THE ROOT BEER LADY
HISTORY THEATRE Original Production 2023 & Remount 2025 Written & Performed by Kim Schultz Original Director Addie Gorlin-Han Remount Director Jess Yates Scenic & Projection Content Design Chelsea M. Warren Costume Design Sarah Bahr Lighting Design Chris Johnson Sound Design & Composition Katharine Horowitz Video Design Leslie Ritenour Properties Manager Abbee Warmboe Technical Director Gunther Gullickson Production Photography Rick Spaulding & Bill Kuykendall
critical response below
Cherry and Spoon, “This is one of the more beautiful and effective designs I've seen at the History Theatre, with all
elements working together to really create the feeling of the BWCAW. Framed by the trunks of tall trees, Dorothy's cabin on the right side of the stage is represented by a wall full of vintage photographs, kitschy signs, and tools. The open space on the left allows for the gorgeous backdrop to be seen, an optical illusion in which a fence of weathered boards is painted to look like the far side of a lake with reflections in the water. Behind the fence is projected a sunny sky, or the pink clouds of sunset, or the stars at night, corresponding to lighting changes, so that if you squint a little, you almost feel like you're on Knife Lake. Even the floor around the stage is painted blue, with the posts of a dock leading off of it on one side and a vintage canoe on the shore, transforming the thrust stage into Dorothy's island. Completing the transformation is the sound design, with various and specific sounds of nature coming from all around the theater, adding to that feeling of being surrounded by wilderness. Director Jess Yates (based on the original direction by Addie Gorlin-Han) utilizes the space well as Dorothy moves around to all areas of the stage, not simply sitting and telling her story, and the transitions between scenes and decades are smooth and clear, with scenes differentiated by a change in lighting, or a snippet of music played on the guitar. Dorothy is dressed in simple jeans and button down shirt, with that familiar red plaid flannel shirt and winter gear added in some scenes as we move through the seasons. (Costume design by Sarah Bahr, set design by Chelsea M. Warren, lighting design by Chris Johnson, props design by Abbee Warmboe, video design by Kathy Maxwell, sound design by Katharine Horowitz.)”
Stages of MN, “While it’s definitely Schultz’s show, she gets some wonderful assistance with the production. Chelsea M. Warren’s set is a wonderful combination of Molter’s cabin and the outdoors with large tree trunks towering into the rafters and a canoe beached on the shoreline. Leslie Ritenour’s video design creates a background that changes the season, shows us the beautiful blue skies of a sunny day and the millions of stars in the night sky. Finally, Katharine Horowitz sound design creates an aurel soundscape that engulfs the audience. The constant sound of the lake, the animals sounds and the wind that accompanies a blizzard are just a few of the touches that stand out and help create the illusion of being up north with Dorothy.”
Talkin’ Broadway, “The scenic design by Chelsea M. Warren and lighting design by Chris Johnson are lovely, capturing the rustic, wild feel of the BWCA, the provisions crammed into Dorothy's cabin, and the expansiveness of the sky, whether in the daylight or in the evening filled with stars. Shultz gives a beautifully realized performance of Dorothy's sincere wonder at the beauty of the remote Isle in her first visit. Dorothy was a great lover of wildlife, frequently interacting with wild animals on her island, and the sound design by Katherine Horowitz evocatively portrays the movement of nature around her, most humorously when birds fly into Dorothy's hair.”
Pioneer Press, Rob Hubbard: “The action takes places on a Chelsea M. Warren set that evokes both the interior of Molter’s cabin and the shoreline outside. Leslie Ritenour’s projections and Chris Johnson’s lighting magically transform rugged staves of wood into a row of pines and their watery reflections, as well as barriers against creeping fog and blustery snow.”