Operating Support

Project Details by Fiscal Year
2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$49,760
Fund Source
Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Recipient
Illusion Theater and School, Inc. AKA Illusion Theater
Recipient Type
Non-Profit Business/Entity
Status
Completed
Start Date
July 2012
End Date
June 2013
Activity Type
Grants/Contracts
Counties Affected
Ramsey
Dakota
Rice
Washington
Blue Earth
Martin
St. Louis
Ramsey
Dakota
Rice
Washington
Blue Earth
Martin
St. Louis
Project Overview
Operating Support
Project Details
General operating support
Competitive Grant Making Body
Board Members and Qualifications
Judson Bemis Jr., Actor, arts administrator, founder and principal of Clere Consulting. Secretary, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Ardell Brede, Mayor of Rochester, elected 2002.; Peggy Burnet, Businesswoman, art collector, and community volunteer. Chair of the Nominating Committee, Smithsonian National Board. Trustee, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Michael Charron, Dean of the School of the Arts, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Vice Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Sean Dowse, Executive director, Sheldon Theatre. Board member for Minnesota Music Coalition, Minnesota Citizens for the Arts, and Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.; John Gunyou, City manager, Minnetonka.; Benjamin Klipfel, Board member, Minnesota State Arts Board. Executive Director, Alexandria Area Arts Association, Inc. Director and arts educator.; Ellen McInnis, Director of Twin Cities government relations, Wells Fargo. Member of Bottineau Boulevard Partnership. Chair, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Pamela Perri, Executive vice president, Builders Association of Minnesota.; Margaret Rapp, Former educator, Saint Paul Academy and Summit School. Officer at-large, Minnesota State Arts Board.; Anton Treuer, Professor of Ojibwe, Bemidji State University.
Advisory Group Members and Qualifications
Lawrence Adams: Principal, LarsonAllen, LLP.; Jonathan Carter: Solutions development manager, General Mills.; Ellen Copperud: Board member, Southwest Minnesota Arts and Humanities Council.; Kenna Cottman Sarge: Artistic director, Voice of Culture Drum and Dance. Educator, TU Dance Center. Dancer with Pramila Vasudevan.; Hong Dice: Professor of music, Carleton College, and Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing; Antony Goddard: Executive director, Paramount Arts Resource Trust, and St Cloud Opportunities.; Anna Johnson: Independent arts consultant; Therese Kunz: Creative director, Longville Arts Center; Founder, Screen Porch Productions, Inc.; Janis Lane-Ewart: Executive director and volunteer programmer, KFAI. Treasurer, Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations, and National Federation of Community Broadcasters.|Peter Spooner, Curator, Tweed Museum of Art. Board member, Duluth Public Arts Commission, Duluth Public Library, Artists Relief Fund, and Chester Bowl Improvement Club.
Conflict of Interest Disclosed
Yes
Legal Citation / Subdivision
Laws of Minnesota 2011, First Special Session, chapter 6, article 4, section 2, subdivision 3
Appropriation Language

ACHF Arts Access

2013 Fiscal Year Funding Amount
$49,760
Other Funds Leveraged
$1,063,570
Direct expenses
$1,113,330
Administration costs
$42,000
Number of full time equivalents funded
0
Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Create theater and theater-based programs for the community that represent the perspectives of diverse individuals and align with the theater’s mission to catalyze change. Outcomes include working with 4-8 playwrights and composers to develop new work for the stage; presenting a full season of world and area premieres that encompass diverse perspectives and voices; conducting arts residency and peer education programs in 8-10 Twin Cities schools and 6-10 Minnesota communities. This was evaluated through records of all plays staged, artists worked with, and community work conducted, as well as the following: 1) interviews with artists, participating youth, teachers and community liaisons; 2) surveys with participating youth, teachers, and community liaisons; 3) financial records, to determine fiscal health of Illusion Theater; 4) twice a year board of directors review; and 5) audience response and feedback. 2: Engage with the community to deepen the impact of the work and ensure that the programs reach a broad constituency of youth and adults. Outcomes include reaching at least 30,000 people in the state of Minnesota; engaging participants in Illusion programs from youth and adults (age 8 and up) of a variety of ages, ethnicities, and abilities; and conducting post-show discussions, receptions, focus groups, extended arts residencies, and other programs beyond performances that link Illusion with its constituents and a broad community. This was evaluated through attendance records for audiences, education and workshops, and outreach programming, as well as the following: 1) audience survey which collected demographic and psychographic information; 2) demographic records for age, ethnicity, and ability of youth in our education programs.; 3) count of number of post-show discussions and other activities that deepened the impact of the work.

Measurable Outcome(s)

To ensure that the arts thrive in Minnesota, Illusion worked with eight playwrights and composers to develop new work presented on our main stage: Love and marriage, a new musical revue by Michael Robins and composer Roberta Carlson; Miss Richfield 1981!: We'll All Be Dead By Christmas, a new holiday show by Russ King. Lights Up!: Red Ressurected, a new work by Isabel Nelson with Transatlantic Love Affair. In Fresh Ink, Illusion worked with Leslye Orr to create What I Thought I Saw: Random Acts of Blindness; Max Wojtanowicz and Sheena Janson with composer Michael Gruber to expand their hit Minnesota Fringe musical Fruit Fly; and Jeffrey Hatcher to create Jeffrey Hatcher's Hamlet. We also staged the area premiere of I Love To Eat by James Still and the return of our hit production Bill W. and Dr. Bob. We conducted arts residencies with eight Twin Cities area schools as well as at Courage Saint Croix in Stillwater. We conducted peer education programs in five Minnesota communities. 2: To ensure that people of all ages, ethnicities and abilities participate in the arts, we wanted to reach at least 20,000 Minnesotans; we actually reached over 25,000. Participants included youth and adults of a variety of ages, ethnicities, and abilities, both as audience members and as participants in our residency and peer education programs. Over 1,500 youth and seniors attended intergenerational matinees. We conducted post-show discussions for every show, receptions, focus groups, and other programs that linked Illusion with its constituents and a broad community. We engaged directly with over 200 youth in our school/community programs who performed for thousands of other youth. We held discussions after every outreach event, Fresh Ink performances, and Bill W. and Dr. Bob performances, and weekly for other shows. We held five focus groups, sixteen receptions, four readings, and our Summer Institute for youth.

Description of Funds
Source of Additional Funds

Other

Recipient Board Members
Robert Alama, Willie Bridges, Barbara Brin, Mark Bisignani, Anthony Bohaty, Amy Kramer Brenegen, James Dierking, Doug Frank, Keith Halperin, Susan Thurston, David Hansen, Christine Hansen, Christina Herzog, Christopher Madel, Vivian Martin, Bonnie Morris, Danica Natoli, Julia O'Brien, Therese Pautz, Emily Lilja Palmer, Jeff Rabkin, Karl Reichert, Michael Robins, Sally Scoggin, Jim Smart, David Stamps, Chris Wurtz
Source of Additional Funds

local or private

Project Manager
First Name
Michael
Last Name
Robins
Organization Name
Illusion Theater and School, Inc. AKA Illusion Theater
Street Address
528 Hennepin Ave Ste 704
City
Minneapolis
State
MN
Zip Code
55403-1814
Phone
(612) 339-4944x 208
Email
mrobins@illusiontheater.org
Administered By
Administered by
Location

Griggs Midway Building, Suite 304,
540 Fairview Avenue North,
St. Paul, MN 55104

Phone
(651) 539-2650 or toll-free (800) 866-2787
Email the Agency