'Not Every Mountain'

Opens Saturday: The Rude Mechs, the playfully inventive Austin, Texas-based performing arts collective whose name nods to Shakespeare's clever fools in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," have presented shows at Walker Art Center in the past. Those works include "Lipstick Traces" (seen in 2002), their adaptation of Greil Marcus' rock 'n' roll history, and "The Method Gun" (seen in 2013), which interrogates violence in life and performance. Now the troupe is taking up temporary residence in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio. Starting this weekend, the company is doing a workshop production of "Not Every Mountain," a show described as a "meditation on change and permanence. ... Performers use simple elements like strings, cardboard and magnets to make giant mountains slowly shift and grow. "It's an interactive work, and the audience helps direct the show as seasons change. (7:30 p.m. Sat., 7 p.m. Sun., 7:30 p.m. next Fri. Ends July 15, Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Mpls., sold out.)

Rohan Preston