Arts Tour Minnesota

I performed in Owatonna, Grand Rapids, Mahtomedi, Bertha, Perham, Long Prairie, Mora, Mankato, White Bear Lake, and Staples. The shows were well attended, although two were rescheduled. The arts venues: Owatonna Arts Center, Lakeshore Theater Players, MacRostie Art Center and Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota. These sent out press releases and emails. Owatonna and Lakeshore had reporters from local papers. These venues had family audiences. Also Girls on the Run and a grandparent group. In other towns, shows were in schools, a transitional housing center, and Boys and Girls Club. There, audiences were elementary after-school groups, toddlers and parents. Feedback was positive: What a fun show! We all loved it. The kids really appreciated getting to make their own puppets too! 2: All ten towns were new territory for me. By partnering with each venue, we reached out to underserved audiences. The children in the targeted services program of Mora and Perham’s Boys and Girls Club, for example, have a high number of kids who qualify for free lunch. Bertha, Perham, Staples, and Long Prairie are very small towns with a minimum of arts access, especially for struggling parents of young children. Solid Ground, a transitional housing program, is almost entirely composed of minority families. Even in towns that have arts programming, such as Owatonna, audiences were appreciative. A parent there wrote: Children, as well as adults, were very engaged in the story. The set was marvelous! I loved how the different types of puppets were used, and I liked that she let the children go behind the scenes to see how much was involved to put on the show. She’s a very engaging entertainer…and very nimble to make all the magic happen with just one person!