Production History

Carpenter Square Theatre presented the Oklahoma premiere of Oklahoma native Tracy Letts’ The Minutes as the second production of its 43rd season. A routine city council meeting in the small town of Big Cherry takes a troubling turn when newcomer Mr. Peel asks about a missing colleague and the minutes from the previous meeting. Procedural squabbles and civic pleasantries give way to a dark examination of power, collective memory, and the stories communities tell about themselves. Directed by Rhonda Clark, the eleven-member ensemble brought Letts’ blend of bureaucratic comedy and mounting unease to the Inasmuch Foundation Stage. The play was a finalist for the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and received a 2022 Tony Award nomination for Best Play. The world premiere was produced and presented by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, Illinois, with Anna D. Shapiro, Artistic Director, and David Schmitz, Executive Director.

CST Connections

Chris Crane previously appeared in The Hot L Baltimore (1989), Fifth of July (1990), and The Last Night of Ballyhoo (2006).
Ben Hall designed scenery for numerous CST productions, including The Birds (2017), The Lonesome West (2018), and The Children (2025).
Rick Allen Lippert contributed sound design assistance to The Children (2025).
CST previously presented Tracy Letts’ Bug during Season 23.

Gallery Exhibition

The Glenna & Richard Tanenbaum Gallery featured artwork by Elin Bhaird and Kathryn McGill. Longtime theatre artists and friends, the exhibitors explored painting and mixed media using materials including paper, fabric, and found objects.

Press and Photography

Acknowledgments

Cast sponsors — Mel and Cindy Ables; Bruce and Joe Ewing; Lana Henson

Ticket sponsors — Don and Debbie Nevard; John Schenberg

Special thanks — Michelle Swink; Albert Bostick

Supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts; Kirkpatrick Family Fund; Inasmuch Foundation; Allied Arts.

Licensing

The Minutes is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

THEATRE UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

Rick Allen Lippert