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This Building is Full of Overachievers
and what to do this weekend if you like twists and turns 🗡️
Ben Thietje
April 23, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 2 minutes
Hello! I’m Ben, executive director at the Phipps.
Welcome to The Flying P, a weekly newsletter covering your Phipps Center for the Arts and anything else I might want to throw your way.
Have you seen Deathtrap yet? If not, you’re running out of time. The show closes this Sunday. It’s a really fun production, especially if you’re a fan of twists and turns — and the set alone is worth twice what you’ll pay to see it.
Tickets here!
This issue has…
🎨 Some High School Works
a buncha talent🧑🤝🧑 A Bowl Full of Men
you’re just gonna have to scroll down🚧 Judy Moody Construction
we’re getting close
CHILDREN’S THEATRE
Things are starting to get Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad
Ladders and lifts…it’s starting to look very Judy Moody & Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt in the black box. This adorable production is nearing tech week and will open on Friday, May 1st. I’ll almost certainly have some CUTIE PATOOTIE production photos to share with you next time, but for now, grab the kiddos and we’ll see you in May!
PHIPPS TOP 10
best-selling upcoming events this season by tickets sold
1. Deathtrap (previously: 1)🔥
2. Judy Moody & Stink (previously: 2)
3. Come From Away (previously: 10)🔥
4. Broadway, Big Bands, Beatles, and Beyond (previously: 3)
5. A Christmas Carol (previously: 6)
6. The Root Beer Lady (previously: 8)🔥
7. Almost, Maine (previously: 9)
8. Hooray for Hollywood (previously: unlisted)
9. Songs by Boys by Girls (previously: 5)
10. The MN Boychoir (previously: 7)
BETTER HURRY LIST
best-selling upcoming events this season by percent sold
(i.e., closest to being sold out)…
1. Deathtrap (previously: 3)🔥
2. Broadway, Big Bands, Beatles, and Beyond (previously: 2)
3. The Root Beer Lady (previously: unlisted)🔥
4. Songs by Boys by Girls (previously: 4)
5. The MN Boychoir (previously: 5)
as of 4/23/26
VISUAL ARTS
The kids are crushing it
The annual High School Art Exhibition opened last Friday and folks, it’s a real treat. This year features artwork from 164 local high school students from 19 area schools…and we’re even showing artwork from 10 area high school teachers (thankyouthankyou teachers)!
I’ve included a few of my favorites, but you really need to get out and view these artworks with your own eyeballs. There’s some really wonderful stuff being presented. Good job, kiddos!
The HS exhibition runs through May 10th.
the Tree Top Theater is interactive
Teacher artwork below. Go, teachers, go! 👇
artist: Cheryl Maplethorpe
👆
my favorite gallery piece of the week
Speaking of the What We Need Is Here exhibition (see below), if what you need is a bunch of tiny men in a bowl, this is a wonderful time to be alive. Check out this smile-worthy piece and group exhibition in the Atrium Gallery through May 10th.
VISUAL ARTS
Art meeting community
Have you heard of the What We Need Is Here group?
Started in 2008, What We Need Is Here is a group of creatives gathering for an ongoing series of annual seminars for artists. The purpose of these monthly gatherings is to explore the role of art and sustainability to create thriving communities in the St. Croix River Valley.
These wonderful and talented folks show their work at the PCA once each year, and they’re currently doing so in the Atrium Gallery through may 10th. Be sure to check it out!
Are you a visual learner?
Check out The Flying P(uzzle)!
👇
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Talk to you next week!
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