Southern Minnesota performers prepare for musical world premier

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Less than a week remains before a Minnesota original musical makes its debut at the Country Inn & Suites in Mankato.

With music composed in the Twin Cities and a cast and crew from the Mankato area, “People R Ready” will have its first public viewing in Mankato on Tuesday, before heading to the Twin Cities for the Minnesota Fringe Festival.

Producers said that they’re excited to have the opportunity to show what Mankato has to offer.

“It’s homegrown, it’s Mankato, and we’re excited about that. And our cast and our director and many of the management team are all from Mankato. So this really gives us a chance to showcase the kind of talent that is not only in the Twin Cities but here in Mankato,” producer James Gutzman said.

The show started its writing process over two years ago, and the plot revolves around the return of performing arts following the COVID-19 pandemic, a process that performers involved are all too familiar with.

Performers said that the idea of performing a show for the first time has created a buzz around the team.

“To something that’s totally new that no one has ever done before, it just makes a nice buzz every rehearsal we have. Because we know we’re going to go out there and do something brand new,” said actor and assistant director Julian McFarlane.

Performers and crew members are less than a week from debuting the show, and they believe that it’s finally time to show the state and the world what kind of talent Mankato has to offer.

“People would be surprised on how much creative, young and old, talent we have in Mankato. I just think that what we have going on in Mankato is like, almost like a diamond in the rough, a hidden jewel of talent that we have in this local community. I love the theatre community here a lot,” McFarlane said.

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