Next up at the 5th and D Street Theater…

Redwood Curtain Theatre presents

Special Performances:

• Thursday performances are "pay what you can" - September 17 and October 8 at 8p

• On Friday, September 25 and Sunday, October 4, there will be talk back" sessions with the audience after the performance. Anyone who wishes to stay is welcome.

Redwood Curtain Statement Regarding The Minutes

Our production of The Minutes has led to concerns and controversy, and we are sorry for the hurt that has resulted.

We are taking the time to listen, rectify, and understand. We thank the artists and members of our community for their willingness to help us learn and grow.

We recognize that there are aspects of this process that should have been handled differently, including when and how we sought outside perspectives and resources.

We apologize.

Our next steps will focus on addressing the harm, learning, and finding a way forward together. As a beginning, we are adding a second facilitated talkback on Sunday, October 4th, providing resources in the lobby that support Native American communities, and planning a public decompression conversation after the production closes. These are initial steps, and we remain committed to listening with care and taking additional responsible steps as this work continues.

Tracy Letts’ The Minutes is a dark comedy set entirely during a small-town city council meeting, where newcomer Mr. Peel asks relentlessly about the missing minutes from a previous session and the sudden absence of a fellow council member. The play, initially a sharp satire of petty local politics and bureaucracy, builds to a sinister, shocking revelation about the town's historical foundation. This play is a powerful modern allegory for how communities choose to remember or deliberately conceal uncomfortable truths about their past, particularly regarding their treatment of marginalized people. Ultimately, the play explores the lengths people will go to preserve their comforting, curated narratives of history and maintain power.

"Astonishing... a pitch black comedy about the current state of American politics."
~ Chicago Sun Times

"The Minutes is also quite funny, silly even... But the questions Letts poses –
what are you willing to do, what are you willing to ignore, what are you willing
to forget to preserve your ‘cocoon of comfort’? – are provocative. And perennial."
~ Daily Herald

Content Advisory: The Minutes examines white supremacy, racism, historical erasure, and violence against Indigenous people, including a depiction of massacre. The play contains racist stereotypes and uncensored racial language, including a slur rooted in both anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism. It also includes references to sexual harassment. These elements are presented as part of the play’s critique of racism and the deliberate concealment of historical violence.

This production also uses flashing and strobe lighting, as well as sudden blackouts.

Production Note: Neither the playwright nor Redwood Curtain Theatre represents or speaks on behalf of the Lakota people.