Arts News
FREE Outdoor Immersive Theater Coming to Hallock June 27
Outdoor, Immersive Theater in Hallock June 27
FARM A new immersive outdoor theater experience from Sod House Theater
Celebrate the Return of Summer with Outdoor Theater in Rural Hallock
Far North Spirits — Rural Hallock
2045 220th Avenue, Hallock MN 56728
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Performance begins at 7:00 PM
Food Truck at 6:00 PM
“Each day I go into the fields to see what is growing and what remains to be done. It is always the same thing: nothing is growing, everything needs to be done.”
— The Farmer by W.D. Ehrhart
Sod House Theater, the Minneapolis-based company known for creating immersive, community-engaged performances in rural spaces, announces the summer tour of FARM, a moving theatrical meditation on small family farming in Minnesota, including rural Hallock.
Blending music, dance, storytelling, and large-scale visual imagery, FARM explores the labor, rituals, joys, and uncertainties of agricultural life. Featuring Twin Cities artists alongside local community performers, the production invites audiences to reflect on farming traditions, food accessibility, and Minnesotans’ relationship to the people who grow their food.
Through a series of vivid theatrical vignettes, audiences will encounter scenes of hard work in the fields, family meals, celebrations, storms, dance, and play — culminating in a music-filled “ghost grove” honoring the past, present, and future of farming in Minnesota.
Performed outdoors at working farms and community gathering spaces, FARM offers audiences an immersive journey through the landscapes and stories that shape rural Minnesota.
Ticket information and reservations are available at Sod House Theater Tickets & Information
Audience
Audience members will be guided to four different locations throughout each site during the performance. The experience includes walking and standing, so guests are encouraged to bring:
A lawn chair or blanket
Comfortable walking shoes
An umbrella or weather protection for sun or rain
Parking will be available. In the event of severe weather, performances may be canceled. Cancellation notices will be posted on the Sod House Theater website and emailed to ticket holders. Rain locations may be used.
About Sod House Theater
Founded in 2011 by co-artistic directors Darcey Engen and Luverne Seifert, Sod House Theater is now in its 16th season of collaborating with Minnesota communities to create imaginative, site-specific performance events.
The company has produced acclaimed reimaginings of classics including The Cherry Orchard, The Visit, Peer Gynt, and Urinetown, alongside original productions such as Hoopla Train with Yard Master Yip and His Polkastra and Arla Mae’s Booyah Wagon.
Sod House Theater selects touring works for their relevance to small-town communities and stages them in nontraditional venues that connect deeply to local history and culture.
For more information, visit Sod House Theater Official Website
Created by Darcey Engen and Luverne Seifert
Choreography by Berit Ahlgren
Original Music by Jenna Wyse and Christopher Hepola
Media Contacts: Darcey Engen, 612-281-8998, darcey@sodhousetheater.org
Luverne Seifert, 612-414-2032, luverne@sodhousetheater.org
Potential Changes to K-12 Arts Teacher Licensing
Potential Changes to
K-12 Arts Teacher Licensing — Minnesota State Arts Board invites your input
Perpich Center for Arts Education and
the Minnesota Department of Education consider
potential changes to K-12 arts teacher licensing
Your voice matters! The Minnesota State Arts Board invites your input on arts educator licenses, and hopes you will fill out this survey and attend an info session.
Survey Links
Dance & Theater Licensure Survey
Background: The arts teaching licensure standards have not been updated in over 20 years. These are the subject area knowledge and skills that a candidate for arts licensure must demonstrate either by completing a PELSB-approved teacher preparation program or via portfolio. Perpich Center for Arts Education, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) are collaborating to lead the review and possible revision of the arts teaching licensure standards. As part of this process, some changes to teacher licensing may occur.
Revising these requirements to adequately reflect the evolving needs of K-12 students, schools, and communities is an important undertaking. This process presents a great opportunity for input from the field, and the results of this process will have an impact on the future of arts education in our state. There are many steps to this process, and the public will be able to engage in it several ways over the next few years.
Current Proposals: Over the past year, a steering committee of arts education leaders has worked to offer guidance on structural changes needed before the review and revision of existing arts teaching licensure standards. The Steering Committee discussed three main topics: media arts, music, and the dance and theater combined license. After extensive deliberation, the committee came to agreement on these recommendations:
Discontinue the Vocal and Classroom Music and the Instrumental and Classroom Music licenses, replacing them with a single Music license—with specialization options embedded within the standards.
Create a Media Arts license.
Retain the Dance & Theater license alongside the Dance license and Theater license.
They are now gathering public input on these recommendations.
What can you do now? Share your feedback on recommended changes to arts licenses in the survey(s) (find links below). The deadline to complete this survey is 10/19/2025.
How can you learn more? Attend a virtual information session (registration required - click on the links below to register):
Sept 22, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 30, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 24, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 29, 4:00-5:30 PM
Sept 23, 4-5:00 PM
Oct 1, 4:-5:00 PM
Oct 5, 4:00 - 5:30 PM
Additionally, information on the rationale and considerations for each proposal can be accessed in the Arts Licensing Update Memorandum, and the survey links.
Current Licensure Standards in the Arts
What will happen next? Once the survey is complete and the data is analyzed, writing workgroups for the arts licensure standards will be formed. Applications for joining a workgroup are expected later this fall or winter. After the workgroups are formed, they will begin the process of developing draft recommendations to be submitted to PELSB.
Please complete this survey so your voice can be heard.
For more information, contact:
Max Clark-Vail, max.clark@pcae.k12.mn.us
Leadership & Data Specialist, Perpich Center for Arts Education
Alina Campana, Alina.Campana@state.mn.us
Arts Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education