MINNEAPOLIS: Due to the uncertainty of live theatre’s foreseeable future, Theater Latté Da (TLD) has opted not to announce a 2020-21 season, and will instead invest in developing new theatre projects. TLD’s new project, NEXT Up, will be an intensive new-works laboratory with the purpose of supporting playwrights, composers, and lyricists in their creation of new pieces of musical theatre.

“We need our writers to be alive to this moment, this particular time in history, creating new stories, new songs, new communal experiences to help us all make sense of this new world,” said artistic director Peter Rothstein in a statement.

In the past, TLD has prioritized new works through their NEXT program, supporting world premieres like C., Steerage Song, Five Points, and All Is Calm. The NEXT Up laboratory will include Terrence McNally’s last play, Immortal Longings, and an exciting lineup of projects from playwrights including Harrison David Rivers and Joserra Zúñiga, as well as scenic designer Kate Sutton-Johnson, author Ted Shen, local writer-performers Bradley Greenwald and Steven Epp, actor Sally Wingert, and many more.

Founded in 1998, Theater Latté Da seeks to create new connections between story, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theatre. Through productions that transcend the conventional, the organization helps solidify the Twin Cities’ reputation as a place where progressive art plays a vital role.