(Lanesboro, Minn.) The Commonweal Board of Directors has announced a new leadership and organizational model after searching for a candidate for the planned succession/retirement of Producing Artistic Director Hal Cropp.
Board President Chris Hanson said the board has been working on a succession plan for at least four years and interviewed several candidates to lead the organization. Throughout the process, they heard from company members about what they wanted in a new leader. The board then determined the succession will come from a collective of leaders.
The new team of Co-Artistic Directors comprises current company members: Cody Beyer (Director of Production), Stela Burdt (Director of Administration), Tim Sailer (newly appointed Director of Marketing), and Jeremy van Meter (Director of Development). Collectively, they will take the place of leadership positions previously held by Cropp and by Adrienne Sweeney, the Associate Artistic Director/Director of External Relations.
Hanson says, “After considering company feedback and what some of the existing leaders at the Theatre can accomplish together, we realized the best solution was in front of us. These leaders have the skills, experience, passion, and visionary thinking we were looking for all along. And since they’ve served in their current roles for several years, they can take the helm quickly.”
Alan Bailey, Chair of the Board Succession Committee, says: “For many seasons in the 1990s, the Commonweal was led by a team of Core Artists, including Hal Cropp and founder Eric Bunge. They transformed it from a small venture to an institution, which not only established the Commonweal as a leader in Lanesboro’s arts community but also a driver in the town’s economy. This move takes us back to our roots and honors Hal’s legacy.”
Combined, Cropp and Sweeney have served the Commonweal for more than 60 years. Besides filling their leadership duties, they have—between them—played more than 100 roles on stage. Hal has directed 20+ productions, and Adrienne was director for 4. Hanson noted they have helped guide the theatre through major transitions, including moving in 2007 from the St. Mane Theater to its current home and surviving the pandemic. “Under their guidance,” he says, “the Commonweal was one of the first theaters in the country to return to the stage after COVID as early as 2021. That was a major accomplishment.”
ABOUT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Since 1989, the professional artists of the Commonweal have brought to life soulful stories told with honesty and creativity. Located in the heart of southeast Minnesota’s bluff country, Lanesboro (pop. 720) is home to the company’s theatre in its historic downtown. The company boasts a distinctive organizational model with resident ensemble members (who have come from all over the country to make their home in the area) fulfilling the day-to-day artistic and operational needs of the company as artist/administrators.
For more information, visit www.commonwealtheatre.org.
For photos or interviews, please contact: Matthew James Ralph at mralph@commonwealtheatre.org.
Leave a Reply