- Funding for this program is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.

♪ Its hard for girls like us ♪ ♪ We don't know who we trust ♪ ♪ Not even those we love ♪ ♪ 'Cause they don't know ♪ ♪ Stuck here ♪ - Coming to you from Rochester, Minnesota.

♪ So sick in my stomach ♪ R town.

♪ Is anybody there?

♪ ♪ Red light, red lights in the darkness ♪ The pandemic has limited all live events but the Rochester Civic Theatre isn't letting that stop them.

Check this out.

We're here to talk with upcoming virtual production gurus at this point, I think Misha Johnson and Eric Decker.

Thank you both for being here.

- Thanks for having us.

- Yes so excited to have you both.

Let's talk about this a little bit because I did throw in the guru.

You guys are obviously gurus when it comes to theatre, and producing plays.

But in a virtual platform that could be a bit challenging.

So first tell me what your role is in, for this.

And then we'll dig in to what production you're doing.

- My name is Misha Johnson.

I'm the interim managing director here at the Rochester Civic Theatre.

And we brought on Eric Decker to direct Romantic Fools.

- Very cool.

So it's a virtual production, which means that there are differences with how this goes down.

So first tell a little bit about Romantic Fools and how you're delivering it in a virtual platform.

- Sure.

This is a perfect play for Valentine's day.

There are nine reef skies it's posted as a comic vaudeville.

So a lot of people over the top broad humor.

And we're finding that this is still what people need as we're nearing the end of the time in quarantine.

We hope to laugh and to get together and have fun together.

So this, it tracks the relationship of a couple from the first blind date all the way through marriage and little snippets of scenes that I think all of us can relate to.

And the humor of these encounters.

- That's really cool.

And where is this being staged at?

- It's been pretty unique because we've we haven't built a traditional set.

We've actually reached out to the community.

And so we filmed at locations around town including Bleu Duck, Victoria's, Canvas and Chardonnay, even at one of the hotels in town as well as the Rochester Civic Theatre in found rooms throughout.

- Wow, what a great way to engage the community and also meet the needs of the community too, in how this is being delivered.

So, it's virtual, how are people going to be able to view this?

- You can purchase a ticket.

So by purchasing a ticket, luckily with this production it's through Broadway on Demand, which means that you can view it anytime between February 12th and the 14th.

So you can press play, at noon or you can watch it at the middle of the night, whenever you'd like.

And, so that makes it really accessible to everyone here in Rochester.

- That's really cool.

Okay.

So let's dig into like the background of how this was done.

You mentioned that you went to each of these sites there has to be some editing involved you know, videographer, all that good stuff.

So what was that process like and how did you record it?

And how's this different from normal productions?

- Well the first option, we could have filmed the entire thing on a constructed set at the Civic but we wouldn't be able to have the audience come in.

So we wanted the realism of something in real locations where people may be going on dates or having encounters with each other.

So Misha came up with the idea of let's use this as outreach 'cause everybody's being creative of how to make the arts work how to make their businesses work here in town.

So we started having conversations with Bleu Duck for example.

And saying, hey, we have a scene that takes place in a bar, can we work together?

And then they said, yes.

In fact, here's a dinner special that we can maybe provide some semblance of normality with the dinner in the show.

For the video, Tyler Argue is the videographer and he's been filming and it's been a very different process.

So our lighting, our sound, our costumes, our makeup the entire team is onsite distancing in mask as the filming is going on.

So it's been a very different experience and we're just finishing post-production now.

Which is a phrase you usually can't say in the stage theater.

So it's been a wonderful experience.

- That's really cool.

How long, I mean, we know that typically a play practice and all of that is what six weeks or something like that prior?

How long did it take to go from conception to, you know actually producing and having this rollout and then wrapping it up into this video at the end?

- About the same.

- Really?

It seems like it would take much longer, but it didn't.

Huh?

- We had zoom auditions.

We had zoom rehearsals, which are actually far more efficient because they just log on and they're already at home and they're not driving around.

And the schedule work.

And everybody that's cast in the show is already a couple.

So they're already with their own QuaranPIN.

And that worked really well.

And I think it was really special for the actors involved because it became their thing to do to.

They practice lines or be in rehearsal with their scene partner under the life partner.

So the process was really fun to go through.

Some actors we never even saw them until we were on location for the first time.

- Wow.

So it's different, but it's been a wonderful creative process.

- That's really cool.

Do you think that the Rochester Civic Theatre will continue with this in the future?

I mean, you know, the vaccine is here and you know things are gonna change and we're gonna get to some semblance of normalcy again, after the pandemic.

Do you think that this is gonna be some added feature that you're gonna offer?

- Wait, isn't it interesting to find this type of medium for live theater who would have ever thought we'd be filming live theater?

I never would have guessed it.

And you know, it's really actually up to the the houses, the play right houses and those who have the rights to those, those plays.

Because if they allow it, I would think that it would be a great thing to continue to offer here at the Rochester Civic Theater.

Especially for people who are homebound or who can't make it out or who don't feel comfortable.

I think it's a great offering and I I really hope that they continue to allow this to happen.

'Cause it's really been a wonderful addition for the community.

- Yeah.

It'll be interesting to see how they fold that into moving forward.

Definitely.

Okay.

So people can view the play at the Rochester Civic Theatre.

You'll have a link up then.

Yes, you can go to www.rochestercivictheatre.org and you can follow the link to the Broadway on Demand site.

- Okay, perfect.

Thank you so much.

Misha and Eric, you're fabulous.

I'm excited to see Romantic Fools.

(upbeat music) - Wish you'd have stick around.

We have much more coming your way on R Town Wale Elegbede stops by to talk about the future of the Rochester NAACP.

And we visit with Matt Arnold from Detour gym.

But at first we visit with an immigrant who lived in Germany during the second world war.

In this week's R Culture segment.

(upbeat music) - Karl Schuller was born in Romania in the early part of world war II.

In 1944, his father was drafted into the Romanian army leaving just he and his mother to fend for themselves.

Soon, Carl and his mother would be forced to leave their home in Romania.

September of 1944, the Russians started moving into Romania where we were living and my mother had to make a decision as to leave or stay behind.

And she decided that we're gonna leave.

The only thing we could do at that point was just take what else what we could carry.

- They fled to Hungary.

But when the Russians advanced into that country, Karl's family was forced to move again.

This time to Austria.

- You know, there was war going on around us and that was very scary and trying to get food and shelters.

- Throughout world war II.

And even after food was scarce.

To get food, most people had to barter for it.

And cigarettes were a valuable bartering currency.

Youngster, Karl would sometimes get cigarettes from American soldiers.

American G.Is came by, they'd drop cigarettes and flip over them.

And what we'd do, we'd pick up the stubs of cigarettes and take them home and dry them all over again.

Mom will restuff them, to introduce cigarettes and use the cigarettes that is barter for food.

- In Austria Karl's brother, Peter was born.

The family stayed in a small brick house on a farm next to some railroad tracks.

- When the house we lived in was close to some railroad sightings and there was a train of oil, basically train cars.

And this was Easter time.

And here it came the swarm of American airplanes right over the house and one actually one came so low.

The wheels clipped part of the roof.

And they shot that whole train on fire.

(upbeat music) But the scary part was#^, there especially was some of them were shooting both directions on the train.

That whole front part of the house was totally shot and full of bullets.

But that was kind of scary.

- Later, Karl and his brothers and mother would be reunited with the boys' father, Gustaf.

And they would move into an army barracks that had the thin walls, tarp roofs, no indoor plumbing and rats.

They lived there for several years.

Once during their time there, and prior to Karl's birthday, his parents asked him what he wanted.

He said, "get me to America, the rest is up to me."

- And when you live in that kind of situation you have nothing to lose.

So whatever from that point on forward, whatever it is you're bound to move up.

And especially once you got here you saw how hard everybody lived and on and on.

(upbeat music) So really to me, it was, really up to you.

If you wanted to get ahead or on a hat, 'cause you know all you only have to do is work for it.

- Six years after applying, the Schullers' application was approved.

Once in the US, Karl and his brother Peter learned English, went to college where Peter studied Business Administration and Economics and Carl studied Business Architecture and Marketing.

Several years after college, they got together and founded a construction company in Rochester called AB systems.

They went from living in a tarp shack to growing a tremendously successful business in America that employs more than 30 people.

- They've worked for and lived the American dream.

(upbeat music) - For more information about this story and other R Town features connect with us on Facebook, twitter @ksmq#RTown or ksmq.org/rtown.

♪ Oh, oh, I know ♪ ♪ We'Ve been taking some time from each other ♪ - Hello.

I am Amarachi Arakwe.

This is a brand new segment called R Spotlight.

For KSMQ Public Television.

We'd like to thank 125 Live for hosting.

Today we have Jennifer Schimek.

She'll be talking about her work as a Reiki Master in Rochester.

Not a lot of people are familiar with Reiki.

Could you explain what it is?

- Reiki is a form of energy healing.

It's an older Japanese technique where the energy that Reiki Master puts forth comes from the hands.

I sometimes will touch people very lightly but generally my hands just kind of float over and people will feel a sense of warmth, a sense of peace and relaxation.

I get those comments the most from all of my clients, the energy that I use I don't feel it comes directly from me.

So I'm not necessarily, oh, I'm working on you.

This is great.

It's a universal energy that flows through all life.

And that energy is directed by me on to the recipients.

- And what does the energy do on to the recipient?

- It's a very subtle, gentle energy technique.

What this energy can do for people varies depending on the needs of the person.

A lot of people with higher anxiety, depression or other mental issues will come to me and say how much better they feel after they've had Reiki treatment.

I also have people that will come with physical ailments upset stomach, headaches, things like that.

That can be treated pretty successfully with Reiki.

- For those are interested.

Where can we find you?

- My studio is located inside of 125 Live.

I have, I'm actually in my studio right now.

I have a really nice space.

It's a relaxing and peaceful and quiet.

People can reach me through my Facebook page.

Register Reiki retreat.

I also have a website.

They could also call 125 Live and they would get ahold of me there.

- Well thank you for being a guest on the show and thank you for tuning in to R Town Spotlight.

This is Amarachi Arakwe your moderator.

With KSMQ public television.

Huge thanks to 125 Live for hosting.

You can also catch up with us on Facebook or Twitter.

@KSMQ#RTown.

♪ Sometimes distance can bring ♪ ♪ Two people back together ♪ - In celebration of black history month.

Winona State University and Rochester Community and Technical College are presenting a series of online events to encourage participation and to engage in meaningful conversations about race.

Coming on February 16th at noon, you can attend the Allyship Workshop with Dr. Nancy ADdogoke focusing on facilitating conversation on allyship and community building.

And 2:00 PM.

You can attend the five steps to use your privileges, powers and talents to support black social justice movements hosted by Angela Sophia on February 23rd at 2:00 PM celebrate black leadership, black expression and black excellence at The Blackout.

The Blackout will include a live DJ experience original stories, spoken word and the hidden figure experience and 10 questions with an anti-racist educator.

All of these events are free to attend and will be hosted on zoom.

More information can be found on the Winona State University of Rochester Facebook page.

- Navigating who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and where and when and how to get it is very challenging right now.

So our locations maybe offering the vaccine and because the vaccines come to these locations in different ways each location may have variable amounts of supplies.

If you are a part of Phase 1A group which includes healthcare workers and long-term care residents.

You can receive a vaccine through a hospital, clinic or through the Olmsted County Public Health.

Long-term care residents and staff can also receive the vaccine at local pharmacies.

Pre-K through 12 teachers and staff and childcare providers can receive a vaccine from OCPs and then Minnesota Pilot Program.

If you're over the age of 65, you can receive the vaccine from local hospitals, clinics and pharmacies as well as the Pilot Program and State of Minnesota Community Vaccination Program.

The State of Minnesota has a new vaccine finder map to help residents search for local providers.

You're gonna wanna go there to find all the details.

@minnesotarmn.gov/COVID-19/vaccine.

When up next, we check in with Matt Arnold from Detour Gym in this week's Walkabout segment.

(upbeat music) Hello, this is Amarachi Orakwe with R Town Walkabout.

I'm here with Mark Arnold.

He's the owner of Detour Gym in Rochester.

- CrossFit is a method of training that encompasses basically all factors of fitness, so that, you know, like lifting running dynamic plyometric movements.

I mean, you think of like anything in the realm of fitness.

I mean, we basically include everything in CrossFit - Do you have a way of easing people who are not used to working out.

There's a couple of factors that we can start with.

One is just like with a coach.

And we do like some shadowing with our coaches.

So like the coach will be like with you for a couple of classes and just help you out.

Kinda help you with the lingual, to the movements, and kinda basically like personal training.

And then another Avenue that we we are starting to do, is just like a small beginners group class, you know just basically just like teaching them how to move like the way that we would like them to move.

- With the pandemic we're not able to be in social gathering.

So what safety measures have you guys implemented?

- So we have a lot of space.

We have about 10,000 square feet in our facility.

And basically each individual's allowed about 120 square feet of just like a workout space for themselves.

- What sets your gym apart from the rest of the gyms in Rochester?

- I would say it like, this sounds so cliche, but it's the community.

It's the people.

Like everyone's from a different background but when they're in the gym, it becomes like this community, this group.

And it doesn't matter who you are, what your religion or your political affiliation is.

Everyone is there to support each other.

And so it becomes like this really cool mesh of different individuals, but also like supporting each other.

- Thank you Matt For being here with us.

This is not Amarachi Arakwe with R Town Walkabout.

♪ Watching my heart beat out ♪ ♪ Trying not to freak out ♪ - With us today is the new president of The Rochester NAACP.

And we're excited 'cause Wale Elegbede is back again.

He was here previously.

We're gonna dig in a little bit about the NAACP welcome Wale.

No, I really appreciate it Danielle.

Excited for the opportunity again and just to talk about the NAACP.

Our mission, why are we here and how do you basically engage with us?

- Wow.

You already know the questions I'm gonna ask.

- Know what you're gonna ask?

- Pretty much okay.

Let's talk about the NAACP and what it is.

Because some people know but some people may not know the extent of it.

So what is the NAACP and what do they do?

So the NAACP, I mean stands for the National Association for Colored People.

And this was established in 1909.

'Cause it's the oldest and the largest civil rights organization.

So there's a lot of history, you know, when you talk about you know, Martin Luther King, you know, W.E.B Du Bois, a whole bunch of folks, you know, So, I mean these are really key people that have founded the NAACP and from the Voter Right Act, to a lot of really just important civil legislation.

You know?

So the NAACP has been involved in that, even from housing.

So yes, we are the oldest, you know.

We also say we're the baddest.

The oldest and the baddest.

The whole idea is, you know we wanna have social justice for all Americans.

But then also there means recognizing that look, you know we have a segment of our population you know, colored people, African-Americans, you know Hispanic Latinos.

They haven't been able to realize those three because of systemic issues.

And so the NAACP has really focused on that.

- That's perfect Wale.

and actually you touched on something that I think is really important.

Those tough issues that do come up they need to be addressed.

So how is the Rochester NAACP addressing the current social climate?

following the murder of George Floyd and handling the pandemic too.

- Yeah.

So we've taken an intentional approach to, you know figure out what our strategy is gonna be.

And you can already start to see some of that you know, we're more active online.

That's number one.

We are also in a really unique position.

Within Minnesota we have a huge opportunity and leadership within our branch that affects the whole Minnesota.

Now, what we've also been doing is, you know I had a conversation with a barbershop talk.

This was maybe two years ago.

People say, hey, Wale we're really excited that you doing really good.

How do we get that opportunity for everybody else.

Right?

And basically I share that, look I think there are two key things.

There's really, we need to have quality jobs for everybody and we need to have quality education.

And it's so aligns with our, you know our national NAACP goals.

So we need to provide more opportunities for folks.

I mean, you look at DMC, you know, great plan, but you know, when you look at it in terms of how many minority owned businesses are or people are colored that work in there, it's really abysmal.

Right?

And you look at it from even from the city's perspective.

For construction workers.

So we have a lot of opportunities, right?

And so that's where we're really focused on really collaborate with businesses and organizations.

So the jobs is one, and you look at Rochester turn within just our local concerns.

I've had lots of parents reach out to me.

Our kids are being treated unfairly.

And this is not even just one parent saying that.

We know that, you know, discipline disparities in Rochester is extremely bad, right?

I mean, there've been published cases where you have students of color that are taking classes that are not gonna count or help towards graduation rates.

Why are we doing that?

So we have a lot of opportunities from jobs, from, you know from education and representation, representation matters you know, not a lot of African-American and people of color in boards but we have the expertise.

So, those are some of the things that we are actively looking at.

And, I think this Friday or this Saturday will be a great opportunity to also, you know, like bring in outside perspective.

We're gonna have the attorney general Keith Ellison and, you know, for black history month.

And so just even sharing that.

So we are really engaged.

We are pumped and, but we can't do it all.

So, you know, I say, you know, the NAACP is for you, right?

If you're interested in social justice, if you're interested in making sure that we have opportunities for all of our kids, you know, definitely engage with us.

And we were a diverse group and a lot of expertise.

It's not just for the guys in the suit and tie.

And I'm glad that I actually took off this.

(both laugh) It's not just for the guys in suit and tie, it's really for everybody.

So, - Now, it is black history month.

I'm glad you brought that up.

How's the NAACP in Rochester helping to promote that.

- Oh, it's fantastic.

I mean, we have jam packed events.

So last week we had our COVID 19 town hall panel and basically we called it I think it's called the 'COVID-19 vaccine, just a fax and why should I trust you?'

And really the title says it all.

There's been this historical distrust with healthcare.

And so we wanted to make sure that look people understand what the vaccine is.

Is it safe?

And we brought in top experts from Mayo clinic and you know, a lot of also diverse doctors and physicians.

And I felt that was a, that we made some significant movement in terms of building that trust.

You know, so I felt that.

So that was last week.

This week on Saturday, we'll have Dr. Keith Ellison.

And then the week after that, we're gonna have it's gonna be the same title but from the youth perspective 'cause So our youth are our leaders and they're really leading.

And so basically we're gonna have a conversation with our youth leaders.

Another lady that, she lives in Minneapolis, Winona State University but essentially dealing with the death or murder of George Floyd.

Her face became iconic all over the world.

We're gonna have a conversation with her in terms of what really made her, you know, basically come out.

And then the last event that we're having is about the knowledgeable.

And that is for K-12, where we just, you know, talk about African-American history and just teach people about, you know, just the history.

But I mean, it's really this, I mean, the whole reason for black history month is really there's African-Americans for the most part.

When you look at the history, they've been on the on the footnotes where there's been a lot of invention there's been a lot of creativity.

But you do not tell them the stories.

So that's why we do a black history.

Just to really share all the contributions that make our country so great.

- You bring up such excellent points.

And as always, I appreciate you being on the show.

We're going to share where people can gather this information from the NAACP Rochester website.

Thank you so much, Wale for being here.

- No thank you Danielle.

- I appreciate you so much.

- Yes, absolutely.

For more wonderful content produced right here in Rochester please be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter and hashtag R Town be well and be safe.

We'll see you next time on R Town, the show fot Rochester.

♪ Not even the ones we love ♪ ♪ They don't know ♪ ♪ Trying to numb this pain ♪ ♪ 'Cause we don't wanna get hurt again ♪ ♪ Left alone out in the rain ♪ ♪ They don't know oh ♪ ♪ It's hard for us ♪ ♪ For girls like us ♪ ♪ 'Cause they don't, they don't know ♪ ♪ It's hard for us ♪ ♪ For girls like us ♪ ♪ 'Cause they don't, they don't know ♪ (upbeat music) - Funding for this program, is provided in part by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.