Actors Theater of Minnesota
Background and Purpose
Actors Theater of Minnesota (ATM) incorporated in 2000 with a mission to “create and present new professional theater that is accessible and affordable to a wide audience, and that helps to develop new audiences by engaging and welcoming nontraditional theatergoers.” ATM strives to be a “bridge” theater company that introduces non-theatergoers to theater through interactive, popular performances and familiar stories that appeal to a wide audience. From 2001-2003, ATM presented two full seasons at the Fitzgerald Theater in downtown St. Paul. Season packages were available for less than $40. From 2003-2006, ATM partnered with the University of Minnesota to produce shows aboard the Minnesota Centennial Showboat moored off Harriet Island. ATM’s most recent production, We Gotta Bingo, ran at the Lowry Theater in downtown Saint Paul for more than two years, closing this past January. During FY09, ATM will produce another full season in the Lowry Building theater spaces. In addition, they will present the annual A Christmas Carol Feast at Wiggington Hall on Harriet Island. Last year they partnered with several non-profits to provide 2,000 free tickets for people who could not otherwise afford to purchase tickets. The theater is committed to using only Minnesota-based artists in their productions and to paying them a living wage. ATM operates with a nine-member board of directors, five full time staff, five part time staff and 20 volunteers.
Current Request
Last year, Actors Theater initiated the Alternative Programming Project aimed at making the Lowry Theater space available to outside artists and organizations for a wide variety of events and arts activities. With first year support from The Saint Paul Foundation, the theater was able to hire a part time staff person and train a second to run this program. In the first year, more than fifty organizations and individuals used the Lowry Theater space for events such as residential meetings; live music, theater, and comedy shows; corporate receptions; fundraisers; school functions; and youth programs. These events attracted approximately 4,500 attendees. The goal of the program is to manage the current demand and increase and diversify the type of events in the Lowry Theater space. In addition, they hope that eventually these rental activities will bring in revenue to support Actors Theater productions. The theater is returning to The Saint Paul Foundation for a second year of support.