Solo shows take over two stages

At the end of her celebrated revival of "No Child … " in 2010, Sonja Parks swore off one-person shows. The actor had been honored with an Ivey Award for her deft portrayals of a teacher and her students in Nilaja Sun's one-act play. But Parks missed the camaraderie of having castmates.

"I got into theater because I love to work with other people — to play," she said. "It was kind of lonely in the dressing room with no one else to vibe off."

Parks got requests for solo shows but turned them down.

"I'd done it and didn't want to repeat myself," she said.

Four years later, Parks is starring in the premiere of the stage adaptation of Paul Fleischman's "Seedfolks," a one-person show in which she plays 11 major characters. What changed?

The offer. Officials at Children's Theatre brought Parks in early, and have allowed her to use all her creative skills. Parks had input at a level unusual for an actor. She made suggestions in script development, design, even in directing.

"This is not just a solo show but something that allows me to come into my own as a full artist," said Parks. "Peter [Brosius, artistic director] and Elissa [Adams, literary manager] wanted a partner, and they got one."

Fleischman's play centers on an urban garden that revives and heals a community. An 11-year-old girl plants something in honor of a parent, and pretty soon, she is joined in her efforts by other community members with origins in Europe and Asia and the American South.

Parks keeps her characters straight, at least in rehearsal, by highlighting their lines in different colors. After that, it's just practice makes perfect.

"You rehearse enough and it gets in your cell memory," she said.

What also is different for this show is the target audience.

"Kids are ridiculously honest," she said. "Adults may sit and clap politely, but kids will let you know whether or not you're engaging them."

"I'm coming into my soul being as an artist with this show," she said. "It feels really good."

7 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 2 & 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Ends Nov. 16, Children's Theatre, 2400 3rd Av. S., Mpls., $10-$53, 612-874-0400, www.childrenstheatre.org.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390

By Graydon Royce  graydon.royce@startribune.com

Jeffrey Hatcher wanted to be clear: "Jeffrey Hatcher's Hamlet" is not the playwright's adaptation of Shakespeare's essential tragedy. He has faced that misconception from some audiences that have watched the 75-minute one-man show — starring Hatcher.

Hatcher launched his play last year during Fresh Ink at Illusion Theater, took it on tour around Minnesota last March and now brings it back to Illusion for a monthlong run.

Consistent with Hatcher's wit, the show takes a droll look at a seminal experience in his theatrical career: the time in fifth grade when he adapted, directed and performed "Hamlet" with his classmates. His teacher had done plays with the class — more in the skill set of fifth-graders — but Hatcher got it into his head to take over the process.

"A large part of it was me wanting to show off," he said. "I was doing an Orson Welles thing before I knew who Orson Welles was — other than the guy on Dean Martin roasts."

Hatcher had not read "Hamlet" as an 11-year-old, but he drew inspiration from a Classics Illustrated version and the Laurence Olivier film "Hamlet." It was all shrouded and moody, perfectly Gothic and ghostly for a kid drawn to the dark side of the Carnegie library in Steubenville, Ohio.

Hatcher said he has not a single memento from his early triumph. That, however, might change. He connected with a classmate on Facebook who said he thought his mother had saved a copy of Hatcher's script. The playwright said in an interview that he was waiting anxiously to see if this reported grail did in fact exist.

"It's a lot more fun than writing," he said. "The rehearsals at the Jungle were hard, but this is easier. If I can't remember a line, I can rewrite it."

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat. and Thu., 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 25; Illusion Theater, 528 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., $20-$40, 612-338-4944, illusiontheater.org.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-729