(00:00:15) And good morning. Welcome to midday on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm Gary eichten. Glad you could join us Guthrie Theater opens its new season next week Amadeus officially opens on the 27th the previews begin this weekend. Now last year was another good one for the Guthrie Theater attendance was down a tad but finances are in good shape and apparently the theaters campaign to raise a hundred million dollars for its new theater on the Minneapolis. Riverfront is running well ahead of schedule fact theater officials said this week that the Guthrie is in the best financial shape. It's been in its 38 year history artistic director. Joe Dowling is being given much of the credit for the Guthrie's recent success more people than ever are attending the theaters Productions in the Guthrie is finished in the Every year since he arrived five years ago. Mr. Dowling has joined us here in the studio to talk about his plans for the new season at the Guthrie and also plans for the new theater. If you'd like to join our conversation, give us a call here our guest this hour is the Guthrie theaters artistic director Joe Dowling. If you have a question or comment the number to call is six-five 12276 thousand. That's our Twin City area number 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. You can reach us toll-free and that number is 1-800-222-8477 thousand or one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight Joe darling. Thanks for coming in today. You're very welcome chance to toot your horn here. Is it fair to say that the Guthrie is the top regional theater in America, (00:01:46) but it's certainly one of the top regional theaters in America in terms of the number of subscribers. We have I think we're sort of in second or third place besides theaters in New York city. So yes, it's Of the size of its budget. It's almost at the top and then in terms of number of subscribers, it's its way up there. It's a theater that has both sort of a national reputation and indeed now an international reputation (00:02:13) have things worked out as well for you as you hope they would when you came here five years ago, you had some some big hopes and dreams. I remember talking to you right after you you came to the Guthrie things worked out as well as as you'd hoped. (00:02:29) Well things have been really extraordinary. I mean the response of the public to the programs that we've put forward and the response of our community to the ideas that we've generated about how the Guthrie might grow and develop have been embraced so readily and so warmly that it's really been a terrific time. Yes. I think when when I came five years ago when David Hopkinson joined me as managing director, we saw a theater that really was in need of some renewal a theater that had Through tremendous history and a great tradition somehow lost touch perhaps with its community in lost touch with its with its roots by redefining the theater is being accessible open available more to people starting our touring program again, increasing our our Outreach and education and opening our second space over at the lab. We've we've managed I think to give the Guthrie a focus that goes back to being a resource available to all the people of the state any trying to (00:03:32) do anything that you you know, you were hoping to do five years ago that you still it's still on the platter there. (00:03:39) Well, there are things that you know take longer to do than others and and and of course the development of a relationship with writers, which is something that I think every theater of value in size in the world needs to do is something that we are now starting to take baby steps towards we've been appointed a new literary manager who comes to us from Louisville from Actress here in Louisville, where of course the Humana Play Festival is one of the most famous International new play festivals in the world. And Michael Dixon is his name and he's joined us and he's going to start helping us to develop relationships with writers because while we got three for the last 38 years has been the premier classical theater, I would say the premier classical theater in the country. It hasn't had the same kind of relationship with contemporary writing and writers are the life and soul of theater with they are the chroniclers of our time. They tell us who we are and they tell future Generations who we wear and so we I think as we move forward, it's something that I very much want to see is more new plays plays that come from our time and from our place so that people can put them side by side with the great plays of the past the Shakespeare's and the check offs and the absence and see side by side with those a contemporary world that reflects back to us who we (00:04:52) are do they stand up well against the classics though people seem to love the Shakespeare's (00:04:58) it's true people. This community adore Shakespeare. I remember when I came it was one of the most interesting insights I had when I came very very early on and and I had lunch with our then marketing director land recurrence and she said to me, you know, if you program a Shakespeare tragedy it will sell out and I don't think that there are many other places in the world where a marketing director would tell you that Shakespeare has been at the heart of the Guthrie experience and to a large extent. I think that's it's a wonderful tribute both to the Guthrie audiences who have developed that love of Shakespeare but also to the space itself that thrust stage with the entrances from the auditorium the sense of Engagement of actor and audience ideal for Shakespeare. I've directed Shakespearean, Ireland and Britain and throughout the United States and Canada. There's nowhere better to see Shakespeare in my view or to direct it. Either than at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. It's a perfect space for Shakespeare. (00:05:52) The Guthrie's artistic director. Joe Dowling is our guest this are amid a if you'd like to join our conversation, six, five one two, two seven six Six five one two two seven six thousand outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 228286512276 thousand or one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight. So what can we look for Joe and terms of the new season? What do you think are going to be the highlights of the coming season? Well, (00:06:19) obviously Amadeus we start with that. It's a really fascinating Play to work on and we're just right in the thick of it at the moment getting into the technical rehearsals at always take all day and all night for everybody but it's a it's fascinating because most people know the play from the movie though. It started originally as a stage play and the movie and the play are very different things. The theatricality of the play allows the the author to do things that weren't available in the movie and the course the freedom of the movie to go from location to location made a big difference to that but what's been fascinating about this particular production is that we've been working with Peter Schaffer the writer and he actually even No, this play was written back in the 1970s. We're doing a version of the play that actually will not some scenes of which won't have been seen before he continues to rise and to rewrite and to develop this story about Mozart and salieri and the the idea that salieri murdered Mozart is a fiction, but the way in which Peter Schaffer has created two fascinating dramatic characters and Peter them one against the other in a kind of a huge conflict. It's great theater. It's great drama and it's been great fun for us to work on so that I'm really looking forward to we follow that up with dye which is an Irish play and surprise surprise is going to be an Irish play in this Guthrie season. Ha ha ha. It's been a writer you Leonard who won a Tony for it back in the 1970s and it will be it's a really beautiful story any of our audience who saw Philadelphia here. I come which we presented some years ago. We'll see Echoes of the same sort of themes in that father-son themes that are in that particularly. I'm looking forward to the This year because we're doing Antony and Cleopatra a couple of years ago. We did Julius Caesar and of course in a way at an interior patter is the follow-up to that and we're bringing back Mark lame us to direct it. Now Mark was an actor and a director of the Guthrie for some time and has built a major reputation. So I think it's terrific to have him back and particularly also to have Lila Robbins come back to play Cleopatra. She played had a gobbler for his earlier this year in summer and smoke last season and is a truly wonderful wonderful actress in Paul native and has made a major career. So to have her back to do to do Cleopatra's great, but also in the lab, we've got some new plays and that's always exciting and Horton Foote who's a playwright that's now in his in his 80s and still highly prolific has written a play that are called The Carpetbaggers children that will be presented in early August and that is going to bring back to the Guthrie. I'm Roberto Maxwell who hasn't been here for some years and also bring Jean Stapleton. So both of those would be playing in that play by Horton Foote. The lab and we've a new play by Lee blessing at the lab later in the in the season a play called Thief River which was premiered in New York earlier this season. So there's quite a wide variety of different things. And that's what we're trying to do is to provide the the widest variety and also with our tour which we're going to do again this year tour of our Wilderness Eugene O'Neill's play to get out into the into the different parts of the state and that don't have an opportunity to come and visit us (00:09:27) attendance was down a little bit this past season. Is that a cause for (00:09:31) concern? No not in any way because we did less work. There was less the were less performances for people to actually applies Productions rather for people to actually see and one of the reasons attendance is down is of course that last year we did a very large tour we did Midsummer Night's Dream which was played in very large spaces this year. We did a smaller tour Molly Sweeney and we played in in 30 places in seven states and it played obviously to smaller houses because it's more intimate Play We also this year Have the kind of size and scope of a show that Martin Guerre was for his last year. So it's just those fluctuations I think are inevitable in in the kind of programming and in the way the fiscal year Falls, but they're not actually any reflection of decline. I have to say though. We're very conscious all the time that our numbers need to be kept up. We need to be serving people and the fact that we have 30,000 dots subscribers is something we don't take for granted. We want to make certain that that that those subscribers are satisfied and if we do see decline in numbers, then we're going to be we're going to be dealing with that because we really do want to make certain that people feel the the Guthrie's inaccessible place. (00:10:40) Isn't that a little bit limiting though for a person in your position to to do you feel it's any kind of a limitation to have to attract big crowds and perhaps put on more popular Productions than some very obscure work. That might a draw very well is that You see that as a limitation at all. (00:11:01) I don't see it as a limitation at all. If you look at the season that we've just completed we did a nipson Hedda gabler not exactly what one might term a kind of a crowd pleaser potboiler. We didn't own we play done in a new version by Jeffrey Jeffrey Hatcher which was a new and interesting way of looking at a particular play and who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I mean, this was a this is a play. We had a fabulous cast of course, but this is a play that's normally done in much smaller theater. So we haven't done, you know, we're not as a sort of reverting to Charlie's and there is a sort of a mix in our work and with the work in the lab having blood wedding in the lab and suzan-lori Parks play in the blood which was a fascinating contemporary study of homelessness and of people's contemporary difficulties. We are providing a very different variety of work and not it's not by any means arriving at some kind of lowest common. Your Shakespeare ipsen Kaufman and Hart and Edward Albee in any season is something that I think any theater should be proud of doing the fact that we have attracting those large audiences is more of a tribute to the breadth of sophistication of our audience than it is to anything that that we might do. I don't find it limiting to have large audiences know all my life. I've worked in theater on my life and I've always hated empty Theatres and theaters that are closed. I love the idea that people use theater that they come that they feel it. It's part of their world that they feel enriched by it. And if a writer happens to be popular at that doesn't make him bad got three artistic director Joe Dowling is our guest this hour if you have a question or comment for mr. Darling 6512276 (00:12:47) thousand or 1-800 to for 22828. Michael had please (00:12:51) hi. I'd like to say first of all that as a subscriber in the 1980s who allowed my subscription to laps. Cause I felt that the directions it was going with just out of touch with audiences and I renewed the second season that mr. Dowling has been here and I've enjoyed every place that I've seen since I think he's wrong. I think in one respect that the success is not do as much to the sophistication of the audiences as it is to mr. Darlings presentation, mr. Dowling's understanding of the real meaning of theater and how theater has to connect with an audience and that kind of leads to a question that I have relative to. Mr. Darlings Productions of Shakespeare, which are fascinating. He always seems to put a little twist on the on the play and not presented in the traditional way like the Shakespeare the Julius Caesar dumb as a political drama was just exciting and And brought out things that I'd never seen and I was a theater major as an undergraduate and certainly he's brought out things in Shakespeare plays that I never knew were there and I do have to say one other thing that is that his production of Much Ado About Nothing Was I think the best Shakespeare play I've ever seen. Okay. Thanks Mike. Well, thank you very much Mike Dowling polyester that that certainly was suddenly makes the rest of my day feel good. Thank you very much Mike for all those compliments. I just a little bit about the Shakespeare. I'm a great believer that Shakespeare is a contemporary writer and not some figure who happened to have lived at a particular time in a particular place far away. If you read any Shakespeare play you can see you in it parallels with our world. He was like Mozart a genius and genius transcends all those times and ages and and I also believe that if you do it what people call traditional and and I don't really understand what that means. I see. Zoom they mean that people would wear Elizabethan costume you distance the audience from the play you tell the audience. This is about other people and other times and most Shakespeare plays. There are a few I think the probably are lost in The Mists of antiquity, but the vast majority of Shakespeare plays whether the comedies are tragedies can tell us something about who we are so that's why I view every Shakespeare play we do as a new play (00:15:25) Johnny your question, (00:15:26) please hi. I'm just wondering if anyone's talked about remounting execution of Justice the most fabulous theater production I've ever seen. Well, it's a I know the piece Emily man's piece execution of justice and it really is a wonderful piece of theater. It hasn't sort of arisen as one of the the, you know, likely candidates for Revival, but you make me want to go back and read it. Hmm. (00:15:54) Ben is up next with a question for Joe Dowling been go ahead. (00:15:58) Yeah. My question is just About using the actors in the Twin Cities as opposed to always bringing in actors from around the United States and believe me. I do enjoy seeing Patrick Stewart and Mercedes ruehl on stage and Richard kind is obviously a great actor but and as the were a lot of Twin Cities actors in once-in-a-lifetime, I was wondering why we don't see more Twin Cities actors in principal roles on stage at the Guthrie and Main stage season. Well, you know you do if you actually look at it overall. Yes in the particular instance as you mentioned Patrick Stewart and Mercedes ruehl and Richard kind played the season, but the reality is that that over 70% of the actors we engage live and are part of the Twin Cities Community. We do bring actors in from outside. We do change the nature of our company from from from time to time and we do look for major actors from both National and International reputations. In order that we can provide the variety that we have but you know for instance in Mathias that's coming up. We have Charles E honest who's been a part of the Guthrie company for a very long time last seen as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol this year and he's playing salieri and to your night who's a young actor Minnesota born and raised and and has been part of the Guthrie company for the last couple of years and he will be we will be playing in that and and in many of our upcoming Productions, you'll see Richard levski and you'll see Sally wingert and you'd see Barbara Brennan, you'll see all these favorite actors that have been very much a part of our world. I'm a I have to say though that you know, the Guthrie is a very important Regional resource. It's an important route theater that does have a place and apart in the at the heart of this community, but it's also a national resources. Well, it's a theater that draws from all over the country both in terms of its actors its directors its designers and and other people and it's an opportunity for us to share actors that we have with others and Others to share actors with us and so that policy of of having the vast majority of our actors from the Twin Cities will continue but we will also bring in actors where we feel it's necessary. (00:18:12) Does it help a lot in terms of selling tickets generating Buzz about the theater to have a big name come in, (00:18:18) you know, it's that's a really interesting question. And and who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a case in point. We announced who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf without knowing who we're going to have in it because we don't always know in advance of our cast our season announcement who's going to be in the cast and it did you no. Okay, subscribe some subscribers took it some didn't we moved on we then announce the cast and we assumed that the next morning we would be besieged. If not by trekkies at least by those who would recognize Mercedes ruehl name it that happened but not to the great extent. The real thing that happened was that the production was extraordinarily good David esbjorn since work the His work the designers work and once the preview started Word of Mouth which is absolutely the key indicator of success or failure of a show anywhere in the world. And this community is no different once the show opened to preview and people started to feel what that show is like, then it sold out. So I think that we certainly don't feel that adding a quote star named unquote is necessarily going to draw sell tickets. The reason Patrick Stewart was in that show was that he was working with David S bjornsen our director and another production in New York and David who was on the phone talking to me about how we might set up the casting was talking about it and and Patrick Stewart said to him. I have a history with this play. I want to be in it would do you think the Guthrie would would invite me to come and do it and David S bjornsen called me and asked me and I said, well, let's talk about it and we got into conversations with Patrick. So it wasn't that we went out saying we must Patrick Stewart to play in who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. It happened as a normal part of casting and he was and is a truly wonderful wonderful actor as well as being of course a great star (00:20:12) artistic director Joe Dowling was of course been at the Guthrie. Now for five years is joined us here in our Studios the Guthrie getting ready for a new season. And if you'd like to join our conversation, if you've got a question or comment give us a call six five one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. You can reach us toll-free. That number is 1-800-218-4243 or 1-800 to for to to 828 get to more of your questions here in just a couple of minutes. I'm Lorna Benson, Minnesota leads the nation in production of elk products on the next all things considered a farmer with a passion for raising the unique animals. (00:20:53) I started out with one bowl. I just did it for the fun of it and now we're up to about 450 head (00:21:01) will have that story plus all the day's news on the next All Things Considered weekdays at 3:00 on Minnesota Public Radio. By the way over the noon hour today. We're heading off to the National Press Club alive Press Club luncheon today featuring Hamilton Jordan. You might recall that he was Jimmy Carter's Chief of Staff when mr. Carter was President since leaving that position Hamilton. Jordan has had the misfortune to come down with three serious bouts of cancer. He has written a new book about his experiences fighting that disease and the book is getting rave reviews best seller called no such thing as a bad day. You can hear from Hamilton Jordan at noon today live from the Press Club like to say thanks to Minnesota public radio's valued volunteers who give so generously of their time talents and energy right now. We have news headlines. Here's Greta Cunningham Greta. Thanks Gary and good morning a seventh interest rate cut could be on its way this year analysts see Federal Reserve Chief Alan Greenspan remarks on Capitol Hill today as a strong sign that another cut may come as Soon as the feds next meeting in August Greenspan testified this morning on Capitol Hill. He says the economic slowdown is continuing us Attorney General. John Ashcroft says the FBI can do better and will do better. He acknowledges. He's concerned about the news that 449 guns and more than 180 computers are missing from the FBI Ashcraft says, he's discussed the issue with FBI director nominee Robert Mueller. The FBI problems are the focus of today's hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee. FBI administrators have been testifying about efforts to improve security, but they're also calling for more funds and time a Russian computer programmer is being held without bail after being arrested at a Las Vegas hacker convention. He's accused of Distributing software that lets users copy electronic books. He's believed to be the first person arrested under a 1998 federal anti-piracy law in Regional news. The Minnesota WorkForce Center in Albert. Lea will host a job fair tomorrow for workers displaced by last week's fire at Farmland Foods some Into area employers will be on hand with job applications and other materials the employers have been encouraged to provide Spanish interpreters and materials written in Spanish Sparks from a cutting torch started the fire that destroyed about half of the plant Farmland officials. Haven't yet said whether the plant will reopen The Boundary Waters canoe area and parts of the Twin Cities have gotten a much needed shot of rain more than an inch of rain has fallen across much of the BWC a since Saturday night, but fire officials say they're not yet considering ending a ban on campfires the forecast for Minnesota today calls for a flash flood watch late this afternoon and tonight for Northwestern Minnesota. It will be very warm and humid once again across the state of Minnesota today. There is a chance of showers and thunderstorms severe storms and heavy rainfall are possible in the Northwest this afternoon highs from 85 in the north to near 97 in the South and West right now in International Falls. It's sunny and 75 Duluth reports partly cloudy skies and 63. It's sunny in Winona and 79 in. Twin Cities partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 75 Gary. That's a look at the latest news. All right. Thanks Greta. It's about 29 minutes before noon. This is midday on Minnesota Public Radio in our guest this hour we got three s artistic director Joe Dowling. And again, if you have a question or comment for mr. Darling the number to call six five one two, two seven six thousand or one eight hundred two, four two two eight two eight. I have a question for you Joe Dowling the financial statement released. This week seems to indicate that you folks are about 1/3 of the way at least toward raising all the money you need for your new theater on the riverfront (00:24:47) true. Well, I think that a very assiduous reporter put some figures together and didn't necessarily make the the the right assumptions but we're doing very well. We're in the quiet phase. I always I love that phrase the quiet phase of the campaign as I always say, it sounds noisy enough to me. But we are we are doing well. The campaign is moving ahead. We are not at a position. To announce the either the goals of the campaign or indeed the the amount that's been raised but there are the the one of the you know, you asked me earlier whether sort of things that disappoint me one of the things that really Thrills me about the this community is the capacity to to philanthropy the opportunity that people see in this new Venture in the idea of building a new theater has brought forward quite a lot of very generous people who see this is an investment in the future. So the campaign is going very well, but we are we're hoping in the fall when we have more advanced drawings and things to show that would be in an opera have an opportunity then to announce our campaign and to go out and start to to Really properly fund raise for this very ambitious Enterprise (00:26:02) earlier question plate. (00:26:03) Yes. I was just wondering was there any public funds going into this new Riverfront edifice? Well, we certainly hope so we believe very strongly that a portion of this figure that we're talking about that a relatively small but important portion of this will come from the public funds. I'm a very strong believer that quality of life is an important thing in any community in the quality of life is added to by many different aspects in one of those aspects is the Arts what we are proposing to build I believe will not only have artistic value. It will be a 3 Theater complex that will have educational value. It will have an economic impact that will be quite significant both on the area that it's being built in down at the river and also throughout the state. So there is a very real advantage to the state in investing in its own future and particularly. I believe in the sort of culture and educational values that we can offer in and use new facility like this so we will be going we went last year, too. The state legislature and planning money of three million was voted and we hope that when we go back next year that we will also be included in the bonding Bill. We are no different from any other organizations in the state including places like the science museum that that look for and and hope for an investment by the state in their future. (00:27:31) If you could do you say this as a philosophical matter and what I mean by that is if for example the Guthrie could raise all the money it needed for its new theater privately without State assistance. Do you think that the Guthrie should do that or do you think that the state should contribute some money to this as a matter of (00:27:54) principle? I think that I absolutely think that the state needs to be involved in this first of all, it would not be possible without having some Public Funding. It would not be possible to raise the kind of money. We're talking about privately we would certainly do Vast majority of it but thus there is a part of it we would need from the state and I think that yes philosophically and I think in principle and I think in terms of the kind of investment that it is the state ought to be involved and you know, one of the things that makes this state so remarkable for people like me who come from outside is that throughout the years it has again and again and again stepped up to the plate and terms of the its funding for the Arts. And even again this year the appropriation for the state's art board passed through the legislature. When as we know it was a difficult session but it passed through and and there is a belief we have founded as we've gone around the state and we've been very careful over the last couple of years to make sure that people know about the Guthrie throughout the state with our tours of Midsummer Night's Dream with our our tour this year of Molly Sweeney that we are a resource for the people of the state and that would sort of resource. It feels to me absolutely essential that the state gets involved. And yes, I know there's a philosophical debate here about the nature of what should be funded in not funded at the public purse but we found many many different things from the public purse and the Arts and and indeed in this particular instance a capital outlay that will have economic impact that will have tourism impact that will have a regeneration of an of an area down at the river side that has been somewhat neglected over the years all of these things. It seems to me are important as well as the education and the artistic Advantage is that it offers. So yes, I firmly believe that art should be funded. It should be for subsidized. I really coming from Europe. It comes as a surprise to me that it's still a debate but I understand that the balances that there are here between the need to raise private funding and state funding. They are much more finely tuned than they are in Europe for instance in Dublin where I'm from The Abbey Theatre Dublin gets all its funding from the government. It does not go out and raise private funding. Well, now we go out every year and raise an annual fund and people generously give but the theater the kind of theater we want to do the sort of educational initiatives. We want to take the kind of touring we do the way we Outreach to two different communities. We can't do that unless we're funded is simply won't happen. If we're simply a commercial (00:30:30) theater. Any indication at Governor Ventura is coming around to see your point of view on this. He is not been a big fan of sending public money to the (00:30:38) Guthrie. No, he hasn't in the past. Absolutely not and one of the big challenges we have I believe in the next year is to persuade the governor and to work with the governor's staff to try and persuade them of the value of this kind of investment not only in the Arts and not only in the country but also in the in the tourist potential and the and the economic development potential because we have done a very careful study of this and and From the initial advantages of the construction itself, which will have a huge economic impact on the area. It's very clear from detailed studies that there will be an economic impact of about 89 to 90 million a year on the area that that we're talking about. I mean in terms of employment in terms of services in terms of the the various different aspects of this project. So we're hoping to argue on the case that this is going to make a difference to the quality of people's lives to have the kind of international and National focus of attention on a theater complex here in the Twin Cities a theater that will be comparable to any in the world. We hope that that the quality of life issues are important. We know they are important to the people and we hope that we can persuade both legislature and Governor that they're important in investing it but we also say that there are strong economic arguments in there are strong arguments of urban Redevelopment. Element in there are strong arguments that go beyond simply the artistic as to why an investment in this particular project is a good one. We've engaged as you know, an international architect Jean nouvel who's excitement at that particular site on the Mississippi River is one of the reasons why he took this engagement, he's an architect who works all over the world just recently received the Royal Institute of British Architects gold medal that one of the top architect prize architecture prizes and here's a man who comes and he sees the Mississippi River. He sees the Stone Arch Bridge. He sees the Mills ruins down there and says, this is such a perfect site. I want to I want to build on it. So there is a great opportunity here and we hope and believe that we will get a lot of support for that because the initiative is about serving people (00:32:58) rohith. Are your question, please? Oops Ruth. I'm afraid God got it. Your phone is breaking up on us. I think we waited kept you on hold there too long. Let's let's move on to another caller here. Dan your question, please. (00:33:17) Yes. Thanks for taking my call. Mr. Dowling what resources are there either with the Guthrie or elsewhere in the community that you know of where people can become involved either as performers or writers, you know, especially people maybe who are a little older, you know, like myself 30 years old who want to become you know, who want to do something a little more than maybe, you know Community plays in church basements or something like that. Well when you describe yourself as older at 30, you make me feel extremely old but there are many many different resources and certainly at the Guthrie. We have classes run by professional actors and by professional teachers at where you can develop both acting skills and indeed writing skills. I would suggest that if you call the Guthrie main number and ask for Catherine McGuire, she'll be able to help you because we have a whole range of Community classes that help people to get a flavor of what they might or might not want to do. We've also of course started this year with the University of Minnesota a BFA program in acting that's a full-time course, which I understand won't suit everybody but it is a program that we're working on with the University of Minnesota drama Department in order to create further opportunities. And I know also that the playwright's center which is a wonderful resource here in the Twin Cities. Does also do developmental work with with writers. So there are resources out there. And if you anyone wants to call in to the Guthrie will certainly give you information on the classes. We have and point you in the direction of others that we might not have direct access to (00:34:55) got three artistic director. Joe Dowling is our guest this are again if you have a question or comment for Joe Dowling the number to call six five. One 2276 thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 22828. Jerry your next go ahead please. (00:35:13) Good morning, Gary. Thanks for taking my call. Mr. Darling. It's a pleasure to speak with you. I just had a couple of comments, I guess and then a question. First of all, I'm the chair of the downtown Minneapolis neighborhood association and I can say definitively that the folks both living and working down. There are really thrilled that the Guthrie is going to be relocating to the river front side. It's an area that really could use some cultural and aesthetic Improvement and we're pleased to have them there. But but also because of the economic reasons that mr. Dowling was suggesting it's going to have a tremendous impact not just locally but regionally as well. So we're very excited about that. Another comment is just that my experiences with the Guthrie have gone back quite a ways both attending performances. And then also helping when I was living in St. Louis and working at the Edison Theater the Three came in number of times and there was a terrific resource for theaters that wanted to book touring companies, which I enjoyed and I know that the people that I've worked with their we're always happy to have the Guthrie and I guess that leads me to my question which is whether or not the Guthrie is going to be undertaking National touring at any point in the future or if that's being discussed as part of your development plan. Well, first of all, thank you for the comments about the riverfront. I agree. I think that the the the idea of being downtown and part of that world is exactly the right place for the Guthrie and the vibrancy that we can create in the can be created by the downtown interaction is something that we're very excited about. Yes touring is a vital part of our program. We started last year with Midsummer Night's Dream is a regional tour and we've continued this year with Molly Sweeney as a regional tour playing in seven states in many different locations and stablishing relationships and residencies in each of these places. So that not only do we present the play but also there are workshops. For high school students. There are Community workshops. There are various ways in which the the people of the community can interact with the actors and that I think is a very important part of what we do and as for National touring, yes, I'm a great believer that Bible getting out and getting letting people see the work you draw more people into here. So it's very much on the cards that over the next couple of years. We will Mount some tours further afield than the region but our focus in the first number of years of our tutoring program is going to be on Regional touring on playing in the small towns such as Pipestone Minnesota where we had the most wonderful reception. We're almost the entire town came out to visit with places like Staples Minnesota where the the Star Tribune Center a reporter and got the most wonderful photographs of of young people seeing Molly Sweeney and being affected by that great play and also the interaction with the actors so that Whole area of connection with the wider Minnesota and The Wider Regional area. We're taking that very seriously and we're going to continue to do that Patrick your question. Hello. I was mr. Darling. I would like to ask you about the artistic impact as you see it in the Twin Cities of having not only the Guthrie but also many other important and very wonderful theater such as the penumbra and Etc wondering what your thoughts on that might be. I'll hang up and listen on the air. Well, I'm really glad you raised this because you know, the Guthrie is of course the largest theater in the region, but by no means the only one one of the things that truly as a somebody coming as a relative newcomer to the Twin Cities, I'm astonished that night after night after night. You can go and see such high quality work. You mentioned penumbra a wonderful company. We've had the joy of working with them over the last couple. Years in a couple of Productions. There are so many others the Jungle Theater the the illusion theater that the work that's done over in Park Square and simp all the work that's done all around not just the Twin Cities but indeed around the region in theater work and you know a great deal of this goes back to that original Vision that Tyrone Guthrie had of placing a theater outside of the main Commercial Center of New York placing it in a community that he believed with both supported philanthropically, which is a say this community does and secondly that it would be the seeds that out from which would grow a theater movement not only did that happen in this region. It also happened nationally as a result of the Guthrie is foundation. But when I look at the work that's been done all around the state and I look particularly as I know more intimately the work that's done the Twin Cities. I'm just astonished that we have such a great and varied theatrical life. And and it's very good for the Guthrie also that there is that because if the He was the only show in town and was the only artistic opportunity for actors directors writers and so on then I think it would be very much easier for us to become complacent and to rest on certain Laurels. We can't we are out there in the marketplace with a lot of other great theaters and we're anxious to be a strong leader as possible. One of the things we want to do in the new building is to provide in our third space because we're gonna have three spaces. We hope a Thrust stage which will replicate our present stage a proscenium arch stage which would present a different kind of work than we can on the thrust and a third space which would be a studio for developing work. And in that studio, we want to give a home to many of the young companies that are around the town the cities rather and and that in in dedicated period of the Year invite those companies in so that once again the Guthrie is a resource for other companies theatrical life in Minnesota is fantastic and I really Love being here for that. Very (00:41:04) reason. Is there enough money here to support all those theaters, especially when you consider all the musical events that are going on the sports teams that are here. It seems like the competition for the entertainment dollar is well, there's a finite amount. (00:41:23) There's a finite amount and that's why I say that we none of us can rest on any particular Laurels. We've had a very good season we start into a new one we start with a fresh page and we have to attract as many people as we can and we have to encourage people to believe that the work we do is good. And so does everybody else so competition in that respect is good because it keeps us all alert. And yes, I think that there's you know, there's increasing difficulties for some of the smaller companies and one wants that to see those companies Thrive and prosper as well as the larger companies and that's why for instance the recent appropriation to the state Arts board was so important. It was important for us and for the larger organizations, but vital for small organizations. They get the sort of funding that allows them to get a foothold and then to earn their place with with everybody else Talent is a rare commodity and when when people have it, it should be nurtured and developed (00:42:14) Donna your question, please (00:42:16) I got a comment. I just wanted to respond to the question about use of public funds and as somebody who works in in the area of funding and has for many years. There are so many unmet basic in the community that I think if a wonderful institution like the Guthrie has the ability to meet its need through private support. It should do that because there is so much competition for the public dollar and so many unmet needs in the community. Well why I absolutely understand those those unmet needs are vital and it's vital that the the public purse is And carefully and sparingly and I absolutely understand that. First of all, the it's very clear to us that without public support. This project will not have the kind of impact that we wanted to have. It will not be the sort of project that we wanted. We do need public support for this. Secondly, I believe that when one takes a balance between the different the different kinds of needs that both the cultural needs and the needs of let me put it this way. I think the the needs of the spirit and the imagination have to be taken into account just as much as the physical needs. I believe the people are in need of art and culture and of things that make them perhaps view the world in a different way and if we are simply to focus though important though, they are on those physical needs. I think we lose some very valuable quality of life. And so that's what our argument has to be that we feel we are offering a service. It's a very different service to many of the others that are being offered by so many Wonderful organizations and Community leaders, but it is a service and it's a service that I think as we've seen a large number of people want to have in their community. So that's why we believe that serving this need is as important to serving some of the others Paul your question for our Joe darling Place. Yeah. I totally agree with you John the the issues of spirit and Imagination and given that and the current, you know economic State wouldn't it behoove the city and the Guthrie given the historical and the Exquisite acoustical nature of the present Guthrie Theater to keep that as a as either a lab or for other theaters. That's my first question. And secondly, are you setting a precedent to knock down a historically significant theater after 40 years in terms of your building a new building in 40 years from now when somebody wants to go ahead. And knocked on that building for something else. I'll take care answer. Let me be very clear about this. First of all, the Guthrie is is doesn't own the building the recurrently and it belongs to the Walker Art Center. And any decision about his future is ultimately one for the Walker Art Center the we have been closely partnering with them obviously over the last nearly 40 years, but the Walker Art Center's decisions to expand and to develop the sculpture garden and to work in a different way is a choice that they have made now. I know that there are there's a quite a large debate about this and about the nature of the building. We we certainly very anxious to participate in that debate in to talk about it. And we intend to recreate as far as it is possible the interior of the Guthrie as we currently have it in the new space because I believe it to be a unique and ideal space. We we certainly need to get better parking for our patrons. We need perhaps wider seats. We need we need more legroom. We need some more space so that At Ada regulations, etc. Etc can be fulfilled. So our new theater will have that that aspect to it as far as the current building is concerned, you know, it's very difficult. I absolutely understand the the Walkers problem because the Guthrie is was built exclusively for the Guthrie Theater and for the presentation of Classics and the thrust stage once you start to look at and I know they're they're they're anxious also to to look at this but once you start to look at what the alternative uses our it becomes extremely difficult to see how anyone without the kind of funding that we've been able to generate both in terms of our our annual fund and in terms of our different fundraising opportunities without that how anyone could run that theater as a 1300 seat thrust stage. It's it doesn't make sense really it once we leave and recreate the Guthrie Theater. It doesn't make sense for it to stay. The building itself. Of course, the exterior of the building is almost entirely different to the building that was originally conceived and and developed. So it's a question of what are what is being preserved whether it's the original intention of the Guthrie on the spirit of what the Guthrie is, which we hope and pray we can recreate in a new location that will actually make more sense for the Guthrie and that by The Walker expanding and providing through their quite exciting plans that I've seen in the newspapers that then that both organizations will be strengthened for the different communities that they serve and yes, I think everybody and no more than people in the theater will feel nostalgic and sad about leaving that particular building but any organization that doesn't look to its own future and see you the way it can develop and how it can develop. I think he's in danger of them coming to a halt grinding to a halt and and that should not happen to the Guthrie Theater (00:48:02) Jojo. We're out of time, but I really appreciate your coming in today. Good luck with the new season. (00:48:06) Thank you very much. (00:48:06) Got three artistic director Joe Dowling joining us during this first hour of midday, by the way, if you'd have some more comments for Joe darling try our soapbox, Minnesota Public Radio dot-org if you thought last week's Fringe Festival offer was good. Here's another Minnesota Public Radio listeners can receive a free pass good for five shows during the Minnesota Fringe Festival a quirky and creative collaboration of live stage performances, including theater dance and performance art storytelling and more the festival runs from August 3rd to August 12th in Minneapolis for your free pass call member listener Services right now at 6'5 12901212. It's 5 minutes now before 12 o'clock.