'Rachel Calof'

Opening: Minnesota Jewish Theatre likes to jump the gun a little on opening the season — with good results. This year, playwright Ken LaZebnik has adapted the memoir of a Jewish bride who emigrated from Russia to North Dakota in 1894 to marry a homesteader she had never met. They lived in a small shack with their children and his relatives. Rachel Calof's children discovered the memoir after her death. LaZebnik has written quite a few shows for Mixed Blood over the years, usually on sports themes or recently on the subject of autism. Kate Fuglei plays Rachel. Fuglei has worked at the Guthrie and LaJolla Playhouse, on the national tour of "Spring Awakening" and in film and television. (7:30 p.m. Thu., 8 p.m. Sat., 1 & 7 p.m. next Sun. $19-$28. Ends Aug. 25. Hillcrest Center, 1978 Ford Pkwy., St. Paul. 651-647-4315 or http://mnjewishtheatre.org.)