The Duluth Playhouse Creates Magic This Season

There are few things quite as moving as theatre. Theatre—which takes the heartbeat of the artist and syncs it with the heartbeat of the audience—teaches, shares and allows us, as an either audience or performer, to truly be one with each other. Don’t know where to go to get your dose of outstanding theatre? Look no further! The Duluth Playhouse in Duluth, MN, has so many wonderful shows to share with us this season. Phillip Fazio, the Producing Artistic Director of The Duluth Playhouse, shared his thoughts on this season, “Our current season is filled with a mix of new and beloved shows. We started this season with the Twin Ports premiere of Once and in July, we’re very excited to be producing the Minnesota premiere of the Tony Award winning musical, Kinky Boots. This spring, we will bring to life two award-winning plays making their Twin Ports premieres, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play by Anne Washburn and A Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath.”

The Duluth Playhouse has been bringing theatre to Minnesotans since 1914, making it one of the oldest arts organizations in the United States—but that doesn’t mean that the playhouse is old-fashioned by any means. Fazio notes, “Participating in the arts can be a magnificently powerful experience, but it must be welcoming, safe, and inclusive. Duluth Playhouse continues to work each day to make our spaces and productions more accessible to everyone in the community.” The Duluth Playhouse works hard so that all audiences can enjoy the magic of theatre: “In addition to our ASL interpreted performances and hearing assistant devices, we also offer sensory friendly performances for all of our Youth Theatre productions. This season, we also launched our new Limited Income Tickets, available to all qualifying patrons. In addition, we continue to offer scholarships to any students who wish to take classes with our education program, but are unable to due to cost barriers.” Inclusivity has always been something very important to the theatre, and to Phillip Fazio and The Duluth Playhouse especially. Fazio says, “As a Queer person who grew up in the Arizona suburbs, I often felt like I did not belong in the environments I inhabited. The one place where I could be myself, where I truly felt safe, was inside a theatre.” A theatre for all not only applies to the audiences, though. Fazio says, “All of our auditions are open to the public and no roles are ever precast. An actor who has worked with us has an equal chance of getting cast as someone who walks through the door for the very first time. All decisions are made based on what the production team sees at auditions and callbacks. Most of our productions also accept video submissions, so folks who are unable to attend auditions in person can still have the opportunity to be cast.” This kind of welcoming environment encourages new artists to try their hand at theatre, and hopefully fosters the best environment for artists from all walks of life. All of the information for auditions—from what to bring and wear to what to expect during a production—can be found detailed on their website under auditions HERE.

The Duluth Playhouse has three stages: The Main Stage, where the biggest and most name-recognizable shows happen, Underground, where “new works and recently premiered plays [are performed] in an intimate performance space,” and Youth Theatre, where opportunities are provided for, “elementary, middle school, and high school age artists to further develop their skills in a fully produced show.” The next show is The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, running from February 3^rd-12^th, with an ASL interpreted performances February 10^th at 7:30pm. Tickets for The Glass Menagerie are available for sale HERE. It’s just like Phillip Fazio says, “Our eclectic mix of plays and musicals guarantees that there will be something for everyone in the season.”

Theatre is the most magical, special experience. Seeing the pure joy and awe on the audiences’ faces makes the months of preparation worth it. Fazio says, “The shared communal experience is truly unique and has the power to make us laugh, cry, and open our minds to new ways of thinking about our world. I still vividly remember the first play I ever saw when I was six years old. The production transported me to another universe and set me on a career path to where I am today.”

Experience the magic for yourself: Check out the Duluth Playhouse this season!

Duluth Playhouse
211 E. Superior St.
Duluth, MN 55802
(218) 733-7555
https://duluthplayhouse.org/