Blog Archives

Conversations at VELVET SWING!

3/28/2019

The cast and crew of Velvet Swing are getting ready to head into tech weekend! We're so excited to share this work and these conversations with you very soon.

Please join us at the following events during our run! Full menu and drinks available for purchase from Bryant-Lake Bowl during these pre-show and post-show conversations.

Pre-Show: Dinner with the Directors
with Core Collective Members Megan Clark & Alana Horton
6 PM on Saturdays: April 6, 13, 20, 27

Join Directors Megan Clark and Alana Horton for a casual conversation about the show's themes, creation process, and our inspiration: Evelyn Nesbit.

Pre-Show: Cocktails & Conversation
with Producing Artistic Director Hannah K. Holman
6 PM on Thursdays: April 18, 25

Join Producing Artistic Director Hannah K. Holman for casual conversation about the messy, weird, and wonderful process of collaborative new performance making.

Post-Show Panel: All About Evelyn
with Dramaturg Jo Holcomb
Immediately following the performance: April 25

Join Velvet Swing Creators Megan Clark and Alana Horton in conversation with Dramaturg Jo Holcomb to learn even more about the fascinating life and times of our leading lady. This panel conversation will last about 30 minutes.

About Jo Holcomb:
TEN THOUSAND THINGS: Into the Woods; MINNESOTA JEWISH THEATRE: Shul; GUTHRIE THEATER: More than 75 productions from 1996 until 2019, including Watch on the Rhine, Native Gardens, Refugia, The Bluest Eye, Trouble in Mind, Juno and the Paycock, The Crucible, A Christmas Carol, My Fair Lady, Crimes of the Heart, Freud’s Last Session, Uncle Vanya, Other Desert Cities, Tales from Hollywood, The Burial at Thebes, God of Carnage, M. Butterfly, Faith Healer, The Intelligent Homosexual…, Caroline, or Change, Shadowlands, The Glass Menagerie and Six Degrees of Separation. TEACHING University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program. EDUCATION M.S., University of Kentucky, Arts and Humanities Research; M.A., Theology.

Closing Night Toast!
Immediately following the closing performance: April 27
Let's make a special closing night toast to our incredible audiences and artists for Velvet Swing!

COME JOIN US AT VELVET SWING

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

April 5 - 27, 2019
at Bryant-Lake Bowl & Theater
810 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408

See you under the umbrella!

Meet the team behind VELVET SWING

3/10/2019

Umbrella Collective's final show in their twelfth season, VELVET SWING, tells the true story of Evelyn Nesbit, the original 19th Century supermodel and leading lady of the "Crime of The Century!" Imagine: your favorite true crime podcast meets a wild vaudevillian circus with a pinch of postmodern narratives. Expect daring feats of self discovery, compelling choices in complex circumstances, delightful musical accompaniment, multiple narratives, and one very large snake named Baby.

We're so thrilled to have a stellar cast of actors and creators working on VELVET SWING. Meet the team, and hear their thoughts on what's exciting them about the show!

Cast:

Antonia Perez (Performer)
I’m excited about the ladies in this show. They all come to rehearsal full of ideas and ready to play. It made bonding and being five parts of one woman easy. We also make each other laugh so much. I hope it translates to the audience!

Mickaylee Shaughnessy (Performer)
This show is basically an all-you-can-eat buffet - we get to do a little bit of everything, so on that level, it’s just a lot of fun. But it is also a really profound examination of the way women were (and are) treated.

Meredith Kind (Performer)
I love telling historical stories. Things that really happened. And how much better to tell the real story for Evelyn. Working with women & telling this woman’s story is what it’s all about.

Natavia Lewis (Performer)
For me, the most exciting thing about this show is what each performer brings to their characters. It’s fun to see multiple people play one person, while simultaneously portraying different parts of who she was. I also love that we don’t rush over the hard parts of her story. They are just as important as the rest, no matter how difficult they are to hear.

Jessie Scarborough-Ghent (Performer)
I’m excited for this show because I get to be funny!!

Michelle Hernick (Performer & Musician)
This production encapsulates what many women have felt: attempting to break out of roles society has created for us. Are we Madonna? Are we Whore? Why do we have to choose? Framing these questions under a guise of a vaudeville show allows us to present these ideas in a palpable context, where we can use humor as a vehicle to explore the molds women are forced into and how it can affect their lives.

Megan Clark (Story Designer)
I am excited for people to see these amazing, brilliant and talented actresses tell an important and serious story in a really funny and charming way. My favorite part of working on this play was how much we could laugh during rehearsals and also honor the serious content.

Alana Horton (Story Designer)
I’m so excited to see this story come to life! VELVET SWING is something that I’ve been dreaming up since 2014 since I first heard the story of Evelyn Nesbit. It’s remarkable, sad, and frustrating to me that a 115 year old story still has such resonance in our current moment.

VELVET SWING's creative team also features the talents of:
Stage Manager . . . Jenny Moeller
Costume & Props Designer . . . Josie Everett
Dramaturgy Support . . . Jo Holcomb
Producing Artistic Director . . . Hannah K. Holman

Come join us at VELVET SWING

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

April 5 - 27, 2019
at Bryant-Lake Bowl & Theater
810 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408