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| Photo from SMSU Today |
After swimming through some 600 emails awaiting his return, Marketing Director Tim Krause came up for air to share a little about what he was doing out in Minne-snow-ta …
I was very fortunate to have spent the past week in Southwest Minnesota, where I enjoyed the opportunity to share my experience of working in professional theatre with students and community leaders through a series of publicity workshops and play readings at my alma mater, Southwest Minnesota State University, and my former employer, Southwest Minnesota Arts & Humanities Council.
I really had a great time visiting Southwest State. The theatre students there are all super active, engaged and dedicated. (In fact, they were opening their Drama Club production of Wonder of the World the same week!) The workshops I presented introduced the basics of effective press releases, press photos, social media and word of mouth. We had a lot of thoughtful conversation about best practices among theatres and other arts organizations.
But probably the best part of the week were the four play readings. Each of the four evenings, we held what you would call a “cold read” where we sat around a table on the stage. We handed out parts among the students and even a few other alumni. After reading the play, we had the opportunity to chat about the work.
Among the titles we read were some familiar to Milagro audiences, including two that we have already produced: Boomcracklefly by Charise Castro Smith and Oedipus el Rey by Luis Alfaro. We also read the script for Guapa by Caridad Svitch, which Milagro will be presenting this spring as a National New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere. Finally, we read the outrageous comedy Learn to be Latina by Enrique Urueta, which I hope that Milagro audiences will have an opportunity to see because it was hilarious.
While in Minnesota, I was also invited to present the publicity workshop series for SMAHC, the arts council serving the 18 counties of southwest Minnesota and my employer during my four years attending SMSU. (And congratulations to the The Barn Theatre in Willmar for its upcoming 50th anniversary — that’s gotta be some kind of record among community theatres!)
I want to thank the SMSU Theatre Department, the SMSU Fine Arts Living and Learning Community, and the SMSU Foundation, along with SMAHC and the McKnight Foundation for providing the funding and in-kind support that made this trip possible.