Commonweal Theatre Company facts for kids

The Commonweal Theatre Company is a professional live theatre group located in Lanesboro, Minnesota, United States. It was started in 1989 by Eric Bunge, Scott Olson, and Scott Putman. The company performs plays from April to December each year. They choose five plays, which can be old classics, newer plays, or works by new writers.

How the Theatre Works

The Commonweal is run by artists themselves. It's set up as a special kind of group called a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This means it uses any money it earns to put on shows and run the theatre, not to make a profit for owners.

The theatre has a "Resident Ensemble." These are members who live in the Lanesboro area. They handle the daily artistic and business needs of the company. The Commonweal also hires other actors and staff for different seasons. Plus, they have college interns and, since 2008, an Apprentice Company. Young artists in the Apprentice Company learn a lot about theatre by acting and helping out.

The Commonweal's Story

The Commonweal Theatre began in 1989. The Lanesboro Arts Council asked Eric Lorentz Bunge, Scott Olson, and Scott Putman to start it. In their first year, the company worked for eleven weeks. Ten artists performed two plays: Crimes of the Heart and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

In 1991, the theatre started a program for students. They offered special daytime shows called student matinees. A year later, in 1992, they began a high school conservatory program. This was a two-week intensive training for high school students interested in theatre. By 1993, the company started performing plays in a "rotating repertory." This means they would perform different plays on different nights during the same season. By 1994, their performance season lasted all the way until December.

In 2008, the theatre added its first Apprentice Company. This program brought five young theatre artists to Lanesboro. They got to act, direct, and learn how the theatre company works. Today, Hal Cropp is the Executive Director. Adrienne Sweeney is the Assistant Artistic Director.

The New Theatre Building

The current Commonweal Theatre building opened in July 2007. It has 200 seats and is located right on Lanesboro's main street. The outside of the building looks very special. An artist from Minnesota named Karl Unnasch designed it to look like three different Lanesboro shop fronts.

The inside of the theatre also has unique features. It celebrates the natural beauty and history of the area. For example, old barn doors are used for bathroom stalls. Stone walls inside the theatre look like the bluffs (steep cliffs) around Lanesboro. The concrete floors remind visitors that the building used to be a cheese factory. Even the seats have a story! They were saved from the original Guthrie Theater, a famous theatre in Minnesota.

Images for kids

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  Inside the Commonweal Theatre, ready for a show.

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  An external view of the Commonweal Theatre, showing its unique front.