Families That Play Together (continued) About Theatre DANIEL PINKERTON AND ARIEL LEAF www.tctosca.com About Theatre | 7 MICHAEL PAUL LEVIN AND STACEY DINNER LEVIN Michael Paul Levin and Stacey Dinner Levin jokingly refer to their family as “the Barrymores of Minnesota.” They’re not far from wrong. They’re in the middle of a multi-generational dynasty of people associated with the Twin Cities theater scene. Stacey’s father, while earning a living as an attorney (who often need to put on a good act to convince a judge or jury!), was active in amateur theater and a founding member of the Parlor Players: a group that has gathered regularly for over forty years to read plays aloud. It’s still going strong. Michael has known since childhood in St. Louis Park that he was destined for the stage and prepared for his profession at the distinguished American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena. The “boy meets girl” scene took place at summer camp (were they imitating Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland?) and has had a successful run on the Stage of Marriage for 31 years. Stacey, on the other hand, is an “accidental playwright.” Her family’s enthusiasm for theater melded with her social work background and one of the four offspring of the Levin marriage: Geordy, their youngest son, who lives with autism, inspired her to write Autistic License, produced by the Illusion Theater for the stage and starring Michael as Geordy. Confused yet? Middle son Spencer played a role, too. You’ve likely seen him recently in local productions of The Boy and Robin Hood and Orphan Train. Autistic License became a movie and then won the Best Educational Film Award in the International Family Festival of Burbank. All this was part-time for Stacey. Michael is the real patriarch when it comes to hours in the limelight: He’s a stalwart of both Park Square and Illusion Theatres, and has taken on a new artistic role as a writer for the current incarnation of A Prairie Home Companion. Aside from being a great husband and father, what’s been his favorite role? Harpo Marx! But that’s another dynasty! Fortune has smiled kindly on Daniel Pinkerton and Ariel Leaf, the father-daughter duo who are the founders and co-Artistic Directors of Fortune’s Fool Theatre. Since starting their collaboration in 2005, they’ve successfully mounted plays in venues around town like the Bedlam Theater and Fringe Festival shows. Their new show, The Lady and the Lap Dog, debuts on September 15 at the Open Eye Figure Theater in Minneapolis. Raised in Nevada, Dan was drawn to Minnesota for the U’s MFA program in Playwriting. Dan knows his own mind and to ensure that productions stay true to his vision and values, he’s chosen to self-produce most of his plays; hence, the creation of Fortune’s Fool Theater. Dan focuses on the books for his plays, and more recently, on music for them. That’s where daughter Ariel comes in. Even growing up in a theater-oriented household, Ariel didn’t look at theater as a professional option until in her late teens. A student production of Hair at the U directed by (Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s) Michael Brindisi marked the turning point for her. Low-budget productions require versatility in the cast and crew, so Ariel learned many of the tricks of stagecraft in those years which she now puts to use in Fortune’s Fool productions. “I do almost all of the back-stage crew work like lighting and the administrative parts,” Ariel says, “but I’d never try to do costumes or set design.” Such a daughter has been an inspiration to the father. The female character in his play Do You Want to Know a Secret? was inspired by Ariel, and so was the relationship between the father and daughter in it. He even dedicated the play to her. What’s next? A third generation in the “business”: Ariel’s toddler daughter Fiona has already appeared in a short film. Let’s keep a good thing going!
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