PARK SQUARE THEATER
408 ST PETER STREET NO 110, ST PAUL, MN 55102 www.parksquaretheatre.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO ENRICH THE COMMUNITY BY PRODUCING AND PRESENTING EXCEPTIONAL LIVE THEATRE THAT TOUCHES THE HEART, ENGAGES THE MIND AND DELIGHTS THE SPIRIT.

TO ENRICH AND EDUCATE UPPER MIDWEST AUDIENCES AND SCHOOLS WITH EXCEPTIONAL LIVE THEATRE.

GENERAL AUDIENCE PROGRAMMING-PARK SQUARE'S MISSION IS TO ENRICH OUR COMMUNITY BY PRODUCING AND PRESENTING EXCEPTIONAL LIVE THEATRE THAT TOUCHES THE HEART, ENGAGES THE MIND AND DELIGHTS THE SPIRIT. NAMED MPLS/ST. PAUL MAGAZINE'S 2012 BEST MID-SIZED THEATRE, WE ARE THE EAST METRO'S TOP EMPLOYER OF LOCAL STAGE TALENT, PUTTING 200+ ARTISTS TO WORK IN 13 PRODUCTIONS. WE ARE ALSO HOME TO THE LARGEST TEEN THEATRE AUDIENCE IN THE COUNTRY FOR A THEATRE OUR SIZE. OUR DIVERSE PROGRAM SCHEDULE IS SUPPORTED BY THE MARKET'S THIRD LARGEST SUBSCRIBER BASE AND IS MATCHED OR EXCEEDED ONLY BY THE GUTHRIE AND CHILDREN'S THEATRE COMPANY. OUR ADULT AUDIENCE OF MORE THAN 42,000 IS SPREAD EVENLY ACROSS THE GREATER TWIN CITIES AREA INCLUDING WESTERN WISCONSIN. PARK SQUARE THEATRE IS THE PROUD RECIPIENT OF THE SAINT PAUL AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S DEUBENER AWARD, NON-PROFIT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR (2016). LIKE MOST MAINSTREAM ARTS AUDIENCES, OURS HAVE BEEN MOSTLY CAUCASIAN, WELL-EDUCATED AND MIDDLE CLASS, BUT OUR DEMOGRAPHICS HAVE BEEN CHANGING. DIVERSITY HAS EXPLODED WITH 13 PROJECTS ON TWO STAGES, OFTEN CHOSEN AND LED BY WOMEN/AND OR ARTISTS OF COLOR. FOR EXAMPLE, SHOWS LIKE THE 2018 PRODUCTION "MARIE AND ROSETTA," ATTRACTED A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF AUDIENCES OF COLOR. OVERALL, 19% OF NEW PATRONS ARE PEOPLE OF COLOR. IN ADDITION, ARTISTS OF COLOR TOTAL 44% OF ALL ARTISTS IN THE 2018-2019 SEASON.NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR FLORDELINO LAGUNDINO WAS HIRED IN JUNE 2018 TO CO-LEAD THE ORGANIZATION AS A VITAL INTERSECTION FOR CULTURE, THOUGHT AND CONVERSATION. THE HEART OF THIS VISION IS AN INTENTIONALLY WIDE RANGE OF WORK TO SPEAK TO AND CROSS-POLLINATE A MULTIPLICITY OF VOICES. OUR GOALS TO INCREASE INCLUSIVENESS AMONG ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES INCLUDE TO: 1) DIVERSIFY PROGRAMS AND TALENT; 2) BUILD AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS THAT INCREASE PARTICIPATION BY AUDIENCES OF COLOR; AND 3) BRING NEW PLAYS TO THE TWIN CITIES THAT ADDRESS RACE, CLASS, AND INCLUSIVENESS. THE 2018-2019 SEASON WAS TRULY POWERFUL AND RESONANT, LIFTING UP A MULTIPLICITY OF VOICES AND BRINGING IMPORTANT NEW WORK TO THIS MARKET, INCLUDING THE REGIONAL PREMIERES OF "THE AGITATORS" (ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIP OF FREDRICK DOUGLASS AND SUSAN B ANTHONY), "MARIE AND ROSETTA" (ABOUT THE GODMOTHER OF ROCK AND ROLL, SISTER ROSETTA THARPE), AND A NEW PRODUCTION OF "SOMETIMES THERE'S WINE" (CREATED AND PERFORMED BY LOCAL ARTISTS CAROLYN POOL AND SHANAN CUSTER). NEW WORK CONTINUED WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL "JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP SPARKLING JUNIOR TALENT PAGEANT." LITERARY FAVORITES LIKE "ANTIGONE AND THORNTON WILDER'S "THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH" JOINED CLASSICS PERFORMED PRIMARILY FOR SCHOOLS: "THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK," "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM AND "ROMEO AND JULIET."PARK SQUARE CONTINUED ITS THEATRE IN RESIDENCE INITATIVE TO FOSTER THE WORK OF OTHER PRODUCERS IN THE MARKET, INCLUDING PRIME PRODUCTIONS (FOUNDED TO CENTER "WOMEN OF A CERTAIN AGE") AND FLYING FOOT FORUM (WHO REVIVED THEIR LANDMARK ORIGINAL MUSICAL "HEAVEN" ABOUT THE BOSNIAN WAR).

STUDENT PROGRAMMING-FOR 26 YEARS PARK SQUARE'S EDUCATION PROGRAM HAS BEEN PROVIDING CURRICULUM-RELEVANT PROGRAMMING FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN AND IOWA. OUR 3M STUDENT SERIES, WHICH WAS AWARDED THE 2005 SALLY ORDWAY IRVINE AWARD FOR EDUCATION EXCELLENCE, LAST YEAR SERVED 30,000 STUDENTS FROM MORE THAN 400 SCHOOLS. THE EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY WE SERVE INCLUDES MIDDLE- AND HIGH-SCHOOL TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS (AGED 12-18) FROM ALL KINDS OF SCHOOLS: OF THE 25,000-30,000 STUDENTS WHO ATTENDED LAST YEAR, 16% WERE FROM URBAN SCHOOLS, 41% SUBURBAN AND 43% RURAL. AND, ALTHOUGH SCHOOLS CANNOT PROVIDE SPECIFIC STATISTICS, FROM OBSERVATION WE ESTIMATE STUDENTS OF COLOR COMPRISE 18% OF OUR SCHOOL AUDIENCE.TO SERVE THE BROADEST POSSIBLE RANGE OF SCHOOLS AND DISCIPLINES THIS SEASON, PARK SQUARE IS OFFERING NEARLY 150 PERFORMANCES OF SIX PRODUCTIONS THAT INCLUDE CURRICULUM-BASED CLASSICS AND WORKS DEEP IN SOCIAL CONTENT. PARK SQUARE'S APPROACH TO STUDENTS IS MISSION-DRIVEN AND AUTHENTIC. FOR US, YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NOT A GROUP SALES TARGET OR PART OF AN ELITE "OUTREACH" PROJECT. THEY ARE AN ESSENTIAL PARK SQUARE AUDIENCE. STUDENTS SEE EXCEPTIONAL SHOWS FILLED WITH TOP-QUALITY TALENT. THE ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAM IS CAREFULLY DESIGNED TO BE "AN EVENING OF THEATRE DURING THE DAY," WITH SPECIALLY TRAINED STAFF, RESERVED SEATING, PROFESSIONAL PLAYBILLS, AND THE OTHER AMENITIES EVERY AUDIENCE DESERVES. STUDY GUIDES (AVAILABLE FREE AND ONLINE) ARE WRITTEN BY AND FOR PRACTICING TEACHERS. EACH GUIDE INCLUDES BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE CLASSROOM TEACHER, AS WELL AS DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES. THE IMMERSION DAY TURNS THE WHOLE FACILITY INTO A SCHOOL FOR THE DAY, WITH SMALL GROUP ARTIST-LED WORKSHOPS, A BUILD A MOMENT WORKSHOP WITH DESIGNERS AND ACTORS, PERFORMANCE, AND POST-SHOW DISCUSSION. PARK SQUARE RECOGNIZES THAT SOME LEARNING CAN TAKE PLACE BEST OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM, WHICH IS WHY TEACHERS CONTINUE TO DEMAND THEATRE PROGRAMMING RELEVANT TO CURRICULAR NEEDS, EVEN THOUGH THE LOGISTICS AND EXPENSE OF ORGANIZING A FIELD TRIP CAN BE CHALLENGING. STUDIES CONTINUE TO EMPHASIZE THE STRONG ROLE ARTS PARTICIPATION PLAYS IN INCREASING KEY COGNITIVE BRAIN FUNCTIONS. THEATRE HELPS TEACHERS: 1) CONNECT STUDENTS TO LITERATURE. MANY TEACHERS FIND THAT BRINGING THE BOOK OR SCRIPT TO LIFE IS THE PRIMARY BENEFIT THEY SEEK FROM THEATRE. OUR CORE REPERTORY (I.E. OF MICE AND MEN, HAMLET, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, AND THE 90-MINUTE ADAPTATION OF ROMEO & JULIET) IS DIRECTLY TIED TO THE READING LISTS OF A MAJORITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOLS. 2) INSPIRE EMPATHY. LITERALLY "WALKING IN ANOTHER'S SHOES" BY READING, ACTING, AND WATCHING LIVE PERFORMANCES OF CHARACTERS DIFFERENT FROM THEMSELVES ALLOWS STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE NEW EMOTIONS IN A SAFE ENVIRONMENT. 3) OVERCOME READING AND LANGUAGE BARRIERS. LITERATURE IS A LOATHSOME TOPIC FOR STRUGGLING READERS OF ANY BACKGROUND. LIVE THEATRE OFFERS THESE STUDENTS AMPLE CONTEXT AND VISUAL CLUES FOR UNDERSTANDING WORKS AND PHRASES. 4) STRENGTHEN PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS AND GROUP INTERACTION. TEACHERS WHOSE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN OUR IMMERSION DAY WORKSHOPS OFTEN SEE THE DIFFERENCE JUST ONE 45-MINUTE SESSION IN IMPROVISATION OR SCENE WORK CAN MAKE - DRAWING OUT THE STUDENTS WHO USUALLY STAY ON THE SIDELINES.WE SHOW TEENS THAT WE RESPECT AND VALUE THEM AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO CLAIM THIS THEATRE AS THEIRS. OUR OVERARCHING GOAL IS TO PROVE TO THEM THAT PARTICIPATION IN OUR WORK IS WITHIN THEIR REACH.

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