Past Productions 1985 to 1981
Click here to view 1990 to 1986.
1985
Spalding Grey presents A Retrospective of six of his monologs over a two-week span in Illusion’s Washington Avenue Warehouse Theater. Presented by Illusion and the Walker Art Center, the performances are all sold-out. A reviewer calls it "eccentrically personal, revealing a deeper commentary on our collective lives and times."
Illusion invites Jon Klein, one of the playwrights Illusion commissioned in 1983, to collaborate with Paul D’Andrea to write a piece inspired by Albert Einstein’s life. The great paradox of Einstein’s life was that he was a pacifist, and yet was drawn to play a decisive role introducing atomic warfare to the United States. The Klein and Andrea piece becomes The Einstein Project directed by David Feldshuh with music by Kim D. Sherman. It premieres at the Walker, then plays encore performances in the Cricket Theater on the 8th floor of in the Hennepin Center for the Arts. Ben Kreilkamp plays Einstein. The Company includes James A. Williams, Walton Stanley, Mary McDevitt, Alfred Harrison, Leslie Ball, and Bonnie Morris. Dean Holzman builds the set. It is brought back for encore performances in 1987. Mike Steele writes in the Star Tribune, "This is provocative stuff...dealing with large concepts in an entertaining and theatrical way, it deserves mighty praise in an era of tiny–minded plays."
Lighting ignites a fire in Illusion’s Washington Avenue Warehouse Theater and Offices. The sprinklers ran for over 8 hours, the water damage is devastating. Illusion returns to the Hennepin Center for The Arts. The Cricket Theater has recently left the building, so space is available. Illusion moves back in 1985, now renamed the Cowles Center.
1984
1983
Illusion presents The Marx Brothers’ musical The Cocoanuts in their new home on Washington Avenue across from the Monte Carlo restaurant featuring Jim Haun as Groucho, Steven Epp as Chico, Alfred Harrison as Harpo, and Marysue Moses as Margaret Dumont.
Kevin Kling performs his new play 21A in Illusion’s Washington Avenue Warehouse theater.
In 1983 Illusion transforms their award-winning play Touch into a film. Lindsay Wagner known from her television series “The Bionic Woman,” is the celebrity spokesperson with music by Libby Larson and featuring students from Southside Family and Learning School. Illusion forges new territory by aligning with a for-profit LLC to produce and market the film . This movie was the most purchased educational film in 1985.
1982
In 1982, we created a new studio theater in a warehouse across from the Monte Carlo and J. D. Hoyt’s. We rehearsed and performed in the cozy 75 seat space until a hot August night when one of those astounding summer lightning storms came and lightning struck the building triggering the fire protection sprinkler system. By the time we arrived at 8am the next morning, the now waterlogged mess would never serve as a usable space again.
Our first thought was to go to the Hennepin Center for the Arts since we had just performed encore performances of The Einstein Project in the 8th floor theater. They gave us a desk and a phone and within 2 weeks wanted to know if we would move in and take over the space that the Cricket Theatre had just vacated. In one month, we went from not having a home to having a 300-seat “real” theater in the heart of downtown Minneapolis.
1981
After touring Touch around the country, Illusion realizes that another way must be worked out to meet the needs of all the requests Illusion is getting to tour. The solution becomes Illusion’s award-winning Peer Education Program. Illusion licenses the script Touch to a high school, college, or community organization. The licensing includes a 2–3-day retreat training of the Peer Educators, they are trained in the issues of the play’s content, they learn about the community’s resources, and they stage and rehearse the play. Peer Educators then perform the play to their community over the next 5- 12 weeks. Originating with Touch, this program has shared over eight Illusion scripts in over 25 communities in 10 states since 1981. Scripts that have been licensed include Touch, No Easy Answers, Peace Up, What Goes Around, Everyone's Business, and No Laughing Matter.
Some of the communities presenting Illusion’s scripts have been partnering with Illusion for over 30 years. Susan Letheby began her Illusion Licensing program in Lincoln Nebraska in 1993. Jean Bratvold, the Guidance Counselor of Bagley Public Schools in Minnesota presented Touch in the Clearwater County for 27 years. Jean won the 1996 Counselor of the Year Award; she attributes the award as a result of her work in sexual abuse prevention and youth service.
Peter Brook’s theater company, the International Center of Theater Research comes to Minneapolis to perform The Ik sponsored by the Walker Art Center. The Ik, inspired by Colin Turnbull’s book is presented at the Southern. Illusion welcomes Brook’s company to their warehouse studio and the two companies share stories and theater techniques.
Becoming Memories written by Arthur Giron and directed by David Shookoff is devised from the stories of the grandparents of the Illusion Company Members - Bonnie Morris, Michael Robins, Steven Epp, Alfred Harrison, Mary McDevitt, and Marysue Moses. Photographer Joann Verburg creates portraits of the characters of Becoming Memories. The play tours throughout the Upper Midwest, and in 1984 with help from theater impresario Jim Binger, is done in a workshop production Off-Broadway produced by Liz McCann and Nell Nugent.
John Montilino becomes Managing Director and holds that position for fifteen years.
