Our Arts Education mission at Festival Theatre is to make quality professional theatre financially accessible to students and educators. A 2014 study published in Science Daily concluded that "field trips to live theater enhance literary knowledge, tolerance and empathy among students." Click here to read more.

Each production features youth actors from our community in prominent roles including students from the school districts of St. Croix Falls, Grantsburg, Osceola, Unity, Luck, Center City, Hudson, and more.

Cinderella
Adapted by Jaclyn Johnson and Jonathan Levine
The popular story of Cinderella told by our local youth actors. Come remember the annoying stepsisters, the wicked stepmother, the charming prince, the enchanted evening and transformation. A classic fairy tale with a fun, contemporary twist. 
Available student matinee dates:
Monday September 10, Tuesday September 11*, Wednesday September 12, Thursday September 13, Friday September 14*

* Indicates some seats pending

Little Women
Adapted by Marissa Chamberlain from the book by Louisa May Alcott
A beautiful staging of Louisa May Alcott’s iconic coming-of-age story, Chamberlain’s adaptation focuses on the year 1864 - a pivotal time for the March sisters at the height of the American Civil War.  Meg, the beauty, Jo, the strong-willed, Beth, the peacemaker, and Amy, the youngest, laugh, love and learn through poverty, illness and sibling-rivalry as they mature into the women they are meant to be.
Available student matinee dates:
Tuesdays: 10/9, 10/16, 10/23
Wednesdays: 10/10, 10/17, 10/24
Thursdays: 10/11, 10/18, 10/25*

* Indicates some seats pending

Miracle On 34th Street
A holiday classic for all ages, Miracle on 34th Street asks us all, “Do you believe in Santa Claus?” It’s the trial of the century when Kris Kringle takes on the skeptics in this time-honored, holiday show - one that is sure to have you believing in miracles.
Available student matinee dates:
Tuesdays: 11/27, 12/4, 12/11, 12/18*
Wednesdays: 11/28, 12/5, 12/12, 12/19
Thursdays: 11/29, 12/6, 12/13, 12/20
Fridays: 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21

* Indicates some seats pending

St. Croix Festival Theatre student matinees are typically scheduled for 9:30 am. Tickets are just $5.00 for students, $10.00 for adults attending school matinees, with a free adult chaperon ticket for every 25 youth (negotiable.)

A Talk-Back session will be held immediately following each matinee performance. A pdf student resource guide will also be available as an aid to classroom discussion about the performance.

School matinee groups must include at least ten seats and must be purchased at least ten days in advance of the performance date. For details, contact the box office at 715-483-3387 or by emailing festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com.

Attached is the above information in a few easily consumable flyers. 

We hope you'll join us!

ABOUT THE SHOW: A beautiful staging of Louisa May Alcott’s iconic coming-of-age story, Chamberlain’s adaptation focuses on the year 1864 - a pivotal time for the March sisters at the height of the American Civil War. Meg, the beauty, Jo, the strong-willed, Beth, the peacemaker, and Amy, the youngest, laugh, love and learn through poverty, illness and sibling-rivalry as they mature into the women they are meant to be.

A PRE-AUDITION WORKSHOP will be held Saturday, April 28 at 10 am. The audition workshop will take approximately 45 mins and will provide some basic audition coaching. Youth will receive an introduction to the stage area, a few vocal & physical exercises, and a “pep talk” for how to prepare for their audition. Youth should dress comfortably and be well-rested.  If you have never auditioned for Festival Theatre, we highly encourage you to attend this workshop!  Parents are urged to attend as well. Please register in advance for this workshop at the Festival Theatre Box Office by e-mail or telephone (see box office information below).

WHO: We are looking for between 2 and 6 actors ages 13+. Two to four girls for the roles of Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. And one boy for the role of Laurie.

PERFORMANCES:
Little Women                    
2:00pm: 10/7, 10/14, 10/21
7:30pm: 10/6, 10/11, 10/13, 10/18, 10/20, 10/25, 10/27
**Additional yet-to-be scheduled student matinee dates not included

​REHEARSALS for Little Women  will begin approximately the week of September 3rd. To aid us in creating a successful rehearsal calendar, please be as accurate and detailed as possible with known and potential conflicts on audition registration form. A complete rehearsal schedule will be made available to cast members at the first rehearsal.

What is needed for the AUDITION?

• PLEASE REGISTER in advance by e-mail (preferred) or telephone for a specific audition time slot.
• TO REGISTER: e-mail or call the box office to register for the audition. Hours: T, TR, F, 10 am - 3 pm

festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com OR  715-483-3387

• A COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM with all scheduling conflicts during the listed rehearsal and performance schedules.  Registration forms can be received via e-mail or picked up at Festival Theatre. A physical copy of the registration form will be accepted at time of audition, not before. ​

• A RECENT PHOTO (headshot preferred – school photo is fine) and a list of any performance experiences, classes, or performance camps. Please attach the photos and list to the registration form.  Photos will not be returned.
• PERFORM A MEMORIZED MONOLOGUE (30-45 seconds only – not longer).  Choose a piece from a play, a poem, very short story, part of a story, or even a joke.
• ARRIVE FIVE TO TEN MINUTES EARLY FOR A PROMPT START. Late arrivals will be rescheduled if space allows. Arrive well-rested, dressed comfortably for movement, with a ready attitude for small group activities.

Can parents/guardians watch the auditions?
In order to provide a safe and distraction-free environment for all participating youth, we ask that youth NOT have their adults along in the audition space.  However, if it seems essential to be present, one parent/guardian may request to be present at the back of the theatre and must be completely quiet. Siblings or friends who are not auditioning may NOT attend.  Requests must be made at least six hours in advance of audition.

Arts Education Director Rachel Kuhnle sat down with Festival Theatre Executive Artistic Director Jason Richard to discuss the first full production of the 2018 season, Lone Star Spirits, directed by Richards and including Rachel Kuhnle, Josiah Laubenstein, Erika Kuhn, Jon Peterson and Rod Kleiss in the cast. This interview has been edited for clarity.

FESTIVAL THEATRE: So first of all, you've now been the Executive Artistic Director for about 8 months now - how would you describe your experience so far in one word?

JASON RICHARDS: (Laughs.) One word? If it's just one word... I think the best word that really encapsulates [my time here] is "adventurous." To me, that's positive. If you say "busy," that can be like...is that good or bad. But adventurous encapsulates busy but also "fun" and "see-what's-next."

FT: Nice. So you have worked as an actor, a director, playwright, teacher, administrator... Which do you sort of see yourself as first? Can you speak a little to your director philosophy?

JR: Originally I saw myself as an actor, but now I really do consider myself a theatre artist - sort of encompassing all those things. My directing journey started in undergrad when I got a degree in Directing and Design from Baylor University in Waco Texas. I did [a] directing [degree] over acting really just because I connected with those teachers better. The first thing I ever directed was a ten minute play that I'd written, it was an assignment in my directing class. Next I directed one third of the David Mamet play The Water Engine - I got to direct the final third, which I thought was pretty cool. Some years later, I directed the full show. As a director, I want to ask questions... more than make statements. Sometimes I ask a question trying to lead an actor to a certain point, but other times I ask a question that I don't know the answer to. The director creates a world that all these characters can exist in, you have designers who design the set, and lights and props and costume and all that creates a world that was started in the playwrights mind. I've really enjoyed this cast, it's been a collaborative effort. I like that as a director, that we are all telling this story together. We all have to bring our ideas to the table to get the most of the story and I feel like we've done that. It takes courage to collaborate.

FT: Your first full production as a director at Festival Theatre is set in Texas, where you are from. Was that intentional? 

JR: No, it wasn't! (Laughs.)This play was already in place when I got here, the powers-at-be had already selected this play. It was a weird coincidence, it turned out to be a strength. I think I know this part of the country, I know these characters well. I grew up with them. I connect with Marley's complicated relationship with her past, her hometown, her former friends. The Jess and Marley friendship... When I was in high school, I had a lot of friends. Since then, about three of those were life long friends. Even though today we don't have a lot in common because our lives diverted, at any moment I can call them and say "do this" and they would do it. If my friend called and said "I needed a kidney," I'd give him a kidney. ... I also really like that personally some of my items have made it onto the stage, because I'm from Texas. A pair of boots, a belt buckle, the refrigerator magnets... 

FT: So Josh Tobiessen is not a native Texan, if fact he only lived in the state a few years. As an Texan yourself, is there anything he got totally right, anything he got totally wrong? 

JR: To his credit, he has created universal characters that are very relatable to anyone no matter where they are. But as a Texan... I grew up with all of those people. When I read the play, I knew who those characters were. That being said... Texas is BIG, Texas is almost five states in one. Where I grew up in East Texas and where these characters are from in West Texas... [Geographically] it's as if I grew up in Minneapolis, and these characters grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska - Texas is that big - like we'd be 600 miles apart. But something he really did get right is how important football is, that [in the play] this Spartan football team won the championship and how it shaped a certain time period in this town, and the young men's lives. How people don't want that time to fade. When I lived in Kilgore, TX, in 2001, they won the championship. There was a huge billboard erected and that billboard stayed up for years - is probably still up today. So that's, what, seventeen years?

FT: So there's nothing about being a Texan he got wrong? It's all flawless?

JR: Well...if you're going to twist my arm. I guess there is one thing... ONE thing... At the end of act one, Marley says her dad Walter "lost his car," but it would have been a truck. Walt would have NEVER had a car. No male from Texas would have a car. Or not most men. But a man like Walt? Never. 

FT: (Laughs.) That's amazing! Okay, one more question. So what do you hope audiences take away from the show?

JR: I hope they have fun, cause it's a comedy. I hope they laugh and enjoy themselves. I hope they can see themselves in the characters and laugh at themselves. [Having an] opportunity to come together and laugh is important and healing.

Lone Star Spirits opens Friday, April 13 at 7:30 pm at the Franklin Square Black Box. Get tickets online or by calling the Festival Theatre Box Office at 715.483.3387.

​Lone Star Spirits at Festival Theatre opens this Friday at 7:30 (with an opening party featuring Lone Star Beer and tex mex style chips and salsa!) Marketing Director and actor playing the role of "Drew" interviewed playwright Josh Tobiessen via phone last Friday.

Originally from Schenectady, NY, Josh used an undergrad degree in philosophy and training from the Improv Olympic in Chicago to start writing plays in Ireland with a theatre company he co-founded called 'Catastrophe.' After having several plays - many of them site-specific productions - performed at such venues as the Galway Arts Festival and the Dublin Fringe Festival, he returned to the States to get a playwriting MFA at the University of California, San Diego. Now living in Minneapolis with his wife, Jungle Theatre Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and their son, Tobiessen also occasionally teaches playwriting classes at the Guthrie. 

From the Lone Star Spirits book jacket: "Marley is hoping for a quick trip home to the dwindling Texas town where she grew up, but she and her hipster fiancé, Ben, are in for more than they bargained for. Upon entering her estranged father’s liquor store, she’s immediately set upon by Drew, her football hero ex-boyfriend, who’s looking to relight a romance with the only girl he’s never cheated on. Then there’s Jessica, the former classmate and current single mom looking to drag Marley into a two-woman bachelorette party. By the time Marley finally manages to reveal to her father the real reason for her visit, things are further complicated by the ghost of the bear-wrestling pioneer who used to live in the store and who Marley’s father and Drew speak to on a daily basis. Lone Star Spirits is a fast-paced comedy with hairpin turns that takes a hilarious and sympathetic look at family, spirituality, those who stay and those who leave their hometowns, and the ghosts that haunt us either way."

​FESTIVAL THEATRE: So first off, Lone Star Spirits been a real fun show to work on. I know there was a production in New York, and then a production about this time last year at the Jungle...

JOSH TOBIESSEN: I just recently found out there was something in Duluth (Renegade Theatre Company) so I think you’re the third or the fourth--

FT: Let’s say we’re third - we’ll take third! (Laughs)

JT: You were third when I found out about the other one. (Laughs)

FT: Awesome. So, let’s just jump in, if that’s cool. Where did the idea of this play come from? Are you from Texas?

JT: No, but I was living in Texas at the time because my wife (Sarah Rasmussen, Artistic Director of The Jungle Theatre in Minneapolis) got a job at the University of Texas at Austin. We had been living in Texas for three years, so at the time that I wrote this I thought I was going to be in Texas for here-on-out, so I decided to set the play, you know, down in Texas. Texas is a fun place storytelling wise because it is, in a sense, a real Americana kind of place. America turned up to eleven. I lived in Ireland for a while and since I've been back, I think I have a slightly different perspective, a little bit of an outsider point of view. So I’m always trying to write plays about our country and the American dream and whatever kind of philosophy is going on at the time... I mean,  there’s a definite mood going on in our country right now... (Laughs.) A lot of people in our country understand Texas. When I write, I compare myself to (an Irish playwright and screenwriter - his script Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was nominated for a 2018 Academy Award) I mean… (Laughs.) There’s other playwrights I could compare myself to.People across the country can identify and understand Texas. The way he writes about Ireland as being kind of a heightened version of what Ireland is like I think Texas is like that or our country. But also in Texas, the dichotomy that the play works with, the rural versus urban - like urban dwellers and the people who never left their hometown. Wisconsin as well! When we were doing the show at the Jungle, a lot of the people working on the show were originally from a small town and I think that really resonates. 

FT: Being in a small town, we definitely identify with the characters, like I know that person! Are you an urban person or more small town person?

JT: I’m probably more urban, my wife is from a very small town and I’ve spent a bunch of time in small towns in my life. As well as big cities, I’ve lived in New York City as well as towns as small as 1,000 people so yeah, I hope I’m able to relate to both sides of the story. Whenever I write a play, I’m always all of the characters in the play, I relate to all of them in a personal way. When writing the play, I think I most related to the father - Walter - I wrote the play while we were about to have our first son worrying about being a dad, if I’m a failure in life will I still be able to connect with my kids - you want your kids to be successful, but not so much so that you can’t relate to them. (Laughs.) The Ben and Drew characters are like two different sides of me as well. Drew is the side of me that had success early on and wants to hold on to it and live in that moment as opposed to moving on. Ben and I definitely have more of a similar background. Even Jessica, as a parent when she says things like “I have a babysitter tonight, I want to go nuts!” I definitely relate to those feelings.

FT: So Lone Star Spirits is a homecoming story centered around a father/daughter relationship, Walter and Marley. As a male writer, is your process any different writing for a female lead protagonist?

JT: I don’t really think about the gender of the character too much, I just try to write a strong character, [focus on] what they’re dealing with, different personality. Sometimes it’s more challenging than others. As a playwright, you try to put yourself in someone else's shoes - if you can identify with what they want honestly, it works out. A large part of her personality is shaped by her going home and seeing her friends who haven’t left - that’s something I can identify with. I visit home and I still have friends there. I think a lot of times people talk about how writing for the opposite gender is so different but it’s not, unless you buy into stereotypes. We all want the same thing. I’m not saying we’re exactly the same, But I do think there are accessible aspects of people’s personalities we can all relate to that can help transcend gender. And because theatre is such a collaborative art, there’s definitely stuff I've changed for some of the female characters based on their feedback, to help round out the characters. [But] even if the script doesn’t literally change, the female actors bring so much of their perspective and who they are [to their performance] - as a playwright, I feel I have more help than a novelist, you know?

FT: So as a playwright, how do you know when a play you're working on is done?

JT: Well, this play is done because it’s published. (Laughs.) There definitely comes a time when you need to start working on your next play. But when you’re writing a new play, you’re never done till the production is up and running. I had a play in New York that I was rewriting through previews, you know, audiences were seeing different shows because it kept changing. That’s part of what I like about writing plays, you’re alone so much of the time but then it becomes this very social thing… So you don’t be a hermit, you know? 

FT: Is it ever stressful seeing your plays go up? Do you ever cringe and think “oh, shouldn’t have done that…”

JT: No, I’m always just grateful that someone’s doing them. It’s great fun to see someone else do your show, they always do things differently than you'd imagined. When I’m writing a play, I’m dealing with a question and try to deal with the question through the characters. Not trying to answer it, just trying to look at it from all sides. So when you see different versions of it, you see the different sides, the different perspectives [of that question.]

FT: It keeps the conversation going.

JT: Exactly. It’s never really about the answer, when you write a play, it’s more ‘I want you to think about this, too.’ You write a play and it starts off with you alone in a room, but then you give it to the director and it becomes their play, you give it to the actors and it becomes their play, and then the actors give it to the audience - you have to look at the audience as being a part of it, too. From the playwright to the audience, the audience plays their role as well. Asking them to look at this, think about it. The play is going to be different things to different people and that’s all part of the fun. 

FT: You start with a question alone in a room - is that daunting?

JT: Not really, cause that’s when you’re just writing whatever you feel like writing, that’s when you’re playing, writing whatever you want. It’s when it’s time to share a draft with people, that’s when it gets a bit scarier. 

FT: Okay, I have one final question for you... and it's a pretty important one.. Do you believe in ghosts?

JT: I’m not gonna answer that question! (Laughs.) Like I said, I’m not looking to change anyone’s mind, people come out of this production believing different things. It’s not about do ghosts exist... 

FT: (Laughs.) Okay, fine. Well, thanks for talking with me, Josh. We can't wait to open the show!

Get your tickets now for Lone Star Spirits at St. Croix Festival Theatre by visiting us online at www.festivaltheatre.org or calling the box office at 715.483.3387.​

 Spring Scene Study Class
April 15th thru May 12th 
Sundays April 15th thru May 6 from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Saturday May 12th from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (No class Mother's Day May 13th.)
$75 per actor

For adults (18+) and former students of the 2018 Spring Acting class or other Arts Education programs at Festival Theatre

Actors will be paired and assigned a short scene on the first day of class. The focus is to use these scenes to explore character development, clear story-telling, and creative space work while stretching one's abilities and developing new approaches to acting all in a safe classroom setting.

Outside memorization work and actor attendance each week is important to the success of this class.

Additional activities/areas of focus may include...

• Concentration, memory and ensemble building games
• Actor vocab - fun activities to better understand different acting concepts from some of the great acting teachers
• Individualized feedback in a safe and supportive environment
• Voice and diction work
• Impulse training through movement - how to react and express confidently and honestly in the moment and turn off your self-doubt.
• Scene work - practice analyzing a scene as a series of units, beats and actions and how to bring your actor choices to life
• Original scene work - make anything you can imagine come true with an original scene prompted by fun writing exercises
• Improv exploration

To sign up or for more information, contact Rachel Kuhnle at ArtsEdFestivalTheatre@gmail.com,  or call our Box Office at 715.483.3387. Space is limited, so get in touch today!

What is needed for the AUDITION?

• PLEASE REGISTER in advance by e-mail (preferred) or telephone for a specific audition time slot. Form attached. A physical copy of the registration form will be accepted at time of audition, not before. ​
• TO REGISTER: e-mail or call the box office to register for the audition. Hours: T, TR, F, 10 am - 3 pm festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com OR  715-483-3387
• A COMPLETED REGISTRATION FORM with all scheduling conflicts during the listed rehearsal and performance schedules.  Registration forms can be received via e-mail or picked up at Festival Theatre. 
• A RECENT PHOTO & "RESUME" - (headshot preferred – school photo is fine) and a list of any performance experiences, classes, or performance camps. Please staple the photos and list to the registration form.  
  Photos will not be returned.
• PERFORM A MEMORIZED MONOLOGUE (30-45 seconds only – not longer).  Choose a piece from a play, a poem, very short story, part of a story, or even a joke.
• ARRIVE FIVE TO TEN MINUTES EARLY FOR A PROMPT START. Late arrivals will be rescheduled if space allows. Arrive well-rested, dressed comfortably for movement, with a ready attitude for small group activities.

Can parents/guardians watch the auditions?
In order to provide a safe and distraction-free environment for all participating youth, we ask that youth NOT have their adults along in the audition space.  However, if it seems essential to be present, one parent/guardian may request to be present at the back of the theatre and must be completely quiet. Siblings or friends who are not auditioning may NOT attend.  Requests must be made at least six hours in advance of audition.

​

St. Croix Festival Theatre will present a staged reading of Twelve Angry Jurors on Friday, February 2nd, 7:30PM. Tickets are $15 and the cafe will be open.

Jason Richards, the theatre's Executive Artistic Director, performed in Death of a Salesman and in the theatre’s only staged reading last year, The Diary of Anne Frank. “It was really well received. If you were lucky enough to see it, then you know what a powerful night of theatre a staged reading can be,” shares Richards.

A staged reading requires no set and no costumes. It's a straightforward dramatic retelling of a script. Richards believes that Twelve Angry Jurors is perfect for the staged reading format.

“You get to focus on the message of the script and the relationships,” says Richards. “I also think this is a particularly timely story. Every day we’re asking ourselves if what we hear is true or not. These jurors have to do it when a life is on the line. It really brings up some strong, current issues.”

For those interested in the attending the reading, tickets are $15 and can be purchased by following this link, by emailing festivaltheatreboxoffice@gmail.com or by calling the box office at 715-483-3387. 

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