The festival, now in its 17th year, the Minnesota Fringe Festival includes 168 shows from a variety of different artists, and all shows are selected at random. This year, the festival features Levi Morris ’10 in Son of a ____! (that is the actual title, read about it in the StarTribune), Amber Davis ’09 with Savage Umbrella in Ex-Gays, and Miller’s show, Even the Gods Dream, which she wrote, directed, designed, and stars in as Boann, the Water Spirit.

Shows run August 4-14 in venues in Uptown, Downtown, the West Bank (including two stages at Augsburg College), and in St. Paul.

We asked Miller about Even the Gods Dream and her role in it. Congratulations on getting into the festival Molly, and break a leg!

AC. Ok, I can read what your show is about on the Fringe site, but will you tell me in your own words about it?

MM. Even the Gods Dream is a story about the consequences of change and what it means to be alone. Boann, a water spirit, comes from a long line of princely figures. Her paternal relatives are all well remembered in stories and legends, while she herself is married to a prominent figure of society. Like her mother, and her maternal line before her, Boann is expected to live in the shadow of her husband and her male relatives. However, she is discontent with her role and frightened by the fact that her husband is distant and seemingly uncaring. So Boann searches for a way to change her status and ends up upsetting the magic which holds the world together and initiating a series of relationships which explore the depth of loneliness, the need for intimacy, and the power of lust.

AC. Where did you get the idea for this story? Is it based on the myth?

MM. Boann, as a character, has been swimming in my head for some time, unrealized. She makes her appearance into my art and poetry every now and again, but it wasn’t until last summer when I discovered her story and everything fell into place. The play is based on a series of myths surrounding the birth of Aengus, the Celtic god of dreams, who was said to be begotten and born in one night. The original source material for these myths, however, are widely varied and do not focus much attention on Boann. So, to bridge the gaps between the stories, I added a few dreams of my own.

Now, even though this play was based on mythology, and it does contain some mythical elements, it is not your average mythic play. The characters in Even the Gods Dream are not meant to be heroes or villains and the choices they make are neither good nor bad. The characters act in their nature. It is the nature of a water spirit to want to move. It is the nature of the High King to expect submission. And it is the interactions of these natures that initiate everything in this play. Any change or behavior is started from natural, rather than moral, character and yields both positive and negative results, shaping the world from antiquity into what it is today.

AC. Did you write this while you were in school?

MM. I did. I started working on the script late last summer and worked on it with vigor throughout the school year. In the fall I took a class with John Harkness called “The Medieval World.” The class focused mainly on medieval literature and mythology from Norse, Anglo, and Celtic societies and, for my final project, I worked on this script. After the class was over, I continued to edit and develop the script. A script is never completed, in my mind, it continues to change and shift throughout the production process, and sometimes afterward. I fully intend to keep working on this script, expanding it into a full-length production.

AC. How was the show selected for the Fringe festival? Is this the premiere?

MM. The Minnesota Fringe Festival is set up by lottery. All artists interested in producing a show submit an application early in the year and, in December, a drawing is held. They randomly select shows via ping-pong balls with show numbers sharpie-markered onto them until all the venues are filled. The rest of the shows are placed on a waiting list and, if shows drop out, the producers are contacted and offered a place in the festival. In December I was placed on the waiting list and, in the middle of July I was contacted and offered a spot. It has been a mad rush ever since.

This is the shows’ premiere. It has never been performed before. Looking back, it is a very young script. Usually scripts are a little more mature (having been revised and worked several times) before being put onto a stage.

AC. Who is in the cast and crew with you?

MM. There were five of us intricately involved in this process. Tony Carlson, who is a recent graduate of the Perpich Center for Arts Education and a future student of the Eugene Lang College in NYC, was the choreographer for the show and my major support during all of this. He does fantastic work and I honestly can say I could not have gotten this far without him. My actors include myself; my brother, Tristan Miller (future student of the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts); Miles Neuvirth (co-founder and playwright for the WayWord Wordsmiths Theatre Company); and Hillary Hanson (currently attending the University of Minnesota in Rochester, Minn.).

Along with our core group, several others have made contributions to our project: Chris Rueber has been an unending source of support and has advised me throughout this whole process, Rae Jacobs has been my costume consultant, Vika Ishchuk has photographed and videotaped rehearsals for our records and has helped with publicity, and Vicki Joan Keck has also helped with publicity and postcard printing.

AC. Anything else?

MM. Come see the show!

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my dear Lewis will be part of SEEDS, presented by Open Eye Figure Theatre. SEEDS features the work of emerging artists who are supported by the Henson Foundation. Performances are Mar. 19, 20, and 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Mar. 21 at 4 p.m. 

ABOUT THE SHOW:

my dear Lewis

Created and Performed by Kyle Loven

Music Composed by George Maurer

Video Assistance by Andrea Steudel and Elise Langer

The show is about both personal history and our memory of history. my dear Lewis explores the various means of documentation and objects we all keep that help us preserve these memories.

Lewis is at the end of his journey. His final task is to look back over a life lived. What unfolds is a pilgrimage made by his mind and body into the dark and dusty corners of memory. By looking through his accumulation of boxes, Lewis encounters significant relationships and events that have made him who he is. Objects, video, music and puppets unexpectedly combine in this one-man show.

ABOUT MY LIFE SINCE �鶹ԭ��:

While still attending Augsburg, I interned with a remarkable theatre company, Michael Sommers and Susan Haas’ Open Eye Figure Theatre. I spent two and a half additional years in Minneapolis after graduating continuing to work with Open Eye and also performing with Theatre de la Jeune Lune and The Children’s Theatre Company. The majority of my time, however, was spent learning from the important work being made by Michael and Sue. Many of the skills and sensibilities I have as an artist were born and nourished with them, after the groundwork had been set by the Augsburg Theater Department.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with and learn from numerous accomplished and amazing artists in the past few years. While the majority of this time has focused on working on the art of other companies, I am balancing my current time between creating my own work and continuing to learn from more experienced creators.

ABOUT COMING BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS:

It means a lot for me to bring my work back to Minneapolis. It means even more to be performing my work at Open Eye. my dear Lewis actually developed out of Open Eye’s Toy Theatre After Dark series. To bring the piece back to its home and a home of mine is such an honor.

The production has had two runs in Seattle (Nov. 2009, Feb. 2010) and I’m thrilled to be taking it on the road. I hope to continue to bring my work back to Minneapolis and work with Minneapolis theatre companies in the future. It has and will always be a home of mine.

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This Fall, senior students in film, music, theatre, and studio arts worked with , a multi-social service agency that serves the Chicano and Latino communities. Students volunteered in the food bank and worked with children in the Siembra preschool. They blogged about their experiences throughout the term and created art respective of their disciplines as a way to reflect on their engagement with Centro. The class will present a collaborative art piece on Monday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. in the lower level of Old Main.

Susan Boecher, assistant professor of art, said the students wanted to focus the community service aspect of the course on issues related to hunger and food. She chose Centro after researching several organizations because it is a multi-service agency which would provide multiple opportunities for the students to volunteer. She also wanted the students to get involved in areas where Augsburg had not previously been.

Through their work with Centro, the students saw that many of the problems faced by people who are served by the organization are connected. “That’s how this class functions,” one student said. “Our final project is a symbolic initiative related to our experiences at Centro.”

Boecher says the project not only gives students an opportunity to get involved in the community but also encourages students from different disciplines to work together toward a common cause. “The Keystone encourages community based art projects that engage and educate the campus and allows students to find ways to use their talent to give back to the community.”

Though the students were not creating art at Centro, one student said that working with others gave her a glimpse into a different world. “That gives me new stuff to work with and broadens my horizons as an artist,” she said.

Another student added, “Art is what we have, and we use the tools we have to make a difference. Centro is a huge place, but little parts come together to make the whole. That’s what this show is about.”

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Written by Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus told from the point of view of Eurydice, his wife. “It’s almost like a dream,” Johnson said. “The play uses images you would only see in a dream but is also very human. There’s a little bit of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in it.” Johnson believes patrons will appreciate the contemporary humor, Ruhl’s ability to play with language, and the unusual set designed by Joe Stanley.

Johnson calls Eurydice a poignant and humorous exploration of death, loss, and memory. Written when Ruhl was grieving the loss of her father to cancer, the play focuses both on the relationship between husband and wife as well as on Eurydice’s relationship with her father. Ruhl used the play to imagine what would happen if Eurydice met her father in the underworld, since he had been dead at the time of her wedding, in the underworld.

The role of Eurydice is played by Shannon O’Brien, a sophomore theatre major whose father, Paul O’Brien, is also an actor and a student in the Augsburg MBA program.

“I wanted to become an actress because of my father,” Shannon said. “I saw him in Amadeus at the Guthrie when I was in middle school, and I fell in love with the theatre.” Paul offers advice when his daughter asks for it and helps her memorize lines but says he tries to stay out of her way. “She is doing things that are very tough, being a student and playing the lead in the play,” he says. “I just try to be there and be a supportive dad.”

Paul learned about Augsburg’s MBA program when he brought his daughter to campus to begin her first year. After he was accepted into the program, she told him not to expect to see her every time he was on campus. “In my first year, this was kind of my territory,” she said, but soon she came to enjoy seeing her father at Augsburg. The pair has dinner together every Monday before Paul goes to class and Shannon goes to rehearsal. “All my friends love him.”

Shannon builds on the close relationship with her father in her role as Eurydice. “Toward the end of the play when my father and I are in the underworld, he is bringing me to Orpheus and we are walking down an imaginary aisle as though at my wedding. At that time, I think about what it would be like to lose my dad,” she said. Her father, who lives with multiple sclerosis, said “Every father dreams of walking his daughter down the aisle. Because I have MS, that is uncertain.”

Performances of Eurydice are Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 6, and 8 at 7 p.m., and Nov. 2, 8, and 9 at 2 p.m. in Tjornhom-Nelson Theater in Foss Center. Tickets are $10 general public; $8 ACTC, faculty, staff, and students; $2 Augsburg students and children under age 12. For reservations or other information, call 612-330-1257.

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“The Visit” tells the story about a rags-to-riches millionaire, who as a young girl once lived in the decrepit and poverty stricken European hamlet of Guellen, who returns home for a visit. The town, giddy with the opportunity to climb out of its destitution, joyously welcomes her back, only to realize that she conceals a dark secret and that her generosity will come with a cost. Durrenmatt’s tragic comedy unfolds a haunting story of human greed and vengeance.

Performances run Feb. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 at 7 p.m., and Feb.3 and 10 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $2 Augsburg College Students; $8 ACTC faculty, staff, and students; $10 general public.

For reservations and more information, please call 612-330-1257.

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“I read about this new translation of Life is a Dream in ‘American Theater Magazine’ last year,” says director Martha Johnson. “I’ve always wanted to direct this imaginative and fascinating play with students, and I was very excited to read that Nilo Cruz, a well-known Cuban-American playwright, had created a new translation. I was also excited about the idea of our being the theatre organization to premiere Cruz’s version in the Twin Cities area. We spoke to Cruz’s agent in New York and were very pleased to be able to acquire the rights for a fall production.”

Life is a Dream explores destiny, freewill, and passionate love through the eyes of a king’s son imprisoned by his father from birth. The play has recently shown itself to have a powerful appeal for contemporary audiences, and Cuban-born American playwright Nilo Cruz won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for his celebrated play Anna in the Tropics.

“The show will be cool to see because we’ve worked with a fight choreographer for some sword fighting scenes,” says Amber Davis, an actor in Life is a Dream. “And it’s so cheap – only $2 [for Augsburg students]! It’s a nice way to start off our fall season, and things can only get better from here.”

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In my three years at Augsburg I acted, directed, stage-managed, built sets and props, installed lights, ran soundboard, helped out in the costume shop, and more. Through Augsburg’s Artists Series, I got to hear the stories of Twin Cities theatre professionals from a variety of specialties, which helped expand my theatrical focus. I came to love and appreciate every aspect of theatre.

In the spring on my senior year at Augsburg I held a technical internship with Theatre de la Jeune Lune in downtown Minneapolis. I worked on the set construction and installation of their opera Mefistofele. I also worked as run crew during the performances.

Going into the internship, I did not know what to expect. I had worked in the Augsburg scene shop for two years, so I had a fairly good skills foundation, and yet I was apprehensive about working with a company on a professional level.

On my first day I was thrown right in and given independent projects to work on. The care and attention to detail that was expected was amazing, and I questioned whether I was ready for this. Quickly I realized how thankful I was for my work in such a small, intimate space like Augsburg, where the details are taken seriously and where I learned that the magic of theatre wasn’t all magic – it was hard work.

Every day was a challenge, but every day I was able to complete my tasks. I made my fair share of mistakes, but I wasn’t afraid to ask questions and take my time with my projects to make them as precise as possible.

It was an amazing learning experience, getting a taste of what it was like to work in a professional scene shop and having the opportunity to work with and get to know some of the Twin Cities’ best actors, technicians, and theatre artists.

My dedication and drive to do the best job that I could paid off. In May, after I graduated from Augsburg, Jeune Lune asked me to stay on with them as an employee.

I am a carpenter on this season’s fall run of the two Moliere plays, The Miser and Tartuffe, and I will also be working on their spring Mozart opera series. Thanks to my internship, which Augsburg helped me to secure, I am constantly making new connections and discovering new avenues of work within the field that I love.

Of course I want to act – doesn’t everyone want to be an actor? But Augsburg helped me to learn and experience nearly every aspect of theatre.

This fall I am also working with the theatre company Ten Thousand Things as an assistant director and in an administrative position researching grant fundraising. There seems to be no end to the kind of jobs that one can find in theatre. My Augsburg preparation, however, made all the difference in getting me to where I am today.

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Michael Kelley ’04 and Tim McVean ’05 and friend Josh Iley co-star, Sarah Nargang ’04 directs, and James Lekatz ’07 choreographs. The show also features a four-piece live band.

“Love and War” features a series of letters, poems, and music relating to soldiers and their loved ones at home. It incorporates video, precision sound, lighting techniques, and unique choreography and music, and takes place amidst nearly three tons of dirt.

The beginnings of “Love and War” go back to Augsburg, where theatre majors Kelley and McVean were looking for a unique musical to produce. Richard Peaslee’s “Songs of Love and War” caught their attention. The music, compiled during the Vietnam era, puts the poetry of Lewis Cartoll, Carl Sandberg, and others to music. Since 2004, Kelley, McVean, and Iley have been refining and developing Peaslee’s work into the musical that opened on Sept.13.

The show runs weekends through Sept.30. For ticket information, visit .

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