Fall season preview: October

On Tuesday I took a look at the fall arts season, and put together a list of what I'm most excited about in the coming months. The list was so long I decided to break it down into two parts. So while on Tuesday you got my picks for September, here's my list for October and November (FYI many venues have yet to book November, so that list is a bit short).

October

The Walker Art Center presents "Dark Matters" October 14 - 16, a blend of dance and puppetry. The title refers both to astrophysics and human impulses, exploring the idea of undetectable forces at work in cosmology. In it an artist creates a puppet with fateful results...

Ballet of the Dolls choreographer Myron Johnson asks "Whatever happened to... Swan Lake?" and gives us his own answer October 15 - 30 at Ritz Theater in Minneapolis. Continuing his pursuit of high drama and larger-than-life personalities, Johnson has created his own hybrid of "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?" and "Swan Lake."

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Billed as a dark tale of two sisters who let jealousy and career ruin their lives, I'm thinking Johnson should have been brought in to consult on the new movie "Black Swan."

October 19 - Bob Mould plays acoustic at the Dakota.

Strife, love, class conflict, murder and canned peas - this is what happens when a University brings together wildly creative people from different disciplines onto the same staff. The Woyzeck Project features the talents of Luverne Seifert, Carl Flink, and Michael Sommers along with the dancers of Black Label Movement. On October 22, the Southern Theater will be transformed into the tangled mind of Georg Büchner, author of the play Woyzeck, and audience members will have the opportunity to create their own stories as they wander from room to room.

Is it possible to defy the fate that the universe, and society, have consigned to you? Starting October 29, Ten Thousand Things presents Life Is a Dream by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, in which a prince must do just that. It's a storyline that's bound to resonate with TTT's audiences, whether they're in homeless shelters, prisons, or the Minnesota Opera Center.

Want to listen to some of the brightest young talent in the world of classical music? Osmo Vanska conducts "future classics" on October 29.

http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/season/event_detail.cfm?id_event=1011005

Disclaimer: this is by no means a comprehensive list, and yes, it reflects my personal taste. Want to give a shout out to a show not listed here? You can always leave a comment. The more, the merrier!