Twin Cities theatre company creates space for older talent often overlooked by industry
In a city filled with stages, two women saw a glaring absence and turned it into a powerful presence.
When Alison Edwards and Shelli Place launched PRIME Productions in 2016, it started with a simple but urgent idea.
"There were about 60 theatres in town at that time. Out of all of those, there were five roles for women over 50. Five. We just said something's got to be done," Place, co-artistic director for PRIME Productions, said.
They did it, creating a theatre company where older women don't play background roles, they lead.
"To ultimately contribute to the culture and the narrative about women over 50, because they tend to be invisible," Edwards, co-artistic director for PRIME Productions, said.
"We like doing big themes. You're not going to see three mature women in a retirement village making pot brownies. That is not our jam," explained Place.
For its eighth season, the theme is family. It begins with "For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday", which focuses on five siblings reconnecting in the wake of loss, wrestling with aging, politics and what shaped them.
"They're grieving their father's death to having this political argument about 'slick Willie' among other things, but they still love each other. Suddenly, we have this very funny scene where all the family in their 60s and 70s are playing characters in Peter Pan," said Edwards, who also plays Ann/Peter Pan in the play.
The play is directed by Miriam Monasch, a longtime Twin Cities artist and lifelong Peter Pan fan.
"It touched me deeply in one way, and it also made me laugh out loud," Monasch said.
This production also marks a renewed effort to push creative boundaries once again.
"We've gone back to taking risk. When we first started out, we just said, 'OK, we're doing this.' We didn't have a theater. We didn't even have a name," Place said.
Their biggest accomplishment is creating space for seasoned talent that the industry often overlooks.
"I'm proud that we have given so many mature women work," Place said.
"And the fact that we are still here, and we are still producing and producing our most challenging season yet, is, I'm really proud of that," Edwards added.
"For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday" opens Saturday, Oct. 11 at Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. Tickets are available online.
