FIVE world premieres. A Holiday Classic - and more...

Whenever we're in Minnesota, we always try to soak in as much theater as we can. Excellent theater abounds in Minnesota! We've been to several productions at the Hopkins Stages Theatre Company. This spring, we saw a wonderful performance of the Paper Bag Princess. It was an incredible production! Our daughter loved it, and we've talked about it for months now.

Paper Bag Princess

This summer, Stages Theatre Company has done an international theatre exchange with Theatre Royal Bath - Young People's Theatre. 

We were so impressed with Stages Theatre Company that I'd like to share their upcoming season with you - there will be 5 world premieres! We also talked with the theatre about educating students about theater, and also about their community involvement. IMPRESSIVE! But let's begin....

The Page Comes to the Stage
Stages Theatre Company Announces 2009-10 Season

Stages Theatre Company (STC) announces an exciting lineup of plays for children and young adults for the 2009-10 season where the page comes to the stage. The season begins Sept. 25, 2009 with Nancy Carlson’s “I Like Me” and concludes Aug. 1, 2010 with “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka.”
Eight classic children’s books come to the stage during the 2009-10 season, including five world premieres. “Stages Theatre Company has a history of creating and producing amazing shows that come from children’s literature, both classic and contemporary. With that in mind, our 2009-10 season may truly be called “A season of Classics,” says Artistic Director Sandy Boren-Barrett.

Kicking off the season is “I Like Me” by Nancy Carlson, which runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 25. For more than 25 years, this book has been entertaining young people and teaching lessons in humanity. Watch Louanne Pig and all her friends as they discover self-esteem and the power of being true to oneself. Michael Erickson returns as playwright and composer, bringing joy and hilarity to these beloved characters. This world premiere is perfect for all ages. 

The world premiere of “Alice in Wonderland” will take audiences (ages 6 and up) on a journey down the rabbit-hole with Alice and the White Rabbit. The Caterpillar, Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, March Hare, Red Queen, and the rest of this incredible cast of characters will entertain us all starting Oct. 23 through Nov. 8 in the Hopkins Jaycees Studio. This Lewis Carroll masterpiece is presented in unique STC fashion.

The holiday classic “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” enchants audiences Nov. 20 through Dec. 28. This world premiere production is inspired by the classic Clement C. Moore poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Children of all ages will be amazed as this book comes to life before their eyes. Jennifer Kirkeby and Shirley Mier, the creators of numerous STC musical hits, join forces once again.

“The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats” follows young Peter as he explores his familiar surroundings, now magically changed by a rare, crystalline blanket of snow. A production perfect for all ages, the show combines the world of inner-city life with the power of nature’s beauty. This book received the Caldecott Award in 1963, being named most distinguished picture book for children. This is a world premiere production that begins Jan. 15 and runs through Feb. 14. Playwright Mark Rosenwinkel and composer Michael Mahler join forces to create this new adaptation.

The popular Judy Blume book “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” tells the story of Peter Hatcher who is in fourth grade and dealing with some big problems, which include his little brother Fudge. He gets into Peter’s stuff, he’s disgustingly cute, but the worst thing of all is…well, you’ll just have to see it to believe it. This amusing show is for ages 6 and up, and will run for a limited time March 5 through March 21.

“Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin is a hilarious story about a farmer who must learn to deal with his cows on a more than casual basis, especially when their typing becomes a list of demands. Jennifer Kirkeby and Jake Rowan join forces to bring this world premiere, which is perfect for all ages, to the stage starting April 16 through May 16.  

The classic S.E. Hinton story of the Socs and the Greasers comes to life on stage in “The Outsiders.” Ponyboy believes that Socs (socials) always have money and can get away with anything, while Greasers are outsiders and always need a friend to watch their backs. A powerful drama of young people coming to terms with the world as it is. This production is performed in the Hopkins Jaycees Studio from April 30 through May 23 and is for ages 12 and up.

Concluding the season is the popular “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka,” which delights audiences from June 25 through Aug. 1 and is perfect for all ages. With the music from the original 1971 movie, follow impoverished youngster Charlie Bucket as he finds the golden ticket, winning a tour through the fabulous chocolate factory. The eccentric owner and tour guide is Willy Wonka and anything can happen when he is in charge.

To purchase individual tickets, please visit www.stagestheatre.org or call the box office at (952) 979-1111, Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults; $12 for children (ages 4-17) with lap passes available for free (ages 0-2) and $5 (ages 3-4); $12 for seniors (ages 60+). Flex pass and season subscriber options are available.

Theatre History and Background

Stages Theatre Company (STC) was founded in 1984 in the western suburbs of Minneapolis out of a community-based need for quality theatre programming for children. For more than 25 years, it has significantly broadened its reach and scope, involving young people in the theatre arts through opportunities on stage, backstage, in the audience and in the classroom. 

STC has grown to become the third largest nonprofit theatre producer in Minnesota and one of the largest professional theatres for young audiences in the country. During the coming year, it will serve approximately 120,000 young people and their families from throughout the Twin Cities.

Between 1984 and 1997, STC held most of its performances at the Eisenhower Community Center in Hopkins, Minn. During the 1990s, STC took shape into a fully professional theatre company. By developing collaborations with a wide variety of organizations, STC was able to significantly expand the scale and extent of the theater’s programming. 

In the mid-1990s, a unique collaboration by STC, the City of Hopkins, and the Hopkins School District planned and designed the Hopkins Center for the Arts (HCA), the current home of STC. Steve Barberio, the former artistic director, led community efforts to design and fund the $4.3 million, 37,000 square foot, multi-disciplinary arts facility located in downtown Hopkins. Today, this new facility has been widely credited as the catalyst for the rebirth of downtown Hopkins.

Since moving to the HCA in 1997, STC has significantly grown artistically and broadened its audience base. In addition to the main stage, HCA also houses a black box studio space, where STC is able to present more intimate and dramatic material that would not have the same impact if produced on the main stage. The black box studio is the venue for productions dealing with subject matter that demands a more intimate environment, such as A Holocaust Mosaic (an original piece based on the poetry, prose and other writings from the Holocaust) and Stone Hearts (a piece commissioned that portrays a Muslim family’s struggles during the Bosnian War).

During the last 15 years, STC has increased its annual attendance from 20,000 to almost 90,000, grown the annual operating budget from $100,000 to more than $1.6 million, dramatically increased the size of full-time staff, and significantly expanded the theatre’s production, education and outreach offerings. In addition to its acclaimed main stage productions, STC also offers an Acting Conservatory Program, community workshops, summer and winter theatre workshops and school outreach programs.

Today, STC is recognized as a leader in theatre, education and production programming for children and young adults, and has received a number of regional and national awards and grants. The National Endowment for the Arts supports its work, awarding grants for both productions and school outreach programming. STC was the recipient of the 2001 Award for Arts Organization Excellence in Educational Programming from the Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education; in 2004, the editors of MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine selected STC as the “Best Kid’s Theater” in the Twin Cities; and in 2008, Minnesota Parent Magazine voters chose both STC and the Children’s Theatre Company as “Best Children’s Theatre.”

On community involvement:

Through our endeavors we aim to foster an appreciation of the arts, remain accessible to diverse populations, and realize the intrinsic value the arts have to offer to a child's well-being and development. 

STC is a nonprofit 501c (3) organization, operating on an annual budget of about $1.8 million annually. The company serves more than 120,000 young people and their families through its production, education and in-school outreach programs. 

It is important that children and youth participate in arts activities because the arts help young people develop skills and competencies that will benefit them throughout their lives.  According to Champions of Change: The Impact of Arts on Learning, a study conducted by the Arts Education Partnership in cooperation with the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, "involvement with the arts provides unparalleled opportunities for learning, enabling young people to reach for and attain higher levels of achievement." 

In addition, recent research published by RAND found that the arts provide many extrinsic benefits, but also many important intrinsic benefits, such as expanded capacity for empathy, cognitive growth, creation of social bonds and expression of communal meanings.

STC is a vital and important contributor to this community's cultural landscape.  The company strongly believes in the positive impact the arts have on our society, our community, and most importantly, our children.  At the cornerstone of our endeavors is our goal to be influential in the positive personal growth of children. 

On Educating Students:

STC's productions are all based off of children's literature to provide significant roles for young people. We also have an average of 150 children audition for roles.

Stages Theatre Company is committed to the enrichment and education of children and youth in a professional theatre environment that stimulates artistic excellence and personal growth. We believe that theatre has the potential to inspire, educate and entertain, while being an effective vehicle for a child's artistic, social, and academic development. 

We offer a wide range of programs in pursuit of this mission.  Our theatre workshops and classes are designed to inspire creativity in youth ages 4 - 17.  Taught by some of the finest professional theatre artists in the Twin Cities, our education programs aim to foster an appreciation of theatre, remain accessible to diverse populations, and realize the intrinsic value the arts have to offer a child's well-being and development.  As one young actor described it, "Stages Conservatory believes that young actors deserve real work, not just as students, but as artists in their own right...with that I felt my confidence soar."

Stages Theatre Company is a visionary leader for in-school theatre arts programming.  For 25 years, we've worked with a variety of learning communities throughout the Twin Cities and in greater Minnesota including: public and private schools, homeschools, community centers, and youth organizations.  Students participating in STC artist-teacher collaborations have shown improved test scores as well as stronger social skills such as leadership and cooperation.  We provide specialized, custom-tailored curriculum designed to suit the needs of individual teachers and their students.  Professional teaching artists work directly in the classroom with teachers and students providing engaging, research-based strategies for enhancing curriculum in any subject.  As one 5th grade teacher described it, "The kids have so much fun, they don't realize the skills and character qualities they're developing within themselves."

For more detailed information about STC education programs, please feel free to visit our website, www.stagestheatre.org, or contact Cassandra Proball, Education Manager at cproball [at] stagestheatre.org. 

SEE why we love Stages Theatre Company? They are just incredible - an extraordinary arts organization, built on education, theatre, and community. Now that's the kind of organization we are happy to promote!

For more information, please see:

www.stagestheatre.org

All photos courtesy and copyright of Stages Theatre Company.