From your whole life, from all you've ever done, felt or thought...what is the one thing you treasure most? Imagine that you must choose one single memory from your life - everything else will be erased forever. That choosing this memory is your only way of passing through to eternity. That you have one hour to choose. Choose now.
In posing this intriguing dilemma, Camden's Workhouse Theatre (WTC) kicks off their fifth season with 100, by Christopher Heimann, Diene Petterle and Neil Monaghan. This trio of British playwrights set about in 2002 to create a play in which five very talented performers could seamlessly manage a minimalist setting which becomes "...a fluid interchange between a magical void space between life and death where the characters struggle to choose, and the worlds inside their memories." They succeeded mightily, bringing to stage an award-winning show which has been performed internationally and will make its Twin Cities debut at The Warren this October.
Camden resident Diane Mountford, also founder and Artistic Director of Minnesota Shakespeare Project, will be directing her second show for Workhouse Theatre in 100. Mountford last put a physical cast of characters through its paces for Workhouse Theatre in 2006's A Company of Wayward Saints.
A Company of Wayward Saints was also the WTC debut for actor Robert Larson, who now returns for his fourth appearance on the Workhouse Stage, appearing as the enigmatic "Guide." This Guide introduces four individuals - recently dead, and portrayed by Joel Raney, Khary Jackson, Jen Rand and Sigrid Sutter - to a mysterious place between life and death. Camden residents Mark Webb (lighting design), Sara J. Leigh (scenic design), and Travis Olson (graphic design) are among the many local theatre artists lending their talents to Workhouse Theatre for 100.
100 runs for nine performances between October 3 and October 18 on the Workhouse Stage at The Warren (4401 Osseo Road). All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. except for a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee on October 5. Tickets are $10 paid in advance or $12 at the door, but patrons will again have the option of purchasing season tickets, which include all three mainstage shows (100, winter's Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, and spring's How I Learned to Drive) for $30. Purchase tickets at www.workhousetheatre.org or reserve by calling the box office at 612-386-5763
Even more immediately, WTC will make their annual appearance at Kroening Interpretive Center's Missisiippi Heritage Day. In and amidst other events and festivities on Saturday, September 27, WTC will stage two performances of a family-friendly, company-produced original piece that has, in the past, always proved to be interactive, fun, and (for the most part) related to the history of the Mississippi River. For Mississippi Heritage Day info contact Kroening Interpretive Center (4900 Mississippi Courts) at 763-694-7693.
And finally, for the first time in its history, WTC is excited to be offering nine new performing arts workshops. These Saturday workshops will be open to the public and cover topics ranging from set design to Shakespeare. Workshop fees start at $25 and registration opens September 1. Go to www.workhousetheatre.org or email education@work-housetheatre.org for info.
Workhouse Theatre's 2008-2009 season is made possible, in part, by sponsorships from Papa's Pizza and Pasta, Steamworks Coffee and Tea, North West Business Association, Northside Arts Collective and Camden Pet Hospital.