Community Arts Support

Our Strategic planning committee, through surveys, audience and participant feedback, and social media comments, has been actively assessing the artistic needs of our community, then analyzing the information and responding with programming that is designed to meet those needs. NorthStar's Board members have used their multiple levels and decades of community involvement to assess the needs of longtime residents, as well as our area's changing demographics to determine which offerings will fill those needs. The overwhelming number of audience, cast, and crew participation we receive each season indicates that we are fulfilling a community need for live theatre. The comment sections of our surveys help to provide the clearest examples of the gratitude of our audience and crew for the types of plays we produce. Here are just a couple survey responses to the production of Steel Magnolias; “I thought the concept of the audience being seated on stage was interesting. It was done very well.” “They did wonderful job. Very professional.” The plays themes of connection and relating to those around you seemed to carry over into real life after the curtain went down, with over 95% of audience members speaking with at least one cast or staff member after each show. Youth Theatre Workshop/NorthStar was able to meet its goal of expanding its shows and classes to reach more targeted demographics. With the production of Steel Magnolias, NorthStar/Youh Theatre Workshop expanded from its 13 year history of operating as, solely, a children's theatre. As part of our Strategic Plan, Steel Magnolias placed NorthStar squarely into the realm of family theatre in the true sense of the word. The cast and crew of this production of Steel Magnolias ranged in age from 14 years old, up to 66 years old. We were also able to meet our goal of hiring an Administrative Assistant, as well as identifying a, highly qualified, volunteer Business Manager. The Community Arts Support grant awarded to North Star Theatre by the Central Minnesota Arts Board has been a game changer for us. It has allowed us to hire an Administrative Assistant who handles many day to day activities that had been distributed between board members and the artistic director. The Administrative Assistant, who began on July 1, 2016, has begun a systematic restructuring of North Star's information systems. In addition to this the Community Arts Support grant has allowed us to identify an experienced Business Manager who, beginning on August 1, 2016, has been overseeing our accounting. The addition of this desperately needed personnel frees the Artistic Director and Board Members to concentrate on the artistic offerings of our organization. A total of four plays were produced by NorthStar during the 2016 season. What follows are descriptions of each play and what made them a successful production for the community. Into the Woods with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; The familiar and much loved fairy tale classics of Into the Woods and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was popular with artist participants and audience members alike. Character development, theatrical makeup techniques, and singing techniques workshops were offered in addition to regular rehearsals to further the theatrical education of the artists in the community who participate in NorthStar productions. Steel Magnolias; was a theater in the round style performance. Since the cast and crew were small, it meant more time to collaborate with the director on the development of the characters and scenes. The play was not just about one director bringing his interpretation of a story to life, but a communal effort of actors, directors, and crew, each with unique insights. This helped to make the production of Steel Magnolias a success. 101 Dalmatians Kids Day Camp; For the first time in our organization's history we were able to add a summer camp for elementary and middle school aged performers. The camp, under the supervision of the Artistic Director, was taught by Emerging Artist's Conservatory members, Lilly Hayworth, Elise Williams, and Leita Strei, who were assisted by Teen Star Members, Elizabeth Insellman, Isaac Branjord, and Trent Ramert. Thirty-five children, ages 4-13, had a wonderful summertime opportunity to spend 10 days immersed in theatre arts, which culminated in a performance for their parents, family members, and friends. Hard Knock Life; This new play was a collaborative artistic effort, not only to perform the play, but in creating it as well. North Star Family Theatre believes that theatre brings communities together. The success of this project relied on everyone involved coming together to create and share an artistic vision and create an original musical production. By taking on this ambitious endeavor, North Star Family Theatre has continued to uphold their mission statement, which seeks to create bold art that astonishes the mind, challenges the heart, and delights the senses. It has come to our notice that in our area we have a larger number of female artists than male artists, who audition for roles. Often times plays do not have enough female roles to satisfy the artistic needs of our community. North Star aimed to change that with both Steel Magnolias and Hard Knock Life, both of which had a large percentage of female roles. During the next year, ISD 728 will be opening brand new theatres in their area high schools. North Star will be well positioned to expand programming into these facilities, which will enable us to bring theatre arts to even more Central Minnesotans. The emerging artists were a part of our productions and workshops. In addition, the 101 Dalmatians Kids Day Camp was a first step in allowing our offerings to serve a more targeted age group.