Due to Demand, Theater Latté Da Extends World Premiere Musical MY ÁNTONIA Through July 19
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Theater Latté Da - My Ántonia - World Premiere 2026
(MINNEAPOLIS/ST PAUL) Theater Latté Da (Justin Lucero, Artistic Director; Elisa Spencer-Kaplan, Managing Director) announces the extension of its "gripping (BroadwayWorld)" world premiere musical My Ántonia due to popular demand. The production will now play through July 19, 2026, at the historic Ritz Theater, 345 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis. "Intimate, inviting, full of memorable songs, and featuring a knockout cast" proclaims The Stages of MN.
Additional performances have been scheduled as follows:
Wednesday, July 15, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 18, 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, July 18, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 19, 2:00 p.m.
“For a company rooted in the Midwest, My Ántonia feels almost inevitable,” said Latté Da’s Artistic Director, Justin Lucero. “Willa Cather’s great American novel carries the sweep of the prairie, the intimacy of memory, and a profound reverence for the immigrant imagination that helped shape this country. To re-encounter that through musical theater is thrilling. At a moment when the contributions of immigrants to America deserves renewed recognition, this work feels not only beautiful, but urgently resonant.”
Rohan Preston of The Minnesota Star Tribune notes that My Ántonia is “a production of considerable tenderness and conviction, one that reanimates the myths and ideals that have long shaped the American imagination."
In this Latté Da-commissioned world premiere, Willa Cather’s beloved novel is envisioned as a celebration of resilience and the enduring strength of women. Featuring a sweeping indie folk score by The Kilbanes and an imaginative libretto by Noah Brody, this poignant adaptation traces the immigrant experience on the Great Plains at the turn of the 20th century through the eyes of the lifelong friendship between orphan boy Jim Burden and Ántonia Shimerda, daughter of a Bohemian immigrant family. My Ántonia offers a timely celebration of the contributions of immigrants to the nation’s identity and spirit as America marks its 250th anniversary. Rooted in the land and shaped by memory, this powerful work invites us to consider how we remember our past, and whose stories we choose to tell.
The four-member creative team of The Kilbanes (Kate Kilbane and Dan Moses), Noah Brody and Jessie 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. My Ántonia represents the first shared project of this four-member team. Married composer-lyricists The Kilbanes are frequent collaborators whose past work includes the Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Award-nominated Weightless (WP Theater). "I found myself humming a few of the tunes even days after the performance," said Mary Aalgaard of Play Off the Page. Also partners in life and art, director Jessie Austrian and book writer Noah Brody are among the founding co-Artistic Directors of New York City’s acclaimed Off-Broadway ensemble company Fiasco Theater.
“One of the great joys of new work development is championing artists whose voices expand what musical theater can be,” states Lucero. “We have believed for years that this piece could become a landmark addition to the canon, and it is exhilarating to help bring it into the world. Additionally, My Ántonia represents so much of what defines Theater Latté Da: investment in new work, faith in visionary creators, and a belief that music-theater can illuminate who we have been and who we might become." My Ántonia marks Latté Da’s eighteenth world premiere production.
My Ántonia opened on June 6, 2026, and will now run through July 19, 2026. The cast “is truly an embarrassment of riches, and they're all so playful as they jump from role to role, yet earnest in their portrayal of these crisply drawn characters” states Cherry and Spoon. The company includes Sara Masterson (Falsettos, Fun Home), Will Dusek (Scotland, PA), Em Adam Rosenberg (2025 NEXT Festival), Tom Reed (Stones in His Pockets, Scotland, PA, Gutenberg! The Musical!), Sally Wingert (A Little Night Music, Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Sweeney Todd), Bradley Greenwald (Johnny Skeeky, Passion, Journey On), Spencer Chandler (Christmas At The Local), Emily Gunyou-Halaas (Scotland, PA, Passage of Dreams), Anna Hashizume (Hello, Dolly!, La Bohѐme, My Fair Lady), James Rodriguez (Evita, Cabaret, Peter and the Starcatcher), Lillian Hochman (2024 NEXT Festival) and Maddox Tabalba (Latté Da Debut). Understudies include Tara Borman (Scotland, PA), Brandon Brooks (The Glass Menagerie), Erin Nicole Farsté (We Shall Someday), France Roberts (The Color Purple), Eve Scharback (Fun Home) and Laila Sahir (Latté Da debut).
My Ántonia is directed by Jessie Austrian, with music direction by Jason Hansen and choreography by Joey Miller. The design teamincludes scenic designer Ben Olsen, costume designer Sarah Bahr, lighting designer Wu Chen Khoo, sound designer Katharine Horowitz, props designer Madelaine Foster and hair and makeup designer Emma Gustafson. Shelby Reddig is stage manager and Austin Schoenfelder is assistant stage manager.
TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT LATTÉ DA
Tickets for the initially announced run and added extension dates of My Ántonia are currently available for purchase, starting at $39. Additionally, season subscriptions are now available for purchase for the newly announced 2026/27 season, with pricing and additional details available at www.LatteDa.org.
Tickets, subscriptions and FLEXPacks may be purchased online, 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.
