Dark & Stormy Productions and Myron Frisch Present:


Critical Acclaim for 'Night, Mother!

Sally Wingert* (Thelma) & Sara Marsh* (Jessie) in 'Night, Mother. Photo: Rich Ryan.
"[Sally] Wingert, a consummate actor drawn to challenging roles, is heartbreakingly angry and confused as Thelma: a woman who's had her share of travails but won't relinquish her spark of life. Opposite Wingert, [Sara] Marsh conveys an eerily upbeat resolution in the face of overwhelming sadness, a sort of reverse eclipse of the heart. [...] Marsh designed the set, with furniture suspended by wires to convey a sense of surreal drifting. Everything that Thelma thought she could rely on, from her daughter to the electric oven, seems poised to float away. It's no wonder the play has been lauded...'Night, Mother is a precarious fiction, an unsettling and unforgettable fever dream."
- Jay Gabler, City Pages


Sally Wingert* (Thelma) & Sara Marsh* (Jessie) in 'Night, Mother. Photo: Rich Ryan.
"At first glance, the set for Dark & Stormy Productions' staging of 'Night, Mother is typical of a domestic drama: There's a kitchen scene...and a living area. But then you notice that almost all of these elements are actually suspended...The furniture, then, floats about six inches above the surface...almost - but not quite - making contact with the hard and tangible reality of the floor. [...] [Sally] Wingert's most affecting moments in the close quarters of the Grain Belt warehouse space come when, depressed and helpless, her Thelma listens...eyes searching, lips quivering, seemingly unable to draw a deep breath. [...] As the suicidal but clear-eyed Jessie...Marsh is able to...bring to light a different form of grief...a sense of impenetrable hopelessness that has the character believing - in her own words - that 'I'm what was waiting for. And I didn't make it.'"
- Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press


Sara Marsh* (Jessie) & Sally Wingert* (Thelma) in 'Night, Mother. Photo: Rich Ryan.
"I often say that two-person plays are my favorite...This is one such play, and both Sally [Wingert] and Sara [Marsh] give among the best performances I've seen from either of them. Maybe that's because in Dark & Stormy's intimate warehouse art studio space, you're just a few feet away from the actors, close enough to see the tears in their eyes and hear the quiver in their voices. Sara has a calmness about her, as Jessie is sure of her decision and pleased to finally be at the place to carry out her plan, but you can see the pain she's been living with her whole life. Sally's is the more showy role, as Thelma goes through every emotion imaginable, and she nails every one with truth. This is not the first time these two have worked together, or played mother and daughter, and that shows in their intertwined performances that are a beautiful dialogue."
- Jill Schafer, Cherry and Spoon


Sally Wingert & Sara Marsh in 'Night, Mother. Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp. MUA: Jen Santoro Rotty. Design: Kevin Cannon.

'NIGHT, MOTHER
By Marsha Norman
Directed by Hayley Finn†
August 16 - September 8, 2018

Starring: Sally Wingert* 
and Sara Marsh*


CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!

Presented at the 
Grain Belt Warehouse
77 13th Avenue NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
Studio 202

 CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS!
tickets@darkstormy.org
612-401-4506

 Community Partner: 
National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) Minnesota

Sally Wingert & Sara Marsh. MUA: Jen Santoro Rotty. Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp.

Don't miss Sally Wingert and Sara Marsh in this gripping drama: a 90-minute, push-pull conversation in real time between a mother and daughter at opposite ends of an emotional chasm, struggling to find a bridge that can connect them, with a life-and-death decision hanging in the balance.

"...A shattering evening." - NY Times


Seats are very limited: click here to get yours now!



 DARK & STORMY PRODUCTIONS
named
BEST THEATER OF 2016
by City Pages!
"How did tiny upstart Dark & Stormy take the prize? It happened through the dedication of a handful of talented and committed artists who want the very best on stage... Artistic director Sara Marsh has, over the course of a few years, crafted a must-attend company out of a simple desire to put on great shows with great acting."
- City Pages

From L: Sara Marsh & Sally Wingert in And So It Goes. Photo: Melissa Hesse.




Dark & Stormy Productions honored by critics in 2017!



Fool For Love 
 by Sam Shepard
named a Top 13 Production of 2017 by Jill Schafer of Cherry and Spoon, and a Top Ten Production by Twin Cities blogger Matthew A. Everett!


Sara Marsh & James Rodríguez in Fool For Love. Photo: Rich Ryan.

"A fitting tribute to him [recently departed playwright Sam Shepard], an intense and intimate exploration of love, family, and their devastating effects." 
- Jill Schafer, Cherry and Spoon


Antonio Duke & James Rodríguez in Fool For Love. Photo: Rich Ryan.

"9. Fool For Love - Dark & Stormy Productions - another modern classic granted new life with an intimate staging." 
- Matthew A. Everett


Patrick Coyle & James Rodríguez in Fool For Love. Photo: Rich Ryan.

"Outstanding Supporting Actor: Patrick Coyle, Fool For Love, Dark & Stormy Productions"
- John Townsend, Lavender Magazine




Dark & Stormy Productions honored by critics in 2015!

 
Extremities 
 by William Mastrosimone
named a Top Ten Production of 2015 by Rohan Preston of the Star Tribune 
and Ed Huyck of City Pages!


From L: James Rodríguez, Emily Bridges, Sara Marsh, & Tracey Maloney in Extremities. Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp.
"Sara Marsh is the founder of this nimble company and the star of most of its shows, and for good reason. She was riveting as a would-be rape victim who turns the tables on her attacker in Mel Day's tense and taut production."
- Rohan Preston, Star Tribune


"Dark & Stormy brought audiences into a living room where a young woman fought off her attacker -- and was then forced to decide whether he lived or died. Compelling acting and directing meant we also lived and died with every twist.
- Ed Huyck, City Pages

 
Extremities  
honored in Lavender Magazine's 
Best of 2015 in Theater!


"Best Stage Combat Direction: Annie Enneking, Extremities, Dark & Stormy Productions; Henry IV, Part I, 10,000 Things Theater; The Jungle Book, Children's Theatre Company"
- John Townsend, Lavender Magazine  
 
Sara Marsh & James Rodríguez in Extremities. Photo: Heidi Bohnenkamp.

 "Crème de la crème performances: Sara Marsh, Extremities, Dark & Stormy Productions"
- John Townsend, Lavender Magazine 





The Hothouse
by Harold Pinter
named Best Production of 2014-2015 by Sophie Kerman of Minnesota Playlist!

Clockwise from L: John Catron, Bill McCallum, Mark Benninghofen, Sara Marsh, Robert Dorfman. Not pictured: Bruce Bohne. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp.

"This is a “Best of” article, so I realize I need to pick something that was actually the best: I’m giving this one to Dark & Stormy’s The Hothouse...Of all of the points that stood out about the shows I mentioned above, The Hothouse had it all for me this year."


  

Dark & Stormy Productions honored by critics in 2014!


Clockwise from L: Bill McCallum, John Catron, Mark Benninghofen, Sara Marsh , and Robert Dorfman. Not pictured: Bruce Bohne. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp; design by Kevin Cannon.

The Hothouse
by Harold Pinter
Directed by Benjamin McGovern
named a Top Production of 2014 by Ed Huyck of the City Pages!

Robert Dorfman in The Hothouse. Photo by Heidi Bohnenkamp.

"Nothing says Christmas like Harold Pinter and torture, especially when it comes wrapped up with a great cast, direction, and concept that saw the show played out in an echoing atrium."
- Ed Huyck, City Pages



Dark & Stormy Productions honored by critics in 2013!

 

Sara Marsh in Speed-the-Plow. Photo by John Eastman.

 


Kris L. Nelson in Speed-the-Plow. Photo: John Eastman.

 

Speed-the-Plow named a Top Ten Production of 2013 by the Star Tribune:


"Director Ben McGovern teamed with actors Sara Marsh, Bill McCallum and Kris L. Nelson to make David Mamet's 'Speed-the-Plow' a savagely arresting treat in a found space." 
- Rohan Preston 



The Receptionist named a Top Ten Production of 2013 by City Pages:

 
Sally Wingert in The Receptionist. Photo: Melissa Hesse.

"Sally Wingert led a talented four-actor cast through Adam Bock's dark-as-midnight workplace comedy. The experience was intensified by the found location — a recently vacated downtown office space — that seemed to be haunted by the true nature of the Northeast Office's work."
- Ed Huyck

Harry Waters Jr. in The Receptionist. Photo: Melissa Hesse.
 

"New theater company Dark & Stormy Productions is really hitting their stride; they've become one of those theater companies I rely on to never let me down. Their fourth production in just under two years continues their tradition of short, intense, real, small-cast, smartly written plays in unusual locations."
 - Jill Schafer, Cherry and Spoon

  

  From Star Tribune theater critic Rohan Preston's feature on Dark & Stormy Productions:

 

"[Speed-the-Plow], which starred Guthrie regulars Kris Nelson and Bill McCallum alongside company founder Sara Marsh, gave a gripping, spittle-laced experience. The drama...was more evidence that small theaters are a big part of what makes the performing arts scene special."
- Rohan Preston, Star Tribune

 

  Read the full article on the Twin Cities' small theaters here!





"Dark & Stormy is a newish company that's come screaming out of the gate with a series of terrifically cast shows, professionally produced and expertly marketed...I've seen three out of four shows...[and] I hope Dark & Stormy continues their level of professionalism and rock-star casting."
- Dominic Orlando, Minnesota Playlist




*Member, Actors' Equity Association
†Member, Stage Directors & Choreographers Society