LANESBORO, MN — As a response to and in compliance with state and federal guidelines associated with COVID-19 precautions, the Commonweal Theatre in historic Lanesboro has remained closed since the end of March and will proceed as such for the remainder of the year. During this period, Commonweal leadership along with its professional resident ensemble members, and board of directors have been continually seeking out various avenues to produce artistic programming.
During the summer, the company successfully produced and presented two virtual offerings, The Root River Anthology a radio play by Audacious Raw Theatre producing artistic director Catherine Glynn and The Art of the Entertainer by Commonweal ensemble member Brandt Roberts. In the early fall, the company was pleased to present the solo tour-de-force talent of resident ensemble member Josiah Laubenstein in Fully Committed. In the month of November, the Commonweal website features a streaming version of Headspace Theatre, a collection of quirky and captivating monologues told from the neck up inside a cardboard box. The piece features seven Commonweal ensemble members. In an effort to maintain its connection with its audiences, the Commonweal is pleased to announce another virtual offering, A Driftless Christmas, opening December 4 and playing through the end of the year on the company’s website. Ticket reservations are not required as the company is offering the performance on a freewill donation basis with a suggested donation of $10.
A Driftless Christmas is a collection of original stories, memories, songs, and reflections on both the year of 2020 as a whole and on the holiday season as well. Inspired by the success and widespread popularity of The Root River Anthology, the production is being presented in the style of a radio play. The cast of original content creators includes Commonweal professional resident ensemble members Lizzy Andretta, Hal Cropp, Elizabeth Dunn, David Hennessey, Jaclyn Johnson, Josiah Laubenstein (sound engineer), Philip Muehe, and Brandt Roberts (sound co-editor).
Commonweal ensemble member Rachel Kuhnle, while also being a part of the cast, is serving as the director for the production and leads the creative team of Rivka Kelly (stage manager) and Kelsey Heathcote as co-sound editor. “After deciding to move our 2020 season to only virtual productions,” says Kuhnle, “we were at a loss as to what to do to close out the year. Nine of us from the resident ensemble started writing together in October and, at first, I was curious as to what sort of themes would show up in our writings. Turns out we wrote a lot about our families and loved ones we haven’t seen because of the pandemic. A Driftless Christmas,” she continues, “is definitely a departure for us in writing together and collaborating as a group in a new way. What we have created however has all of the hallmarks of a classic Commonweal holiday show—music, humor, and stories about family and friends.”
For more information and to stream “your” performance of A Driftless Christmas, please visit www.CommonwealTheatre.org December 4 through 31.
Funding for Commonweal Theatre’s programming is provided in part by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, a grant from the McKnight Foundation, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Area Community Foundation, and private funders.