Current Production
Icehouse
By Peter Bloedel
A bunch of ice-fishing buddies concoct a plan to entice their friend, Oskar, from Florida, to come back up north to Minnesota. Their enticement is to build “the grandmother” of all icehouses; a giant ice chateau, complete with a kitchen, opulent dining room, bedrooms, running water, a bathroom, a sauna, and, of course, ice fishing holes. The icehouse is obviously a huge undertaking, and has to be kept a secret from all of the guys’ wives. To the absolute joy of his friends, Oskar gets on board with the plan. However, he has another reason for coming back to Minnesota – a reason he hasn’t shared with his buddies. The characters seem like regular people. They do such things as sit on the ice and fish, swat mosquitoes, and enjoy church pot luck wedding receptions. This is priceless, off-the-wall comedy.
Cast: (ages flexible)
Ingrid Kristensen, woman in her fifties/sixties.
Oskar Kristensen, man in his fifties/sixties.
Arn Larsen, man in his fifties/sixties.
Helen Larsen, woman in her fifties/sixties, Arn’s wife.
Conrad Torvildstad, man in his forties/fifties.
Sarah Torvildstad, woman in her forties/fifties, Conrad’s wife.
Lars Magnuson, a man in his thirties/forties.
Camilla Magnuson, a woman in her thirties/forties, Lars’ wife.
Wilhelm Jorgenson, a man in his thirties/forties.
Rita Jorgenson, a woman in her thirties/forties, Wilhelm’s wife.
Erik Torvildstad, a younger man, son of Conrad and Sarah.
Michelle Steltzer, a younger woman, fiance of Erik.
Lenora Steltzer, woman in her fifties, Michelle’s mother.
Setting: The towns of Middle Creek and Lake Hulda, Minnesota. The culture is emblematic of a simpler time around the end of the 20th century.