Winter Bash 2018
Winter can be tough for many people. It is a dark, introspective time. The act of ‘hibernating’ in these cold months can lead to a downward spiral of isolation.
But winter can also be a beautiful thing. There is peace and simplicity to a frozen white landscape. I have to admit that sunsets in winter are one of my absolute favorite things. Being from New England with its rolling hills I was astounded by the amount of sky when I drove from the East Coast to MN my first time. And it was that sky that draws my eyes up every time one of those perfectly pastel sunsets grace us in the winter months.
Does two times make it a tradition?
In 2015 the founders, and former owners, of Minnesota Playlist – Alan Berks & Leah Cooper – threw a party to celebrate the launch of the newly designed Playlist website. Woven into this monumental achievement (funded by the readers and users of playlist no less through a hugely successful Indiegogo campaign) was a celebration of those things winter.
“Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius.” ~Pietro Aretino
The party was such a great time that in 2016 they brought it back for round two. And again, everyone had a blast, unsung heroes were sung, and people got out of there warm hibernation holes in early January.
So it was a bit sad when we didn’t throw this party in Jan of 2017. The reason being that Alan and Leah were selling the business to me. And mind you Playlist is not a complicated business, but the amount of paperwork, communication, and account transfers made it impossible for any of us to think about hosting a party.
But here we are at the end of 2017. The transition has been smooth and now that I’ve gotten my ducks in a row I think it is time to throw a party. I like the idea that in all of this change from Alan and Leah’s hands to mine that Playlist has remained a stable resource for our community. And that in keeping some things the same bringing back the Winter Bash seemed apropos.
The Bash
In the tragic loss that is Bedlam Lowertown it was clear I needed a new place to host the bash. Luckily our friends at Republic were happy to let us use their back room and the adjoining dining room to hold said party. I’m super excited to share with everyone the details for the 2018 Winter Bash!
Where: Republic, 7 corners Minneapolis
When: Saturday, Jan 20th 2018, 8p – bar close
What to Expect
I hope you’ll join fellow performers, creators, administrators, and lovers of theatre as we celebrate winter and the emergence of a new year of art that we all work so hard at creating.
There will be the full cash bar (Republic has over 100 beers on tap if you are into that sort of thing) and a limited happy hour style menu to purchase food. We’ve got live music courtesy of:
Finally, we’ll be building on the unsung hero awards that were at the past Winter Bash.
Theatre’s Choice Awards
In thinking about unsung heroes, awards, and the self-celebratory things that happen in our industry I wanted to have some fun and so created the Theatre’s Choice Awards.
Ever wondered who would win for best use of a blood effect? How about Superstar Stagehand? How about best animal impersonation? These are just some of the categories that will be up for grabs in this year’s Theatre’s Choice Awards.
The categories are being generated by our writing team here at Playlist. Submissions will be narrowed down to ten of the zaniest, fun, creative, unique categories, and then we’ll post a poll on Playlist that you all can write in your nominations for.
Of course, to keep things fair, balanced, and transparent winners will be decided by the tried and true system of random selection.
I hope you’ll join us for the 2018 Winter Bash. Tickets are $5* until Dec 31st (GET TICKETS HERE!). After the 31st they go up to $10. You will be able to pay at the door if you don’t purchase ahead of time.
So come party with us, then find a hole to hibernate in until the Super Bowl is over.
*Ticket prices are going to cover the three bands, the mix engineer, and the award designer (local costume designer Lisa Conley) and materials for the Theatre’s Choice Awards.
