nimbus Presents A Count Up to Christmas

Over on the Hallmark channel, they've been counting down to Christmas with their holiday movies since, oh I don't know, JANUARY. We've been leaning hard into the comfort of these cheesy tales of love and redemption and fake snow and public domain Christmas carols, so we were super excited to check out nimbus theatre's holiday show.  

But wait, you say. nimbus?

Review - The Storms of November by Nimbus Theatre

Pictured: Alyssa Perau, Brian O'Neal, Heidi Berg, Zach Morgan

Photographer: Todd Craig

T. S. Eliot states that "April is the cruelest month." If you are a ship on one of the Great Lakes, however, November is the cruelest month.

November is the month for storms on the Great Lakes. The odd thing is that the 10th and 11th seem to be the worst. The Storms of November, written by Josh Cragun and directed by Liz Neerland, tells the story of one of the big ships and storms. Ships alone on a big lake, solitary, storms, relationships between the crew, hints of a mystery...all making for a really good story. So how do you show all this on stage?

The M/V Marie Kearns arrives in port

Photographer: Todd Craig

Nimbus Theatre has done a fantastic job building the front of a ship on the stage. It takes up almost three-quarters of the stage and is almost overpowering, yet it is used so well. The rest of the stage is set as a small cafe in a Northern Minnesota harbor town.

The story starts with a shipwreck and the saving of a young girl who is found floating in Lake Superior. From there it covers a lot of ground (or water, in this case), from business changes, to family issues, the best path from one harbor to another, how to survive a storm, and more. It was thoroughly interesting and kept my attention for the two-hour running time. The cast is great throughout, even while changing characters.

It is clear that Josh Cragun has a true love for the story and the setting. His comments in the program are really interesting and explain a lot about his view. I'm afraid that his love for the story may overshadow the script by trying to include too much history and myth. The history and myth is fascinating, there is no doubt, but it takes some focus away from the throughline of the story.

That being said, please go see this production while you can. It is a good solid show and Nimbus Theatre is a great theatre company. Nimbus is losing their current space at the end of the year, so please help support them now and wherever they end up.

Review: From Darkness at Nimbus Theatre

This is the first Nimbus Theatre show I have seen and I look forward to seeing many more. The company was founded and is led by playwrights, and is run by the artists themselves. The company focuses on the collaborative creation of new work. In this day and age, new work is exciting, needed, and a bit dangerous (as an audience member you never know what you are going to get). However I feel that it is necessary for a lot of creative types to learn to create new work, and it is essential for audiences to learn to try out new work. After all, you don't know if you will like it until you try it.

I walked into From Darkness with the knowledge that it was about art, creation, and possibly forgery. I honestly wasn't sure. What I walked away with was a deeper knowledge of certain aspects of art, art history, the post-war New York art scene, and some aspects of forgery. The underlying story (from my view) was about Stanley Mansfield - an artist who was coming into his own at the same time as Jackson Pollack, Lee Krasner, and Willem de Kooning. This was the start of the Abstract Expressionism which was the first specifically American art movement that achieved international influence. Helping this movement was a gallery owner named Betty Parsons. She was one of the first advocates for these artists and had great effect on the art world. As pure contrast, and a really fun scene, there is also some stage time for Andy Warhol and his Factory.

Over this fascinating history is the driving story of a possible forgery found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The forgery story is based around a painting by Caravaggio, specifically The Denial of St. Peter. The play switches back and forth between the past and the present, building to a fascinating and exciting ending.

The eight-person cast covers multiple roles, each character distinct and individual from the others. Despite some possible opening night jitters, it was clear that the cast is a strong cast, really invested in telling this story. More than that, it was clear that they enjoyed telling this story. The stage had screens on both sides, as well as walls that turned and folded into themselves creating various locations. With the simple addition of a block or two, or some benches and you went from a gallery at the Met, to a bench in the park, a happening at the Factory, and even a cheap bar as well as a few very posh houses. The set design by Brian Hesser was perfectly suited to this slightly sprawling tale. The screens on each side were used to help set a time and place for each scene, as well as providing visuals during scene changes. It was also used to provide examples of the art during certain scenes. It worked well though I think there were some lost opportunities. There are at least two instances where actors were facing the audience while "looking" at a painting and talking about it. It would have been helpful to me, as an audience member, if I would have been able to see the painting they were discussing. But that is a minor detail.  The costuming by Andrea M. Gross and lighting by Brent Anderson suited the work perfectly. The sound design by Jacob M. Davis helped keep the scene changes interesting as the music choices were great. And I really want to call out Ursula K. Bowden for re-creating some really nice works of art, though hopefully calling her out as "Master Forger" in the program won't attract too much attention from the wrong sorts of people.


The staging and direction was pitch perfect. It kept the action moving. This can be tough for a show that runs 2.5 hours with an intermission. However it covers a lot of ground, from the historical background to the ongoing questions of what is art, the meaning of art, why artists create, and even if there is a true American art style. Fascinating and intriguing questions that are answered as well as they can be through out the show. There were a few times I felt that pacing was slow, but I am attributing that to opening night jitters. I also found it odd that there were quite a few folks smoking on stage, yet never any smoke. I won't say it was distracting, but clearly it caught my attention. What I will say is this. It can be challenging to navigate and direct a show that is created collaboratively, and I believe that Josh Cragun has done a fantastic job at that. Especially on a new work that has a lot to say.

If you are at all interested in learning about art and American art, or even curious about art forgeries - this is the play for you. If you want a really good time in the theatre, this show is also for you. It was interesting, exciting, and illuminating. Keep your eye on Nimbus Theatre - I know that I will.

Versatility is key, while less is more: Hapgood by Six Elements Theater at Nimbus Theatre

When I go to the theatre, I love a good story. Something that catches me and involves me right away, and keeps me involved and interested through out. Along with keeping me interested, if it makes me think and introduces me to new ideas and concepts - even better. To paraphrase the Bard himself, "the script is the thing..."

Hapgood by Tom Stoppard is exactly such a script. It is currently being performed at Nimbus Theatre by Six Elements Theater.  In my limited experience with Stoppard, I know that he writes dense scripts - usually combining philosophy, science, mathematics with a love story, or historical drama, or even Shakespeare. In the case of Hapgood, he combines a great, thrilling spy story with physics. How? Well, take my advice and go see this show. The opening scene is worth the price of admission itself, and the remainder of the show does not falter or disappoint. Russian spys in Britain during the Cold War - can you ask for more?

The script is solid, the acting was fantastic and it is truly a very enjoyable evening in the theatre, as well as one that will keep you on the edge of your seats. The cast is great with consistent Russian and British accents through out. The story moves quickly, even though it is a talky work (like most Stoppard). I sat in the back row and there were a few times that I had trouble hearing some actors, but I was leaning forward in my chair far more because I was truly intrigued by what was happening, and involved.

What also caught my attention was the scenic design. The show opens in a pool changing room with showers on one side, changing stalls with doors, two entrances, and a sink at the front. Following scenes took place at the zoo, the shooting range, an office space, and an apartment. These are a LOT of locations, yet each one was realistic. On a big budget, this would be easily down with fly space and lots of off-stage space. Nimbus doesn't have that. The design was similar to those flashy metallic cubes that are connected at the center so you can keep opening it up and it changes, but stays the same. After the opening scene, the changing stalls come apart, and are turned around to create walls, the shower curtains fold against the wall, and suddenly the set is totally different. It was a brilliant design that was simple, yet totally versatile. With each scene change needing a bit more time, they were covered by some great 60's spy-movie style music, along with a stagehand/actress making sure everything was where it should be, then putting hand to ear as if listening to orders from someone off-stage. It was a really good idea. The other thing that kept the scene changes fluid is that actors from the new scene would enter while the change was happening, and begin playing in the space - putting flowers in a vase, straightening files, etc. Fantastic way to keep the audience involved in what was happening.

If you want a good theatre experience, go see this show. So smart and thrilling - twists and turns through out. Delicious.