Brave New Workshop

Two theater members in front of the building, Hennepin Avenue

The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theater (BNW), is a sketch and improvisational comedy theater based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The artists of the BNW have been writing, performing and producing live sketch comedy and improvisation performances for 55 years – longer than any other theater in the nation.

History

The BNW, originally founded as the Instant Theater Company in New York City, was established in Minneapolis in 1958 by Dudley Riggs,[1] with improvised help from Dick Guindon, Irv Letofsky, and Dan Sullivan. (Riggs's parents were circus and vaudeville performers, and he regularly joked that he ran away from the circus to find a home.) The BNW was named in honor of Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and bills itself as the oldest ongoing satirical comedy theater in the nation. Nearly 400 original productions have been mounted on Brave New Workshop stages for more than three million people. Improv and sketch comedy shows can be seen on its stage nearly every weekend of the year.

Location

The location Riggs originally selected for his theater was located at 207 Hennepin Ave E in Minneapolis. In 1961, Dudley moved the company to its historic location at 2605 Hennepin Ave S. It remained there until 1998, when the BNW moved briefly to Calhoun Square in Uptown Minneapolis. Finding the location too much of a financial burden, the company moved back to 2605 Hennepin Ave in 2002. They also briefly operated a satellite location in neighboring Saint Paul, Minnesota, for five years before closing in 2006. In 2010, Sweeney and Lilledahl purchased the Hennepin Stages Theater (the longtime previous home to productions such as Tony n' Tina's Wedding) in downtown Minneapolis. This downtown location is the main location for the Brave New Workshop. It houses the theater where the main stage sketch comedy shows are performed, as well as an event space and administrative offices. In August 2014, the company announced[2] that the historic Uptown location at 2605 Hennepin Ave had been sold, and that they had purchased a building located at 727 Hennepin Ave S, in downtown Minneapolis. This building is now the home of the Brave New Workshop Student Union, which runs improv and comedy writing classes, as well as occasional improv performances.

Shows

Recent hit shows at the BNW have included How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan, Fifty Shades of White: A Minnesota XXXmas, Babe Lincoln and the Vajazzled Badge of Courage, and Lance Armstrong's Steroid-Pumped Comedy Revue: A Cheater's Guide to Winning.

Notable Alumni

Notable alumni of the BNW include Louie Anderson, Mo Collins, Tom Davis (the comedian, not the politician), Al Franken (the politician and the comedian)], Penn Jillette, Carl Lumbly, Paul Menzel, Pat Proft, Annie Reirson, Nancy Steen, Peter Tolan, Linda Wallem, Lizz Winstead,[3] Peter MacNicol, Melissa Peterman, and Cedric Yarbrough. [4]

Current Leadership

In March 1997, Riggs sold the theater to new owners John Sweeney, Jenni Lilledahl, and Mark Bergren (Bergren left the BNW in 1999 to pursue other interests). The name of the theater changed slightly to "The Brave New Workshop, founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958." The new owners continue to produce all-original sketch comedy and improvisation revues on a year-round basis. They also oversee the Brave New Institute (the BNW’s training center for improvisation), located at the Student Union location. The school claims to have the most broad-based improv curriculum of any training center in the country, with more than 300 students and specific programming for performers, non-performers, youth, seniors, and corporations.

Partnerships

The BNW was the featured entertainment for Disney Cruise Lines for several years, and the resident comedy-writing team for NPR's "All Things Considered." BNW actors have worked with MPR’s comedy show Wits, hosted by John Moe.

Corporate Involvement

The theater's corporate services division is called Creative Outreach, a range of services built on the belief that corporate and office settings can improve their creativity and employee cultures by applying the principles of improvisational comedy. These services include keynote speeches, customized entertainment, and team-building workshops. In 2006, Sweeney and the BNW performed over 200 keynote speeches, training workshops, and custom entertainment productions for Fortune 500 clients.

Citizenship

The Brave New Workshop has implemented a social and environmental program called the Brave New Citizens Initiative. The mission statement of the initiative is "Think Globally. Act Locally." Through this program the theater has replaced all theater and house lights with LED lights, started composting as well as recycling, and encouraged the use of public transportation by patrons. The Brave New Workshop helped to form the Twin Cities Sustainable Theaters, a forum for local theaters to explore and exchange sustainable practices.

References

  1. ↑ http://theatre.bravenewworkshop.com/AboutUs/History/FounderDudleyRiggs.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/271751321.html
  3. ↑ Marsh, Steve (September 2008), "Just Asking... Lizz Winstead", Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
  4. ↑ http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/25/bravenewworkshop

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, November 22, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.