Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater celebrates its 60th year
MINNEAPOLIS – The Guthrie Theater is turning 60 years old.
It's one of the most famous places in Minnesota. The walls of the theater are lined with cast photos of play, after play, after play.
Patrick Whelan knows the halls well. He and his wife have been patrons for 40 years. He remembers one of the plays he saw 20 years ago, "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." He says even the photo stirs emotion. For him, the Guthrie is part of his life.
"Probably my first patron memory is the old Guthrie. And it would just be glowing and you'd walk up and think, 'This is gonna be really an exciting experience,'" he said. "It probably helped to cement that, 'I want to do this again.'"
Joseph Haj is artistic director of the Guthrie Theater. He says Whelan is one of many treasured loyalists.
"There are incredible patrons, oh my God. You know, as an artist, there's no place you'd rather make work than at the Guthrie. It's an extraordinary place," Haj said.
A place created 60 years ago by its namesake – world-renowned director Tyrone Guthrie.
"He put an ad in the New York Times basically saying, 'I want to have a classical theater with a resident company of actors, and I want to do it somewhere that is not New York City,'" Haj said. "He talked to civic leaders in seven different cities around the country before deciding on Minneapolis, and Minneapolis indeed deciding on him."
And what a decision it was. The riverside theater has exploded in size, hosting the likes of Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman and Angela Bassett, just to name a few. And what was then a three-theater region now boasts 80.
It seems Tyrone Guthrie couldn't have written a more perfect script.
"It's one of very few places in this country where everybody just goes to theater," Haj said.
You are invited to a 60th celebration this weekend, where you can take backstage tours, kids can play theater games, and there will be information sessions. It's on Sunday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
