This summer, Sod House — a theater company founded by Augsburg College Chair of Theater Arts聽Darcey Engen 鈥�88聽and her husband, Luverne Seifert 鈥�83 — brought a聽production of 鈥淗oopla Train (with Yard Master Yip and his Polkastra)鈥澛爐o 14 historic ballrooms in different Minnesota cities聽including聽Barrett, McGregor, Nisswa, and Sleepy Eye.
Engen and Seifert shared the stage with a troupe of performers to put on the production billed as 鈥淟awrence Welk meets 鈥楬ee-Haw.鈥欌�� The Sod House Theater聽project began in 2011 when Engen and Seifert collaborated to create the condensed version of Anton Chekhov鈥檚 play “The Cherry Orchard” with Twin Cities colleagues including聽Sarah Myers, associate聽professor of theater at Augsburg.
This year the “Hoopla Train” has garnered the attention of media outlets across Minnesota, including the following organizations and stories:
- BringMeTheNews — Hoopla Train: The touring theater variety show coming to a stage near you
- —聽Summer is showtime for Sod House, Minnesota’s whistle-stop theater
- —聽All aboard the ‘Hoopla Train’ bound for Faribault
- Rochester Post-Bulletin —聽‘Hoopla Train’ pulls into town
- — Professional Twin Cities Theater Troupe to perform at the American Legion in Nisswa
- Sleepy Eye Herald-Dispatch — ‘Hoopla Train’ show coming to Sleepy Eye next week
- —聽‘Hoopla’ brings old-fashioned fun to outstate Minnesota
Later this month, two Augsburg alumni and an all-star cast will debut a unique site-specific production of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard at the Historic Lind House in New Ulm, Minn. The production also features high school and community actors from the Sleepy Eye/New Ulm area and includes live music from the Sleepy Eye Concertina Club.
Tickets are now available for the Augsburg College Theatre Department’s mainstage production of “The Visit,” written by Friedrich Durrenmatt and guest directed by Luverne Seifert ’83.