Swimming into "A SQUID HAS THREE HEARTS"

Climate change. Childbirth. Helplessness. Hope. It's all in the water in A SQUID HAS THREE HEARTS, Umbrella Collective's latest workshop, taking place January 28th and 29th. 

A SQUID HAS THREE HEARTS follows Quinn, a soon-to-be-parent who is forced to examine the environmental consequences of bringing a child into the world. The piece merges music and fluid physicality to create a story that lingers somewhere between fairy tale and hard reality.
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We're so thrilled to have a stellar cast of actors and creators working on SQUID: 

CAST: 

siQuinn  . . . Gracie Anderson ​
Gracie is a performer based in the Twin Cities. A graduate of Perpich Center for Arts Education and holder of a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Minnesota Duluth, Gracie has worked at Old Log Theater, Yellow Tree Theater, Artistry, 7th House Theater, Renegade Theater Company, and many more. In 2016, Gracie was named Best Emerging Actress in Minneapolis City Pages. 

Ramona  . . . Alexandra Nedved
Alexandra is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota BA Performance Creation program. She also holds a double major in Global Studies with concentrations in South America and Environmental Sustainability along with a Gender Studies minor. Alexandra has a love of experimental art/theatre that blends language and movement to tell visceral stories. Theatrical creation has become a vehicle for personal as well as community-engaged transformation for her. In using theatre as a tool to explore complex social topics she hopes to create work that questions normalized institutions, invites discussion, and deepens our understanding of the interconnectedness of our world(s). 

Squid  . . . ​Cameron Reeves
Cameron Reeves is back again creating work with Umbrella Collective! Cameron comes from McHenry, Illinois and received his BFA in musical theatre from Drake University where he performed in several productions. He has had the pleasure of working other companies such as The Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis Musical Theatre, Sidekick Theatre, Frank Theatre, Playhouse on the Square, Nebraska Shakespeare, Heritage Theatre Festival, The Repertory Theatre of Iowa and Stagewest Theatre Co. He would like to thank his friends and family for their constant love, support and advice. 

Miles  . . . Courtney Stirn
Courtney Stirn is a jack-of-all-arts living in the Twin Cities, and is thrilled to be collaborating with old and new friends on this musical journey. Recent credits include As You Like It with 21/40 Productions, FRIGID with Umbrella Collective’s Night of New Works, TART with The BAND Group, The Ravagers and Ex-Gays with Umbrella Collective, Much Ado About Nothing with Desperate for Approval, and The Smitty Complex with 20% Theater Company’s Q-Stage. When not in a designated performance space, Courtney makes one by inventing silly voices with friends, noodling on musical instruments, and writing good words for the future.  

Dana  . . . Amber Davis
​Amber has been working with Umbrella Collective in various capacities since 2010. They have a BA in Theater from Augsburg College, and studied at the School of International Training in Bali with emphasis in Balinese dance and puppetry. Amber is a person in their thirties. They like beer and roller skating.

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CREATIVE: 

Project Leader / Composer . . .  Mark Sweeney
Mark Sweeney is a performer and writer based in the Twin Cities. He's performed at Actors Theatre of Minnesota, Artistry, Troupe America and HUGE Theater among many other local stages. As a producer, he co-created Perpetual Motion Theater Company and Catalog Models, both having sellout runs in the Minnesota Fringe Festival. He is a Nautilus Music-Theatre Composer/Librettist Studio participant and a proud company member of Umbrella Collective. Mark holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Millikin University in Decatur, IL.

Director  . . . Eli Purdom ​
This is Eli’s fourth time working with Umbrella Collective, third time as a company member, first time directing! He is very excited to be working in this new capacity, and is thrilled to be continuing the work of Squid in this new iteration. ​

Music Director   . . . Keith Hovis ​
Keith Hovis is a playwright and composer based in the Twin Cities. His work has been produced by Freshwater Theatre, Market Garden Theatre, Revisionary Theatre Collective, the University of Minnesota, Six Elements Theater, Box Wine Theater, Luther College in Iowa, and the Minnesota Fringe Festival. Keith's one-act musical, Mrs. Housel: A Suicide Suite was featured at the 2014 Ivey Awards, and his first full-length musical, Pioneer Suite, premiered with Freshwater Theatre in October 2015. His hit 2017 Minnesota Fringe Festival musical, Jefferson Township Sparkling Junior Talent Pageant, is currently in development with Park Square Theater, and a full-length version will premiere in June 2019. As a composer, his work has been commissioned by Theater Mu, Mixed Blood Theater, and Fortune's Fool Theater. Education: University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, Nautilus Music-Theater Composer-Librettist Studio.

Dramaturg   . . . Laura Leffler ​
Laura is the Emeritus Artistic Director of Umbrella Collective. She led the company from 2007-2018 and dramaturged, performed, directed, wrote, and produced over 29 projects in that time. Additional theatrical adventures include assistant directing THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE (Guthrie), REFUGIA (Guthrie/The Moving Company), COME HELL AND HIGH WATER (The Moving Company), FISHTANK (Theatre de la Jeune Lune), BY THE BOG OF CATS... (Frank Theatre at the Guthrie), and more. She was named "Best Director" in 2018 by City Pages. She is the Associate Artistic Director at Park Square Theatre and will be performing in ANTIGONE there in February, and directing JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP SPARKLING JUNIOR TALENT PAGEANT there this summer.

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& YOu! 

We need YOUR help to bring A SQUID HAS THREE HEARTS to life!  

Umbrella Collective believes the audience is a vital part of the creation process. Come experience a fresh new play-in-progress, and lend your voice to the play-making process! Umbrella Collective brings the rough drafts, big ideas, and burning questions to the audience par-baked to give YOU a chance to help shape the future of the work. Come join us at...

A SQUID HAS THREE HEARTS Workshop 

Tickets are sliding scale $5 - $20 in advance and at the door. Get advance tickets here

January 28 & 29, 2019 at 7:30pm (Doors open at 7pm)
at SpringBOX, 262 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55103

Please join Umbrella Collective as we celebrate our outgoing Artistic Director Laura Leffler at a special post-workshop reception on Tuesday, January 29th, 2019 from 9:00 - 10:00 PM.