A secret circus of puppets, lumberjack songs and a collection of stringed instruments that survived the Holocaust — find out more in this week’s MN Shortlist.
‘Gutenberg! The Musical’ at Theater Latté Da in Minneapolis — Through May 9
Musicals based on historical events or real people have the potential to sound like a Google search set to music. “Gutenberg! The Musical” takes that idea and runs with it to create a hilarious parody of musical theater.
The comedy is presented as a “staged reading” of a new, factually inaccurate musical about printing press inventor Johannes Gutenberg. Two performers portray the show’s creators, who present a low-budget version of the show and address the audience directly in an effort to impress potential Broadway producers.
The show’s humor mixes stand-up, improv and sketch comedy, reminiscent of something you’d find on the streaming service Dropout (formerly College Humor). — Jacob Aloi
‘Wiwahokichiyapi: They Promised Things to Each Other’ at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo — Through May 9
A new exhibition at the Fargo museum features a collection of treaties between Native nations and the U.S. government specifically connected to the Midwest.
The show — a collaboration with the Smithsonian, the Giiwedinong Treaty Rights & Culture Museum in Grand Rapids, Lakhota Archeologist Tyrel Iron Eyes and more — presents the documents alongside historical and contemporary artworks and images to explore their lasting impact.
There will be a free exhibition tour May 14. — Alex V. Cipolle
‘The Secret Circus’ in Minneapolis — May 1 and 2
Chanel Samson created The Secret Circus in Los Angeles 10 years ago as a way to celebrate community and queerness. Now the tour comes to Minneapolis in collaboration with In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.
Samson and one other cast member clown and sing, but the rest of the performers, including a hoops dancer, a stilt walker, a juggler and puppeteers, are Twin Cities talent who choreograph their own pieces to fit the story.
The circus puppet show, complete with original music, tells the story of a king who has outlawed feelings. Some very goofy “feelings police” pop up in the show to remind people of the laws, but big feelings don’t have to stay secret inside the circus tent.
Samson says the hour-long show is interactive and family friendly. Shows are Friday, May 1, at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre at 6 p.m. and Saturday, May 2, at Mueller Park at 2 p.m. in Minneapolis. The park performance is free. — Emily Bright
Season Opening Exhibition at Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids — Through July 19
The Nemeth Art Center in Park Rapids opens its first exhibitions of 2026 featuring works by artists-in-residence John Fleischer and Rosemary Holliday Hall. Fleischer is a Minneapolis-based artist who works in performance, sound, sculpture and drawing, while Holliday Hall comes to Minnesota from Los Angeles where she works with sound and different mediums to discover overlooked patterns in nature.
While the art center history goes back decades, the artist residency program began in 2023 to bring contemporary art and artists to a rural area. In three years, the residency has hosted more than 10 artists from around the region and country. — Alex V. Cipolle
‘Shanty Boys of Pine County’ at Art House North in St. Paul — Through May 9
Sailors weren’t the only ones who sang colorful shanties to ease their backbreaking work. Lumberjacks also had a cache of songs as they harvested trees in Minnesota’s Northwoods.
Those songs and stories come to life in Bucket Brigade’s “Shanty Boys of Pine County: Stories, Songs and Legends of Northwoods Lumbermen.” Jeremiah Gamble created and stars in the musical, and music historian Brian Miller consulted on the songs.
It’s a high-energy, family-friendly show that takes us through life in a logging camp. The actors hoist, balance and roll logs, constructing the set as the show progresses.
Gamble says the show pays poetic tribute to Irish immigrant Michael Cassius Dean of Virginia, Minn., who gathered, published and sung Minnesota logging camp songs in 1922. — Emily Bright
Minnesota Violins of Hope in Minneapolis — May 3-June 28
For 20 years, Israeli violinmakers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein searched for and repaired violins that were played by Jewish musicians and survived the Holocaust. The father and son created Violins of Hope, which Avshalom is continuing after his father's death in 2024.
The collection now features more than 70 violins and other stringed instruments. Many feature Star of David inlays and markings and some have biographies, including the 19th-century “Auschwitz Violin,” which was once played in the men’s orchestra at the concentration camp.
The Violins of Hope project has toured this collection around the world, and it comes to Minnesota for two months of concerts, exhibitions, lectures, special Shabbat services and celebrations across the state.
The series begins May 3 with the opening reception exhibition and concert, “Violins and Hope — From the Holocaust to Symphony Hall,” at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center in Minneapolis. — Alex V. Cipolle
