Milo Cramer Photo by Dan Norman

Cramer begins the production with the house lights up, ukulele in hand, in front of a nearly bare stage, save for an expansive bulletin board featuring the names of 10 of the students they tutor. Cramer launches into their first song about student Charlotte. Every time they finish a song about a student, the names are removed from the bulletin board through various means. Cramer's songs are difficult to describe, as they mainly "sing" in a talking (sometimes yelling) recitative for the entire production.

While Cramer is not a strong musician, they approach every character and song with playful creativity and ingenuity, using all manner of pianos in addition to their ukulele and the absolute highs and lows of their vocal range. The direction by Morgan Green is deceptively simple, mining the personalities of these students to present consistent portrayals that remain immediately recognizable as teens or children through broad movement and specific gestures. The structure of the 75-minute one-act production brilliantly builds the tension, culminating in a climactic, dramatic, devastating student athlete email leading to Cramer's "BIG REVEAL."

To say School Pictures is thought-provoking is a gross understatement. It poses many questions about education, family and love. It was recently featured on an episode of the podcast This American Life entitled, "The Question Trap." Cramer's recitative style of singing, while never melodious and not always pretty, is evocative and emotional. School Pictures fits squarely into the "exploring and expanding the art of musical theatre" part of Theater Latté Da's mission.

Cramer reminds us and the students they teach that learning is a process. I highly recommend School Pictures to all teenage and former teenage learners.

Theater Latté Da's School Pictures runs through March 2, 2025, at The Ritz Theater, 345 13th Avenue Northeast, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-3003 or visit www.latteda.org .