Operating Support
Operating Support
The Guthrie Theater engages exceptional theater artists in the exploration of both classic and contemporary plays, connecting the community it serves to one another and to the world.
Uri Camarena: business consultant; Michael Charron: arts educator and an arts and civic leader; Richard Cohen: attorney in private practice and a former state legislator; Emily Galusha: arts and civic leader, former arts administrator; Anthony Gardner: vice president, marketing and communications at CentraCare; Ken Martin, political strategist and campaign manager; Philip McKenzie: team lead with Denver Air, adjunct college faculty; Nichole Melton-Mitchell: healthcare administrator; Dobson West: retired attorney; Christina Widdess: nonprofit consultant; former arts administrator; Christina Woods: executive director, Duluth Art Institute
Lisa Bergh: Bergh is a visual artist; she holds a BFA from the University of Arizona and an MFA from San Jose State University. In addition to her active studio practice, she is the cofounder of The Traveling Museum, works as an advocate for the rural arts and culture movement, and currently is serving as an art instructor at Ridgewater College on the Hutchinson Campus.; Jonathan Carter: Carter is director of IT business relationship management for the Harmon business unit of Apogee Enterprises. Previously, Carter had a long career with General Mills, spanning finance, sales, marketing, information systems, and other areas. A former board chair for the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir, he is an active executive board member of the Monitors Club, supporting the educational, political, economic, and social well-being of the Twin Cities African American community. Carter holds a BS in computer science from Washington University (Saint Louis); an MS in computer science from Stanford University; and an MBA in finance and international business from Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.; Dorothy Goldie: Goldie is a lifelong enthusiast and supporter of the arts in Minnesota. For seven years she was the executive director of Minnesota Center for Book Arts and, since 2010, has lead Saint Paul Academy and Summit School?s fundraising efforts. From 2018 to 2021, Goldie chaired the Franconia Sculpture Park board and led the organization through a crisis and a search for a new leader.; Jonathan Lewis: Lewis is the executive director of Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra that plays free concerts in the Twin Cities, and plays percussion in it. Lewis is the board president of Source Song Festival, a Minnesota nonprofit that puts on a week long art song festival for student composers, singers, and collaborative pianists. Lewis was the executive director of Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus, and served on the board of One Voice Mixed Chorus. He has a BA from St. Olaf College and a JD from Cornell Law School.; Mary Ragnow Campion: Ragnow is curator of the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota, for which she preserves and promotes the book arts of past centuries. An accountant in a previous life, she is a past treasurer and board member of Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and has supported the area theater scene as board member and actor. She is the coauthor of Tulips, Chocolate & Silk, a finalist for a 2020 MN Book Award.; Serenity Schoonover: A staff writer for Split Rock Review, Schoonover's writing has aired on NPR, and appeared in NewPages, Women's Independent Press, and The Bookends Review, among others. She also is a juried metalsmith, and her work has been featured on the front page of Etsy. Since 2018, she has been the recipient of five Arrowhead Regional Art Council (ARAC) grants, served on multiple ARAC grant panels, as well as serving as a Minnesota State Arts Board grant reviewer in 2020. Schoonover has a BA and MA in history education.; Jamie Schwaba: Schwaba is currently the director of development at the Reading Center/ Dyslexia Institute of MN, but prior to holding this position she was the managing director of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts in Winona for seven years. She holds a MS in adult and continuing education, BA in theater arts, and she performed professionally in the Milwaukee area for eight years.; Haile Tegegne: Tegegne is the founder and executive director for East African Empowerment Center where we advocates for East African nonprofit organizations and community members and connects them with resources available to them. Tegegne serves as a consultant for central empowerment organizations. He graduated from Hamline University with a master's degree in public administration and nonprofit management.; Wenli Tesar: Chen has lived and worked in Saint Paul since 2015, after relocating from Taiwan. She holds a MDes in photography from The Glasgow School of Art, UK; and a BA in Russian from Tamkang University, Taiwan. She has taught graphic design, art photography, and 2-D foundation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout (2015-2020). She is a visual artist as well as a designer who works with artist books, photography, and installation. Chen has exhibited internationally in the UK, Singapore, USA, Canada, and Taiwan. She was a resident artist at Lanesboro Arts in August 2021.
ACHF Arts Access
Theatrical productions, education offerings, and collaborative community programming will inspire thoughtful conversations and deeper connections. The community-building effectiveness of the Guthrie's programming will be evaluated through patron and partner surveys, observation, and data on attendance and participation in relevant activities. 2: The Guthrie will create theater relevant to a diverse patron base, eliminating barriers to attendance and creating an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere. Relevance will be evaluated via attendance figures and patron surveys and accessibility will be measured by diverse patron attendance/participation.
The Guthrie hosted 50 post-show conversations this season, and most patrons reported having conversations with others about the play they saw. The community-building effectiveness of the Guthrie's programming was evaluated through patron or participant surveys, observation, and data on attendance and participation in education/community engagement programming. 2: Survey results (details below) show that patrons found the plays relevant, and that our efforts to reduce barriers and welcome guests were effective. Relevance was evaluated via attendance figures and patron surveys; accessibility was measured by diverse patron attendance/participation and survey comments.
Other, local or private