Once upon a time,
A monster was born, and we built a maze to lock it away.
But its cries from deep underground disturbed our sleep …
May 13-22, 2022
Mixed Blood Theater, Minneapolis, MN
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Note: Online sales for Thursday May 19th and Sunday May 22nd are sold out. However, we do hold a few tickets for sale at the door for walk-ups, and there are always a few no-shows, so if that’s the only day you can come, show up half an hour before the show to get a ticket or be put on a standby list.
This epic new play dramatically reimagines the ancient myth of Theseus and his quest to kill the Minotaur, a half-man, half-beast trapped in a maze. The play layers stories from people who have spent their lives working and living inside a modern-day labyrinth—the Minnesota incarceration system, a place where lawyers, officers, educators, nurses and people who have broken laws and their families are trapped in a civilization all its own.
Performed by a mix of people with experience in the incarceration system and professional artists,the play is based on the true stories Wonderlust Productions gathered from more than 230 diverse stakeholders in the Minnesota Corrections system—from inmates and their families, to corrections officers, prosecutors, public defenders, probation officers, policy makers, and many others.
Wonderlust has been working with the incarceration community and developing the Incarceration Play Project since 2018. The Labyrinth and The Minotaur is written by Alan Berks with contributions from Carlyle Brown, based on the words of the incarceration community of Minnesota, directed by Leah Cooper, with choreography and puppetry by Masanari Kawahara, featuring original music by Becky Dale and Queen Drea Reynolds in collaboration with the Voices of Hope inmate choir at Shakopee Correctional Facility, sound design by Peter Morrow, props by Masanari Kawahara, costume design by Andrea Gross, lighting design by Mike Grogan, and set design and technical direction by Zeb Hults.
Founded in 2014, Wonderlust Productions brings together members of communities whose stories are often ignored or misunderstood and collaborates with them from the beginning of the idea until the final performance, to create a truly inclusive interaction that values both authenticity and artistry as catalyst to education, entertainment, conversation, and transformation.
Download the full press release here.
Press Coverage for The Incarceration Play Project
How a New Play Centers the Stories of Minnesota’s Prisoners
by Lianna Matt McLeron, MSP Magazine
“The Labyrinth and the Minotaur: The Incarceration Play Project” by Wonderlust Productions at Mixed Blood
Cherry and Spoon
New Play Draws on Experiences of People Involved in Prison System
by Nina Moini, MPRNews
Drama Traces the Labyrinth of Incarceration
by Anne Murphy, My Villager
Playwright Alan Berks was interviewed on ‘N the Grill Pit. You can watch the interview here.
In ‘The Labyrinth and the Minotaur,’ producers lift up voices from Minnesota’s incarceration system
by Sheila Regan, MINNPOST
Cast and Crew Credits: