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| Old Log Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Old Log Theatre |
| Address | 5185 Pontiac Trail |
| City | Excelsior, Minnesota |
| Country | United States |
| Capacity | 450 |
| Opened | 1940s |
| Years active | 1940s–present |
Old Log Theatre is a professional theatre in Excelsior, Minnesota, in the Twin Cities region of the United States. Founded in the mid-20th century, the company grew from a local community theatre initiative into a regional producing organization that has hosted touring productions, resident seasons, and a mix of comedy, drama, and musical theatre programming. The theatre has been associated with a number of actors, directors, and designers who later worked with institutions such as the Guthrie Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and Goodman Theatre.
The theatre traces its origins to the post-World War II period when performers and entrepreneurs sought seasonal arts venues in suburban and lakes-area communities near Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Hennepin County. Early decades saw collaborations with regional presenters and touring companies that performed at venues associated with the Chautauqua movement and summer stock circuits similar to those that served the Kennedy Center feeder network. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the organization navigated the cultural shifts influenced by national institutions such as the National Endowment for the Arts, local funders including the Minnesota State Arts Board, and media coverage from outlets like the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press. Leadership changes over subsequent decades mirrored trends in arts administration at entities like The Public Theater and the Arena Stage, while the theatre maintained ties to regional training programs at Carleton College, Macalester College, and the University of Minnesota School of Music.
The theatre occupies a converted lakeside structure that reflects vernacular design elements similar to other historic playhouses in the American Midwest, evoking timber construction and rustic motifs found in venues like the Old Globe Theatre and repertory houses in the Great Lakes region. Its performance space is configured for proscenium and flexible staging, seating several hundred patrons in arrangements that support both musicals and straight plays. Backstage facilities have been updated to contemporary production standards paralleling renovations undertaken at institutions such as the Guthrie Theater and the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, including new lighting systems influenced by technologies developed by manufacturers working with Broadway houses like the Shubert Organization.
The company’s seasons have featured a broad mix of contemporary comedies, classic works, family entertainment, and holiday-themed productions, echoing programming strategies employed by regional theatres including Paper Mill Playhouse and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The repertoire has included revivals of works by playwrights such as Neil Simon, William Shakespeare, Arthur Miller, Noël Coward, and George Bernard Shaw, and has staged musicals by composers like Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Jerry Herman. Guest artists and directors with credits at institutions such as Lincoln Center and La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club have appeared, and the venue has served as a stepping-stone for talents later seen on stages like Broadway and on television series produced in Los Angeles and New York City.
Over the years the company fostered performers, directors, and designers who moved on to prominent careers with companies such as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Goodman Theatre, and national touring productions. Alumni include actors who appeared in Twin Cities television and film projects, Broadway productions, and Hollywood features; some later worked with directors associated with the Public Theater and producers connected to the Shubert Organization. Staff members have gone on to arts-administration roles at institutions including the Minnesota Opera, Children's Theatre Company and teaching positions at conservatories like the Juilliard School and the American Conservatory Theater.
Educational initiatives have connected the theatre to area schools and higher-education programs, partnering with districts in Hennepin County, arts councils, and college training programs at Macalester College, Carleton College, and the University of Minnesota. Workshops, youth camps, and outreach productions have been modeled after engagement practices used by the Kennedy Center and National Theatre education departments, offering actor training, technical-theatre instruction, and audience-development activities. Collaborative projects have included fundraisers with civic organizations and benefit performances that paralleled community arts efforts by the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the Walker Art Center.
The theatre has received local and regional recognition for longevity and contribution to the cultural life of the Twin Cities area, with coverage and honors from media outlets such as the Star Tribune and community awards similar to acknowledgments given by the Minnesota State Arts Board and local chambers of commerce. Its alumni and guest artists have earned nominations and awards from bodies including regional theatre critics’ circles and statewide arts organizations comparable to those that recognize performers and productions at venues like the Guthrie Theater and Children’s Theatre Company.
Category:Theatres in Minnesota