TRACY SEES STUFF 👀

Category: Blog

  • Carmen – Mill City Summer Opera

    Carmen – Mill City Summer Opera

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    Audrey Babcock as Carmen, Stage direction by Fenlon Lamb, Set design by Narelle Sissons, Costume design by Sarah Bahr, Lighting design by Nate Wheatley, Wig and Makeup design by Jason Allen, PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Norman

    Music by Georges Bizet | Libretto by Henri Meilhac & Ludovic Halévy

    Experience Carmen under the stars at Mill City Museum! The Mill City Summer Opera is a show that I look forward to every year. It’s such a unique experience. There’s something about being out in the fresh air, in the historic ruins of Mill City watching an opera from the 1830s!

    From Mill City Summer Opera: 

    Among the most famous and performed of all operas, Carmen is a riveting story of love, lust, betrayal, jealousy and murder. Set in 1830s Seville, the gypsy girl Carmen seduces soldier Don José away from his post and his beloved Micaëla. After luring him to join her and a clan of smugglers, Carmen turns her attention toward the swaggering bullfighter Escamillo. Carmen’s fate is met in the final act when she meets the madly jealous Don José outside of the arena. 

    I love the intensity of this opera. I was completely mesmerized by their voices and the acoustics at the ruins are perfect. Hearing their operatic voices swirl around you and float into the night sky is bewitching.

    At first, I found myself reading the words but the passion of the actors quickly pulled me in and I didn’t need them. It’s beautiful when actions, facial expressions, mannerisms can tell you everything.

    The show was called due to rain but that made for a memorable evening!

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    ©Tracy Blowers
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    There are only 7 opportunities to see this show! July 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22 and 24. Last night was opening night and tickets sell out fast. There is a rush line beginning each night at 6pm and rush tickets are $35.

    Location: Mill City Museum, 704 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN 55401

    Time: Performance begins at 7:30 p.m.

    Price: Tickets range from $50 to $125 for all nights

    You can purchase tickets HERE.

    Even with the rain, it was so fun to see the final dress rehearsal of Carmen with some of the other Twin Cities Theater Bloggers! You can check out our Facebook page and read other reviews HERE.

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  • West Side Story – Guthrie Theater

    West Side Story – Guthrie Theater

    The cast of the Guthrie Theater’s production of West Side Story, based on a conception of Jerome Robbins with a book by Arthur Laurents. Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Joseph Haj. Scenic design by Christopher Acebo, costume design by Jen Caprio, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Elisheba Ittoop. Photo by T Charles Erickson.

    Leonard Bernstein would have been 100 this year. His daughter shared a beautiful memory about her father. He believed that if he “just wrote a good enough melody that maybe he could heal the world”. Maybe the world isn’t completely healed but the moment that I sat in the Wurtele Thrust Theater, the music filling the air, the audience mesmerized by song and dance, that energy filled my heart and that is healing. That moment we collectively all stood for a standing ovation at the end of an incredible show….that’s healing. A twinkle of what it’s like when we all stand together.

    ©T Charles Erickson

    West Side Story is a modern day Romeo and Juliet. It’s interesting how we can come so far and yet at the same time not much changes. Set in 1957, I feel like I could be watching this story unfold in the streets today. A story of rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks in an ongoing feud over what it means to be American, their differences in belief breeding hatred. Tony a former member of the Jets falls in love with Maria, the sister of a member of the rival gang. Professing their love for each other causes a rumble to be planned and even though Tony has good intentions, chaos ensues.

    Many productions of West Side Story model the film. I love that Guthrie Theater took it a step further, bringing it to 2018 and showing us the truth of now. The set is so powerful with the Statue of Liberty, our symbol of freedom and democracy, toppled over on the stage. Tony (Marc Koeck) and Maria (Mia Pinero) both making their Guthrie debuts couldn’t be more perfect. Their voices melt through you sending chills to your toes. ❤️

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    As I always mention, don’t forget to make a night of it at Guthrie Theater. This time I decided to eat at the Level Five Café. The onion rings were delicious and it’s always such a treat to take in all the views and reflections that the windows provide. Don’t miss the speciality drinks that they offer for each show!

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    ©Tracy Blowers
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    Another wonderful thing to note! The Guthrie Theater, in partnership with Medtronic and Americares, used the Friday, June 15 invited dress rehearsal as a fundraiser for Puerto Rico hurricane relief. They raised $57,300!

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    ©T Charles Erickson

    Jennifer Chavez Rubio, Senior Director, Global Engagement, Medtronic Philanthropy (left) receives a check for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in Puerto Rico from the Guthrie Theater’s Artistic Director, Joseph Haj (right). Tickets were sold for the invited dress rehearsal of the Guthrie’s summer musical West Side Story on Friday, June 15, and those funds in the amount of $57,300 will be dispersed through Americares.

    West Side Story runs through August 26, 2018.

    Get your tickets HERE!

  • Best Friends Animal Society

    Best Friends Animal Society

    Dog Adoption Southern Utah

    My pets have always brought me so much joy, laughter and love. I remember watching the Best Friends Animal Society special on National Geographic and thinking I have go there someday. That day finally happened and it’s where we met and rescued our beautiful, strong, sensitive baby girl, Utah. In turn, she rescued us. Our lives forever changed for the better.

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    Best Friends Animal Society is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the Nation. Their mission is to SAVE THEM ALL and someday live in a world where there are no homeless pets. All of the programs that they run are incredible (for example their spay and neuter program) and the sanctuary is one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever been. Since our first visit, we’ve made it a tradition and plan to go back ever year to volunteer.

    Best Friends Animal Society in Southern Utah

    The sanctuary is located in Kanab, Utah . It is home to nearly 1,600 homeless pets. Including horses, pigs and birds. They also have other locations throughout the country and their goal is to create a no-kill Nation, city by city.

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    The sanctuary also offers a peaceful resting place for our best friends. It is the most serene place that I’ve ever been, you can feel love as you walk through and listen to the countless beautiful chimes. This year we honored our pets that passed, Huckleberry and Kaytee.

    Help SAVE THEM ALL by clicking HERE.

    Learn more HERE.

    Cheers to all our Best Friends and don’t forget….

    Live like someone left the gate open!!! ❤️

  • A chance to turn it all around

    A chance to turn it all around

    Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around. -Sofia, Vanilla Sky

    This is one of my favorite quotes and one that I try to keep top of mind.

    My blog has felt like a mountain lately (eh-um or maybe the last year). I’m not sure why….there are lots of reasons I guess and of course, time being one.

    I also tend to OVERTHINK. So today with that quote in mind and some divine intervention (more on that later), I’m writing.

    Keeping it as simple as this quote and a reminder for everyone having a hard time….

    Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around.

    Photo from The M on Hennepin – Bike Lounge – Shot for Social Media ©usoulphoto

  • C&E Living – Photo Shoot

    C&E Living – Photo Shoot

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    It’s so wonderful to see these historic buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul being restored and brought back to life. Here are a few shots from a recent social media photo shoot at C&E Living (Flats & Lofts).

    From the C&E Living website:

    ROOTED IN HISTORY — GREEN & GROWING
    The award-winning C&E community was established in 2012 with the opening of the repurposed, historic Chittenden & Eastman furniture warehouse, now known as C&E LOFTS. Today, C&E is poised to flourish with addition of C&E FLATS, an eco-friendly building atop a historic warehouse.

    C&E Living offers a variety of unique units and is perfectly located between Minneapolis and St. Paul. My favorite part is the community spaces.

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    c-1-16A peek at the Lofts and Flats. c-1-36

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    Visit the C&E Living website for more details and leasing information.

    www.ce-living.com 

    ©usoulphoto

     

     

  • Tullibee – Hewing Hotel – Gentleman Forager

    Tullibee – Hewing Hotel – Gentleman Forager

    gft-1-3Locally Foraged Mushrooms | Soy Honey Glaze | Wild Puffed Rice 

    Almost too pretty to eat! These are Gentleman Forager‘s local, wild, foraged mushrooms served at Tullibee. Tullibee is part of the Hewing Hotel located in the Minneapolis North Loop neighborhood. It is one of my favorite spots for brunch so I was over the moon to have the opportunity to capture some food photos.

    I started working with Gentleman Forager (Mike Kempenich) after attending one of Mike’s guided morel hunts. You can read about that experience by clicking HERE.

    Gentleman Forager provides the freshest, most beautiful, mushrooms and wild plants in the forests to the tables of restaurants, innovative chefs, and mushroom lovers. Mike also believes education is a key component to changing the way people think about what they eat and where it comes from. Gentleman Forager teaches people to identify many species of wild Minnesota mushrooms and organizes weekend festivals in the woods. He also plans many “wild” food dinners and events with Minneapolis restaurants and chefs throughout the year. The next festival is the Lobster Mushroom Jamboree! You can find details either on the website at www.gentlemanforager.com or Facebook page. Photo Jul 30, 8 16 54 AMChef Bradley Day was a blast to work with! So creative and so passionate about food. He is a native Australian with an extensive résumé. He spent years in London and New York at high-end restaurants and is now excited about being part of the Minneapolis community. He enjoys working with fresh, local ingredients and is creating beautiful dishes with the Gentleman Forager mushrooms and microgreens. You can read more about him by clicking HERE.

    gft-1-4Props! 🙂 

    gft-14Savory French Toast & Chanterelle Mushrooms | Country Sausage | Spinach | Mushroom Foam 

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    Other dishes with Gentleman Forager mushrooms at Tullibee:

    Omelette | 3 eggs | Asparagus | Foraged Mushrooms

    Grilled Lamb | Fava Beans | Nebrodini Mushrooms 

     

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    Tullibee

    300 North Washington Ave

    Minneapolis, MN 55401

    ©usoulphoto

     

     

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