Theater Machine

I‘ve been itching to bring some drama to Whistling Shade. No, not that kind of drama. Theater drama. But writing theater reviews for a quarterly publication is a foredoomed endeavor. No show I could watch and review by the submission deadline would still be playing by the publication date. I mean, even Triple Espresso closed. And so I did the only thing a civic-minded theater-lover could.

I built a time machine.

Dr. Who had the TARDIS; Mr. Peabody and Sherman had the Way-Back; I have The Theater Machine, a white 1996 Toyota Corolla uniquely suited to two things: running into stationary objects and time travel. Astride this trusty steed I will travel forward in time, view theatrical productions around the Twin Cities, and then come back and tell you if the production was any good. Is any good. Will be any good.

I built a verb conjugator….

In actuality, I did my research through old-fashioned legwork. I assembled a list of productions coming up during the time-frame covered by this issue of Whistling Shade. I picked one and did some research on it and its author. Now I’m bringing that page-turningly interesting information to you. What I’m aiming for is less a review, or even a preview, of a particular production, but more of a literary analysis of the play being produced. So if I pique your interest enough to go to the show, you’ll be better informed about what you’re going to see-which makes the experience that much richer.

And I’m telling you, that car really is made for time travel.

This served as the introduction to the “Theater Machine” column in the Fall 2008 issue of the Whistling Shade literary journal.