The Wizard of Hennepin

In the short term, though, there are still problems with running that kind of empire. Last year alone, a $1.7 million outlay was required for theater maintenance and upkeep. “Our single biggest challenge is that while we do a really good job fulfilling our mission, we make it seem easier than it is,” Hoch says. “People don’t understand our need for philanthropic support.” Broadway tours don’t bring in as much money as they used to, he says, so other revenue streams, including community support, need to be developed to fully fund HTT’s more education-oriented endeavors.

Hoch is also finding it hard to keep the smaller Pantages Theatre filled. “The Pantages is more challenging. We’re not a producing entity; we’re a presenting entity, and it’s hard to find acts that fit it. The ideal would be to find a production that could sit for five or six weeks, but we haven’t found a model to make that work yet.”

Running such a multidimensional organization is demanding, and Hoch admits that he often works more than eighty hours a week. “I love it,” he says. “My day is full of so many things. But then everything I’ve done, I’ve really loved.”

But that doesn’t mean Hoch is not an ardent family man. His partner, Mark Luther, a retired agribusiness-equipment leaser from New Prague, is central to his life. “Professionally, he was from a different world. He is a good bellwether for me,” says Hoch. And so are Hoch’s thirty-seven-year-old daughter and three grandchildren, ages seven, four, and one. The road of his rather unconventional family life has not been easy, Hoch says, but it has been extremely rewarding. “I became a father too young, at sixteen, and [my daughter was put] up for adoption, which is the best thing that could’ve happened,” he says. “[She and I] reconnected when she was seventeen, which was the second-best thing.”

Hoch has been reinventing himself his entire life and admits that he may not be done yet. “I have a couple more in me,” he smiles. “I even think about going back to teaching. For now, I put it on hold, but I may come back to it later. Someday, I’ll just know.”

In the meantime, he is committed to the work he is doing. “The value of the theaters is a civic value—what they can do for us. They contribute to the cultural vitality of the cities,” he insists. “We’re the front door to the theater community. People come, have an experience, and learn about that experience. We hope they will continue on the path and be more adventurous.”

One thing’s for sure: If they follow Tom Hoch, the adventure is going to be an interesting one—and educational too.