Theatre

​Dear diary: my teen angst now has a musical

August 9th, 2017

‘Heathers’ hits the Empire stage in Grand Forks

Before the pink-clad Plastics or Cher’s group of popular beauties in “Clueless,” the shoulder pad-wearing, croquet mallet-wielding Heathers ruled the halls of Westerberg High in the 1989 cult classic “Heathers.”

Now, this group of mean girls are seeing a resurrection on the Empire stage in the contemporary musical that features all the same themes from the 80’s film: teen angst, popularity and murder.

“Heathers” follows…

Read more...


​‘Our Boy’ the Struggle on Sex Crimes.

August 2nd, 2017

“It was the first insightful theatre I’ve seen in years. I wasn’t expecting anything but it blew me away.”

“Your intimate space makes us feel like we’re in the play and for those of us who don’t act, that’s a real gift.”

“A wonderful performance that made me laugh and cry while giving me goose bumps.”

“You do such good work and you are an asset to the community.”

The comments and applause are testimony of the amazing shows that Theatre B has chosen.

Theatre B…

Read more...


​‘Grease’ to be performed at Sheyenne High

July 19th, 2017

Summer Arts Intensive performs main stage musical

Under the summer sun, something’s begun, taking over those summer nights. The 1978 movie and musical hit Grease is taking stage as part of the Summer Arts Intensive in West Fargo.

In 2010, Adam Pankow started the program to bring arts to students during the summer months. The program is open to students in middle school, high school and college. Last month, the middle school program performed Willy Wonka Jr., with the high school…

Read more...


​North Dakota history comes to life in new musical

June 21st, 2017

Author, professor, historian and now playwright: Dr. Charlie Barber has taken his love of history to the stage with his new musical, “No Backseat Driver.”

Barber’s play is the story of two North Dakota heroes: “Wild Bill” Langer and his wife, Lydia Cady Langer.

“I’ve been researching Bill Langer since 1983,” said Barber. “He was wild in personality, but he cared about the underdogs. I’m not interested in writing about characters who aren’t progressive. They must be…

Read more...


​Theatre B moves to Moorhead

June 14th, 2017

Just in time for their fifteenth season, local theatre company Theatre B is moving across the river, from their longtime home Fargo to Moorhead, Minnesota.

Theatre B has jumped around since it was founded in 2003: from the former Moose Lodge (now, the Toasted Frog) to the most recent Schumacher Goodyear Garage on the corner of Broadway and 4th Avenue North.

Their most permanent residence, a storefront on Main Avenue, was established with David and Pia Scheer in 2005. However, Theatre B…

Read more...


​Crossing lines and hitting the road

May 10th, 2017

When we had a chance to catch up with Corey Ruffin, the mastermind behind the Grand Rapids-based traveling burlesque troupe Super Happy Funtime Burlesque, he was at the repair shop getting a tune-up on their tour bus. The retired school bus is a veteran of the road and has accommodated the motley crew of musicians and dancers on multiple nationwide tours.

Four of the 10 cast members make up the band, which is based out of Chicago. Five are from Michigan and one from Tennessee.

Though…

Read more...


​The Politics of Dancing: FMCT’s ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’

May 4th, 2017

FMCT, under the direction of Anna Carol, is bringing the Tony Award-winning Broadway hit, ‘Billy Elliot: The Musical’ to The Stage at Island Park May 5-7 and 11-14. The musical is adapted from the hit movie ‘Billy Elliot,’ and features music by Elton John and screenplay and lyrics by Lee Hall.

This “coming-of-age dance musical extravaganza” follows young Billy, who recently lost his mother, as he decides to move from boxing to ballet. He studies and practices in secret.

The…

Read more...


​Greek love: Colleges perform Homer

April 5th, 2017

Ovid’s mythological tales undergo dramatic transformation by award-winning director/playwright Mary Zimmerman as Concordia, MSUM, and NDSU deliver theatrical productions of three of her modern takes on his work.

Concordia’s production of “Secrets in the Wings” kicked off the series from March 30 to April 2. Next up is MSUM’s performance of “Metamorphoses” April 5 to 8, and finally NDSU presents “The Odyssey” April 27 to May 5.

MSUM’s School of Performing Arts…

Read more...


​Welcoming April with Sheyenne HS Theatre

March 29th, 2017

Spring is around the corner! But we all know that the Fargo-Moorhead area is still cold from severe wind and rain which means we should stay inside for awhile. Fortunately, we do not have to stay home because of what Sheyenne High School Theatre has planned for the month of April.

There will be 3 performances including “Reeling” at Sheyenne High School on April 1, “Murder at Eight, Dead by Nine” at Santa Lucia Restaurant on April 7-10, and a revival of “The 25th Annual Putnam…

Read more...


​F-M Ballet: ‘Wizard of Oz’ gets a dance treatment

March 29th, 2017

photo by Ariel Wethern

Ever since its publication in 1900, L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz” has delighted and inspired millions of people, both children and adults. The classic American tale of plucky Dorothy traveling the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to see the Wizard of Oz with her companions Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, has inspired any number of adaptations and spinoffs, such as the famous 1939 film starring Judy Garland.

The Fargo-Moorhead Ballet aims…

Read more...


Tracker Pixel for Entry TheatreBSMS Tracker Pixel for Entry Blackbird28 Tracker Pixel for Entry Dvfa Tracker Pixel for Entry High Plains Fair Housing Tracker Pixel for Entry Tracker Pixel for Entry Bismarck1

Recently in:

Proposed Bills Could Take Books off Library ShelvesBy Laura Simmonslaurasimmons2025@u.northwestern.edu The passing of ND House Bill 1205 and ND Senate Bill 2360, which would prevent sexually explicit books from being in public…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comHPR chats with a local legendThe following interview was done in February of 2016, just a few months after Mr. Josef Olivieri's 90th birthday. We're sorry to hear of his passing at the age of 97 on…

Fargo Theatre, Thursday April 13, 2023Competition submission deadline April 11Topics of suicide prevention and mental health: films will receive scores for their use of script, performance, camera, sound, editing and theme.…

By John Strandjas@hpr1.comOur Opinion: Who on Earth would ever want to move to North Dakota?Let’s talk about the left hand and the right hand. Or, more correctly, let’s focus on the right hand, being as there is no left in ND…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comTwo ForumWhite Nationalist Trumplican Nincoms Have Pooped All Over LibrariansSo it has come to pass that Scott Hennen and Ross Nelson have assaulted librarians in the state, accusing them of…

Well shiver me timbers. After weeks of sampling some of the finest drinks in F-M from more bars than we could shake a belaying pin at, the results of High Plains Reader’s 6th Annual Cocktail Showdown are in! For nine weeks,…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comWhen thinking of popular sandwiches associated with the Upper Midwest, the sloppy joe immediately comes to mind. But let’s not forget the sandwich with a spicy side – the taco grinder. It’s a…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comphoto by Andy Wilcox Many of Fargo-Moorhead’s talented bands and musicians have been able to gain fans around the country. Some of this, of course, is due to social media making it…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comKevin Armento’s play “Killers” inspired both Stefanie Abel Horowitz’s 2019 short film “Sometimes, I Think About Dying” and Rachel Lambert’s 2023 feature “Sometimes I Think About…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIf you’ve ever driven down the Enchanted Highway, the 32-mile ribbon of road connecting Regent to Gladstone in western North Dakota, home to the world’s largest salvaged metal sculptures,…

By Jessica M. Hawkesjmhawkes84@gmail.comIt wasn’t long after the founding of the railroad and river town of New Rockford that entertainment venues started to put down their own roots. Its population bolstered by booms of nearby…

By Jan Syverson  Jan.r.Syverson@gmail.comFor the past 30 years live, stand-up comedy has had a place in the Fargo Moorhead area, Starting with…

By Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comSpring is here (mostly), and our area is buzzing with people eager to get back out and about -- many newly vaccinated and feeling a bit safer. Partnering with Jade Events, Fargo Brewing is just…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

JANUARY 19, 1967– MARCH 8, 2023 Brittney Leigh Goodman, 56, of Fargo, N.D., passed away unexpectedly at her home on March 8, 2023. Brittney was born January 19, 1967, to Ruth Wilson Pollock and Donald Ray Goodman, in Hardinsburg,…

By Ken and Alice Christiansonsubmit@hpr1.com HB 1332 is currently before the North Dakota legislature. The bill proposes to permit social workers to use a discredited treatment method to convert the sexual orientation of gay and…