wine lists.
94. Capri Theater
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 643-2048
Address: 2027 West Broadway
Description: Located in north Minneapolis, the Capri Theater is the Apollo of the Twin Cities, showcasing the rich musical and theatrical talent of Minnesota’s black community. On any given night at the Capri, you might encounter a silky-voiced singer like Thomasina Petrus, a classic big-band jazz performance, or drumming and dancing in the African tradition. After a recent renovation, the Capri—run by the Plymouth Christian Youth Center—finally looks as good as the performers who grace its stage.
95. Cedar Cultural Center
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 338-2674
Address: 416 Cedar Ave. South
Description: The Cedar offers an eclectic selection of folk, blues, jazz, indie rock, and world music. The Cedar is also host to the annual Global Roots Festival, which brings performers from around the world to the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Address: 2400 Third Ave. South
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Address: 818 South Second St.
98. Hennepin Theatre District
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 373-5600
Address: 800 LaSalle Ave.
Description: Downtown Minneapolis’s Hennepin Theatre District comprises three historic theater venues and one smaller stage all within a short walk of each other. The district’s theaters include the Orpheum (910 Hennepin Ave.), the State (805 Hennepin Ave.), and the Pantages (710 Hennepin Ave.), as well as the Hennepin Stages (824 Hennepin Ave.). The larger theaters host touring Broadway shows, major music acts, stand-up comedy, and an array of other miscellaneous entertainment; the Hennepin Stages typically hosts small-scale locally themed comedies with long runs. The Web site of the Hennepin Theatre Trust—the nonprofit organization that runs the four venues—has information about upcoming shows.
99. In The Heart Of The Beast Puppet And Mask Theatre
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 721-2535
Address: 1500 East Lake St.
Description: In the Heart of the Beast’s unique theater production is marked by elaborate costuming; stories are told through puppets or actors hidden behind gigantic masks, giving performances a mystical and magical quality. The theater company uses the ancient traditions of puppet and mask theater to explore issues, events, and values of contemporary society. Though some performances are adaptations of children’s stories, all shows are a wonder for eyes of any age. Puppets are hand-hewn by those involved with the shows, and the traveling company stages shows both regionally and nationally.
100. Jungle Theater
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 338-8371
Address: 2951 Lyndale Ave. South
Description: The Jungle Theater, founded in 1991, stages world-class productions of serious (and not-so-serious) plays in its hushed and elegant LynLake space, perhaps the single best place to see theater anywhere in the Twin Cities. See anything that has the name of associate director Joel Sass on it (and that’s just about everything at the Jungle); you won’t be disappointed. If you’re going to buy season tickets to one theater company in the Twin Cities, seriously consider making it the Jungle: For the quality of the work you’ll see, its $100 Tuesday-night package is a bargain.
101. The Lab Theater
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 333-7977
Address: 700 First St. North
Description: The Lab was built in 1988 under the auspices of the Guthrie Theater, which wanted a space to host emerging companies and try new work. The idea worked so well that the Guthrie built a lab theater into its grand new 2006 home—at which point it had no further need for the original Lab. The space is just now reemerging as a theatrical venue, with artistic director Mary Kelley Leer inviting dance groups, musical performers, and of course theater companies to make use of the big warehouselike space.
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Address: 1750 Hennepin Ave.
103. Minneapolis Theatre Garage
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Address: 711 West Franklin Ave.
Description: Where’s the phone number? There is no phone. Where’s the Web site? Nope, none of that neither. The Minneapolis Theatre Garage is strictly a venue for various theater companies who rent it for their own productions. It looks and feels like exactly what it is: a former garage converted to a theater—excuse me, a theatre. If you’re a fan of Fringe-y independent theater, you’ll find yourself crossing its modest threshold often.
104. Mixed Blood Theatre
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 338-6131
Address: 1501 South Fourth St.
Description: Mixed Blood is a professional theater company whose mission is to expose and promote the Twin Cities’ cultural melting pot. Founded in 1976 by Jack Reuler to provide voice and venue for actors of color, Mixed Blood has branched out into the working world to tackle hot topics like race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and disability. The main stage is housed in a turn-of-the-20th-century brick firehouse, while the touring company itself performs in schools and organizations throughout the region.
105. Mu Performing Arts
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (612) 824-4804
Address: 2700 NE Winter St., Suite 4
Description: Mu Performing Arts includes both Theater Mu, an Asian-American theater company, and Mu Daiko, a Japanese taiko drumming group. Dedicated to staging performances that showcase Asian and Asian-American plays, Theater Mu hosts three productions annually, while Mu Daiko stages one production. Mu Performing Arts also performs in outreach programs throughout the Twin Cities. The organization sponsors several Artist Development Festivals to support, encourage, and give experience to young directors, playwrights, and taiko students. Mu Performing Arts also offers taiko drumming classes.