Minneapolis play asks if a Greek god can save us from our eco-apocalypse

As humans exploit the Earth and throw its systems out of whack, Dionysus becomes a lifeline in "Hurricane Diane," Madeleine George's 2017 play that's getting a regional premiere in Minneapolis. But Diane, the human form taken by the Greek deity, doesn't want to do good for its own sake.

This is the god of winemaking, fertility and religious ecstasy we're talking about, so Diane comes to Earth as a "butch lesbian gardener" seeking to make devotees of four women living in cookie-cutter homes in a New Jersey cul-de-sac.

"She seduces them as part of a plan to have nature take back the world from people," said actor Catherine Johnson Justice, who plays Beth, one of the cul-de-sac dwellers. "Diane brings about Armageddon not to destroy humanity, but to save it. She needs the planet, and people, to live so that they can love and worship her."

The play, which opens Friday at the Center for Performing Arts, is being put on at a time when climate change alarm bells are ringing loudly. Minnesota, and much of the Central and Eastern U.S., has been beset by poor air quality because of unprecedented Canadian wildfires. And on July 3, the Earth recorded its highest temperature on record, a record that was promptly broken a day later.

It's time to end the debate about whether the eco-apocalypse is real, said Nöel Raymond, who co-directs the play with Heidi Batz Rogers. "The fact that all of this is happening and there's still a debate about whether climate change is real and whether humans have an impact on the environment is kind of crazy."

Laughs and deep meaning

Raymond, who has been a leader at hard-hitting Pillsbury House Theatre for over 20 years, looked at the play askance on first reading. It was too funny, and that meant fluff, she thought.

"But I have that experience a lot," Raymond said. "Once we dug into it, it revealed all these layers and meanings."

In "Diane," the four New Jersey characters represent types. After being left by her husband, Beth is grappling with a pre-fab identity that no longer fits her. Carol is the Karen of the group, in an unhappy marriage that she's unwilling to acknowledge. Pam, played by George Keller, is a resourceful Italian American problem-solver. And Renee (Dana Lee Thompson) is a grounded businesswoman and mystical earthmother. Brave New Workshop veteran Taj Ruler plays the title character.

"It's a play about friendship, fear, vulnerability and ultimately consequence," said co-director Batz Rogers, who designed the scenography and costumes. "What are we willing to hold onto at the risk of losing something even more valuable?"

"Diane" is being produced by the Rough Magic Performance Co., founded by Justice and Alayne Hopkins to put on shows at the Minnesota Fringe Festival. When they started, the co-artistic directors had no idea of what would be required to make a theater company work. They just wanted to get onstage and ply their craft.

"Catherine and I both came to this as actors," said Hopkins, who plays Carol. "Neither of us started out dreaming of being producers or having a board. And now we're here with an amazing creative team, both offstage and on."

Organic growth

Even as their lives have changed — both Hopkins and Justice are mothers of young children — the theater has grown organically in three phases, Justice said. The first was as a kind of on-a-shoestring outfit for small-scale assignments, like putting on a fringe show. The next phase was more planned, as they began to offer readings of plays in living rooms and, after the pandemic hit, on balconies. This final phase involves producing shows and filling a yawning need.

There are still lots of stories to be told by, for and about women, who, by far, make up the vast majority of theatergoers. Both Hopkins and Justice said that their experiences in the rough-and-tumble world of theater inform their practices.

"Being a woman-led organization, we are also very aware that everyone involved in the show has a life outside of the work, too — and we strive to be supportive of the whole person," Justice said. "This includes budgeting for child care for any artist who needs it, creating flexible rehearsal schedules, and finding ways to offer support and care for each other outside of the theater."

Dionysus also is the god of theater, which Hopkins calls "a tough business that's become even tougher now."

Maybe Dionysus, in the form of "Hurricane Diane," can give theater — and all of us — a much needed lift.

'Hurricane Diane'
Who: By Madeleine George. Directed by Nöel Raymond and Heidi Batz Rogers. Produced by Rough Magic Company.
Where: Center for Performing Arts, 3754 Pleasant Av. S., Mpls.
When: Opens 7:30 p.m. Fri. Runs 7:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., plus two weeknights. Ends July 30. Tickets: $50-$100 for opening night performance. All others pay-as-able. roughmagicperformance.org.