News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Thursday April 25th 2024
The Trouble with Normal
Peace House Community Journal
By Marti Maltby
A friend of mine who struggles with addiction recently told me about a hiking trip he took with a group of acquaintances. He didn’t know anyone in the group very well, but he knew them well enough to talk with them throughout the day, and he enjoyed his time with them. I was surprised when he told me that later on he had suffered a severe bout of depression because of the hike.
“I feel like I lied to them. I tricked them,” he explained. It turned out that as part of his recovery from addiction, he tries to be completely honest with others, not living a double life as he did when he was actively using drugs. Understandably, he hadn’t used the hike as an opportunity to tell the group about his addiction, and he was worried that they thought he was “normal.” He felt like he had pretended not to have any problems, when from his perspective he was an addict who was totally messed up, despite the time he had been able to spend away from drugs.
I admire my friend’s commitment to his recovery, and to being honest, but I didn’t think he did anything wrong by not revealing the worst parts of his life to the group.… Read the rest “The Trouble with Normal”
The Impact Theory of Mass Extinction at HOTB
About Impact Theory
From June 16th to June 26th, Heart of the Beast will produce our first major puppet and mask performance since 2018, The Impact Theory of Mass Extinction, by Junauda Petrus-Nasah.
Impact Theory tells the story of two black, queer, teens who discover dinosaur bones in their South Minneapolis neighborhood! Our teens get sucked through a prehistoric portal, where they explore extinction theories ranging from the scientifically accepted to the outright absurd. On their Jurassic journey, our protagonists draw comparisons to their own lives, reflecting on themes of ancestry, queerness, and non-binary identity.
Impact Theory’s playwright, Junauda Petrus-Nasah, is an acclaimed poet, playwright, screenwriter, and multi-dimensional performance artist. West-Indian descended and African-sourced, she grew up in Minneapolis’s own Phillips and Powderhorn neighborhoods.
This production will be born from the skills of local artists: shadow, table top, and large-scale puppet builders; mask makers; musicians; puppeteers and more. Graphics by: Erica Warren, Steve Ackerman
All performances except ones indicated as totally free are pay-as-able.
Thursday, June 16th 7:30 PM
Friday, June 17th 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 18th 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 19th 2:00 PM Free!
Sunday, June 19th 7:30 PM
Thursday, June 23rd 7:30 PM Free!
Friday, June 24th 7:30 PM
Saturday, June 25th 7:30 PM
Sunday, June 26th 2:00 PM Free!ASLSensory… Read the rest “The Impact Theory of Mass Extinction at HOTB”
The Crossing (Original title: La Traversée)
MAUR film 2021
★★★★★
Movie Corner
By HOWARD MCQUITTER
Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival is back in person! A special gem of the festival is The Crossing.
This animated film follows two children, Kyona (Emilie Lan Dürr) and Adriel (Maxime Gemin), siblings who return from playing in the forest to their village and witness an unspecified group of hooded soldiers who have come to massacre the Yelzid people. Immediately Kyona, Adriel, their parents and two younger siblings pack their belongings and flee. They manage to catch a train packed with others who have also fled the village. However, the ride on the train is thwarted by soldiers for Control detaining the family by force on the platform. Kyona and Adriel decide to proceed alone across the border, hoping for safety.
But it is the opening scene that gives a blueprint for this colorful animation painted in oil paint
on glass. Kyona has a sketchbook, a gift from her father which she will take through her perilous journey. There will be a time when she’s temporarily separated from Ahriel during a blizzard when she stays with a kindly old woman. Later, the two siblings reunite and reside in Stemetsvar where they get involved with a young gang of street thieves, the Ravens, led by Iskender (Arthur Pereira).… Read the rest “The Crossing (Original title: La Traversée)”
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