Devon Cox 2025-01-02 05:56:50
ARTS & CULTURE
THEATER & PERFORMING ARTS
Minnesota ranked #1 for public arts spending in 2024, which explains the quality, breadth and depth of the state’s theater landscape.
From live theater and opera to dance and comedy, Minnesotans are never at a loss for a show to see. No matter your taste (or age), there’s a theater producing work tailor-made for you.
GUTHRIE THEATER
Not only is the Guthrie Minnesota’s flagship theater and a feat of modern architecture; it’s the birthplace of the American regional theater movement. Founded in 1963 on the principle that the highest-caliber theater shouldn’t require a trip to Broadway, the Guthrie clinched the regional theater TONY Award in 1982. In 2006, the theater moved from its Loring Park home to a brand-new, 285,000-square-foot facility on the Mississippi River, designed by famed French architect Jean Nouvel.
BROADWAY & TOURING THEATER
Minneapolis-St. Paul is a hub for major productions. The Hennepin Theater Trust is Minnesota’s largest organization hosting Broadway National Tours across three historic theaters in downtown Minneapolis. At the edge of downtown, the Walker Art Center features an eclectic mix of experimental theater, dance, music and live performances from across the globe.
In St. Paul, The Ordway is the flagship arts venue. Hosting a vast array of music and theater productions, it’s also home to The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Schubert Club and Minnesota Opera.
IMPROV THEATER & COMEDY CLUBS
Did you know that Minneapolis is home to the oldest sketch comedy club in the country? Founded in 1958, Dudley Riggs’ Brave New Workshop (now stewarded by the Hennepin Theater Trust) has been making Minneapolitans laugh for over half a century.
Love stand-up? See what’s happening at Comedy Club Underground or ACME Comedy Club, which often books big-name comics. Prefer improv? Check out ComedySportz.
REGIONAL PRODUCTIONS
In the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District, Theater Latté Da is the spot for intimate, award-winning musical theater spanning well-known favorites and bold new work.
ARTS & CULTURE
Also in Minneapolis, the Jungle Theater puts on shows in a cozy, glamorously lush space. Its artist cohort includes Native actress Isabella Star LeBlanc (from HBO’s “True Detective”) and Hmong playwright Katie Ka Vang. Also check out the Playwrights’ Center, nurturing titans of theater for decades, and the Children’s Theatre Company, the only children’s theater to win the TONY award for best regional theater.
The Moving Company is the reincarnation of the TONY-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune. Original company members carry on the signature style of highly physical, European-influenced, sensory-driven theater, and their shows are often presented by partner theaters like the Guthrie and the Jungle. Mixed Blood, founded as a multiracial theater (one of the nation’s first), has long been an incubator for new work. Its many world premieres include the play by Katori Hall that would later become the Starz drama series “P- Valley.”
In St. Paul, the Penumbra Theatre is a pioneering Black theater company known for plays uplifting the Black American experience. Meanwhile, Ten Thousand Things puts on stripped down but superb performances, proving that the only thing you need to tell a story is actors, a script and an audience willing to go along for the ride. Ten Thousand Things employs top talent to perform for those who are currently incarcerated, unhoused or have other barriers to accessing the arts. Each production usually has a run that is open to the public, and these plays and musicals are some of the best in the state.
In downtown Duluth, the Duluth Playhouse is one of the nation’s oldest non-profit theaters and the city’s largest professional company. Enjoy musicals on their mainstage and contemporary plays in their underground space.
In Winona, the Great River Shakespeare Festival is a star of the summer lineup. Head to the banks of the Mississippi for this epic month-long celebration of the Bard’s greatest works.
Just outside of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres does big, splashy musicals – think less dusty dinner theater of yore and more new-school Broadway classics (“Jersey Boys”, “The Prom”) with high production values and top talent. The behind-the-scenes team, including brilliant costume designers, are at the top of their game. The venue has a second space for comedy cabarets, drag shows and more.
Scan to see the full lineup of performing arts events at exploreminnesota.com/things-to-do/arts-theater-events
#ONLYINMN | 37
©Explore Minnesota. View All Articles.