Main Stage Showroom
Sue Scott’s Island of Discarded Women w/ Sheila O’Connor & Jonatha Brooke +
Main Stage Showroom 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN, USDinner and cocktail seating and service begins 1 hour before showtimes. An Audacious Variety Show Amplifying Women’s Voices! Excited to welcome author Sheila O’Connor as our special guest! Her book “Evidence of V” chronicles her search for the truth about her grandmother who was incarcerated at Sauk Centre in 1935 for being pregnant at 15. Musical guest Jonatha Brooke and playwright Laurie Flanigan Hegge are currently writing and composing a musical bringing to life the story of V. We will be featuring songs from this powerful and poignant musical. Begging the question of how young pregnant women and girls are treated within the prison system today, Autumn Mason, a doula with the MN Prison Doula Project, will share her insights based on her personal experience of giving birth while incarcerated. + Actor Silvia Pontaza, singer/songwriter Zippy Laske and Host Sue Scott! Sue Scott: Host Sheila O’Connor: Special guest Jonatha Brooke: Musical guest Autumn Mason: Guest Contributor Laurie Flanigan Hegge: Guest Contributor Silvia Pontaza: Actor Zippy Laske: Singer/Songwriter + Live Real-Time Captioning available at this show. Bring your smartphones! Creator, host Sue Scott is a veteran actor, who for 24 years was the female cast member on the public radio show A Prairie Home Companion. Since 2019, Sue has been thoroughly immersed in producing Island of Discarded Women live show & podcast. Special guest Sheila O’Connor is an award-winning author of six novels. Her most recent, Evidence of V: A Novel in Fragments, Facts and Fictions, is inspired by Sheila’s research on her unknown maternal grandmother who, pregnant and 15, was sentenced to 6 years at the state school for girls for “immorality.” Evidence of V is a poignant excavation of familial and national history that remains disturbingly relevant – a harrowing story of exploitation and erasure, and the infinite ways in which girls, past and present, are punished for crimes they didn’t commit. Evidence of V was just chosen for the Fall 2025 One Book/One MN statewide book club by the State Library Services! Guest Contributor Autumn Mason is a certified Doula, Parent Educator and a Peer Support Professional focusing on supporting families impacted by the Criminal Justice system. She stepped into this work as a part of her own healing journey after experiencing the trauma of incarceration, family separation and prison birth. Autumn works with many correctional institutions nationally as well as community organizations like the MN Prison Doula Project. Musical guest Jonatha Brooke, is a folk Rock singer/songwriter/recording artistwho has been hailed by Billboard as “one of the most gifted and unique artists!” She’s co-written with Katy Perry, The Chicks and Katharine McPhee. She’s written for three Disney films and multiple television shows. Jonatha created her award-winning, one-woman musical, “My Mother Has 4 Noses,” which she performed Off Broadway. She is currently writing 3 new musicals, “Switched,” “Tempus,” AND “Evidence of V” with playwright Laurie Flanigan Hegge. Laurie Flanigan Hegge isa playwright, lyricist, and theatre artist. She’s written multiple plays and musicals. Her play PRICK premiered at the Edinburgh Festival and London’s West End in 2024. She is currently creating a musical with Jonatha Brooke based on Sheila O’Connors’ “Evidence of V.” “Island of Discarded Women…a popular happening dedicated to the idea that women’s voices must be heard.” –Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune IslandOfDiscardedWomen.com
DAVID HUCKFELT & ANNIE HUMPHREY with JEREMY YLVISAKER
Main Stage Showroom 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN, USDinner and cocktail seating and service begins 1 hour before showtimes. Folk, Indigenous, Native American, Singer-Songwriter Don’t miss longtime allies & collaborators David Huckfelt (formerly of Minneapolis indie-folk favorites The Pines) and Annie Humphrey teaming up for the first time live at Crooners! Mixing poetry, activism, and an Earth-first ethic, David & Annie have toured around the midwest from small town opera houses to the massive Water Is Life Festival in Duluth, MN. Joined by the incredible Jeremy Ylvisaker on guitar, who also produced Annie’s award-winning last album “The Light In My Bones”, this is an evening of stories, songs, & resistance celebration not to be missed! David Huckfelt: Guitar, Vocals Annie Humphrey: Piano, Vocals Jeremy Ylvisaker: Electric Guitar, Vocals David Huckfelt is a singer/ lyricist /activist and founding frontman of Minneapolis indie-folk cult favorite The Pines. David’s new solo work preserves a rugged optimism that blasts through layers of dark in real time with songs that speak volumes, soft & clear. He has released two critically acclaimed solo-albums, Stranger Angels and Room Enough, Time Enough.www.davidhuckfelt.com
Sue Scott’s Island of Discarded Women with Flanagan, Poundstone & Grace!
Main Stage Showroom 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN, USDinner and cocktail seating and service begins 1 hour before showtimes. An Audacious Variety Show Amplifying Women’s Voices! We have a NEW DATE for this show! After canceling for stormy weather on June 12th, we will be back with these powerful women on Thursday July 10th in the Main Stage Showroom! Peggy Flanagan, our rock star Lt. Gov., who is nowrunning for Senate, will be there! Our buddy, the hilarious comedian Paula Poundstone, will be back! Our musical guests, Amanda Grace with Tiffany Strande will return! Plus, Island fav, actor Silvia Pontaza and host Sue Scott! Sue Scott: Host Peggy Flanagan: Special guest Paula Poundstone: Comedian Amanda Grace: Musical guest Tiffany Grande: Violinist with Amanda Grace Silvia Pontaza: Actor + Live Real-Time Captioning available at all our shows. Bring your smartphones! Creator, host Sue Scott is a veteran actor, who for 24 years was the female cast member on the public radio show A Prairie Home Companion. Since 2019, Sue has been thoroughly immersed in producing Island of Discarded Women live show & podcast. Special guest Peggy Flanagan is currently Minnesota’s 50th Lieutenant Governor. Throughout her career in state and local government, and as the head of Children’s Defense Fund – Minnesota, Peggy has seen the impact the federal government can have on people’s everyday lives. Being raised by a single mother, it has made a huge impact on hers. As a candidate for US Senate, Peggy is ready to stand up and be a voice for all Minnesotans in Washington. If elected, she’ll be the first Native American woman to ever serve in the U.S. Senate! Iconic comedian Paula Poundstone is known for her smart, observational humor and a spontaneous wit that has become the stuff of legend. She regularly plays theaters across the country, hosts a weekly comedy podcast, Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone, and is a regular panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me. She also voiced the character ‘Forgetter Paula’ in the feature films Inside Out and Inside Out 2. Musical guest Amanda Grace is a Minnesota native releasing music that drifts between folk, alt- pop/rock and Americana. Her songs, sung with her warm sultry vocals, reflect questions she asks herself regarding the status of her own thoughts. Review: “As she hops from one genre to another, Amanda doesn’t try to change, tweak, alter, or reinvent them. She simply owns them. And that is the secret of making yourself stand apart from the pack.” D. Franklin, The Big Takeover “Island of Discarded Women…a popular happening dedicated to the idea that women’s voices must be heard.” –Chris Hewitt, Star Tribune IslandOfDiscardedWomen.com
Defending Democracy with Jerry Newton and Julie Blaha
Main Stage Showroom 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN, USJoin us at Crooners for an amazing night as we celebrate the career of Jerry Newton and hear from State Auditor Julie Blaha. Join us at Crooners for an amazing night as we celebrate the career of Jerry Newton and hear from State Auditor Julie Blaha. Your ticket includes a buffet and dessert!
An Evening with Protect Minnesota Advocacy Fund
Main Stage Showroom 6161 Highway 65 NE, Minneapolis, MN, USJoin Protect Minnesota Advocacy Fund for an evening of food, drink, fun, a legislative update – and gun violence prevention. Join Protect Minnesota Advocacy Fund for an evening of food, drink, fun, a legislative update – and gun violence prevention. We’ll enjoy an inspiring night with fellow advocates, community leaders, and special guests in support of lifesaving policies and gun violence prevention programming. Your presence means we can continue the fight for common-sense solutions that protect our families and neighborhoods. DONATE HERE