Minneapolis community theater shares untold story of the winningest women's hockey team
MINNEAPOLIS — Women's hockey is taking center stage right now, and a new production debuting at Minneapolis' Theatre in the Round shares the untold story of the most successful team ever.
The Preston Rivulettes have an unmatched record of winning in 10 years together as a team in Ontario, Canada, in the 1930s amid the Great Depression.
The Rivulette won 346 games, only losing two and tying two.
"You would think that a team that was so dominating during that time, people would know about it, but people don't," said Larisa Netterlund, executive director at Theatre in the Round
Netterlund brought the play, written by Tracy Power, to their circular stage — transforming it into an ice rink.
"We have girls run into the boards, fall on the ground," she said. "We even have a hockey fight."
Without actually ice skating, choreographer Antonia Perez makes it feel real through dancing.
"You can do dance moves, even if it's just a step touch, up and high or down and groovy and dirty, and we tried go low and powerful with all of our moves," Perez said.
Netterlund felt this was the perfect time to share the story of Rivulettes, with women's pro hockey growing in a big way over the last year.
"Having the Minnesota Frost taking the championship last year, it was exciting, so we really wanted to capitalize on that," she said.
Last weekend, two stars of the Frost — Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise — came by the theater to meet audience members and sign autographs. Netterlund hopes this brings in even more fans of women's sports.
"To celebrate women in sports in a new way that more people can appreciate, maybe non-sport people can come and appreciate it," she said.
Performances of "Glory" are every Friday through Saturday for the next two weeks, through Feb. 9. Get tickets here.