ABOUT US
Since our founding in 1984 Stages Theatre Company has put the well-being and growth of youth in the center of everything we do—on stage, backstage, in the audience, and in the classroom. When a youth enters any of our spaces, they are the center of not only why we do what we do, but how we do it.
Through our Productions, our Education Programming, our Fundraising Initiatives, the Development of New Work for the TYA Stage, and our Mentorship Programs
we strive to center youth in the stories we tell, the plays we create, the curriculum we develop, the activities we initiate, and the decisions we make. As a company and a community of artists and teachers, the youth and families we serve drive what we do first, last, and always.
OUR MISSION
Stages Theatre Company is committed to the enrichment and education of children and youth in a professional theatre environment that stimulates artistic excellence and personal growth.
OUR INCLUSION PLEDGE
Stages Theatre Company is dedicated to creating a space where diverse opinions, courageous dialogue, and local, national, and international community engagement is not only valued but vital to our shared artistic and educational success. We make this pledge in the hope of curating a welcome home for all.
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
Stages Theatre Company is committed to addressing barriers that can restrict participation to our performances and programming. We believe that every individual should be able to access the joy, wonder, and benefits of participation in the theatre arts. We are working towards a future beyond compliance- toward a fully inclusive environment where all programs and performances are accessible to all. LEARN MORE
BIPOC IN TYA
Stages Theatre Company has existed for almost 40 years. Through those years we have been committed to our mission to enrich and educate young people. We have pledged to curate a welcome home for all. We are long-standing and proud members of TYA/USA. But there is more work to be done.
We are grateful for BIPOC in TYA, a grassroots group of Black Indigenous & People of Color TYA professionals, and their seminal publication – “Anti-Racist & Anti-Oppressive Futures for Theatre for Young Audiences.” It is a guidepost for the work ahead and Stages Theatre Company pledges to do the work.
Our commitment to our mission is embedded in the young people we serve. They are the future. The work we do today impacts what our world looks like tomorrow.
Stages Theatre Company is committed to systemic change through organizational change. We are dedicated to growing into a resource and leader in the field and investing in anti-racist and anti-oppressive long-term initiatives. Our young people deserve it.
RACIALLY CONSCIOUS COLLABORATION
In September of 2021 Stages staff, board, and affiliate partners started our partnership journey with Racially Conscious Collaboration to build the tools and foundation for productive conversations about systemic racism and paving the way for systemic transformation at Stages Theatre Company. Our continued work with Racially Conscious Collaboration in the months ahead will help build our strategic plan and our future. We will continue to incorporate additional tools to transform into an organization that serves everyone who comes through our doors.
“The RCC Foundational seminar and Certification Program were unlike any of the previous programs or workshops I’d been a part of. Tony Hudson and his team brought effective and accessible tools, training and coaching support to me and my board and staff. We plan to continue to work with Racially Conscious Collaboration through our upcoming strategic and long-range planning, and mission driven work to provide young people with a more racially conscious theatre for young audiences. I’m excited by the work we can do together, and thankful for their support.”
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Stages Theatre Company acknowledges with respect and gratitude that the land on which we live and work is the unceded, traditional sovereign land of the Wahpekute and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ.
We make this acknowledgment as a first step in taking responsibility to critically examine colonial histories and their implications on our day-to-day lives. We are committed to learning from the past and honoring the traditional custodians of this land.
CORE VALUES & VISION
CORE VALUES
COLLABORATION - We foster collaboration among professional artists and youth to create exceptional theatre. • ACCESSIBILITY - We strive to overcome barriers that block points of entry into Stages Theatre Company. •
SUSTAINABILITY - We ensure organizational stability through long-range planning, assessment and retention of quality, professional staff, and fiscal responsibility. • INTEGRITY - We sustain the highest level of integrity as individuals and as an organization. • ENTERTAINMENT - We maintain a commitment to entertain our audience in diverse ways. • CHALLENGE - We design programs that inspire students, artists, and audiences. • INNOVATION - We embrace a continual process of renewal and experimentation in theatre and arts education.
OUR HISTORY
Stages Theatre Company was founded in 1984 in the western suburbs of Minneapolis out of a need for quality theatre programming for children. Since our founding, we have significantly broadened our reach and scope, involving young people in the theatre arts through opportunities on stage, backstage, in the audience, and in the classroom.
During almost 40 years, we have increased our annual attendance from 20,000 to 150,000, grown the annual operating budget from $100,000 to more than $2.3 million, dramatically increased the size of our full-time staff, and significantly expanded our production, education, and outreach offerings.
From our founding until 1997, most of our performances were shown at the Eisenhower Community Center in Hopkins, MN. During these first years, we developed collaborations with a variety of organizations, expanded the scale and extent of our programming, and grew into a fully professional theatre company.
In the mid-1990's, through a unique collaboration between Stages Theatre Company, the City of Hopkins, and the Hopkins School District, the Hopkins Center for the Arts (HCA), our current home, was planned and realized. Former Artistic Director, Steve Barberio, led community efforts to design and fund the $4.3 million, 37,000 square foot, multi-disciplinary arts facility located in downtown Hopkins. Today, the HCA is widely credited as the catalyst for the rebirth of downtown Hopkins.
Since moving into the HCA in 1997, we have continuously grown artistically and broadened our audience base. In addition to six productions each season on our 720-seat main stage theatre, we also present two productions in the black-box style studio space (Hopkins Jaycees Studio) at the HCA. The impact of these more intimate and dramatic plays would be lost in our larger venue. In 2014, we added a Theatre for the Very Young production to our season each August. We also offer school year education programming for ages 3-17, community workshops, summer and winter theatre workshops, and school outreach programs that serve thousands of youths each year.
Today, Stages Theatre Company is recognized as a leader in theatre education and production programming for children and young adults, and has received a number of regional and national awards and grants, including the Harold Oaks Award from TYA/USA for Innovation in TYA for our Perspectives on Peace program (2017), 50/50 Applause Award for playwright gender equality from the International Centre for Women Playwrights (2018), and in 2021 MN Best Live Theatre Venue, Best Summer Camp (Silver) and Best Theatre Group (Silver). We have an Emmy nod too for our participation in the 2021 Emmy nominated Clouds video.
ALUMNI
We are nothing without our amazing ALUMNI that have been a part of our classes and productions. Our alumni have gone on to work on in theatre regionally, on Broadway, in television, feature films and achieved all sorts of greatness in areas outside the entertainment realm. If you are an alumni of Stages Theatre Company or Child’s Play Theatre Company, we invite you to reconnect with us via our Facebook Group. We’d love to hear from all of you! Share your latest news and updates with us.
Stay tuned for special alumni events such as the Opening Night Happy Hour before Roald Dahl's MATILDA THE MUSICAL, JR! Swing by the upstairs bar and treat yourself to a beer, soda or snack before heading to the theatre. We hope to see you there!
Hopkins Center for The Arts
Stages Theatre Company operates out of the Hopkins Center for the Arts (HCA), a 37,000 square-foot art facility located on Mainstreet in the heart of Downtown Hopkins. We spearheaded the effort to build the HCA, which is the recipient of the James C. Howland Award for Urban Enrichment, that recognizes community efforts which have preserved and/or enriched the environmental quality of life in cities and towns, and an Arts Access Award for Accessible Performance Space by Very Special Arts Minnesota.
The HCA, which is owned by the City of Hopkins, houses two separate theatre performance spaces, a dance studio, an art gallery, an art classroom, and other separate spaces available to the community. For directions and parking information, visit the tickets page.
