Hibbing Community College Theatre Director Mike Ricci has announced a major fundraising benefit for HCC Theatre, featuring the return of the original Blues Brothers who performed on the HCC Theatre stage in 2004. This event will be held at Hibbing High School Auditorium on Thursday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds go to funding assistance for the HCC Theatre program, which has been hit hard with the recent budget cuts from MNSCU.

In the wake of Mike Ricci’s announcement that he will be leaving HCC to pursue another opportunity down in the Twin Cities, the budget crisis has forced the college to make some difficult decisions. Amidst cutbacks in several areas, the search for a new theatre teacher and director had been suspended. However, with the help of a dedicated task force made up of community and college members, a workable solution has been agreed upon that will allow the college to hire a qualified candidate to take over the program. Since the current budget may still be hit with more cuts, the decision was made to make fundraising a part of this solution, thereby providing some outside revenues should the college not have the necessary funds to cover the theatre program.

“I am happy to see the community come together to arrive at an equitable solution to this crisis,” said Ricci. “The support from people up and down the Iron Range has been amazing. Doing this benefit is our way of showing our thanks, while also allowing people to help out in a tangible way.”

The show will be divided into two acts, with the first half featuring highlights from past HCC Theatre productions, including live performances from the recent hits The Pirates of Penzance, Beauty and the Beast, Phantom, Born Yesterday, and others. The second half will be a concert featuring the entire Blues Brothers Band, and the return of Jake and Elwood Blues, played by Jason Scorich and Jaime Tintor, who will be reprising their roles from the original production. Tintor will be flying in from Los Angeles, where he currently lives and works, to do the show, and both he and Jason are excited about the prospect of doing the show and being re-united on stage once again. When first produced at HCC Theatre in 2004, The Blues Brothers played to sold-out audiences every night, and it was even taken to the Reif Center in Grand Rapids, where it sold out as well. “This is an opportunity to re-live that magic, and to be part of what makes live theatre so special,” said Ricci.

Tickets to this special event are $20 for adults, and $10 for children, students with ID’s and seniors. There will be a goodwill box for donations available at the benefit as well. Tickets can be purchased at The Howard Street Booksellers in downtown Hibbing, Reed Drugs in Grand Rapids and Schmitt Music in downtown Virginia, or they can be reserved through the HCC Theatre Box Office by calling 218-262-7377. If you or anyone else would like to contribute to the Theater program’s fundraising efforts but cannot attend the performance, please consider sending a donation to:

HCC Theater Program
c/o Mike Ricci
1515 East 25th Street
Hibbing, MN 55746

For more information, contact Mike Ricci at (218) 262-7377. Help keep quality live theater alive during these tough times! Thank you.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s rollicking, merry romp is brought to life on the HCC Theatre stage in all its pomp and glory. Based on the production made popular by the New York Shakespeare Festival Production starring Kevin Kline as the Pirate King and Linda Ronstadt as Mabel, this fun-filled tale features a band of inept pirates led by their swashbuckling Pirate King, a group of innocent maidens, their father the Major General, and a group of Keystone cops who try to keep the peace. When Mabel (one of the daughters) falls in love with Frederic (a young pirate bound to serve the Pirate King), complications arise and high-spirited antics abound. Don’t miss out on what is sure to become an audience favorite that will be fun for the whole family.

April 23-May 3

For Tickets:

‘Tis the season for holiday celebration! Hibbing Community College presents thee entertaining shows this December perfect for the whole family. Don’t miss these exciting upcoming performances:

First off, Northland Broadway Youth Theater, presents its Christmas show “The Shoemaker and the Elves” December 4, 5 and 6.

This is the classic story of the poor but kind shoemaker who helps out an old beggar woman by giving her his last pair of shoes. Left with only enough material to make just a single pair, he sets out his material to wok on the next morning and upon his excit, five eccentric and endearing elves come out and create the most incredible an dmagical shoes. music and songs fill this holiday show that will entertain the whole family.

As part of the Cultural Event Series, Ragamala Dance Company brings the culture of India to the HCC stage.December 11, 7:30pm.

This performance of one of the most accomplished Indian dance companies in the United States is apart of a very special event highlighting the culture and customs of India….Ragmala has gained a well-deserved international reputation: their work having been featured around the world including St. Petersburg, Russia; Taiwan, Indonesia and throughout the U.S.

Finally, the Reif Center Dance Company presents a Christmas Classic: Nutcracker Sweets. A classic that has “entertained children and adults alike for over a hundred years, and is always a holiday favorite.” The beatiful music and dancing are sure to arouse your Christmas Spirit! Saturday, December 20, 2pm & 7pm.

Contact HCC Theater:

Phone: 218-262-7377
Email: michaelricci@hibbing.edu
Web: www.hibbing.edu/programs/department/theater

Playwright Friedrich Durrenmatt once said, “A story is not finished, until it has taken the worst turn.”  As I consider our current American story, one plagued by the panderers of Washington and Wall Street, I wonder if we’ve taken that turn.  Things are bad and seem to be getting worse.

That’s not the case, however, at Hibbing Community College where their theatre production of Durrenmatt’s “The Visit”-a play that won the Swiss dramatist international acclaim-may be one of the best shows Director Michael Ricci has staged to date.  Although the play was written fifty-two years ago and set in a once-thriving-but-now-impoverished European place, Ricci’s production is topical, gripping and delivers a powerful dose of drama that strikes, oh, so close to home; yet, at the same time, this tragic play has a comic edge that makes us laugh at the absurdity of our human condition. Through the art of the theatre, Ricci and his HCC production team deftly hold the proverbial mirror up to nature, reflecting images that force us to take an honest look at ourselves, with the hope that we will learn from the mistakes of the past, value accountability, and not lose our goodness.

The premise of this odd love story involves a visit back home by a wealthy woman (played by Suzanne Dustrude Starr) who forty years ago suffered an injustice at the hands of one Anton Shill (Joe Galatz), and now wants to offer the town salvation from its poverty and debt by exacting a condition, the life of her former lover.  Both Starr and Galatz-she, in her colorful and eccentric obsessions; he, in his bland earnestness and growing paranoia-offer skilled performances that lend credibility and pathos to these characters.

And, though most of the ensemble worked well together to create believable characterizations, a few notable performances stood out among the others: Zach Morgan and Marty Rice, along with Steven Zubich and Leland Brenholt, showed accomplished finesse in their roles.  I should also mention that the whole ensemble- though some of the younger, more inexperienced actors, have not learned the importance of diction and the fundamentals of voice on stage-worked well in the multiple roles assigned to each, along with the additional burden of carrying out some marvelous scene change choreography.

Finally, I salute Mr. Ricci and his production team for the kind of work that has earned the reputation of the “Flagship” of area theaters.  It is a well-deserved tag.  The community, the college and all of those involved in “The Visit” should be very proud of this small piece of theatre that carries such a profound message.

Voted best foreign play of the year by the NY Drama Critics Circle, the NY Times called it ‘a devastating drama’. A wealthy woman returns to her poverty stricken home town and offers them a huge sum of money to help them out of their economic hardships. But there’s one condition: she wants the life of one of the men in town who years ago had caused her to be expelled from the town in disgrace. The mayor of the town stands up for justice and humanity saying they will never give in to her demands, but she has one thing on her side - time. Don’t miss what is sure to be one of the most thought-provoking plays ever to be seen on the HCC Theatre Stage. This play will be entered in the annual Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

October 23-November 2

Contact HCC Theatre: To get up to the minute information on shows, answers to questions on theatre courses offered in the program, ticket reservations for upcoming performances, or any other theater-related questions:
Tel: 218-262-7377
Email: michaelricci@hibbing.edu
HCC Theatre Web Site