Theatre Complex

One of the most amazing things about living in Minnesota is that almost wherever you go you will find a theater. More impressive still is that most of them—from mammoth companies to community theaters—do pretty good work.

Consider the Commonweal Theatre Company in the idyllic hamlet of Lanesboro, for example. It’s a professional troupe—now in its nineteenth season—that produces shows year-round, in repertory, which is good news for weekend-trippers. A two-and-a-half-hour drive south from Minneapolis gets you there, shops and hiking trails keep you busy during the day, and in the evening, there are two different Commonweal shows to keep you entertained. Wisconsinite David Gardiner directs the Pulitzer-winning Crimes of the Heart, a drama about a misplaced family dealing with the droll vagaries of fate. Craig Johnson—a Twin Cities resident—directs the tour de force The Mystery of Irma Vep, in which two actors play multiple characters. This faux-Victorian melodrama is replete with metatheatrical references and exuberant ridiculousness. (Think cross-dressing, vampires, and campy movie references.)

Commonweal has reason to celebrate: In March, executive director Hal Cropp was honored with a Sally Ordway Irvine Award for initiative.  In July, the company’s new $3.5 million, 185-seat theater complex opens to the public, courtesy of in-kind donations and statewide and national grants.

Not bad for a town with a population of 788.

Reach Jaime Kleiman at jaime@jaimekleiman.com.