Brave New Workshop

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Two theater members in front of the building, Hennepin Avenue

The Brave New Workshop Comedy Theater (BNW), is a sketch and improvisational comedy theater based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Brave New Workshop has been writing, performing and producing live sketch comedy and improvised performances for 61 years – longer than any other theater in the nation.[1]

History[]

In the late ’50s, the former circus performer, Dudley Riggs was traveling with a comedy theater from New York City, known as the Instant Theater Company. In 1958 the troupe performed in Minneapolis at a restaurant called Steffano’s. The Instant Theater Company then decided to stay in Minneapolis and create a performing space for themselves; "Dudley Riggs' Cafe Espresso" opened in a former garage at 18 University Avenue NE. In 1961 the venue relocated to 207 E. Hennepin Avenue, and after much planning and brainstorming, and with help from friends Dick Guindon, Irv Letofsky, and Dan Sullivan, this would be the beginning of the satirical comedy theatre that was known for many years as Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop.[2][3][4][5] Four years later, in 1965, the theatre moved to 2605 Hennepin Avenue, a space that had been a bicycle shop, and would be home to the theatre for most of the following four decades.[6] (Riggs's parents were circus and vaudeville performers, and he regularly joked that he ran away from the circus to find a home.)

The Brave New Workshop took its name from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and bills itself as the oldest ongoing satirical comedy theater in the nation. Nearly 400 original productions have been mounted on Brave New Workshop stages for more than three million people. Improv and sketch comedy shows can be seen on its stage nearly every weekend.

Riggs died on September 22, 2020 in Minneapolis at the age of 88.[7]

Location[]

Early locations for Riggs' venue were across the Mississippi River from downtown Minneapolis, at 18 University Avenue NE and 207 East Hennepin Avenue. In 1965, Riggs moved the company to its historic location at 2605 Hennepin Avenue South, where it remained until 1998, when the BNW moved four blocks south to Calhoun Square in Uptown Minneapolis. Finding the location a financial burden, the company returned to 2605 Hennepin in 2002. The Brave New Workshop also operated a satellite location in neighboring Saint Paul, Minnesota for five years before closing in 2006. In 1971, a satellite theater and cafe, the "ETC" ("Experimental Theatre Company," not to be confused with The Brave New Workshop's current "Experimental Thinking Centre"), opened in the Southern Theatre at Seven Corners in the Cedar Riverside area of Minneapolis' West Bank.

In 2010, owners John Sweeney and Jenni Lilledahl purchased the Hennepin Stages Theater at 824 Hennepin Avenue (the longtime home to productions such as Tony n' Tina's Wedding) in downtown Minneapolis. This location is the main venue for the Brave New Workshop, housing the theater where the main stage sketch comedy shows are performed, as well as an event space and administrative offices. In August 2014, the company announced that the historic Uptown location at 2605 Hennepin Avenue had been sold and that it had purchased a building located at 727 Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis.[8] This building is now the home of the Brave New Workshop Student Union, which runs improv and comedy writing classes as well as occasional improv performances.

Shows[]

Recent shows at the Brave New Workshop include How to Make Love Like a Minnesotan, Fifty Shades of White: A Minnesota XXXmas, Babe Lincoln and the Vajazzled Badge of Courage, and Lance Armstrong's Steroid-Pumped Comedy Revue: A Cheater's Guide to Winning.

Notable alumni[]

Notable alumni of the Brave New Workshop include Louie Anderson, Mo Collins, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Penn Jillette, Carl Lumbly, Paul Menzel, Pat Proft, Annie Reirson, Taylor Nikolai, Nancy Steen, Peter Tolan, Linda Wallem, Lizz Winstead,[9] Peter MacNicol, Melissa Peterman, and Cedric Yarbrough.[10]

Current leadership[]

In March 1997, Riggs sold the theater to new owners John Sweeney, Jenni Lilledahl, and Mark Bergren (Bergren left the Brave New Workshop in 1999 to pursue other interests). The name of the theater changed slightly to "The Brave New Workshop, founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958." The new owners continue to produce all-original sketch comedy and improvisation revues on a year-round basis. They also oversee the Brave New Institute (the Brave New Workshop's training center for improvisation), located at the Student Union location. The school claims to have the most broad-based improv curriculum of any training center in the country, with more than 300 students and specific programming for performers, non-performers, youth, seniors, and corporations.

Partnerships[]

The Brave New Workshop was the featured entertainment for Disney Cruise Lines for several years, and the resident comedy-writing team for NPR's "All Things Considered." Brave New Workshop actors have worked with Minnesota Public Radio's comedy show Wits, hosted by John Moe.

Corporate Involvement[]

The theater's corporate services division is called Creative Outreach, a range of services built on the belief that corporate and office settings can improve their creativity and employee cultures by applying the principles of improvisational comedy. These services include keynote speeches, customized entertainment, and team-building workshops. In 2006, Sweeney and the Brave New Workshop performed over 200 keynote speeches, training workshops, and custom entertainment productions for Fortune 500 clients.

Citizenship[]

The Brave New Workshop has implemented a social and environmental program called the Brave New Citizens Initiative. The mission statement of the initiative is "Think Globally. Act Locally." Through this program the theater has replaced all theater and house lights with LED lights, started composting as well as recycling, and encouraged the use of public transportation by patrons. The Brave New Workshop helped to form the Twin Cities Sustainable Theaters, a forum for local theaters to explore and exchange sustainable practices.

References[]

  1. ^ "Brave New Workshop Main | Improv, Satire and Comedy since 1958". Retrieved November 19, 2019. The Brave New Workshop has been crafting audacious, hilarious, and thought-provoking original comedy, improv and satire in Minneapolis since 1958 – longer than any other theatre in the U.S.
  2. ^ [1] Anthony, Michael. The singular life of Dudley Riggs. Minnpost. Sept. 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Riggs, Dudley. Flying Funny: My Life without a Net. Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2017. P. Forward. ISBN 9781517901677
  4. ^ "Brave New Workshop - Dudley Riggs". Archived from the original on 2013-09-17. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  5. ^ [2] Hall, Carol. "Satires cutting edge; Minneapolis’ Brave New Workshop gave rise to improv and social commentary in the late ’50s". Minnesota Good Age. October 3, 2016.
  6. ^ [Minnpost. ] Hawley, David. Brave New Workshop at 50: It isn’t easy being witty. Minnpost. March 17, 2008
  7. ^ https://startribune.com/dudley-riggs-godfather-of-twin-cities-comedy-scene-dies-at-88/572493541/
  8. ^ Rohan Preston (August 18, 2014). "Brave New Workshop to expand in downtown Minneapolis". StarTribune.
  9. ^ Marsh, Steve (September 2008), "Just Asking... Lizz Winstead", Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, archived from the original on 2009-01-06
  10. ^ Marianne Combs (February 26, 2008). "50 years of social satire at Brave New Workshop". Minnesota Public Radio News.

Bibliography[]

  • Hubbard, Rob. Brave New Workshop : Promiscuous Hostility and Laughs in the Land of Loons. History Press, South Carolina, 2015. ISBN 9781626196865
  • Riggs, Dudley. Flying Funny: My Life Without a Net. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2017. ISBN 9781517901677

External links[]

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