Our newest edition spotlights theatre workers in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn. If you would like to recommend a theatre artist (from anywhere) for a future Role Call, fill out our open Google Form here.
Addie Gorlin-Han (she/her)
Profession: Director, producer, and educator
Hometown: Hopkins, Minn.
Current home: Minneapolis
Known for: Gorlin-Han is the associate producer at the Guthrie Theater. She was the director for the 2022 Arkansas Rep production of Into the Woods that featured Hillary Rodham Clinton as the Giant and she was the director of the Guthrie’s remount of A Christmas Carol last year (while nine months pregnant, it’s worth noting).
What’s next: At the Guthrie, Gorlin-Han is line-producing the 2024-25 season, which opens in September with The Lehman Trilogy. As a director, she will again lead the Guthrie’s production of A Christmas Carol in November. Additional upcoming directing credits include The Root Beer Lady at History Theatre next January and Fun Home at Theater Latté Da next April.
What makes her special: When Tracy Brigden, senior artistic producer at the Guthrie, looks at Gorlin-Han, she sees someone on track to “be a brilliant artistic director” in the near future. “Addie utilizes her role as an artistic leader to advocate for local artists, diverse voices, and inclusive practices,” said Brigden. “She is a great example of a talented artist who grew up in the theatre scene here, left for a while to gain experience in other regions, and returned home to the Twin Cities to make great work and support this community.”
Theatre and recreation: Gorlin-Han worships the founding mothers of the regional theatre movement. “Meaning, I am a big believer in theatres as vital civic and nonprofit organizations,” she said. “My grad school classmates called me the Leslie Knope of Minneapolis theatre. I’ve always been invested, and enthusiastic, about returning to my hometown. I love directing heart-forward plays for all ages and have developed a penchant for creating wacky, hyper-local, pop-up theatre—from a large-scale Halloween project in garages across New Haven to a theatre-for-the-very-young play on an island in my parents’ backyard. Plans are in the works for a pop-up ‘puppet stand’ for the families in my neighborhood. Ice cream or lemonade? I’m taking votes…”
Brandon Raghu (he/him)
Profession: Director, theatre administrator, and producer
Hometown: Arlington, Minn. (“A very small town in rural Minnesota!”)
Current home: Minneapolis
Known for: Raghu is the director of operations at Yellow Tree Theatre in Osseo, Minn. (“A small house with big dreams!” as he put it.) There he is working to revive the company’s financial health by restructuring its financial framework, a strategic overhaul that he said has set the theatre on a path to achieve its highest earned and contributed revenue year since the pandemic. His efforts have focused on implementing sustainable financial practices and innovative funding models. As an artist, Raghu directed Yellow Tree’s production of Lauren Gunderson’s Toil and Trouble, and he frequently works as an assistant director, including on the Guthrie’s production of Dominique Morisseau’s Skeleton Crew earlier this year.
What’s next: As an administrator, Raghu is working toward an updated strategic plan for Yellow Tree, covering fiscal years 2025-28. As an artist, he recently directed Wisconsin Shakespeare’s new works series, Improbable Fiction, and will soon direct Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Dial M for Murder at Yellow Tree. Early next year, he will be the assistant director on the Guthrie’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb. 1-March 23, 2025).
What makes him special: “Brandon is an exceptional artist and human being,” said Austene Van, executive artistic director of Yellow Tree. “His brilliance as a director, administrator, and production manager is always cradled in joy, clarity, and professionalism. He is an unselfish, creative problem solver and fiercely protective of the power arts wields to build, heal, and bring together our communities.”
Hidden corners of the unknown: As a child, Raghu was always captivated by the mysteries of the universe. His heroes were astronauts, deep-sea explorers, and archaeologists—those who dedicate their lives to uncovering the unknown. Though his career path never went down any of those avenues, he said he found a parallel path in theatre. “The stage became my spaceship,” Raghu said. “Like an astronaut charting new territories, I am driven by the desire to explore the complexities of the human condition and the world we inhabit. My journey in theatre is an extension of my childhood dream to uncover the unknown. Through the magic of live theatre, I strive to illuminate the hidden corners of our existence, inviting others to join me in this endless adventure of discovery.”
Cristina Luzárraga (she/her)
Profession: Playwright, teacher
Hometown: Short Hills, N.J.
Current home: Minneapolis (though she noted she’ll soon return to New Jersey to be closer to family)
Known for: I Am Betty, the hit musical about Betty Crocker she wrote with Denise Prosek, debuted at History Theatre in St. Paul in 2023 and will be returning again this holiday season (Nov. 23-Dec. 29). She is a Core Writer at the Playwrights’ Center, where she’s also been a Jerome and McKnight Fellow and was a visiting assistant professor at Macalester College this past year.
What’s next: Luzárraga is currently in the research stages for a new musical about Cuba’s Marielitos refugees. She’s also working on a screen project about the CIA’s covert funding of mid-century artists.
What makes her special: “Cristina is one of the most exciting and brilliant comedic playwrights to come through Playwrights’ Center during my 14-year tenure,” said Playwrights’ Center producing artistic director Jeremy B. Cohen. “Her writing is so sharp and clear, and she’s become an incredible part of the Twin Cities theatre community.”
Survival of the artists: Luzárraga said she simply wants what we all want for theatre: for it to survive, which starts with “robust theatre education for kids, season planning that prioritizes new plays for new audiences, and making theatregoing an immersive community experience, distinct from TV and film,” she said. “But let’s be honest, it also just means more money, so here’s to hoping for: 1) New funding streams, and 2) More appreciation for the kind of poor theatre that’s high-impact but relatively low-budget.”
Jenny Morris Eisenbraun (she/her)
Profession: Choreographer
Hometown: Grand Forks, N.D.
Current home: Minneapolis
Known for: Eisenbraun started as an assistant teacher at her mother’s ballroom dance studio when she was 14. Over the years, she’s worn many hats in the arts, from a folk singer touring around the United States and Canada to acting, performing jazz gigs, and working as a choreographer. She has choreographed a number of productions during her career, including Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Annie, and Damn Yankees. Most recently she has choreographed Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Show with Orthogonal Productions.
What’s next: Eisenbraun is currently choreographing Annie (for a second time) and her third year of The Rocky Horror Show (run dates to be announced). Next spring she will be choreographing the area premiere of Triassic Parq with Minneapolis Musical Theatre (March 22-April 13, 2025).
What makes her special: Brandon Caviness, artistic director of Orthogonal Productions, called Eisenbraun a gifted choreographer with a knowledge of classic performing art that borders on encyclopedic. “She has an ability to teach that is digestible and repeatable,” Caviness added. “So whether you have decades of dance experience or you’ve never danced a step, she can make you shine in all her numbers. She is my right arm in all the musicals I direct.”
All voices through movement: Eisenbraun credits her work with her mother’s dance studio when she was younger for helping her grow as an instructor, learning to communicate ideas in movement to people of all ages and abilities. “I truly believe that dance can be for everyone, and I will not gatekeep,” Eisenbraun said. “I love to challenge my cast, but also make them feel confident and empowered, to show them off to their greatest strengths so they look and feel their best! It is important to me that all voices be heard through movement. It is one small thing I can do.”
Sarah Bahr (she/her)
Profession: Costume and scenic designer
Hometown: Darwin, Minn.
Current home: Minneapolis
Known for: Bahr is known for her enthusiastic collaboration style when designing costumes and scenery for theatre, opera, and dance. She has worked with numerous Twin Cities theatre companies, ranging from large institutions like Minnesota Opera to smaller companies focusing on new work like Trademark Theater.
What’s next: Bahr will be collaborating with Trademark Theater as the costume and scenic designer on their new murder mystery farce The Reunion, by Tyler Michaels King and Tyler Mills, running Sept. 19-Oct. 12 at the Gremlin Theater. Bahr’s costume and scenic designs will be featured in the remount of Luzárraga and Prosek’s I Am Betty. Currently, she is working on operatic costume designs for the April 2025 opening of director Keturah Stickann’s reimagined Carmen at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
What makes her special: Bahr is “a genius, a wonderful teacher, extremely creative” and “a total rock star” in the eyes of Amanda Hinkle-Wallace, Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble’s director of education, who attended the University of Minnesota Duluth with Bahr and worked with Bahr for years in New York City. Christina Baldwin, artistic director of the Jungle Theater, added that Bahr is “a rare collaborator” based on her innate ability to understand the entirety of a production. “Whether it is a deliciously over-the-top character costume—credit to Sarah for getting a dog into Miss Bennet based on her renderings!—or the supremely dynamic, adaptable playgrounds she creates in a set holding great depth and delight (Redwood), I depend on Sarah to reveal truths to me that I hadn’t noticed and nurture the themes that I hope to see realized in the piece as a whole.”
Working together: Bahr is a strong advocate for pay and labor equity, breaking down barriers of entry, and diversifying the theatre design and technology fields in the Twin Cities. Bahr said she takes these values into the classrooms, where she teaches design courses at the University of Minnesota, Augsburg University, and Macalester College, training and mentoring the next generation of theatremakers. Bahr said she’s inspired by her collaborators. She believes in early design process meetings to collectively hone the vision for a piece and create the groundwork for her designs to grow from and evolve through the design and production process.
Wariboko Semenitari (they/them)
Profession: Actor
Hometown: Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria (with family from Rivers State in Nigeria)
Current home: St. Paul, Minn.
Known for: Semenitari was in the world premiere of JuCoby Johnson’s How It’s Gon’ Be with Underdog Theatre/Mixed Blood Theatre and Artistry Theater’s production of Godspell, directed by Vanessa Agness Brooks. Semenitari made their Guthrie Theater debut in their 2022 production of The Little Prince.
What’s next: They are currently working on a personal solo show, Bad Africans: A guide to being oshey and hardest in a f*cked up world, which received a workshop presentation this past July with Mixed Blood.
What makes them special: A number of fellow artists chimed in on Semenitari’s “sheer magnetism onstage,” as actor Grace Hillmyer put it. Actor Jay Alexander praised Semenitari’s work with the community, investing in the talents of those around them, calling Semenitari “a force to be reckoned with” who “fearlessly and unapologetically puts their whole self into their roles.” For audience member Hawa Turay, see Semenitari perform was “the first time I understood what it was like to watch someone embody a role. It wasn’t like I was watching a show; I was watching the character come to life and show me who they are.”
Forging their own path: Semenitari said Black queerness in the face of erasure inspired them to think outside of the box and create their own lane. “I think theatre culture has been rooted in whiteness,” Semenitari said, “and that soil pushes so many people away from it. I am interested in adding new chapters in the canon that allow space for Black bodies to be seen fully in all of our humanity onstage. I want to see more Black trans people onstage. We should not be rare or a spectacle but rather be seen fully in our light and rights on the stage.”
