By: Spencer Doar

What: Kelley Hunt

When: 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday

Where: Dakota Jazz Club, 1010 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $20

Age: All ages

As an intrepid 18-year-old at the University of Kansas, Kelley Hunt didn’t care how she got her talent out there. She just wanted to perform.

That resulted in the car-less, dorm-residing Hunt toting an old Fender Rhodes piano, a 12-string guitar from a pawn shop and a beat-up PA through the streets of Lawrence, Kan., looking for a gig. She eventually landed one for tips in a tough basement bar called the 7th Spirit Club.

“I had a lot of nerve, jumping out there at a young age,” Hunt said. “I just assumed it would go well, and the amazing thing is that it did.”

She played until 2 a.m., and convinced the club owner to give her a ride home afterward. Those rough and tumble night owls became the first fans of her powerful gospel-folk-blues crooning.

“It helped me become savvy and smart about what to do,” Hunt said. “If someone is going to fall on your piano, what are you going to do? Keep playing.”

More than two decades later, Hunt tours with her sultry voice and quiet charisma, gaining traction through sheer merit and talent.

“I feel I was born a musician — I didn’t become one,” Hunt said. “I never decided to do this; it was always there, and I never questioned it.”

That is not surprising given she started playing the piano by ear at the ripe old age of 3 and became fascinated with writing shortly thereafter — thus is born the singer-songwriter.

Add an air of quiet excitement around Hunt, which lends itself so seamlessly to song, and the result is a riveting stage presence that sucks audiences into the landscapes she paints.

Lines like “I’ve got a nasty aftertaste like swallowing pollution,” her extended analogy of Oz in the Iraq War-themed “Emerald City” and something as simple as the title for her most recent album, “Gravity Loves You,” are highlights of her writing ability.

From rollicking rock ‘n’ roll-ish tracks suited for a young Little Richard to shuffles reminiscent of early Elvis to country-styled ballads, Hunt’s genre-bending style has wide appeal.

It’s even more amazing when one considers the vocal register of Hunt, hitting the highs and lows as effortlessly as batting practice fastballs for Mickey Mantle.

“I grew up in a family of strong personalities, and I had a lot of encouragement and high expectations around me,” Hunt said. “I loved that.”

Hunt continues to thrive in the face of challenges, frequently playing so much that her management worries she’s overdoing it. But through it all, Hunt remains set in her desire to exorcise her thoughts through song.

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

THINGS TO DO

THURSDAY

“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga”

Uptown Theatre

2906 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis

7 p.m.

$12.50

To escape the commercial trap of V-Day, spend an evening with Werner Herzog. The German documentary filmmaker never compromises his own passions — he’s got true grit unlike those pithy Hallmark cards. The man has led a colorful life to say the least, which lends wholeheartedly to the many thoughtful meditations among his filmography (see: “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” and “Grizzly Man”).

For “Happy People,” Herzog culls 94 minutes from a four-hour documentary from fellow director Dmitry Vasyukov. While the movie is no traditional Herzog documentary, he adds his narration and insight to Vasyukov’s footage of day-to-day life in a remote Siberian village.

FRIDAY

Kishi Bashi with Plume Giant

Triple Rock Social Club

629 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

8 p.m.

$12

Loops and repetition drive the music of Kishi Bashi, a Seattle-born multi-instrumentalist. Often compared with Owen Pallett and Andrew Bird, he deserves more recognition given his highly inventive (and infectious) 2012 release, “151a.” Usually Kishi Bashi tours with of Montreal so his upcoming solo show marks an opportunity to hear his classically trained talent without the obnoxious wailing of Kevin Barnes. Listen to “Bright Whites” and prepare for his strange-yet-stunning sensibilities. His techno wizardry using loops even garnered the attention of Microsoft, surely the epitome of cool.

SATURDAY

Ten Thousand Things Theatre, “The Seven”Open Book

1011 S. Washington Ave., Minneapolis

8 p.m.

Melding hip-hop and theatre, Will Power is one of several pioneers of a new genre of performance. Throughout his career as an actor, rapper and playwright, he’s garnered international acclaim for his variety of theatre. Fusing music, rhymed dialogue and choreography, Power adapts the Greek tragedy “Seven Against Thebes” in “The Seven.” Power tells the story of two brothers attempting to peacefully live in spite of their father’s curse. Guest directed by Sarah Rasmussen, the performance runs through March 10.

CULTURE TO CONSUME

Listen to this: A$AP Rocky, “1Train”

One of the highlights of A$AP Rocky’s debut album “LONG.LIVE.A$AP,” “1Train” accomplishes more than most hip-hop tracks. More than six minutes, it packs in some of the best acts currently rhyming. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, YelaWolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. join A$AP to create an unhinged, fiery portrait. “1Train” offers multiple channels with so many talented voices — the Brown’s cartoonish yelp and Lamar’s pointed verses occupy both ends of the gritty, fully realized spectrum.

Watch this: “Community,” NBC, 7 p.m., Thursdays

Quit mourning the patron saint of “Community” creator Dan Harmon leaving the beloved cult show, and try to reconcile with the semi-cloying new season. Let’s remember when the show provided some of the most irreverent 22 minutes of television with “Advanced Dungeon & Dragons” and “Remedial Chaos Theory.” At least tune in to see how the downward spiral of Chevy Chase plays out — apparently he walked off the set of this season and won’t appear in the last two episodes. Some things never Chang.

Read this: “Frank Ocean Can Fly,” The New York Times Magazine, Feb. 2013

The man behind one of 2012’s best albums, “Channel Orange,” does not trust journalists. As Frank Ocean explained to The New York Times’ Jeff Himmelman, “The most important thing is to just press play.” Even though the hip- hop and R&B crooner doesn’t like to open up to the press, he grants access in an extended profile here. Himmelman paints a satisfying portrait of the 25-year-old up-and-comer and Odd Future member, apparently at work writing a book.

By: Lucy Nieboer

St. Valentine’s day can drain a student’s budget faster than a night on the town. The love tokens we give so freely in February — the tickets to a show, the candles and flowers — all add up quickly and deal a harsh blow to our bank statement come March.

Homemade treats show heartfelt effort and are more economical. Tell your sugar pie honey bunch that you love them with a dessert that is just as sweet as they are.

Challah Hearts

Bread baking is a labor of love. To construct a beautiful dough creation, you must have passion enough to knead until arms ache, tenderness enough to handle malleable dough and thoughtfulness enough to ensure the bread rises to an appropriate level. With these ingredients you can have a lasting relationship — at least with carbohydrates.

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup warm water

1/3 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs

Toppings

1 well-beaten egg

1/2 cup water

Poppy seeds (optional)

Sesame seeds (optional)

To begin, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved and there are no lumps of yeast floating in the mixture. Whisk in the olive oil, honey, salt and eggs. Once this mixture has reached an even consistency, gradually begin adding flour.

When all the flour is added, the dough should not be sticky. You should be able to work it with your hands and not have any residual dough stuck to your fingers. Keep adding flour to keep the dough workable. In a large bowl or on a clean, flat surface, knead the dough for about 10 minutes. When the dough is strong enough to bounce back from a firm poke of your finger, it has been kneaded enough.

Put the dough in a greased bowl. Cover it tightly and set in a warm place. If you have a drafty apartment, set the oven to 150 degrees and then turn it off. The dough will rise wonderfully in the warm oven. Let rise for two hours.

Punch the dough down after the allotted time has passed. Let it rise again, this time for 45 minutes. Punch the dough down again, and remove it from the bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the dough into six evenly sized chunks with a sharp knife. Roll each chunk into a long rope. Twist each rope so it has a swirled texture. Take both ends of the rope and firmly twist them together. On a greased baking sheet, lay the dough in a heart shape.

Combine the beaten egg and water. With a pastry brush or a moistened paper towel, brush the egg wash over the top of your hearts. If you wish, sprinkle poppy seeds, sesame seeds or a combination of the two over the rolls. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Slather the fresh, sweet bread in one of the following decadent homemade butters.

Spreads

The Archies should give you all the inspiration you need to indulge your sweet tooth one step further. Whether it’s sugar or honey, these loves will leave you wanting more.

Sugar, Sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

or

Honey, Honey

1/2 cup unsalted butter

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 squirt lemon juice

1 dash salt

Mix all ingredients with an electric mixture or by hand until light and fluffy.

Pet names aside, spreading the love with a thoughtful gift that doesn’t break the bank is the best idea ever. Your significant other — and your stomach — will thank you.

By: Spencer Doar

What: The Pimps of Joytime

When: Doors open at 9 p.m., show starts at 10 p.m., Sunday

Where: Cabooze, 917 Cedar Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $10-$12

Ages: 18+

Reclining in a hammock in Costa Rica at an off moment between gigs and sporting a wry smile, Brian J seems perfect for the role of frontman and guitarist for the funky group he founded eight years ago, The Pimps of Joytime.

“I’d had bands before, but this came from a desire to create a movement,” Brian J said. “In ’05 I was like, ‘I’m doing this for real.’”

With a pencil thin mustache tracing his upper lip and a penchant for tight guitar riffs, there’s a definite bit of Prince-iness in Brian J. While he is reluctant to accept that compliment, it’s stylistically appropriate.

Brian J draws from a wide range of influences, many traceable to his formative years as a teen in Brooklyn — afrobeat, hip-hop, salsa and electronica to name a few.

“I love this new kind of hipster-disco movement, but at the end of the day, it’s just music,” Brian J said. “I aspire to transcend the label ‘funk,’ but if that means the core of what [funk] is, that’s really special.”

Funk, more than perhaps any other style of music, relies on cohesion — ESP-like levels of understanding between musicians that, in the end, lets them become one sex machine rather than a group of collaborating individuals.

That’s been difficult as Brian J has dealt with a revolving door of other musicians, so much so that he is the only original member of the group.

But they have overcome that with apparent ease. While some artists’ choral or hook repetitions lead to a frustrating musical impasse, The Pimps of Joytime, like any great, synced, modern funk derivative, blast undeniably catchy riffs to bring listeners to a trancelike I-can’t-stop-moving state.

For all of his ability to write addictive dance hooks, Brian J and The Pimps of Joytime continue to struggle getting to that next level. He seems wistful when imagining the money that would entail — not for personal enrichment, but for expanding their horizons musically … and maybe the luxury of not sharing hotel rooms.

As for that name, it was uttered by a friend and just fit.

“It’s like a suit that isn’t what you usually wear, so you put it in the closet until you’re feeling really good, and you’re like ‘All right, I’m going to wear that suit tonight,’” Brian J said. “It’s audacious and has some attitude, and at that time I felt like I’m really going to have to back this up.”

They do. While Brian J recalls that some of his craziest shows have happened in Idaho, anywhere they go has the potential to be a dance party.

Brian J, the epitome of a man who rolls with the punches, is the catalyst for these sets, though ironically, he’s just as ready to spend time with a good book or boogie down in the kitchen.

By: Joe Kleinschmidt

Who: Justin Torres

What: Reading and Q&A

When: 4 p.m., Friday

Where: Walter Library, Arthur Upson Room (Room 102),  117 Pleasant St. SE,

Minneapolis

Cost: Free

No language obscures the lucid power Justin Torres wields in his debut novel, “We the Animals.” The young “animals” include Manny, Joel and an unidentified narrator, who wildly mocks strangers and begs for attention.

The three boys share one voice for much of the slim 128-page book, a collective howl in defiance of everyone within their sights. Torres paints a semi-autobiographical sketch with his novel, an episodic ode to boyhood.

“We were six snatching hands, six stomping feet; we were brothers, boys, three little kings locked in a feud for more,” Torres wrote, establishing a first-person plural perspective early on.

The 2011 book launched Torres into the literary spotlight, garnering accolades from fellow authors Paul Harding and Dorothy Allison. The prose of “We the Animals” bounces between the minimalist language Raymond Carver popularized and a lyrical beat derived from Torres’ writing process.

“I read aloud a lot,” he said. “All the time. Obsessively. Oftentimes before I even write it down, I will sort of talk to myself and sort of memorize something and see how it sounds.”

Set in rural upstate New York, “We the Animals” follows the trio of brothers growing up amid the chaotic relationship between their parents, referred to as “Ma” and “Paps.”

“We the Animals” uses its compact length and rhythmic language to break free of a convention Torres sees as well-worn.

“I wanted to go against the ‘coming-of-age’ genre,” Torres said. “I wanted to do something a little bit different that wasn’t quite about one character, the individual identity of a character coming into awareness gradually over time.”

Encouraged by an instructor from a writing class he took with a friend in New York, Torres eventually landed in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He first developed “We the Animals” through the rigor of a graduate program, far removed from his humble upbringing.

“When I got there, I wasn’t coming from anywhere — I was a [expletive] college drop-out,” he said. “I had to race to come up with my own set of beliefs. I was forced to articulate the way that I believe fiction should work.”

Snapshots in “We the Animals” mirror the author’s own experiences coming to terms with his sexual identity and mixed-race heritage, growing up with a Puerto Rican father and a white mother. Labels make Torres’ coming-of-age novel popular in high schools, but the book packs fewer prescriptions and more punches. On his visits to schools, he emphasizes the same candidness in conversation with students.

“It might not be the first time that they’ve met a writer, but it’s the first time they’ve met a writer who talks like they talk,” Torres said. “I’m not particularly interested in being an elitist. I try to be frank and honest.”

That visceral aesthetic so palpable in “We the Animals” initially clashed with the literary circles he finds himself in now as a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, where he’s working on a new book.

“I’m running in these circles that are so far removed from the world that I grew up in — like so far removed,” Torres said. “It’s weird. It’s definitely weird.”

By: Shannon Ryan

Despite a raging blizzard gifted from Ms. Mother Nature, models stomped the runway, critics peeped the delicious designs and fashion enthusiasts braved the storm all in the name of Fall 2013 ready-to-wear.

New York Fashion Week ends today after eight days of showcased fashion collections unveiling styles for this year’s autumn and winter seasons. Though a vast number of differentiating silhouettes, shapes, prints and embellishments were viewed on the runway, certain patterns and palettes were consistent among the designers: Greetings inception of trends.

Animal print

No need to stash or mute your wild side this autumn, it’s still going to be a growler. Big prints, small prints, tans, taupes and colored prints roamed the runway from accessories to sweaters. DKNY had a few pieces doused in animal prints, namely an oversize tunic length sweater in cheetah. Tracy Reese, in contrast, had animals running wild in her collection, from cheetah-print coats and tunics to zebra-print trenches. Get prepped for a playful fall.

Leather

Leather is bountiful in the Fall 2013 ready-to-wear collections. It has become a staple in many pieces for fall, from mere trimmings to composing an entire outfit reminiscent of the “Matrix.” Joseph Altuzarra and Prabal Gurung donned sleek leather dresses in each of their collections, and Rachel Comey, Band of Outsiders and Billy Reid all used leather to create elongated skirts. The fabric was showcased in black in collections by Charlotte Ronson and Sally Lapointe. Leather is dominant in this year’s fall fashion; don’t shrug it off quite yet.

Fabric blocking

With the fleeing of 2012’s bold trend of color blocking enters an equally bold and more sensory stimulating trend of fabric blocking. Skirts, dresses, coats and pants are composed of unexpected fabric mixtures from leather and satin to velvet and silk to the four of them fused in one article of clothing. Seen at Victoria Beckham, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang and Catherine Malandrino, among many other runways, this trend flirts with femininity and androgyny for a contemporary twist.

Sleek silhouettes

Get ready for a tightening of the silhouette. Fall introduces much more structure and sharpness to clothing. Skirts and dresses are elongated and sleek, seen at Reem Acra, Catherine Malandrino, Joseph Altuzarra and Alexander Wang, creating a very strong and slim silhouette.

Mixed prints

2012 flirted with the idea and execution of mixing bold patterns and prints, but 2013 will enter into a long-term relationship with the trend. Fall 2013 combines fanciful prints with geometric lines and a fear of nothing; it’s anything but monolithic. Catherine Malandrino mixes shapes with embroidered patterns and BCBG Max Azria layered printed and shirred furs atop patterned tunics. This season’s mixtures bring together ancient artistry and a contemporary ethos.

Deep color palettes

Colors are deep and rich for fall, nothing too ostentatious or deviant from the traditional fall palette. Think aubergines, deep greens, brilliant purples and navy interspersed among classic camels and blacks, favorites to The Row’s and Derek Lam’s collections.

Is anyone else ready to fast forward to fall?

By: Lucy Nieboer

Spring semester gets crazy quickly. There are assignments that are overdue and adviser appointments that need to be scheduled to discuss graduation. Through it all, significant others are expected to sway politely in the background, putting up with homework headaches, messy rooms and general chaos. They lay in wait, silently expecting you to pull out all stops come Feb. 14.

Alas, the day has arrived, and you have no restaurant reservation, gift or measly bouquet for your dearest darling. Fret not — A&E has found restaurants that don’t require reservations, so go take your neglected lover out on the town. This one’s on us.

For the Rocky Balboa and Adrian Pennino couple: Broders’ Pasta Bar

5000 S. Penn Ave., Minneapolis

For Rocky and Adrian, the perfect date restaurant has fuel enough for a heavyweight champion and refinement enough for a lady.

For the Italian stallion and his mare, Broder’s Pasta Bar is the quintessential romantic restaurant without the fussy and rigid atmosphere. Twinkle lights and well-groomed shrubbery set this oasis apart as a cozy neighborhood spot that attracts visitors from downtown and the suburbs alike.

In a dining room set up like a huge household kitchen, you can relax while you await the mounds of fresh pasta that will whet your appetite for romance. For Valentine’s Day, Broder’s will serve up a $30 per person set-price menu with an extra $20 for wine pairings. If you want to shorten your wait time, call an hour ahead of your arrival.

For the Juno MacGuff and Paulie Bleeker couple: Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant

510 N. Snelling Ave., St. Paul

Juno and her track-short-clad boy toy aren’t the type to get all dolled up for a Hallmark holiday. They’d prefer a spot where they can go, have a meal to remember and then go home.

Fasika is a delightful hole-in-the-wall that will blow your average date night out of the water without breaking your piggy bank. For $37 you can get the Ultimate Combination, a gargantuan sampling platter of beef, lamb, chicken and vegetarian dishes all served on Ethiopian Injera bread. Injera is spongy, tangy flatbread that serves as both a side dish and eating utensil for this meal, where forks are absent, but intimate moments for the quirky couple blossom.

For the Tom Hansen and Summer Finn couple: Tilia

2726 W. 43rd St., Minneapolis

We watch Tom and Summer fall in and out of love for 500 days. They go on dates in diners, bars and parks all over Los Angeles, but somehow we never get to see their courtship in the confines of a chic, romantic restaurant. In a restaurant-focused remake, Tilia is a “new American” eatery that dishes up classic, meat-focused meals with a touch of elegant sophistication, often involving a charred exotic vegetable or puree, which in foodie standards is about as hip as Zooey Deschanel’s vintage dress collection.

The modern decor at Tilia could at first seem cold as Summer’s heart, but once the food arrives, the passion and warmth of this Linden Hills locale is on full display.

For the Allie Hamilton and Noah Calhoun couple: Brasa Rotisserie

600 E. Hennepin Ave.,

Minneapolis or

777 Grand Ave., St. Paul

Present-day classics are hard to come by. Teenage girls everywhere will argue that the love story in “The Notebook” crushes the romance between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet, rivals the affair of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler and doesn’t come close to the ultimate tryst of Romeo and Juliet.

Brasa, too, has a following of diehards that would rather eat at this low-key locavore cafe than at the fanciest, Michelin-star rated dining rooms in the world and with good reason. Brasa takes classic Southern dishes like creamed spinach and slow-roasted pork and serves them up with a touch so familiar and elegant they could grace the table of any Southern banquet à la the family of Allie Hamilton. However, in this no-frills environment, even pauper Noah would feel comfortable.

By: Patrick Maloney

What: Poetry SlamMN!’s 17th Annual Erotica Poetry Slam

When: 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday

Where: Kieran’s Irish Pub, 601 N. First Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: $8

Ages: All ages

When it comes to erotic poetry, Minneapolis is not in virgin territory.

“We’ve seen the whole gamut between really beautiful love poetry, to really disgusting stuff, to just the right amount of raunchy,” said Allison Broeren, who has run Poetry SlamMN!’s annual Erotica Slam since 2006. “You see a little bit of everything.”

Perhaps this variety is what has made the slam so popular. City Pages named it the Twin Cities’ best spoken word event of the year, and the show has a longstanding tradition of selling out.

“[The Erotica Slam] was the very first poetry slam they ever had in Minnesota,” local poet and Erotica Slam champion Cynthia French said. “It was kind of a gimmick to sell the slam to Minnesota audiences.”

“The thing about poetry slam is that it’s not scripted,” French said. “It’s not planned in advance. Whoever shows up makes the show.”

French has been involved in the slam scene since 1998 and is currently the Minneapolis Women’s Poetry Slam champion. She also ran the monthly slam at Kieran’s Irish Pub for several years. French has attended almost every Erotica Slam in the event’s 17 years in the Twin Cities and has won more than a couple of them.

“I’ve never actually written an erotic poem,” French said. “I write a lot of humorous poems about sex and dating.”

Comedian Tom Reed, one of last year’s winners, even managed to skirt the topic of sex itself.

“I’ve never taken it seriously in an erotic kind of way,” Reed said. “I did a poem about loving candy — grotesque, intense detail about how much I love the taste of Fun Dip.”

That’s not to say that the slam isn’t aptly named.

“A lot of people do deadly serious poetry that is ultra-revealing,” Reed said. “There will be some stuff that is drippingly graphic.”

The competition is open to anyone, from first-time poets to writers who have made it their tradition to perform. However, that means that you might see people on stage you’d rather not associate with erotica.

“I saw my mom read a dirty haiku last year,” Broeren said. “It was pretty scarring.”

That might not even be the worst of it. In reference to the most scandalous poem she’s seen at the event, Broeren said “there were some donkeys involved.”

This year’s slam promises just as many sexy surprises as previous slams.

“I am attempting to write a love poem to Jack Black to debut,” French said. “It talks a lot about his eyebrows.”

By: Joe Kellen

What: “Four Actors in Search of a Moment”

When: 9 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Feb. 22-23

Where: The Fallout Arts Initiative Co-op Studios, 2601 S. Second Ave, Minneapolis

Cost: $12-15

Fallout Arts is getting the full aural treatment. Endless amounts of noise have been reverberating inside the space this week: the howl of orangutans, the scurrying stutter step of squirrels and a three-piece band named The Poor Nobody’s underscoring it all. Sound chaotic? That’s because it is, and it’s only a warmup in an average rehearsal of “Four Actors in Search of a Moment.”

The ensemble of Ghostbridge Theatre’s premiere of the surreal journey has taken on a dreamlike aesthetic in their exercises. This cast has done everything from rampaging around their rehearsal room in the roar of noisemakers and wild shouting to transforming their characters into untamed animals in order to discover the rhythm of the contemplative, absurd comedy.

“I want to see how many different ways I can come at the audience from an unexpected angle,” playwright and director Jeff Nichols said.

“Four Actors in Search of a Moment” follows four people stripped of their identities and sense of reality only to find themselves lost on a stage. Eventually, the group comes to realize that they’re actors playing characters through repeated moments of meta theater; there’s a character named Stage Directions, for example. The four pass the time with genre-hopping acting school-style improv scenes, including dramatic monologues about made-up car accidents and fighting a riotous “imaginary war” with each other. They can only entertain the façade for so long, though, because each individual slowly becomes aware that they’re living in a non-fictional reality. This leads to the complete dissolution of the world they created, leaving nothing but the real-life actors to present themselves characterless to the audience.

Adam Scarpello, one of the performers in the ensemble, has never had the experience of coming onstage as an unembellished version of himself.

“How am I a human being on a naked level? It’s hard because you’re trying to strip every single wall you’ve ever built up to tell an audience, ‘This is who I am right now,’” he said.

It’s an unorthodox task for actors, and this reflects what Ghostbridge seeks to produce in its future. Artistic director Nichols’ young company took its current form in 2011 when he moved back to the Twin Cities after attending graduate school in southern Illinois. His return with executive director Karen Elaine Massey marks the beginning of what the pair hopes will be a successful vehicle for producing new work and conjuring the experimental — something they feel the local theater scene could use more of.

“Theater is a very particular art form, so if you’re going to go, it should be giving you something different,” he said.

“Four Actors in Search of a Moment” caters to his sentiment well, combining a live score that builds toward circling, delirious soundscapes and sections of abstract theater dance. All in all, the play could easily overwhelm and detach an audience with its frenzied action. Eric Cohen, an actor in the production, insists that this is all a part of having a visceral experience with the work.

“The script is a little bit obtuse, but there’s more to it than that.”

Nichols agrees, stating that overstimulation has become normality in the information age. He asserts that the play isn’t just a response to the conventions and structure of theater; it’s a commentary about the characters people adopt when they go in public and an exploration of how possible it is to reach deep, intimate contact with another person.

“To me, the play is very humanistic — experiences have value when we find that moment we’re all in search of, this moment where we can really connect with someone.”