Darrick Mosley, Mars Niemi, and Jim Lichtscheidl Photo by Kaitlin Randolph

It is the first day of school for Kate (Oliva Lampert alternating with Mars Niemi), a new student at a middle school in Minneapolis. She and her father Matt (Matt Park), who is Korean, moved there over the summer from St. Paul, a short distance measured in miles, but a vast distance in Kate's mind. As a new student, Kate's sense of being different is so extreme that she finds it impossible to speak, either to other students or to her teachers. Some students, like Omar (De'Anthony Jackson), reach out in friendship, but Kate is unable to respond, which only makes her feel more isolated. Then there are super-achievers like Lia (Malia Berg) who reinforce Kate's feelings of inadequacy.

Kate's mother died when Kate was seven, so it has just been Kate and Matt. Matt operates a music studio where he gives after-school lessons to neighborhood kids. Kate isn't interested in music, though. Her passion is drawing, which she does constantly, getting herself in trouble when she should be paying attention in class, especially in strict Miss Evans' (Sophina Saggau) social studies class. Kate finds refuge at a neighborhood art supply store owned by a cartoonist named Paul (Jim Lichtscheidl). She begs Paul to give her drawing lessons. He firmly refuses, but her persistence wears him down and a mentor-mentee bond grows between the two. However, Kate's father adamantly objects to her interest in drawing, and conflict ensues in their family. When Matt's aunt (Katie Bradley) comes to visit, she finds her nephew and his daughter at chilly odds with one another.

An ingenious element of Drawing Lessons is the use of drawing, made visible on screens above the stage, to flesh out the settings, as well as allowing us to see Kate's work, which becomes a window into her thoughts and feelings. Kate's classmate, Omar, introduces her to comic books, with her interest deepened by Jon (Darrick Mosley), who works at Paul's store between his acting gigs. When her great-aunt visits, she introduces Kate to manhwa, a Korean variation on manga comics produced in Japan. By way of the images on screens, we see Kate's abilities develop as a result of Paul's lessons and the influences that feed her interest. Drawing Lessons takes Kate through her doubts and discomfort and leads her to an appreciation for her family, her peers, and herself. It is an uplifting journey that will have resonance for any in the audience with life experiences that resembles Kate's.

Barall has created a set of believable characters, and writes dialogue that rings with authenticity, homing in on each of the characters' temperaments and perspectives. These include Matt's nervous encouragement for a daughter he isn't quite sure how to parent, Paul's disappointment with the current status of his career arc, and especially Kate, who expresses a great deal through silences. Gomo, Kate's great aunt, is especially well conceived, as a woman who has learned to form a life that bridges her traditional past, through a history of conflict, to the fast-past optimism of the present. One could argue that Miss Evans pushes the role of strict teacher, unable or unwilling to engage a student who is clearly troubled, to the edge of stereotype, though that may be how such teachers' students perceive them.

Playwright Barall co-conceived Drawing Lessons with Jack Tamburri, who directs the production. Tamburri gives the play fluid movement, with set pieces that roll in and out (the nifty designs are by Junghyun Georgia Lee) in tandem with the projections of drawings (projections by Elizabeth Barrett) that create a universe that is partially concrete reality, partially the expansive impressions of Kate's mind. The compact design for the art supply shop, crammed full of wares with a bulletin board laden with postings of opportunities for artists, is a small wonder. Trevor Bowen's costume designs hit the mark in capturing each character's nature, drawing contrast between the loose-fitting, zero-effort garb worn by Kate with her tightly wound classmate Lia's put together wardrobe.

Every performance in this production hits its mark. Park is affecting as a father cluelessly trying to guide his daughter while wrestling with his own demons. Bradley is wonderful as the Great Aunt, Gomo–presenting herself first as a tradition-bound voice of old Korea, and gradually revealing the adaptations she has made to thrive in contemporary American life. Lichtscheidl gives a winning performance as Paul, an artist troubled by waning fortunes and growing doubts, who learns to reinvent himself in the process of helping Kate tap into her gifts. A ubiquitous porkpie hat reinforces his iconoclastic nature.

Mars Niemi, who appeared as Kate at the performance we attended, is marvelous in capturing the fears and loneliness that accompany so many middle school students, even without the baggage of losing a parent, changing schools, and feeling culturally apart from one's peers. Jackson is a likeable presence as Omar, and Berg brings depth to Lia's over-achieving Hmong student who is privately miserable. Sophina Saggau fiercely delivers Miss Evans' misguided rigor, and Darrick Mosley is delightful as the life-affirming Jon.

Drawing Lessons is set in 1995. While the play has universal themes and a narrative that could take place in any major American city, Barall references actual locations in Minneapolis, like Town Talk Diner (sadly, no longer in business) and Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream, that will appeal to the hometown audience. One note that rings false in terms of fidelity to the Twin Cities setting is when Kate complains about being compared to Lia, saying they are the only two Asian girls in the school, so of course people compare them. Given the Twin Cities' extremely large Hmong community, as well as Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino, and other Asian-American communities, it is highly unlikely that a public middle school in Minneapolis would have only two Asian girls enrolled at that time.

Of course, that is a small point in the context of a ninety-minute play that overall does a great job of presenting the challenges of growing from childhood into adulthood in ways that honor our own gifts, talents and heritage, within a context of family and societal expectations. Drawing Lessons has appealing characters and delightful staging that utilizes the act of drawing itself to augment the storytelling. The play serves Children's Theatre Company's older age cohort well–the two middle school boys who accompanied me both enjoyed it–and will also delight adult audiences.

Drawing Lessons, runs through November 10, 2024, at at the Children's Theatre Company, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-874-0400 or visit childrenstheatre.org. Best enjoyed by upper elementary, middle school and high school students.

Playwright: Michi Barall, based on an original conception by Michi Barall and Jack Tamburri; Director: Jack Tamburri; Scenic Design: Junghyun Georgia Lee; Costume Design: Trevor Bowen; Lighting Design: Paul Whitaker; Composer and Sound Design: Victor Zupanc; Projection Design: Elizabeth Barrett; Dialect Coach: Joy Lanceta Coronel; Student Actor Coach: Amanda Espinoza; Associate Director: Hannah Steblay; Assistant Lighting Designer: Andrew Vance; Stage Manager: Kenji Shoemaker; Assistant Stage Manager: Janae Lorick; Stage Manager Fellow: Elijah Virgil Hughes.

Cast: Malia Berg (Lia), Katie Bradley (Gomo/customer), De'Anthony Jackson (Omar), Oliva Lampert *(Kate), Jim Lichtscheidl (Paul), Darrick Mosley (Jon/Mr. Daher), Mars Niemi *(Kate), Matt Park (Matt), Sophina Saggau (Miss Evans/Mrs. Larsen/cool art student), Anders Theilen (Jason), Cullen Van Ranst (Justin/Anderson). *Actors alternating in performances