Playlist's new columns for 2014

If you’ve been reading Minnesota Playlist for a while, we hope you’ve come to expect at least reasonably consistent quality in our coverage of the Twin Cities theater scene. One of our goals for 2014 is to make that consistence more consistent. We’ve recruited some of our most engaging authors to contribute regular columns on a monthly, weekly and bi-weekly basis. We wouldn’t go so far as saying you should plan your reading schedule around it, but you could certainly do worse. Let’s take a look at what’s on the docket. News & Notes by Derek Miller The Playlist News & Notes column has been keeping readers informed on and engaged with theatrical happenings for quite a while, and on Derek Miller’s watch it’s been as good as it’s ever been. Derek assesses the local, national and international theater scenes with sweeping vision and an impressive depth of knowledge, and isn’t afraid to inject an informed opinion when the conversation calls for it. Get your briefing every Tuesday. Reviews by Dominic Orlando Local artists are always calling for more thoughtful, better written arts criticism on the Twin Cities scene. Now Playlist is delivering on that call, so you’d better get reading. Dominic Orlando is a pedigreed playwright with a swath of productions, fellowships and accolades to his name. No one can say he’s not a qualified connoisseur of theater. His reviews push beyond the “what’s good/what’s bad” dynamic of so much theater criticism and instead explore why things do or don’t work and where they stand in the greater scheme of local theater. It’s heady stuff, and you can find it here every other Wednesday. Reviews of reviews by Ira Brooker Pursuing quality criticism even further down the meta rabbit hole, Playlist editor Ira Brooker has begun perusing the arts sections in an effort to pinpoint what’s wrong and right with local theater critiques. Do certain plays bring out the best in the critical establishment? Which mainstream critics earn their high profile and who’s just coasting? Are some of the bloggers out on the fringes doing it better? We hope our critiques of criticism can answer at least some of those questions and help spark some useful conversations about how we assess art. Look for reviews of reviews the last week of every month (and maybe some other weeks too). The world of dance with Laura Holway While laypeople tend to toss it under the broad umbrella of “theater,” dance can be a world unto itself. That world is unexplored terrain for a significant number of theater people. Doing a better job of covering dance has been on the Playlist to-do list for a good while, so we’re pleased to bring dancer, director and Small Art/Small Dances creator Laura Holway on board to keep on eye on what’s moving in the world of movement. Keep an eye out for Laura’s monthly column starting in March. Playlist profiles by Paul de Cordova You may have noticed that there are a lot of cool folks working in Twin Cities theater. Getting to know each and every one of them would take a lifetime (albeit a rather well-spent one), so we're doing our part by introducing you to some of local theater's most fascinating people. Actor and writer Paul de Cordova's insightful sit-downs with some of the scene's best and brightest have proven remarkably popular with our readers so far. Like we said, there are a lot of good theater people in this town, and we can't think of a better way to meet them by proxy. Paul's profiles run the last week of every month. Arts and politics with Tane S. Danger From censorship to satire, from funding to Franken, the arts cross paths with politics constantly. As important as they are, those intersections can make for some dry reading unless they’re handled by a writer of particular wit and insight. Thankfully, we’ve got one of those. Tane S. Danger is a co-founder of the satirical Theater of Public Policy and a straight-up funny guy with a taste for political machinations. He made his Playlist debut by wringing legitimate laughs out of a Minneapolis mayoral candidates’ forum, and if that’s not worth your readership we just don’t know what is. Watch for Tane’s takes the first week of every month.