The white stone steps of the state Capitol overflowed with political theater Tuesday morning, with characters ranging from clergy members and little old ladies to the usual dueling pols and a fed up state employee.

Democrats were the first to take to the stairs, with a motto ("Courage to Compromise"), a gimmick (six empty chairs to represent the six Republicans who would need to join House DFLers to pass a budget), and some sad stories.

"Don't shutdown my house. We need care very bad," said Michael Vernell, a resident of a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Democrats say that Republicans' budget would cut services to disabled adults. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said he and his colleagues were looking for Republicans to help pass a budget with a "millionaire tax," which would raise taxes on those making $1 million or more a year, to end the shutdown. He didn't offer the names of any Republicans who had expressed interest in joining that call and acknowledged that Republican leaders have said they wouldn't let such a vote come to the House floor. UPDATE: Later in the day House Speaker Kurt Zellers predicted flatly, "there are not six members of the caucus who are going to cross over and vote for a tax increase." Next up on the Capitol steps were three Republican senators, crowing about the fact the the Minnesota Supreme Court had scheduled a hearing later this month on a suit that contends it is unconstitutional for courts to make spending decisions on keeping some government operations running during the state shutdown. Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, called the court decisions that continue to be issued "an unprecedented power grab" because "the Legislature has to make the budget.." As he was winding down, Limmer was angrily confronted by Chris Lapakko, who's been laid off for the 12 days of the shutdown from his job at the state Driver and Vehicle Services office in Eagan. "Do your job or give me your paycheck," he roared. "I'm not paying you guys to file lawsuits." After being berated for a couple of minutes, Limmer hastily wrapped up his press conference. As he did so, a couple dozen elderly men and women marched onto the steps, toting hand-written signs. Members of a tour group organized by Florida-based Grand Edventures, they had planned to tour the Capitol and the state History Center but found themselves locked out. "There were lots of places we were hoping to go to, but they're all closed," said tour organizer Alice Verona. "So we decided on a spur-of-the moment protest." Among the signs: "We came to tour, open your doors," "We feel shortchanged" and "Don't lock us out -- our time is running out." On woman waved a sign behind Limmer, who was still doing one-on-one interviews. "We want to see your museums," it read. A few minutes later, dozens of clergy members gathered on the Capitol's west steps, to speak out against the continuing stalemate between Gov. Mark Dayton and the Legislature's Republican majority. Behind a tableau of loaves and fishes and milk and honey, they demanded what the Rev. Paul Slack, who heads the clergy caucus of the activist group ISAIAH, "a just budget ... We as a state are stuck in a divide between the haves and have-nots." More than 230 clergy members have signed a letter calling on Dayton and legislators to "choose love, abundance and mercy." It says Minnesota's poorest and most vulnerable residents are being hurt the most by the government shutdown, echoing several of Dayton's positions in the impasse. "This is not primarily a budget crisis," the letter continues. "It is not primarily a revenue crisis. It is a moral crisis." They presented a copy of the letter to Tina Smith, Dayton's chief of staff, who had come to the rally. Then they marched to the locked State Office Building, where a Republican staffer accepted copies that she delivered to the offices of Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers. While waiting, they sang "dona nobis pacem" -- "grant us peace." As he watched the clergy members' rally, Lapakko said he plans to return to the Capitol "every day until this shutdown is over with. This is getting old." Rachel E. Stassen-Berger contributed to this post.