Theater Latté Da Announces 2026-27 Season of New and Reimagined Music Theater and The Return of A Beloved Holiday Favorite

2026/27 Season - Theater Latté Da

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces the productions and key creative team members for its 2026-27 season. Latté Da will launch a slate of productions reflecting the organization’s commitment to producing new and boldly re-imagined music theater and creating exceptional arts experiences for Minnesota audiences. This season will feature a powerful Latté Da commissioned world premiere, in addition to the Midwest premiere of a new indie-rock musical and the re-kindling of a significant local partnership. “This season reflects our ongoing commitment to work that is emotionally immediate, theatrically adventurous and deeply engaged with the world around us,” states Latté Da Artistic Director, Justin Lucero. “Whether through laughter, intimacy or confrontation, each piece creates space for empathy and asks audiences to imagine a more expansive future together. This season's productions were chosen not only for their artistry, but for the conversations they invite us to have right now.”

The 2026-27 season begins with INDECENT by Paula Vogel, a play about a play—and the artists who risked everything to tell it, followed by the return of a beloved Latté Da tradition ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914, written and directed by Latté Da co-founder Peter Rothstein. Next up is the Midwest premiere of the contemporary phenomenon LIZARD BOY, a heartfelt coming-of-age musical with a genre-blending indie-rock score akin to your favorite concert, followed by the world premiere production of SHE’S COME UNDONE, adapted from the #1 New York Times bestselling novel by Wally Lamb. The season concludes with the Tony® Award-winning musical SPRING AWAKENING, directed by Latté Da Artistic Director, Justin Lucero, presented in collaboration with the University of Minnesota.

“Whether as inspiration, innovation, or respite, art is always at its most potent in times when we're seeking to find connection and more deeply understand the world we live in” said Latté Da Managing Director, Elisa Spencer Kaplan. “We are excited to bring this community a joyful, dynamic new exploration of the many things music theater can be and do—a season that celebrates theater's essential role in making Minnesota a place we're proud to call home.” 

The season opens with the haunting, critically acclaimed play INDECENT (September 16 – October 19, 2026), by Paula Vogel, with original music and score by Lisa Gutkin & Aaron Halva, direction by Pirronne Yousefzadeh and music direction by Spencer Chandler.

A play about a play—and the artists who risked everything to tell it; inspired by the true story of Sholem Asch’s seminal Yiddish work, God of Vengeance, and its infamous 1923 obscenity trial, INDECENT is a klezmer-infused play with music that traces the turbulent journey of a troupe determined to stage a work deemed “indecent.” As their story unfolds across continents and decades, so too does a powerful meditation on censorship, nationalism and the policing of queer love. At once tender and thunderously relevant, this breathtaking theatrical experience shines a light on the enduring struggle between artistic expression and societal control. In a moment when questions of whose stories are “acceptable” feel increasingly urgent, INDECENT invites us to bear witness to the courage of artists, the cost of silence and the unshakable power of theater itself.

During the holiday season, Theater Latté Da celebrates the long-awaited return of a Twin Cities favorite, ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 (November 24 - December 27, 2026), featuring direction by Latté Da co-founder Peter Rothstein. Written by Rothstein, the production also features vocal arrangements by Erick Lichte & Timothy C. Takach, and music direction by Lara Bolton.

“Hands down, the most emotionally moving Christmas show I’ve ever seen" (TheaterMania), ALL IS CALM brings founding artistic director Peter Rothstein home to direct this unforgettable, music-driven act of remembrance—one that has moved audiences for almost two decades with its quiet power and authenticity. On a cold Christmas Eve along the Western Front, as soldiers sat on opposite sides of the battlefield, something extraordinary happened. The guns fell silent. Emerging into no-man’s-land, enemies met not with violence, but with song. Drawn from letters, diaries and firsthand accounts, this profoundly moving piece is told through stirring a cappella harmonies that illuminate a fleeting moment of shared humanity in the midst of war. In a world that feels increasingly polarized and entrenched, this story of soldiers stepping out of their trenches to sing together offers not naïve sentimentality, but radical empathy and an invitation to rediscover the light that can emerge even in the darkest of times.

The new year will bring the Midwest Premiere of LIZARD BOY (February 3-28, 2027) to Twin Cities audiences, with book, music & lyrics by Justin Huertas, direction by Joey Miller and music direction by Isabella Dawis.

An indie-rock musical like you’ve never seen before! In this Midwest Premiere, LIZARD BOY bursts onto the stage as a funny, quirky, and deeply heartfelt coming-of-age story about a reluctant hero learning to embrace what makes him different. Trevor has spent years hiding in the shadows to conceal his scaly green skin... until one extraordinary day forces him to step into the spotlight and decide if he has the courage to save the world… and his new crush. With a genre-blending indie-rock score and the pulse of a live concert, this three-person chamber musical transforms comic book mythology into something intimate, offbeat and electrifying. Winner of six Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards and three Drama Desk Award nominations, LIZARD BOY is a wonder-filled journey of queer identity and self-acceptance that reminds us that you don’t need a cape to be a hero. Sometimes, what sets you apart is a superpower. 

In the spring, Latté Da’s world premiere production, SHE’S COME UNDONE, takes center stage (March 31 - May 2, 2027) and furthers their tradition of developing bold new work; based on the novel by Wally Lamb, with music & lyrics by Michael Holland, book by Darrah Cloud & David Simpatico, and directed by Justin Lucero.

A powerful new musical born at Latté Da, from the acclaimed team behind 2022 hit TWELVE ANGRY MEN: A NEW MUSICAL. SHE'S COME UNDONE takes to the musical stage as a sweeping, deeply human coming-of-age story about a young woman navigating shame, body image, trauma and ultimately self-forgiveness. Adapted from Wally Lamb’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel, this world premiere musical brings together a team of artists known for balancing muscular storytelling with emotional intimacy to create a work that is as psychologically rich as it is theatrically bold. At once intimate and expansive, this ambitious new musical invites us into the fragile landscape of a life in progress, charting Dolores Price’s deeply human journey through pain, resilience, and the long, uneven path toward healing. A story of loss that ultimately blossoms into the quiet, hard-won grace of family found. 

Latté Da’s 29th Season will close with the beautifully devastating SPRING AWAKENING, presented in collaboration with the University of Minnesota. Based on the play by Frank Wedekind, the musical’s book & lyrics are written by Steven Sater, with music by Duncan Sheik, music direction by Jason Hansen, and direction by Justin Lucero.

Fifteen years after a landmark collaboration, Latté Da reunites with the University of Minnesota for a bold new production of this groundbreaking, Tony® Award–winning musical. SPRING AWAKENING stands as a defining work of 21st-century musical theater, an electrifying, unflinching examination of adolescence in a world shaped by repression, misinformation and fear. Set within a society determined to keep young people in the dark, a group of teenagers collides with desire, curiosity and consequence—beautiful, devastating and irreversible. Fueled by a thrilling contemporary rock score, SPRING AWAKENING pulses with urgency, capturing the volatility of youth on the brink of transformation. Veteran Latté Da artists and the newest generation of Minnesota talent come together to close the season with rebellion, resonance and wonder.

Theater Latté Da continues its robust commitment to new work and with its NEXT Festival in Summer 2027. Every year the NEXT Festival features three adventurous new works, each developed over an intensive two-week workshop process. Audiences are invited to witness these pieces in motion—alive, evolving and full of possibility—through public presentations that offer a window into creation itself. They are also invited to stay after the show for conversations with the writers and composers shaping the future of the form. Many works first seen in past NEXT Festivals have gone on to become some of the company’s most acclaimed productions, among them Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical, Christmas at the Local, Five Points, Underneath the Lintel, Johnny Skeeky; or, The Remedy for Everything, Scotland, PA, and My Ántonia.

TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT LATTÉ DA

Subscriptions will be available to renewing subscribers beginning on Monday, May 11 at 5:30 PM. Subscriptions open to the general public at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, May 20. 5-show subscription packages start at $175. 4-show packages feature the full season, minus the holiday production, ALL IS CALM, and start at $140. 3-show packages featuring a curated selection of productions start at $105. First introduced in 2024, the Ritz Club subscription for patrons aged 39 and under will again offer next generation audience members the opportunity to see all five titles at a special price, plus gatherings for young professionals for every production. FLEXPacks of 6 tickets for $408 may be used in any combination, for any available seat, to see shows throughout the 2026/27 season.

Subscriptions may be purchased online at www.latteda.org, by calling the box office at 612-339-3003, or in person at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis. Box office hours are from 12 - 5 PM Tuesday to Friday, and from 12 - 5 PM on Saturdays during performance runs only. First access to tickets is given to subscribers, with single tickets going on sale at a later date to be announced.

Theater Latté Da will continue its popular Row A for All initiative, which offers pay-what-you-can pricing as low as $15 for first-row tickets to select performances. A range of discounted attendance  opportunities and physical access initiatives are offered for every production to ensure a welcoming experience for patrons of all backgrounds. Access offerings include ASL interpretation, open captioning, and audio description at select performances, and services including Braille and large-print programs, assistive listening devices, multiple accessible seating choices, wheelchair companion seating, bariatric chairs, and physically accessible all-gender restrooms are available for every mainstage performance.

Theater Latté Da’s 2026/27 season is made possible in part by Actor’s Equity Foundation, Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund, The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, RBC Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors.

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da creates new and impactful connections between story, music, artist and audience—exploring and expanding the art of music theater. Now in its 28th season of presenting new and reimagined music theater, Theater Latté Da is the leading nonprofit professional theater in Minnesota that exclusively produces music theater. Some 40,000 people engage with Latté Da each season through four to five full productions, the NEXT Festival of New Musicals, special events and concerts, and a broad range of opportunities for music theater composers, lyricists and librettists to advance the creation of their new works. Since 2016, Theater Latté Da has made its permanent home in Northeast Minneapolis’s historic Ritz Theater, enabling uniquely intimate arts experiences for audience members.

The company has presented over 100 mainstage productions, including 18 world premieres and 18 area premieres. Each has garnered critical acclaim and earned its artists and the organization a host of awards and honors, including: seven IVEY Awards for overall excellence, multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gabriel Award for Broadcast Excellence, the American Theater Wing National Theater Company Award, and the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for our Off-Broadway production of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Learn more at www.latteda.org.

Theater Latté Da’s Ritz Theater Celebrates 100 Years with Doors Open Minneapolis Participation on May 10, 2026

Theater LattÉ Da’s Ritz Theater

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) is proud to announce its inclusion in this year’s Doors Open Minneapolis, inviting the public inside its historic Ritz Theater home for a full day of celebration on May 10, 2026, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event marks a major milestone: the building’s 100th anniversary since first opening its doors to the community in 1926.

As part of the citywide weekend showcasing Minneapolis’ most significant spaces, Theater Latté Da will offer guided tours throughout the day, giving visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the century-old venue’s architecture, history and ongoing role in the Twin Cities arts landscape.

The celebration will also feature:

●        A ribbon-cutting ceremony honoring the theater’s centennial and its continued commitment to artistic innovation.

●        A formal proclamation issued by the City of Minneapolis recognizing the building’s cultural and historical significance.

●        Involve MN complimentary food truck, serving guests free of charge as part of the day’s festivities.

●        Building tours and staff-led conversations highlighting the theater’s evolution and future vision.

●        Evening lighting of the Lowry Avenue Bridge in gold in celebration of this significant moment for a Northeast Minneapolis institution.

“We’re thrilled to open our doors in such a meaningful way during our 100th year,” says Theater Latté Da’s Managing Director Elisa Spencer-Kaplan. “This building has been a creative home for generations of artists and audiences and a cornerstone of the Northeast Minneapolis community. We’re excited to celebrate its legacy and all who continue to sustain it.”

Doors Open Minneapolis provides rare access to dozens of architecturally, culturally and historically important sites across the Twin Cities. Theater Latté Da’s participation underscores its longstanding role as a mainstay of Minneapolis’ performing arts scene. “We are excited to welcome visitors during Doors Open Minneapolis to this neighborhood gem that has meant so much to so many for 100 years,” said Glyn Northington, Chair of Latté Da’s Board of Directors. “The Ritz has been an integral part of many communities and organizations in the past century, providing a place to gather together, celebrate cultures and champion creativity. Theater Latté Da has been the proud owner of the Ritz for the past decade, an amazing facility that provides us such a wonderful canvas on which to create musical experiences that make your heart sing!

The event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required for tours.

Theater Latte Da is currently in its 28th season, which opened October 8, 2025 with the original concert offering Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration, marking the organization’s 100th production and the launch of a milestone year that also brings the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Ritz Theater in Spring 2026 and the successful completion of the ambitious NEXT 25 X 25 initiative to support the development of 25 new musicals over a five-year period. The season continued in November with a hit reimagined production of the Lerner & Loewe classic My Fair Lady, led by Artistic Director Justin Lucero, followed by the Tennessee Williams masterwork The Glass Menagerie, also directed by Lucero. Following the theater’s current production, Gutenberg! The Musical!, is the Latté Da-commissioned World Premiere of My Ántonia, adapted from the beloved Willa Cather novel, and the return of the annual NEXT Festival, dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music. More information about ticketed events is available at latteda.org.

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da creates new and impactful connections between story, music, artist and audience—exploring and expanding the art of music theater. Now in its 28th season of presenting new and reimagined music theater, Theater Latté Da is the leading nonprofit professional theater in Minnesota that exclusively produces music theater. Some 40,000 people engage with Latté Da each season through four to five full productions, the NEXT Festival of New Musicals, special events and concerts, and a broad range of opportunities for music theater composers, lyricists and librettists to advance the creation of their new works. Since 2016, Theater Latté Da has made its permanent home in Northeast Minneapolis’s historic Ritz Theater, enabling uniquely intimate arts experiences for audience members.

The company has presented over 100 mainstage productions, including 17 world premieres and 18 area premieres. Each has garnered critical acclaim and earned its artists and the organization a host of awards and honors, including: seven IVEY Awards for overall excellence, multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gabriel Award for Broadcast Excellence, the American Theater Wing National Theater Company Award, and the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for our Off-Broadway production of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Learn more at www.latteda.org.

ABOUT DOORS OPEN MINNEAPOLIS

Doors Open Minneapolis is a city-wide event that offers the public a free, behind-the-scenes look at the buildings that define the city’s identity. Produced by Rethos, a Minnesota-based historic preservation nonprofit, the event invites visitors to explore a diverse range of venues—from historic gems and sacred spaces to modern engineering wonders and business hubs. In partnership with the City of Minneapolis, the program connects the community with the architects, owners, and caretakers who tell the story of the city’s past, present, and future. For more information on upcoming venues and volunteer opportunities, visit www.doorsopenminneapolis.org.

Theater Latté Da Awards NEXT Generation Commission, Invests $20,000 in the Next Generation of Women and BIPOC Music Theater Makers

Clare Fuyuko Bierman & Erika Ji

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces Clare Fuyuko Bierman and Erika Ji as the recipients of the 2026 NEXT Generation Commission, an opportunity designed to support the creation and development of new music theater projects by creative teams that include women artists and artists of color. Theater Latté Da received over 100 applications for this year’s $20,000 commission.

“As artists, Erika and Clare bring artistic rigor and sophisticated skill to their work along with a deep sense of curiosity, joy and innovation. We look forward to working with them to create a new piece of music theater that celebrates these qualities while also embracing the specific riches of our space, our audience and our community,” said Elissa Adams, Associate Artistic Director & Director of New Work. “I first met Erika and Clare via a pandemic-era Zoom meeting when they were students in NYU’s MFA musical theater writing program. Their spark and drive made a lasting impression. In 2024, Theater Latté Da hosted a developmental workshop of Clare, Erika and Brandy Hoang Collier’s stunning new musical Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria. We look forward to this next step in our relationship with these artists.”

The NEXT Generation commission provides significant support to musical theater artists at the early, iterative stage of writing a new musical.  In evaluating applicants, Latté Da was looking for creative teams that center women and BIPOC artists, with a particular interest in artists eager to make Theater Latté Da a creative partner as well as an artistic home.

“We are completely ecstatic and over the moon to be the recipients of the 2026 NEXT Generation Commission,” states Bierman and Ji. “We're honored to have this chance to be part of the Twin Cities community, and we are so excited to embark on this new creative journey with Theater Latté Da.”

Furthering a tradition of developing bold new work, a highly anticipated World Premiere concludes Latté Da’s 28th Season: the new musical MY ÁNTONIA (June 3 - July 12, 2026) conceived by Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses, with music and lyrics by The Kilbanes (Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award nominees for Weightless) and book by Noah Brody, adapted from the novel by Willa Cather. Jessie Austrian will direct the production, with music direction by Jason Hansen and choreography by Joey Miller. Casting will include Julia Diaz (NEXT Festival), Will Dusek (Scotland, PA, NEXT Festival), Em Adam Rosenberg (Latté Da debut), Sally Wingert (A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd) and Lillian Hochman (NEXT Festival).

The four-member creative team of The Kilbanes, Brody and Austrian was the first to be selected for Latté Da’s NEXT Generation commission in 2019, and the work was further developed through several Latté Da-hosted workshops and two well received presentations as part of the Summer 2024 NEXT Festival of New Musicals. It will mark the company’s eighteenth world premiere production.

ABOUT THE NEXT GENERATION COMMISSION

Theater Latté Da’s NEXT Generation Commission is a cornerstone of the company’s commitment to developing bold, original music theater by historically underrepresented artists. The program awards a $20,000 commission to a creative team or individual artist whose members include at least 50% women and/or artists of color, supporting the early, generative stages of a brand-new musical or play with music. In addition to financial support, recipients receive 18 months of developmental partnership with Latté Da, including two workshops totaling a minimum of 50 hours and opportunities to collaborate with the company’s artistic leadership and community. Designed to elevate new voices and expand the musical theater canon, the NEXT Generation Commission seeks out artists with compelling bodies of work and provides the resources, space and advocacy needed to bring fresh stories to life.

Previous recipients include Jay Adana, Jessie Austrian, Bethany Birnie, Noah Brody, Kate Kilbane, Crystal Manich, Celeste Moreno, and Dan Moses.

The NEXT Generation Commission is made possible in part by The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, Nara Fund, and numerous generous individuals and foundations who give in support of Theater Latté Da’s NEXT new work development programs.

ABOUT CLARE FUYUKO BIERMAN

Clare Fuyuko Bierman is a writer raised in a Japanese-Jewish home in Los Angeles, CA. Bierman’s writing has been developed and supported by The Washington National Opera, The O’Neill National Musical Theater Conference, The National Alliance for Musical Theater, The Civilians, American Opera Projects, The Johnny Mercer Foundation, National Asian Arts Project, Youth Theater Northwest, and The New York Foundation for the Arts. Recent projects include Yoko's Husband's Killer's Japanese Wife, Gloria (with Brandy Hoang Collier and Erika Ji), the Vivace-award winning musical that was developed at Theater Latte Da and recently named a finalist for the Relentless Award. Cry, Wolf (with JL Marlor) has been performed at the Kennedy Center, Kaufman Music Center, and the War Memorial Performing Arts Center in San Francisco.

Bierman holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of San Francisco, and has worked with the visionary environmental artists, activists and educators at FutureFarmers, the Studio for Urban Projects, and the Climate Music Project. She recently completed her MFA in Musical Theater Writing at New York University and was named a finalist for the 2026 Kleban Prize in Lyrics. clarebierman.com

ABOUT ERIKA JI

Erika Ji is a cross-genre composer-storyteller who loves soaring melodies, dream worlds, and stories that challenge our preconceptions about what is true, good, or worth wanting. Her work has premiered at and been supported by Lincoln Center, the National Music Theater Conference, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the Public Theater.

Works include Yoko's Husband's Killer's Japanese Wife, Gloria (with Brandy Hoang Collier and Clare Fuyuko Bierman, the Vivace Award-winning musical commissioned by the 5th Avenue Theatre and developed at the O’Neill, NAMT, BAM, and Theatre Latté Da); VISARE (with Bierman, New Voices Project Winner, Tokyo International Songwriters’ Showcase);  four; interwoven (New Music Theatre Project, DiMenna Center, Greenwich House Uncharted Series, Downtown Urban Arts Festival), and Starsong (with Andrew Strano; Off-Broadway: Rattlestick Theater, Kaufman Music Center).

Ji has been artist-in-residence at Greenwich House, Jentel, Millay, Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, VCCA, and the Wurlitzer Foundation. As a pianist, accordionist, and vocalist, she has performed on Broadway (Cabaret, Kimberly Akimbo) and national TV (CBS Sunday Morning). BS Stanford, MFA NYU. erikaji.com

Theater Latté Da Announces New Production of ‘GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL!’ with Performances Beginning April 1; Tyler Michaels King Directs

Theater Latté Da - Gutenberg! The Musical! - Photo by Dan Norman

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces complete casting and single ticket on-sale for Tony® Award nominee Gutenberg! The Musical! (April 1 - May 3, 2026). A bold and joyfully irreverent addition to Season 28, this hit two-man spoof transforms musical theater ambition into a full-throttle comic adventure, directed by Twin Cities theater artist Tyler Michaels King. “The primary goal of our production is to have a really great time at the theater” states King. “Gutenberg! is chock full of jokes, one-liners, silly bits and over 30 characters played by just two actors. But beyond the funny, is also a lot of heart—a touching story of ambition, striving for greatness and defying the odds. I think we can see ourselves in Bud and Doug, as they inspire us to chase our own dreams.” This new production brings the cult favorite to Minneapolis audiences in a fresh, high-octane staging that celebrates the power—and the absurdity—of dreaming big.

Fresh off its hit Broadway premiere, Gutenberg! The Musical! is a clever, offbeat, frequently absurd comedy that affectionately spoofs the world of musical theater. This love letter to new works is told through the lens of two aspiring writers earnestly pitching their wildly inaccurate musical about the invention of the printing press, blending infectious enthusiasm, witty songs, and irreverent historical twists. “This is one of those shows that you need to see live in the theater,” says King. “Seeing two actors play these 30 different characters using only hats, watching their silly and chaotic show come to life using only the sheer will of their imagination; you’ll leave the theater going ‘how did they do that?’” Equal parts satire and celebration, Gutenberg! is a fast-paced theatrical romp that revels in the art of making something out of nothing—one song and one dream at a time.

“Gutenberg! The Musical! is a joyful love letter to musicals—especially new musicals, which are at the very heart of what we do at Theater Latté Da,” said Artistic Director Justin Lucero. “The show feels like the perfect way to celebrate the culmination of our five-year NEXT 25 X 25 initiative, an ambitious commitment to developing brand-new musicals. It’s delightfully meta—my favorite kind of art is art about artists—and in this case we get to watch perhaps the most enthusiastic, maybe even too enthusiastic, artists ever to headline a musical! I’m also thrilled that this production marks the directorial debut of Tyler Michaels King, a beloved Twin Cities theater luminary and longtime Latté Da collaborator. Tyler’s deep experience as an actor, his passion for new work and his background in improv comedy make him the perfect artist to helm this wildly inventive piece.”

The complete cast for Gutenberg! The Musical! includes Tom Reed (Scotland, PA and Stones in His Pockets) and Dominic Schiro (Latté Da debut), with understudies Noah Hynick (Latté Da debut) and Carl Swanson (Scotland, PA).

Gutenberg! The Musical! is directed by Tyler Michaels King (directorial debut; To Let Go and Fall, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Assassins, Peter and the Starcatcher, Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, Cabaret, Spring Awakening). Music director is Jason Hansen. The design team includes scenic designer Sarah Bahr, costume designer Zamora Simmons-Stiles, lighting designer Grant Merges, sound designer Peter Morrow, props designer Madelaine Foster and hair and makeup designer Emma Gustafson. Shelby Reddig is stage manager and Meghan Gaffney is assistant stage manager.

The 2025/26 season opened October 8, 2025 with the original concert offering Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration, marking the organization’s 100th production and the launch of a milestone year that will also bring the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Ritz Theater in Spring 2026 and the successful completion of the ambitious NEXT 25 X 25 initiative to support the development of 25 new musicals over a five-year period. The season continued in November with a hit reimagined production of the Lerner & Loewe classic My Fair Lady, led by Artistic Director Justin Lucero, followed by the Tennessee Williams masterwork The Glass Menagerie, also directed by Lucero. Following Gutenberg! The Musical! is the Latté Da-commissioned World Premiere of My Ántonia, adapted from the beloved Willa Cather novel, and the return of the annual NEXT Festival, dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music. 

TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT LATTÉ DA

Tickets for Gutenberg! The Musical! are now available for purchase, starting at just $35. A FLEXPack of 6 tickets is also available for purchase for $396, and may be used in any combination, for any available seat, to see shows throughout the 2025/26 season.

Tickets and FLEXPacks may be purchased online at www.latteda.org, by calling the Box Office at 612-339-3003, or in person at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis. Box Office hours are from 12 - 5 PM Tuesday to Friday, and from 12 - 5 PM on Saturdays during performance runs only.

A range of discounted attendance opportunities and physical access initiatives are offered for every production to ensure a welcoming experience for patrons of all backgrounds. Access offerings include ASL interpretation, open captioning and audio description at select performances, and services including braille and large-print programs, assistive listening devices, multiple accessible seating choices, wheelchair companion seating, bariatric chairs and physically accessible all-gender restrooms are available for every performance.

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da creates new and impactful connections between story, music, artist and audience—exploring and expanding the art of music theater. Now in its 28th season of presenting new and reimagined music theater, Theater Latté Da is the leading nonprofit professional theater in Minnesota that exclusively produces music theater. Some 40,000 people engage with Latté Da each season through four to five full productions, the NEXT Festival of New Musicals, special events and concerts, and a broad range of opportunities for music theater composers, lyricists and librettists to advance the creation of their new works. Since 2016, Theater Latté Da has made its permanent home in Northeast Minneapolis’s historic Ritz Theater, enabling uniquely intimate arts experiences for audience members.

The company has presented over 100 mainstage productions, including 17 world premieres and 17 area premieres. Each has garnered critical acclaim and earned its artists and the organization a host of awards and honors, including: seven IVEY Awards for overall excellence, multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gabriel Award for Broadcast Excellence, the American Theater Wing National Theater Company Award, and the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for our Off-Broadway production of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Learn more at www.latteda.org.

Cara Sjodin and Scott Stensrud are Production Partners for Gutenberg! The Musical!. Theater Latté Da’s 2025/26 season is made possible in part by Actor’s Equity Foundation, Ameriprise Financial, the Archie D. & Bertha H. Walker Foundation, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, McKnight Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, The Nara Fund, The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, RBC, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors. 2025-26 Production Sponsors include Tom and Julianne Youngren for My Fair Lady and Dr. Tom Knabel and Kent Allin for My Ántonia. Stephen Bubul and Lee Lewis are Production Partners for The Glass Menagerie. Rita Olk is the Production Partner for Journey On. Gary Reetz is Production Sponsor for NEXT Festival 2026. Jean and Jim Hartman, along with Walter Tambor and Barry Berg are Production Partners for NEXT Festival 2026. The company’s 2025/26 Season Housing Sponsor is Fine Associates.

CASTING AND PERFORMANCE DETAILS

CAST (alphabetical order)

Tom Reed*- Doug
Dominic Schiro - Bud

Understudies: Noah Hynick, Carl Swanson*

*Member, Actors’ Equity Association

MUSIC (alphabetical order)

Kate Brown – Keyboard
Jason Hansen – Piano
Paul Hill – Percussion/Drums
Erik Schee – Percussion/Drums Sub

CREATIVE TEAM

Tyler Michaels King – Director
Grace Hillmyer – Assistant Director
Jason Hansen – Music Director
Sarah Bahr - Scenic Designer
Zamora Simmons-Stiles - Costume Designer
Grant Merges - Lighting Designer
Peter Morrow - Sound Designer
Mik Finnegan – Assistant Sound Designer
Madelaine Foster - Props Designer & Supervisor
Emma Gustafson - Wigs, Hair & Makeup Designer
Shelby Reddig* - Stage Manager
Meghan Gaffney - Assistant Stage Manager

KEY DATES (complete list at www.latteda.org)

Previews – April 1 - 3, 7:30 PM
Opening Night – April 4, 7:30 PM
Open Captioned – May 1 - 2, 7:30 PM; May 2 - 3, 2:00 PM
American Sign Language & Audio Described – April 23, 7:30 PM

POST-SHOW TALKBACKS

Thursday, 7:30 PM (April 9, 16, 23 & 30)
Sunday, 2:00 PM (April 5, 12, 19 & 26, May 3)

Latté Da’s The Glass Menagerie Extends Run at Ritz Theater with Added Performances Through March 8

The Glass Menagerie - Photo by Dan Norman

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces the extension of Tennessee Williams’ American classic play The Glass Menagerie due to popular demand and will now play through March 8, 2026 at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE in Minneapolis.

Additional performances have been scheduled as follows:

Wednesday, March 4, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 5, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 8, 2:00 p.m.

“Seeing audiences so fully embrace the uniquely beautiful Glass Menagerie our cast and creative team has built means the world,” says Managing Director Elisa Spencer-Kaplan. “I am thrilled that more people will have the opportunity to experience this classic story told in a new way.”

“At Latté Da, we’re always inspired by classics that feel newly alive when viewed from different angles, and The Glass Menagerie is just such a piece,” states Justin Lucero. “By magnifying its poetic simplicity with live underscore and thoughtfully integrated video, we hope to illuminate why this story continues to resonate with audiences across generations.”

The Glass Menagerie opened on February 7, 2026, and will now run through March 8, 2026.

TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT LATTÉ DA

Tickets for The Glass Menagerie are available for purchase, starting at just $39. 3-show packages featuring all remaining productions in the 2025-26 Season start at $135. A FLEXPack of 6 tickets for $396 may be used in any combination, for any available seat, to see shows throughout the 2025/26 season.

Tickets and subscriptions may be purchased online at www.latteda.org, by calling the Box Office at 612-339-3003, or in person at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis. Box Office hours are from 12 - 5 PM Tuesday to Friday, and from 12 - 5 PM on Saturdays during performance runs only. Single tickets for Gutenberg! The Musical! are on sale now.  Single tickets for My Ántonia will be available for purchase at a later date to be announced.

CASTING AND PERFORMANCE DETAILS

CAST (alphabetical order)

Dustin Bronson* - Tom Wingfield
Brandon Brooks - Jim O’Connor
Amy Eckberg - Laura Wingfield
Norah Long* - Amanda Wingfield
Understudies: Davis Brinker, Isa Condo-Olvera, Emily Dussault
*member, Actors’ Equity Association

CREATIVE TEAM

Justin Lucero - Director
Joe Thomas Johnson - Scenic Designer
Adam J. Thompson - Video & Projections Designer
Amber Brown - Costume Designer & Supervisor
Marcus Dilliard - Lighting Designer
Katharine Horowitz - Sound Designer
Madelaine Foster - Props Designer & Supervisor
Emma Gustafson - Wigs, Hair & Makeup Designer
Shelby Reddig* - Stage Manager
Samantha Smith - Assistant Stage Manager

KEY DATES (complete list at www.latteda.org)

Open Captioned – February 27 - 28, 7:30 PM; February 28, 2:00 PM; March 1, 2:00 PM
American Sign Language & Audio Described – February 26, 7:30 PM

POST-SHOW TALKBACKS

Thursday, 7:30 PM (February 12, 19 & 26; March 5)
Sunday, 2:00 PM (February 15 & 22)

THE GLASS MENAGERIE: Tennessee Williams’ American Classic Play Set for Theater Latté Da with Performances Beginning in February

The Glass Menagerie - Photo by Dan Norman

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces complete casting and single ticket on-sale for Tennessee Williams’ American classic play The Glass Menagerie (February 4 - March 1, 2026). The new year will bring the iconic Williams masterwork to Twin Cities audiences in a new production, directed by Justin Lucero, that delves into the musicality and cinematic sweep infused into Williams’ original script. “At Latté Da, we’re always inspired by classics that feel newly alive when viewed from different angles, and The Glass Menagerie is just such a piece,” states Lucero. “By magnifying its poetic simplicity with live underscore and thoughtfully integrated video, we hope to illuminate why this story continues to resonate with audiences across generations.”

The complete cast for The Glass Menagerie includes Dustin Bronson (Latté Da debut), Brandon Brooks (Into the Woods), Amy Eckberg (Latté Da debut) and Norah Long (Johnny Skeeky, My Fair Lady).

The Glass Menagerie is a luminous memory play that captures the fragile ache of longing, illusion, and family ties strained to their breaking point. Filtered through Tom’s introspective narration, the story unfolds like a faded home movie—its details soft, its emotions piercing. Tennessee Williams’ iconic work scripts music not merely as background, but as an emotional undercurrent: distant, echoing tunes that linger just beyond the moment, weaving through thought, feeling and the quiet pull of nostalgia. One of the most renowned American dramas of the 20th century, this semi-autobiographical masterwork is not just a play—it’s a reverie.

“A bucket list project for so many directors, I’m excited to lean deeply into Tennessee Williams’ original vision of this poetic, intimate memory play—alive with tenderness, longing and emotional vividness,” states Lucero, Latté Da’s Artistic Director and this production’s Director. “By thoughtfully integrating live underscore and a fresh visual video vocabulary, we aim to illuminate the world Williams imagined and reveal new colors that still resonate so powerfully today.”

The design team for The Glass Menagerie includes scenic designer Joe Thomas Johnson, video & projections designer Adam J. Thompson, costume designer Amber Brown, lighting designer Marcus Dilliard, sound designer Katharine Horowitz, props designer Madelaine Foster, and hair and makeup designer Emma Gustafson. Shelby Reddig is stage manager and Samantha Smith is assistant stage manager.

The 2025/26 season opened October 8, 2025 with the original concert offering Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration, marking the organization’s 100th production and the launch of a milestone year that will also bring the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Ritz Theater in Spring 2026 and the successful completion of the ambitious NEXT 25 X 25 initiative to support the development of 25 new musicals over a five-year period. The season continued in November with a hit reimagined production of the Lerner & Loewe classic My Fair Lady, led by Artistic Director Justin Lucero, playing through December 28. Following The Glass Menagerie is the local premiere of the hilariously irreverent Broadway hit Gutenberg! The Musical!, the Latté Da-commissioned World Premiere of My Ántonia, adapted from the beloved Willa Cather novel, and the return of the annual NEXT Festival, dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music.

Stephen Bubel and Lee Lewis are Production Partners for The Glass Menagerie. Video and projections support for the production is provided by the Kuntz Family Charitable Fund, in memory of Don and Laverne Thompson. Theater Latté Da’s 2025/26 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, the Archie D. & Bertha H. Walker Foundation, Best Buy Foundation, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund, The National Alliance for Musical Theatre, RBC, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, the MAP Fund, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors. 2025-26 Production Sponsors include Tom and Julianne Youngren for My Fair Lady and Dr. Tom Knabel and Kent Allin for My Ántonia. Rita Olk is the Production Partner for Journey On. Cara Sjodin and Scott Stensrud are Production Partners for Gutenberg! The Musical!. Jean and Jim Hartman are Production Partners for NEXT Festival 2026. The company’s 2025/26 Season Housing Sponsor is Fine Associates.

KEY DATES (complete list at www.latteda.org)

Previews – February 4 - 6, 7:30 PM
Opening Night – February 7, 7:30 PM
Open Captioned – February 27 - 28, 7:30 PM; February 28, 2:00 PM; March 1, 2:00 PM
American Sign Language & Audio Described – February 26, 7:30 PM

POST-SHOW TALKBACKS

Thursday, 7:30 PM (February 12, 19 & 26)
Sunday, 2:00 PM (February 8, 15 & 22)

ABOUT THEATER LATTÉ DA

Theater Latté Da creates new and impactful connections between story, music, artist and audience—exploring and expanding the art of music theater. Now in its 28th season of presenting new and reimagined music theater, Theater Latté Da is the leading nonprofit professional theater in Minnesota that exclusively produces music theater. Some 40,000 people engage with Latté Da each season through four to five full productions, the NEXT Festival of New Musicals, special events and concerts, and a broad range of opportunities for music theater composers, lyricists and librettists to advance the creation of their new works. Since 2016, Theater Latté Da has made its permanent home in Northeast Minneapolis’s historic Ritz Theater, enabling uniquely intimate arts experiences for audience members.

The company has presented over 100 mainstage productions, including 17 world premieres and 17 area premieres. Each has garnered critical acclaim and earned its artists and the organization a host of awards and honors, including: seven IVEY Awards for overall excellence, multiple grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gabriel Award for Broadcast Excellence, the American Theater Wing National Theater Company Award, and the 2019 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience for our Off-Broadway production of All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Learn more at www.latteda.org.

Theater Latté Da Reimagines a Classic for the Holidays: “My Fair Lady” Announces Complete Casting

Theater LattÉ Da - My Fair Lady 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces complete casting for Lerner & Loewe’s timeless classic My Fair Lady.

During the holiday season, Theater Latté Da will delight audience members of all ages with Lerner & Loewe’s beloved My Fair Lady, the first Lerner & Loewe musical to be presented in the company’s 28-year history. Performances begin November 12, 2025, and opening night is November 15, 2025. Artistic Director Justin Lucero will direct the classic work, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, lyrics by Frederick Loewe, adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion. Abby Magalee will choreograph the production, with music direction by Latté Da Co-Founder, Denise Prosek. The complete casting for My Fair Lady includes Felix Aguilar Tomlinson (Johnny Skeeky, Journey On), Corissa Bussian (La Bohѐme, Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella), Katie Bynum (Latté Da Debut), Anna Hashizume (Johnny Skeeky, La Bohѐme), Kiko Laureano (Latté Da Debut), Ryan Lee (A Christmas Carole Petersen), Norah Long (Johnny Skeeky), Tod Petersen (A Christmas Carole Petersen, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella), Jon-Michael Reese (To Let Go and Fall, Man of La Mancha), Richard Rigmaiden (Latté Da Debut), France Roberts (The Color Purple), Keegan Robinson (Latté Da Debut), Adán Varela (Twelve Angry Men, Passion) and Lisa Vogel (Scotland, PA). Playing an intimate two-piano version of the score approved by Frederick Loewe himself will be Associate Music Director Joshua Burniece and Pianist Wesley Frye (Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella).

When Professor Henry Higgins takes on the ambitious task of molding flower seller Eliza Doolittle into society’s vision of refinement, she is swept into a world brimming with possibility and unexpected discoveries. Widely considered one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady is guaranteed to capture hearts with its wit and charm, even as it reveals that asking someone to change the way they speak is asking them to surrender a piece of who they are.

“My Fair Lady has long dazzled audiences with its wit and romance, but at its core, it's a deeply resonant story about voice and identity and transformation. In our production, we’re looking closely at what it truly means to ask someone to change the way they speak and what’s lost in that transformation,” states Lucero, the production’s director. “Voice is more than sound; it’s selfhood. When someone is asked—or forced—to reshape their voice, they’re also being asked to surrender a piece of themselves. Our approach honors that complexity, holding space for the beauty of transformation while questioning the cost.” This thought-provoking, endlessly entertaining classic is a perfect theatrical gift for all ages, carried along on a timeless score featuring such songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “On the Street Where You Live.”

The design team for My Fair Lady includes scenic designer Eli Sherlock, costume designer Amber Brown, lighting designer Shannon Elliot, sound designer Kevin Springer, props designer Madelaine Foster, and wig and hair designers Emma Gustafson and Priscilla Bruce. Gillian Constable is dialect coach. Joelle Coutu is stage manager, and Grace Happe and Austin Schoenfelder are assistant stage managers.

The 2025/26 season opened October 8, 2025 with the original concert offering Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration, marking the organization’s 100th production and the launch of a milestone year that will also bring the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Ritz Theater in Spring 2026 and the successful completion of the ambitious NEXT 25x25 initiative to support the development of 25 new musicals over a five-year period. The season continues in February with a bold new wintertime production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, led by Artistic Director Justin Lucero, followed by the local premiere of the hilariously irreverent Broadway hit Gutenberg! The Musical!, the Latté Da-commissioned World Premiere of My Ántonia, adapted from the beloved Willa Cather novel, and the return of the annual NEXT Festival, dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music.

Latté Da Launches New Season: MY FAIR LADY and Cabaret Celebration JOURNEY ON Slated to Dazzle

Theater LattÉ Da - Journey On 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces that single tickets are now on sale for its first two productions, Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration, and Lerner & Loewe’s timeless classic My Fair Lady. The 2025/26 season will open with the organization’s 100th production, celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the historic Ritz Theater in Spring 2026, and mark the successful completion of the ambitious NEXT 25x25 initiative to support the development of 25 new musicals over a period of five years.

Theater Latté Da opens the season with the celebratory limited-run concert Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration (October 8-19, 2025), jointly curated by Latté Da co-founder Denise Prosek and Artistic Director Justin Lucero. Lucero also directs the work, and Prosek will serve as music director.

"Reaching our 100th production is both a joyful milestone and a heartfelt reminder of the incredible journey we’ve taken with our audiences, artists, and community,” says Lucero, Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da. “Journey On is not just a celebration of our past, it’s a tribute to the bold artistry, unforgettable music, and passionate collaboration that continue to shape our future. We can’t wait to welcome audiences to this once-every-100 evening of song, memory, and festivity."

Featuring eight exceptional actors drawn from productions past, Journey On will be led by emcee Tod Petersen (A Christmas Carole Petersen, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Merrily We Roll Along), a beloved mainstay from the company’s earliest days to its most recent season. Casting for Journey On will include Erin Capello (Passion, Next to Normal), Bradley Greenwald (Johnny Skeeky, Twelve Angry Men) and Evan Tyler Wilson (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, All is Calm); complete casting to be announced in the coming weeks.

Cue the confetti and put on your Sunday clothes! We invite audiences to join us for a cabaret-style bash packed with powerhouse performances by Latté Da luminaries, emceed by Twin Cities favorite Tod Petersen. In honor of achieving this “impossible dream,” Journey On is a musical trip down memory lane, with unforgettable numbers drawn from almost three decades of beloved shows. This strictly limited engagement kicks off our season with style, soul, Sondheim, and “all that jazz” you’ve come to expect from Minnesota’s home for adventurous music theater.

During the holiday season, Theater Latté Da will delight audience members of all ages with Lerner & Loewe’s beloved My Fair Lady (November 12 - December 29, 2025), the first Lerner & Loewe musical to be presented in the company’s 28-year history. Artistic Director Justin Lucero will direct the classic work, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, lyrics by Frederick Loewe, adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion. Abby Magalee will choreograph the production, with music direction by Denise Prosek. Casting for My Fair Lady will reunite the duo of Anna Hashizume (Johnny Skeeky, La Bohѐme) and Felix Aguilar Tomlinson (Johnny Skeeky) from 2024’s Johnny Skeeky, joined by Norah Long (Johnny Skeeky), James A. Williams (Latté Da debut, August Wilson’s Radio Golf on Broadway) and Tod Petersen. Complete casting will be announced at a later date.

When Professor Henry Higgins takes on the ambitious task of molding flower seller Eliza Doolittle into his vision of refinement, she is swept into a world brimming with possibility and unexpected discoveries. Widely considered one of the greatest musicals of all time, My Fair Lady is guaranteed to capture hearts with its wit and charm, even as it reveals that asking someone to change the way they speak is asking them to surrender a piece of who they are.

“My Fair Lady has long dazzled audiences with its wit and romance, but at its core, it's a deeply resonant story about voice and identity and transformation. In our production, we’re looking closely at what it truly means to ask someone to change the way they speak and what’s lost in that transformation,” states Lucero, the production’s director. “Voice is more than sound; it’s selfhood. When someone is asked—or forced—to reshape their voice, they’re also being asked to surrender a piece of themselves. Our approach honors that complexity, holding space for the beauty of transformation while questioning the cost.” This thought-provoking, endlessly entertaining classic is a perfect theatrical gift for all ages, carried along on a timeless score featuring such songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night” and “On the Street Where You Live.”

Following the first two productions in the 2025-26 Season, a bold new wintertime production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerietakes the stage, led by Artistic Director Justin Lucero, and continues with the local premiere of the hilariously irreverent Broadway hit Gutenberg! The Musical!; the Latté Da-commissioned World Premiere of My Ántonia, adapted from the beloved Willa Cather novel; and the return of the annual NEXT Festival, dedicated to the development of new musicals and plays with music.

2025/26 SEASON AT A GLANCE

Journey On: A 100th Show Cabaret Celebration

October 8 - 19, 2025

Conceived by Justin Lucero and Denise Prosek
Directed by Justin Lucero
Music Direction by Denise Prosek

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Lerner & Loewe’s My Fair Lady

November 12 - December 28, 2025

Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner

Music by Frederick Loewe
Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s Play and Gabriel Pascal’s Motion Picture PYGMALION
Original Production Directed by Moss Hart

Directed by Justin Lucero
Choreography by Abby Magalee
Music Direction by Denise Prosek

--------------------

The Glass Menagerie

February 4 - March 1, 2026

By Tennessee Williams
Directed by Justin Lucero

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Gutenberg! The Musical!

April 1 - May 3, 2026

LOCAL PREMIERE

By Anthony King and Scott Brown
Directed by Tyler Michaels King
Music Direction by Jason Hansen

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My Ántonia

June 3 - July 12, 2026

WORLD PREMIERE

Conceived by Jessie Austrian, Noah Brody, Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses
Music and Lyrics by The Kilbanes
Book by Noah Brody
Adapted from the novel by Willa Cather

Directed by Jessie Austrian
Choreography by Joey Miller
Music Direction by Jason Hansen

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NEXT Festival 2026 (Season Add-on)
July - August, 2026

2025 NEXT Festival Lineup Announced - Three New Works in Development

2025 NEXT Festival - The homefront - Photo by Morgan Gray

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces casting for its upcoming 2025 NEXT FESTIVAL. Three dynamic new works, THE HOMEFRONT by Malika Oyetimein, Jenny Stafford and Sam Salmond; HOW TO PLAY THE CELLO (UNTIL YOU DON’T) by Benjamin Emory Larson; and OKUNI by Naomi Iizuka and Paul Hodge, will each receive a two-week developmental workshop and two public presentations. Presentations begin July 25 and continue through August 11 at Latté Da’s home venue, the historic Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. Three-show NEXT Festival passes and single tickets are now on sale at latteda.org or 612-339-3003.

The 2025 NEXT Festival will begin with THE HOMEFRONT, book by Malika Oyetimein and Jenny Stafford, music and lyrics by Sam Salmond. Oyetimein will also direct the presentations, with music direction by Jason Hansen. The cast will include Nubia Monks (The Color Purple), Serena Brook (Falsettos), Carnetha Anthony (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Color Purple), Nambi Mwassa (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Color Purple), Tom Reed (Scotland, PA, Stones in His Pockets), Riley McNutt (Passion, Next to Normal), Kate Beahen (Into the Woods), Sara Masterson (Fun Home), Laura Rudolph (Latté Da Debut), Aimee Bryant (Bernarda Alba), Essence Renae (Latté Da Debut) and Em Adam Rosenberg (Latté Da Debut).

When World War II comes to a close and the men return home, the women are immediately fired from their jobs at the factory. Two best friends—one black and one white—lead a movement to fight for the jobs of their fellow female workers. But when their progressive ideals fall short and it becomes clear that the black women and the white women will no longer have the same opportunities in this post-war world, they have to decide what – and who – are they willing to give up in the fight, and what happens when loved ones get caught in the crossfire.

Public presentations for THE HOMEFRONT are Friday, July 25 at 4:00 pm and Monday, July 28 at 7:30 pm.

Following THE HOMEFRONT will be HOW TO PLAY THE CELLO (UNTIL YOU DON’T), book, music and lyrics by Benjamin Emory Larson. Presentations will be directed by Scott Ford, with music direction by Christine Wade and Harrison Wade. Anna Beth Baker (Latté Da Debut) plays the featured role of Jacqueline De Pré, with Jacqueline Ultan on cello (composer and featured musician for Latte Da’s 2019 world premiere To Let Go and Fall).

HOW TO PLAY THE CELLO (UNTIL YOU DON’T) is loosely based on the life of Jacqueline Du Pré, one of the greatest cellists of all time, whose career was cut short in her 30s by Multiple Sclerosis. Through original songs and reimagined classical pieces, Jackie guides us on the explosive journey of her life. She discovers the cello for the first time, falls in love with it, finds out she’s “talented,” becomes obsessed with greatness, conquers the world, falls ill, loses her ability to play, and ultimately has to face the question: What is an artist who can’t make art anymore?

Public presentations for HOW TO PLAY THE CELLO (UNTIL YOU DON’T) will be Friday, August 1 at 4:00 pm and Monday, August 4 at 7:30 pm.

The final presentation of the 2025 festival will be OKUNI, book by Naomi Iizuka and Paul Hodge, lyrics by Paul Hodge and Naomi Iizuka, and music by Paul Hodge. OKUNI will be directed by Lisa Portes, with music direction by Andy Kust. The cast will include Meghan Kreidler (Man of la Mancha, Bernarda Alba, Twin Cities band Kiss the Tiger) in the title role of Okuni, Anna Hashizume (Johnny Skeeky, Hello, Dolly!), Emma Schuld (Fun Home), Suzie Juul (NEXT Festival), Stephanie Anne Bertumen (Bernarda Alba), Greg Watanabe (Latté Da Debut, Allegiance on Broadway), Ryan Sellers (Latté Da Debut) and Kelvin Moon Loh (Latté Da Debut, Beetlejuice, The King and I, Sideshow on Broadway).

OKUNI tells the story of the enigmatic woman from 16th century Japan who created Kabuki and has since been forgotten by history. The pop culture sensation of her day, Okuni went from performing for outcasts in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto to performing for the shogun himself. Challenging conventions of polite society and shining a light on the hypocrisies of the ruling class, her shows were as politically dangerous as they were erotic. OKUNI asks what it means to be a woman in a man's world, and what it means to make art when the world is burning.

Public presentations for OKUNI will be Friday, August 8 at 4:00 pm and Monday, August 11 at 7:30 pm.

ABOUT NEXT FESTIVAL

The NEXT Festival is a key component of Theater Latté Da’s robust commitment to the development of new musicals, which also includes year-round workshops and residencies, commissions and world premiere productions. “The enthusiasm and insight our audiences bring to the NEXT Festival has a profound impact on the development of new musicals,” says Elissa Adams, NEXT Festival producer and Director of New Work at Theater Latté Da. “I’m excited to share this year’s projects with the Twin Cities.”

Past NEXT Festivals have offered audiences a first look at numerous new musicals that have gone on to full productions at Theater Latté Da, including next season’s World Premiere of MY ǺNTONIA, C. (2015), LULLABY (2016), FIVE POINTS (2018), UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL (2018), TO LET GO AND FALL (2019), CHRISTMAS AT THE LOCAL (2022), TWELVE ANGRY MEN, A NEW MUSICAL (2022), JOHNNY SKEEKY; OR, THE REMEDY FOR EVERYTHING (2024) and SCOTLAND, PA (2024). 2017 NEXT Festival project GODDESS recently had its Off-Broadway debut at the Public Theater. GUN & POWDER, featured in the 2018 festival, has been announced for a Broadway run under the new title WANTED, following a critically acclaimed production at Paper Mill Playhouse last year.

The 2025 NEXT Festival is made possible through the generous support of the Nara Fund, The National Endowment for the Arts, RBC Financial, The Ruth Easton Fund and individual contributors to Theater Latté Da’s NEXT 25x25 initiative, the organization’s ambitious campaign to develop 25 new musicals between 2021 and 2025. Learn more about NEXT 25x25 here: latteda.org/next-25x25.

2025 NEXT FESTIVAL LINEUP

THE HOMEFRONT

Book by Malika Oyetimein and Jenny Stafford
Music and Lyrics by Sam Salmond
Directed by Malika Oyetimein
Music Direction by Jason Hansen

Presentations:
Friday, July 25, 4:00 pm
Monday, July 28, 7:30 pm

Cast:
Nubia Monks* - Leslie
Serena Brook* - Ruth
Carnetha Anthony - Ida Mae
Nambi Mwassa* - Gladys
Tom Reed - James
Riley McNutt - Foreman/Ensemble
Kate Beahen - Marge
Sara Masterson* - Betty
Laura Rudolph* - Penelope
Aimee Bryant* - Doris
Essence Renae* - Pearl
Em Rosenberg - Lillian

*member Actors Equity Association

HOW TO PLAY THE CELLO (UNTIL YOU DON’T)

Book, Music and Lyrics by Benjamin Emory Larson
Directed by Scott Ford
Music Direction by Christine Wade and Harrison Wade

Presentations:
Friday, August 1, 4:00 pm
Monday, August 4, 7:30 pm

Cast:
Anna Beth Baker - Jacqueline Du Pré
Jacqueline Ultan - Cellist

 

OKUNI

Book by Naomi Iizuka and Paul Hodge
Lyrics by Paul Hodge and Naomi Iizuka
Music by Paul Hodge
Directed by Lisa Portes
Music Direction by Andy Kust

Presentations:
Friday, August 8, 4:00 pm
Monday, August 11, 7:30 pm

Cast:
Meghan Kreidler - Okuni
Anna Hashizume - Hatsumama
Emma Schuld - Sen
Suzie Juul - Kiku
Stephanie Anne Bertumen - Rin
Greg Watanabe - Izaemon
Ryan Sellers - Sanjuro
Kelvin Moon Loh - Sanzaburo

Passion - Casting Complete, Rehearsals Underway

PASSION - 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

Minneapolis, MN — Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director and Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces that single tickets are now on sale for PASSION, the rarely produced, Tony Award-winning Best Musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, based on the film Passione d'Amore directed by Ettore Scola. The production is directed by Latté Da Artistic Director Justin Lucero, with Music Direction by Jason Hansen (Merrily We Roll Along, Fun Home, Stones in His Pockets) and Movement Direction by Emily Michaels King (Falsettos). Lucero directs a cast including Isa Condo-Olvera (Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella) and Bradley Greenwald (Johnny Skeeky; or, The Remedy for Everything, Christmas at the Local, C.), with complete casting to be announced soon. 

“Announcing PASSION to conclude our mainstage season is a momentous occasion, marking our return to the canon of Stephen Sondheim’s genius work,” says Lucero. “This stunning and rarely produced masterwork showcases a dramatic journey of love, desire, and obsession that will leave a profound impact on our audience.”

Set in 1860s Italy, a gripping, fiery love triangle ignites when a dashing army captain is transferred to a remote military outpost. Giorgio, already in a passionate, clandestine affair with Clara back home, enters the sights and heart of Fosca, a fragile woman who turns out to be capable of adoration and desire unlike anything he has ever known. This Best Musical Tony winner, one of Sondheim’s most unforgettable, is an exultantly dramatic journey of love, desire, and obsession.

Last seen in the Twin Cities in a 2004 production from the Minnesota Opera, PASSION marks Theater Latté Da’s mainstage 99th production, and a return to its signature staging of the work of Stephen Sondheim. Past Sondheim pieces produced by Latté Da include Merrily We Roll Along (2022), A Little Night Music (2019), Assassins (2018), Gypsy (2016 and 2006), Sweeney Todd (2015), Into the Woods (2015), Company (2012) and Sunday in the Park with George (2003).  

PASSION is among three collaborations between Sondheim and librettist James Lapine, which also include Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George. The show premiered on Broadway in May 1994,  receiving 10 Tony Award nominations and winning four including Best Musical, Original Score and Book. 

The creative team for PASSION includes Justin Lucero (director), Jason Hansen (music direction and orchestrations), Emily Michaels King (movement direction), Paul Whitaker (scenic and lighting designer), Amber Brown (costume designer), Peter Morrow (sound designer), Madelaine Foster (properties designer), and Emma Gustafson (wig, makeup and hair designer). Shelby Reddig is the Production Stage Manager, and Joelle Coutu is the Assistant Stage Manager. 

PASSIONbegins performances on June 4, 2025 and will run through July 13, 2025 at Theater Latté Da’s home at the historic Ritz Theater in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Opening night is Saturday, June 7, 2025. Single tickets start at $36 plus fees ranging from $5.50 to $6.75. Group, student and other discounts are also available.

PASSION follows the critically acclaimed Twin Cities premiere of FUN HOME, currently running through May 4, 2025. Earlier season events included RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA, which closed January 11, 2025  as the second best-selling production in Theater Latté Da’s 27-year history;  writer-performer Milo Cramer’s Obie Award-winning solo show SCHOOL PICTURES; and the midwest premiere of the hilariously macabre SCOTLAND, PA, with book by Michael Mitnick and music and lyrics by Adam Gwon. The season will conclude with the 2025 NEXT Festival of New Musicals in July and August. 

Theater Latté Da’s 2024-2025 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, The MAP Fund, The McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund,  National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, RBC, Prospect Creek Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grants, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors.

Dates: June 4-July 13, 2025

(Previews: June 4-6, 2025; Opening: June 7, 2025)

Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 

Standard Tickets start at $36 and are on sale now. Group, student and other discounts are available. Order online at latteda.org, by phone at 612.339.3003 or in person Tue-Fri 12-5 PM at the Ritz Theater box office, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.

Fun Home - Casting Complete For Theater Latté Da’s Twin Cities Premiere Of Tony Award-Winner for Best Musical

Theater LattÉ Da - FUN HOME 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

Minneapolis, MN — Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director and Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces the complete cast for the highly anticipated Twin Cities premiere of FUN HOME, the Tony Award-winning Best Musical based on the graphic memoir by former Minnesota resident Alison Bechdel, with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The production is directed by Addie Gorlin-Han (Latté Da debut; Guthrie Theatre’s A Christmas Carol), with Musical Direction by Jason Hansen (Stones in His Pockets, Merrily We Roll Along, Christmas at the Local) and choreography by Katie Rose McLaughlin (Latté Da debut; Associate Choreographer, Hadestown on Broadway). 

The cast includes the previously announced Shad Hanley as Bruce Bechdel (Latté Da debut; Chanhassen Dinner Theatres’ Beautiful), Monty Hays as Medium Alison (Latté Da debut; Chanhassen Dinner Theatres’ The Prom), and Sara Masterson as Alison (Falsettos, NEXT Festival), now joined by Truman Bednar as Christian Bechdel (NEXT Festival), Berto Borroto as Roy/Pete/Mark/Bobby (Latté Da debut), Brock Heuring as John Bechdel (Latté Da debut), Ann Michels as Helen Bechdel (Five Points, Parade), Eve Scharback as Small Alison (Latté Da debut), and Emma Schuld as Joan (Yoko’s Husband’s Killer’s Japanese Wife, Gloria workshop). The understudies for the production are Emily Dussault, Liv Kemp, Joshua Row and Violet Stowers. 

“What a tremendous bounty of talent we have for this production!” notes director Addie Gorlin-Han. “I've been counting down the days for almost a year now, eager to jump into process with such gifted artists, impressive vocalists, versatile actors and above all- incredible humans.”

Introspective and refreshingly honest, this hit musical is hailed as one of Broadway’s most original. Through the lens of three pivotal stages in Alison’s life, Bechdel’s witty and wistful illustrated autobiography comes to life in this moving journey to acceptance, directed by Addie Gorlin-Han. Looking back on her 1970s childhood in the family-owned funeral home and her complex relationship with her father, Alison discovers they had more in common than she ever knew. The Tony Award-winning score includes such iconic songs as “Ring of Keys,” “Days and Days,” “Telephone Wire,” and “Changing My Major.”

FUN HOME premiered Off-Broadway at New York’s Public Theater in 2013 before transferring to Broadway in 2015, where it played 26 previews and 582 regular performances at Circle in the Square Theatre between March 27, 2015 and September 10, 2016. The production was nominated for twelve Tony Awards, winning five, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Score. 

Cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s graphic memoir, on which the musical is based, is a cultural touchstone in its own right, named among the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century by the New York Times. Recipient of a 2014 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, Bechdel spent a significant part of her early career living in St. Paul, Minnesota as she gained acclaim for her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. The strip also served as the origin of the eponymous “Bechdel Test,” which has become a frequently used measure of the representation of women in film and other fiction.

The creative team for FUN HOME includes Addie Gorlin-Han (director), Jason Hansen (music direction and orchestrations), Katie Rose McLaughlin (choreographer), Eli Sherlock (scenic designer), Rich Hamson (costume designer), Alice Trent (lighting designer), Katharine Horowitz (sound designer), Madelaine Foster (properties designer), Emma Gustafson (wig, makeup and hair designer), Alli St. John (intimacy coordinator), and Ray Gorlin (cultural consultant). Shelby Reddig is the Production Stage Manager, and Austin Schoenfelder is the Assistant Stage Manager. 

FUN HOME begins performances on April 2, 2025 and will run through May 4, 2025 at Theater Latté Da’s home at the historic Ritz Theater in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Opening night is Saturday, April 5, 2025. Single tickets start at $36. Group, student and other discounts are also available.

The Production Sponsors for FUN HOME are Dr. Tom Knabel and Kent Allin. Theater Latté Da’s 2024-2025 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, The MAP Fund, The McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund,  National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, RBC, Prospect Creek Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support and Arts Experiences grants, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors. 

Dates: April 2-May 4, 2025

(Previews: April 2-4, 2025; Opening: April 5, 2025)

Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 

Standard Tickets start at $36 and are on sale now. Group, student and other discounts are available. Order online at latteda.org, by phone at 612.339.3003 or in person Tue-Fri 12-5 PM at the Ritz Theater box office, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.

School Pictures - Cast and Creative Team Announced for Local Premiere

Theater LattÉ Da - School Pictures 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

Minneapolis, MN — Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director and Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces the cast and creative team for the local premiere of the thought-provoking, delightful solo show School Pictures, written and performed by Milo Cramer and directed by the show’s original director Morgan Green.  Cramer reprises the role they wrote and created, drawing inspiration from their experiences tutoring New York City middle school students to “explore questions about what is really worth knowing and what sacrifices warrant the effort in a system in which success seems so arbitrarily distributed” (The New York Times). School Pictures will play a strictly limited 4-week run from February 5 to March 2, 2025  at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE in Minneapolis. 

Twice extended in its Off-Broadway production at New York City’s Playwrights Horizons, School Pictures was named New York Magazine Vulture’s Best Play of the Year in 2023, with critic Sara Holdren noting, “Gentle, generous, seemingly simple in form but buzzing with complexity, writer-performer Milo Cramer’s solo show of songs inspired by the kids they taught was as riveting as it was sweetly funny.” The production premiered at Philadelphia’s Wilma Theatre in 2022, where it also received significant acclaim. The Broad Street Review observed, “Cramer takes the audience on an endearing and quietly moving journey...Part lecture and part song cycle, they disarm the audience with humor in order to ask pointed questions about the state of our schools.” 

“I love how boldly School Pictures pushes the boundaries of what we traditionally think of as musical theater,” says Artistic Director Justin Lucero. “This endearing work not only challenges our expectations, but also shines a spotlight on the voice of an exciting new writer.”

New York Magazine’s choice for Best Play of 2023, a “completely wonderful” musical portrait of modern school life is “as riveting as it [is] sweetly funny.” Directed by Morgan Green, this “extraordinary meditation on teaching and learning” is told in musical snapshots of individual teenagers. Solo writer-performer Milo Cramer, a former tutor, offers charming and keen observations of ten NY students fighting to get into competitive schools. At its heart are questions about what’s really worth knowing and worth sacrificing in a system in which success seems so arbitrarily distributed.

Milo Cramer is the sole performer in School Pictures. The Theater Latté Da production brings together a creative team combining the show’s original designers with local Twin Cities talent. Returning from previous productions is Jean Kim (Scenic and Costume Design), joined by Minnesota-based designers Marcus Dilliard (Lighting Design) and Madelaine Foster (Props Designer). Shelby Reddig is the Production Stage Manager, and Ajah Williams is the Assistant Stage Manager. 

School Pictures begins performances on February 5, 2025 and will run through March 2, 2025 at Theater Latté Da’s home at the historic Ritz Theater in the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District. Opening night is Saturday, February 8, 2025. Single tickets start at $36. Group, student and other discounts are also available. Five-ticket FLEXPacks and three-show subscriptions are also available starting at $33 a ticket and offer a range of subscriber-exclusive perks.

Theater Latté Da’s 2024-2025 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, James B. Linsmayer Foundation, The MAP Fund, The McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund,  National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, RBC, Prospect Creek Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grants, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors. 

ABOUT THE CREATORS

Milo Cramer (Writer and Performer) is a writer and performer. School Pictures, their one-person opera about the broken New York City school system, premiered at The Wilma in Philadelphia and Playwrights Horizons in New York, where it was featured on NPR’s This American Life ("best theater of 2023... absolutely wonderful" - New York Magazine). Other works include Cute Activist at the Bushwick Starr (“a brilliant match of material and theater… a fable for our times” - New York Times), and Business Ideas at The Alliance Theater in Atlanta (winner of the 2024 Kendeda Award). With New Saloon Theater Company, Milo spent 5 years devising and touring Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time, a kaleidoscopic riff on Chekhov’s greatest hit, ultimately seen at The Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival (“delightful… a spring-green forum on youth’s discontents” - The Village Voice). Milo is a MacDowell Fellow, a recent graduate of Naomi Iizuka’s MFA playwriting program at UC San Diego, a grateful middle child, and an Aries. Milo is writing a musical about three old-fashioned sailors who are trying hard to have a Meaningful Life in their last 24 hours onshore before they’re shipped to die in an offstage war, but the Big Problem is these sailors Never Do Anything Right because they’re Just Too Silly.

Morgan Green (Director) is a director of plays, films, and dinnertime. She is currently a Co-Artistic Director at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia where she recently premiered Hilma by Kate Scelsa and Robert M. Johanson, Eternal Life Part 1 by Nathan Alan Davis, School Pictures by Milo Cramerand the Pulitzer Prize winning Fat Ham by James Ijames (digital version). She was a co-founder of the award-winning theater company, New Saloon, best known for Minor Character: Six Translations of Uncle Vanya at the Same Time (The Invisible Dog, The Public Theater, Sharon Playhouse). Other credits include: Staff Meal by Abe Koogler (Playwrights Horizons), The Music Man (The Sharon Playhouse), The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe (Marin Theatre Company), and Cute Activist byMilo Cramer (The Bushwick Starr). Her short film One More Time With Feeling premiered at the Raindance Film Festival in London October 2023. Morgan has developed new work at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Bric, Baryshnikov Art Center, Mabou Mines, and Mercury Store. She is a New Georges Affiliated Artist and proud member of SDC. MorganClaireGreen.com

Dates: February 5 - March 2, 2025

(Previews: February 5-7, 2025)

Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Standard Tickets start at $36 and are on sale now. Group, student and other discounts are available. Order online at latteda.org, by phone at 612.339.3003 or in person Tue-Fri 12-5 PM at the Ritz Theater box office, 345 13th Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.

Theater Latté Da Presents Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella

Theater LattÉ Da - Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella 2025 - Photo by Dan Norman

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director and Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces full casting for RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA, with music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Based on the new book by Douglas Carter Beane, with the original book by Oscar Hammerstein II. RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA will run November 20, 2024 through January 5, 2025  at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE in Minneapolis.

A delightfully reimagined take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic CINDERELLA will be Artistic Director Justin Lucero’s directorial debut at Theater Latté Da and in the Twin Cities. The production will be choreographed by Kyle Weiler (Next to Normal), with music direction by Wesley Frye (Latté Da debut).

The cast of RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA will feature Deidre Cochran (Scotland, PA, Hello, Dolly!), Isa Condo-Olvera (Latté Da debut), Po Cushman (NEXT Festival), James Delage (Latté Da debut), Theo Janke-Furman (Latté Da debut), Abby Magalee (Latté Da debut), Nambi Mwassa (The Color Purple), Hope Nordquist (Latté Da debut), Tod Petersen (Merrily We Roll Along, A Christmas Carole Petersen), Jon Michael Stiff (Latté Da debut), Gabrriella Trentacoste (Latté Da debut), Evan Tyler Wilson (All Is Calm, Assassins) and Sally Wingert (A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd), with understudies Camryn Buelow (Merrily We Roll Along), Caleb Michael (Latté Da debut) and Carnetha Anthony (The Color Purple).

Spirited, savvy Ella defies her stepmother’s wishes and captures the heart of a charming prince on her quest to transform her life… and the world. Empowered by kindness and a fairy godmother, she both sparkles and sparks change in this beloved classic with some surprise twists! A cherished score, a fresh, modern script, and inventive staging magically combine in Artistic Director Justin Lucero’s Latté Da debut, reminding us that goodness and courage can lead to happily ever after.

Audiences will be transported to a captivating world filled with familiar songs such as “In My Own Little Corner,” “Ten Minutes Ago,” “Impossible,” and “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?”.

Of the production, Artistic Director Justin Lucero says, “I'm delighted and honored to be making my debut with Latté Da's inaugural staging of a piece by the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein. CINDERELLA, with its timeless score and beloved characters, offers boundless opportunities for theatricality, whimsy, and imagination—all hallmarks of my favorite kind of work. This milestone production is also a perfect way to celebrate the holiday season, as it centers on themes of generosity and joy.”

RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA will run November 20, 2024 through January 5, 2025 at the Ritz Theater. Opening night is Saturday,  November 23, 2024. The production will play on a special family-friendly holiday schedule that includes early matinee and evening shows on select Sundays. Single tickets start at $39 for adults and $34 for youth tickets. Group, student and other discounts are available. Subscription packages are available starting at $32 a ticket and also offer a range of subscriber-exclusive perks. 

Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now through the box office at 612-339-3003 or online at latteda.org. In-person box office hours are Tuesday to Friday from 12:00-5:00 PM. Post-show discussions and ASL/AD and Open Caption performances are available on select dates. 

The Production Partners for RODGERS + HAMMERSTEIN’S CINDERELLA are Tom and Julianne Youngren. Theater Latté Da’s 2024-2025 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, The MAP Fund, The McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund,  National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, RBC, Prospect Creek Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grants, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors.

Theater Latté Da Presents the Regional Premiere of SCOTLAND, PA

Theater LattÉ Da - SCOTLAND, PA 2024 - Photo by Dan Norman

MINNEAPOLIS — Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director and Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces that single tickets are now on sale for the regional premiere of SCOTLAND, PA, with book by Michael Mitnick, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon, based on the cult film by Billy Morrissette and Shakespeare’s Macbeth, running September 18, 2024 through October 20, 2024 at the Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE in Minneapolis. The darkly comedic production kicks off Theater Latté Da’s 5-show 2024/2025 Season.

First presented to Twin Cities audiences as part of the 2022 NEXT Festival of New Musicals, the production will be directed by esteemed Broadway director Lonny Price (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill; Tony nominee, A Class Act) and Matt Cowart (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill and Sunset Boulevard on Broadway), with choreography by Lorin Latarro (Waitress and The Who’s Tommy on Broadway) and Travis Waldschmidt (Matilda The Musical and Hello, Dolly! on Broadway), and music direction by Joshua Zecher-Ross (Be More Chill on Broadway). 

Stifled by the limitations of their lives in ’70s small-town Pennsylvania, Mac and Pat are burger joint employees with ambition. As their hunger for power grows–and the body count rises–the couple cooks up a plan to supersize their serving of the American Dream. Under the direction of Broadway legend Lonny Price, Gwon’s tasty rock score and Mitnick’s sizzling script are the perfect recipe for a bloody good time.

The cast of SCOTLAND, PA features Will Dusek (TLD debut), Katherine Fried (TLD debut), Emily Gunyou-Halaas (Passage of Dreams, NEXT Festival), and Matthew Riehle (Next to Normal, Twelve Angry Men). Complete casting will be released at a later date. 

From Justin Lucero, Artistic Director: "The excitement surrounding this production has been palpable ever since we announced it. Equally palpable is the enthusiasm from our outstanding creative team, dedicated to infusing new life into this dazzling piece with brand-new songs and a fresh approach to the staging. I can't imagine a better way to launch my very first season than with a splashy demonstration of Theater Latté Da's commitment to the future of the American musical."

Cast and Creatives

MICHAEL MITNICK wrote Sex Lives of Our Parents (Second Stage Uptown, The Kennedy Center), Fly By Night with Will Connolly and Kim Rosenstock (Drama Desk-nominated Best Musical, Playwrights Horizons, Dallas Theater Center, TheatreWorks), Ed, Downloaded (Denver Center Theatre Company, Washington Ensemble Theatre) and Spacebar: A Broadway Play by Kyle Sugarman (City Lights Theater Company, The Wild Project). His songs have been performed at Lincoln Center Theater, Joe’s Pub, The Cutting Room and The Guggenheim. He currently is writing commissions for the Geffen Playhouse and the Roundabout Theatre Company. His film and television work includes the screenplay for The Giver, the HBO show Vinyl, and the screenplay for the film The Current War starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon. He is a graduate of Harvard University and holds an MFA in playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. He was born and raised in Pittsburgh.

ADAM GWON is a musical theater writer named one of "50 to Watch" by The Dramatist magazine and hailed as "a promising newcomer to our talent-hungry musical theater" whose songs are “funny, urbane, with a sweetness that doesn’t cloy” by The New York Times. His musicals have been produced on six continents, in nine languages.  Off-Broadway: Scotland, PA (Roundabout Theatre, Drama Desk Award nomination, NYT Critic’s Pick), Ordinary Days (Roundabout Theatre; Keen Company, Drama League Award nomination, Best Revival), Old Jews Telling Jokes (Westside Theatre, NYT Critic’s Pick); Regional: Witnesses (California Center for the Arts, Craig Noel Award winner, Outstanding New Musical), String (Village Theatre), Cake Off (Signature Theatre, Helen Hayes Award nomination; Bucks County Playhouse), Cloudlands (South Coast Repertory, LA Times Critic’s Pick), The Boy Detective Fails (Signature Theatre), Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma); West End: Ordinary Days (Trafalgar Studios). Other projects include The Waves in Quarantine (a film collaboration with Lisa Peterson and Raúl Esparza), songs as a staff writer on the hit webseries Submissions Only, and for Stephen Schwartz and John Tartaglia’s The Secret Silk on Princess Cruise Lines.

LONNY PRICE has taught musical theater master classes at Yale, Harvard, and Columbia, and has directed Audra McDonald (Broadway: LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL, 110 IN THE SHADE; Ravinia festival: SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, ANYONE CAN WHISTLE), Patti LuPone (PBS Great Performances: SWEENEY TODD, CANDIDE; Ravinia Festival: PASSION, GYPSY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC), Glenn Close (Broadway: SUNSET BOULEVARD), Neil Patrick Harris and Stephen Colbert (NY Philharmonic: COMPANY), Emma Thompson (PBS Great Performances and English National Opera: SWEENEY TODD), Jenn Colella (Broadway: URBAN COWBOY), Gabriel Byrne (Dublin: WALKING WITH GHOSTS, NY Philharmonic: CAMELOT), Kristen Chenowith (PBS Great Performances: CANDIDE), Bryn Terfel (English National Opera: SWEENEY TODD), and Kelsey Grammer (English National Opera: MAN OF LA MANCHA). He has received Emmys for his television broadcasts of SWEENEY TODD, and SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT, which starred Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Mandy Patinkin, among many others. He is an Obie winner, and a Tony Award nominee. As an actor, he appeared in the original Broadway cast of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, among others, and his film BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED premiered at the NY Film Festival and was named one of the New York Times’ Top Films of 2016.

MATT COWART - Broadway: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill (Associate Director), 110 in the Shade (Assistant Director). London: Sunset Boulevard (Associate Director). Film/TV credits include: Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened (Co-Producer); SINATRA: Voice for a Century (Producer and Co-Director); Sweeney Todd (Co-Producer and Associate Director, Emmy Award). Education: University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Member: SDC.

LORIN LATARRO choreographed Broadway’s recent THE WHO’S TOMMY, HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, OLIVER!, INTO THE WOODS, WAITRESS, MRS. DOUBTFIRE, LES LIASONS DANGEREUSE with Janet McTeer and Live Schreiber, WAITING FOR GODOT with Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG at Roundabout, ASSASSINS at Encores, LA TRAVIATA at The Metropolitan Opera, CHESS at The Kennedy Center, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 21 CHUMP STREET for “This American Life” (Brooklyn Academy of Music), The Public Theater’s THE VISITOR, TWELFTH NIGHT and THE ODYSSEY (Public Works, Delacorte Theater), FANNY and GOD BLESS YOU, MR ROSEWATER (City Center Encores!), and A CHRISTMAS CAROL at McCarter Theatre.

TRAVIS WALDSCHMIDT - Broadway credits include Hello, Dolly!, Groundhog Day, Matilda and Wicked. Other NYC credits include Carnegie Hall and The Metropolitan Opera's La Traviata. National Tours: 9 to 5, High School Musical and West Side Story. TV/Film: Frances Ha, 71st Annual Tony Awards and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

JOSHUA ZECHER-ROSS has worked on hundreds of productions and performances in New York and around North America as a music supervisor and director, conductor, pianist, and arranger. Broadway: Be More Chill, Once Upon a One More Time, Some Like it Hot. Recently: Queen of Versailles, The Marvelous Wonderettes (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), A Christmas Carol (Denver Center), The Louder We Get (Theatre Calgary), performances with the Omaha Symphony and the Steamboat Springs Symphony. Other regional: Barrington Stage Company, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, George Street Playhouse, Sharon Playhouse, and The Little Theatre on the Square (Sullivan, Illinois) where he also served as artistic director. Joshua is an instructor and the head of music for the musical theatre program at the NY Film Academy. @joshuazr1311 www.JoshuaZR.com

SCOTLAND, PA will run September 18 through October 20, 2024 at the Ritz Theater. Opening night is Saturday, September 21, 2024. Single tickets start at $36. Group, student and other discounts are available. Subscription packages are available starting at $32 a ticket and also offer a range of subscriber-exclusive perks. Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now through the box office at 612-339-3003 or online at latteda.org. In-person box office hours are Tuesday to Friday from 12:00-5:00 PM. Post-show discussions and ASL/AD and Open Caption performances are available on select dates.

Theater Latté Da’s 2024-2025 season is made possible in part by Ameriprise Financial, Elizabeth C. Quinlan Foundation, McKnight Foundation, The Nara Fund,  National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Endowment for the Arts, RBC, Prospect Creek Foundation, The Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation, The Scrooby Foundation, The Shubert Foundation; the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grants, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund; and numerous generous individual contributors. 

Dates: September 18, 2024 - October 20, 2024

(Previews: September 18 - September 20, 2024)

Venue: Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413 

Tickets start at $36 and are on sale now. Group, student and other discounts are available.

Justin Lucero Named Artistic Director of Theater Latté Da

Lucero brings deep experience as an artistic leader, academic, and freelance director in the worlds of opera, theater, and musical theater

(Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) Theater Latté Da (TLD) announced today that it has chosen Justin Lucero as its next Artistic Director. Lucero will join TLD in mid-October, co-leading the organization with Managing Director Elisa Spencer-Kaplan. He joins the company from his current role at El Paso Opera in El Paso, TX, where he has worked since 2012 and served as Artistic Director for the past five seasons. He also leaves his faculty appointment as Assistant Professor and Associate Area Chair of the John Wells Directing Program at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, where he was teaching undergraduate and graduate Directing and was a leader in the strategic advancement of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access initiatives, driving the establishment of a school-wide degree requirement in anti-racist and equitable practices in theater. In addition to nearly a dozen works directed for El Paso Opera, Lucero enjoys a robust freelance directing career for professional and academic stages, including past work with Abingdon Theatre Company, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, City Theatre (Pittsburgh), Creede Repertory Theatre, University of Texas El Paso, UTEP Dinner Theatre, the University of Houston, and Scaffolding Theatre, of which he was also Co-Founding Artistic Director. As an assistant and associate director, he has worked with such major institutions as Oregon Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Rep, and Asolo Repertory Theatre under the mentorship of industry leaders including artistic director-producer Bill Rauch, director-playwright Lisa Peterson, director-choreographer Art Manke, artistic director Michael Donald Edwards, director-choreographer Peter Amster, Olivier®-winning artistic director Timothy Sheader, Tony®-winning playwright-director Mark Medoff, and Tony®-winning director-playwright Frank Galati. Lucero succeeds TLD’s Founding Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, who departed the organization at the end of June after 25 years of leadership to assume a new role as Producing Artistic Director of Asolo Repertory Theatre.

“It is with true enthusiasm that I accept this position and join this inspiring organization and vibrant community,” says Lucero. “I am absolutely committed to honoring Theater Latté Da’s rich legacy and bright future. I believe unwaveringly in the power of music-driven theater and I take very seriously the responsibilities we have as culture-makers and stewards of the artform. And I believe deeply in the talents and abilities of my new and magnificent partner, Elisa, and the exceptional TLD staff to harness that power and to take up those responsibilities along with me. I am so thrilled, eager, and grateful to begin the journey.”

A growing voice in a new generation of arts leadership, Lucero was a 2022-23 Theatre Communications Group (TCG) Rising Leader of Color, a member of the 2023 OPERA America Leadership Intensive, a 2022 member of the artEquity BIPOC Leadership Circle, and currently serves on the TCG Next Generation Task Force. He holds an MFA in Theatre Directing from London’s East 15 Acting School, University of Essex and an undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University.

Managing Director Elisa Spencer-Kaplan says, “Justin’s extensive knowledge and obvious passion for musical theater and opera, his imaginative artistry, and his kind and collaborative leadership style are deeply aligned with the values that define Theater Latté Da and set it apart. His unique vision is a great match for who we currently are, but also for who we hope to become. I’m so excited to work with Justin to continue building TLD as a resource for our Minnesota community and a leader in bringing new and reimagined musical stories to the stage.”

“Throughout the search process with Justin, he was so consistent around being a collaborator, mentor, teacher and innovator, while expressing his commitment to upholding TLD's mission, vision and values and supporting local artists,” says Board Chair Cara Sjodin. “Our job now is to help Justin acclimate to the vibrant Twin Cities art and culture scene.”

Lucero was selected through an extensive national search led by Tiffany Vega-Gibson and Leandro Zaneti of arts search firm Evolution Management Consultants (EMC), in conjunction with Search Chair Glyn Northington and an 11-member committee including representatives from TLD’s artistic community, staff, and Board of Directors. The process also provided opportunities for the organization’s artistic community, artists of the global majority, staff, Board and patrons to provide input on the search and help identify the most important qualities for TLD’s next artistic leader.

The new Artistic Director joins the acclaimed Twin Cities company as the organization enters its 26th season of presenting works that make new and impactful connections among story, music, artist, and audience. The new season launches September 20 with Falsettos (September 20 - November 5, 2023), William Finn and James Lapine’s funny, poignant musical about family, chosen family, and unlikely lovers set amid the AIDS crisis of the early 1980s. The holiday production Christmas at The Local (November 21 - December 31, 2023), featuring the words of Dylan Thomas and Dr. Maya Angelou set to music by Cerys Matthews, Mason Neely and Chastity Brown, returns for a second season after its hit world premiere in 2022. Marie Jones’ Olivier Award-winning comedy Stones In His Pockets (January 24 - February 25, 2024) opens the new year, followed by The Color Purple (March 20 - May 5, 2024), based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker, presented in a co-production with New York’s Geva Theatre Center. The season closes with the world premiere of Johnny Skeeky; Or, The Remedy for Everything (May 29 - July 7, 2024), a reimagining of Giacomo Puccini’s comic opera Gianni Schicchi, adapted and directed by Bradley Greenwald and Steven Epp. Summer 2024 will bring the 11th annual NEXT Festival of new musicals, showcasing new works in development on the Ritz Theater stage.