Contact: Bruce Conley, Associate Director of College Relations
Phone: (605) 274-5526
Fax: (605) 274-4903
www.augie.edu

February 28, 2005

Guthrie Theater Regional Tour Includes Performance at Augustana

SIOUX FALLS – The Guthrie Theater presents its 2005 regional tour, Freezing Paradise: an evening with Kevin Kling, on Thursday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Edith Mortenson Center main theatre.

The tour, which includes 25 cities in five states, combines story-telling workshops with Kling’s one-man show. Freezing Paradise centers on Kling’s stories of home and journey.

“We are delighted to be able to bring the Guthrie to Sioux Falls yet again,” says Julia Bennett, associate professor of theatre at Augustana College. “The Mortenson Center theatre is an intimate venue for a production that promises great storytelling and entertainment value. As important, the workshop gives our local students an opportunity to learn and grow as young artists.”

Kling is one of the most beloved and celebrated voices of the American heartland. He grew up in Osseo, Minn., and graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1979. He built his reputation in the Twin Cities during the 1990s with his groundbreaking plays 21A and Fear and Loving in Minneapolis. In addition to writing and performing, he has become well known for his regular storytelling contributions to National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” and has four CD collections of his commentaries.

“I’m very excited about touring this region,” Kling says. “It’s my home, my community, where I learned about humor and what is sacred. This is where my stories come from and where they belong. I won’t have to explain what an ice auger is or an artic blast or why you should always keep a candle in your trunk.”

In addition to Kling’s performance, Guthrie Theater teaching artists will present a storytelling workshop designed to explore the history and importance of oral storytelling, the development of the theatrical canon and examine those art forms in relation to our own lives. Teaching artists Ann Kim and Ed Bok Lee will lead workshop participants through a variety of storytelling and writing exercises to develop the individual voice and how it relates to the larger world.

Tickets for Kling’s performance are $15 for general admission and $10 for students.
Call 274-5320, or reserve your seats online today!

For more information, please visit 'Freezing Paradise' on the Augustana Theatre website.