A Review: “Drawing Lessons” at the Children’s Theatre Company

(L-R) Darrick Mosley, Olivia Lampert, and Jim Lichtscheidl in the World Premiere of Michi Barall's 'Drawing Lessons' at Children's Theatre Company.
(L-R) Darrick Mosley, Olivia Lampert, and Jim Lichtscheidl in the World Premiere of Michi Barall's 'Drawing Lessons' at Children's Theatre Company. Photo by Kaitlin Randolph.

“Drawing Lessons,” which is playing at the Cargill Stage at the Children’s Theatre Company from now until November 10th, is a heartwarming, Minneapolis-based coming-of-age story about Kate, a shy, Korean American girl who wants to fit in at a new school but struggles to find a voice outside of her sketch pad. Lovingly placed in Minneapolis in the ‘90s, this is a show that Minnesotans, Millennials, shy kids, and artists will all enjoy for different (though possibly overlapping) reasons.

Playwright Michi Barall has a gift for well-placed references. From Charles Schultz to Elfquest and more, she liberally peppers the play with references to visual artists and styles that shape Kate’s artistic journey. She also places the action of the play directly in Minneapolis by naming landmarks like Sebastian Joe’s, Lake Street and more. As you might expect, this delighted our Minneapolis-based audience, which frequently treated Minnesota references as laugh lines.

Similarly, I know that costume designer Trevor Bowen had a blast creating a visual slice of nostalgia fresh out of the ‘90s. From windbreakers and zubaz to mom jeans, shoulder pads, and a sprinkling of grunge, the costume design in “Drawing Lessons” was such a treat.

“Drawing Lessons” features projections of visual art by Blue Delliquanti, live drawing that had my twelve-year-old niece riveted, and an innovative set design by Junghyun Georgia Lee.

Barall deftly captures the multifaceted diversity of Minneapolis. Kate (Olivia Lampert) finds her artistic and actual voice with the help of an interracial gay couple (Darrick Mosley as Jon and Jim Lichtscheidl as Paul). Kate’s white teacher dishes out microaggression after microaggression. Both Kate and her friend Omar (De’Anthony Jackson) navigate complicated family and social dynamics as second-generation immigrants, i.e. American children who don’t feel like they fit perfectly with either their families or their peers. Kate easily embraces her friend Lia’s (Malia Berg) Hmong heritage and learns to embrace her own Korean heritage when it’s presented through a new medium.

“Drawing Lessons” has a strong cast. Olivia Lampert nails the lead role of Kate. The audience can feel her terror when her social anxiety kicks in (which is underscored by Victor Zupanc’s phenomenal sound design) and gets swept up in her enthusiasm as she finds and pursues her creative passion. I could easily run through the entire cast, explaining how Sophina Saggau’s interpretation of Miss Evans gives Dolores Umbridge a run for her money, how perfectly De’Anthony Jackson embodies the sweet nerdiness of Omar and so on. But I’ll try to hold back and let you make those discoveries for yourself when you attend the performance.

I also want to double down on CTC’s age recommendation for this play. It is aimed at late elementary through high school, and, although there is no age-inappropriate material, the play has an 80-minute runtime with no intermission. That can be a long time for little legs to stay still. The content, which deals with micro-aggressions, belonging, purpose, family dynamics, and more, can also be a little heady for a younger crowd.

That said, I would extend the age recommendation past high school to anyone who likes coming-of-age stories. This is a beautiful, emotionally resonant play that I think audiences of all ages would enjoy. Suffice it to say that Barall has created something special with “Drawing Lessons” and this world-premiere CTC production meets the high bar set by such extraordinary source material.

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