About Offstage Voices

In 1969, the Village Voice described Minneapolis as “America’s second theater city after New York.” In the forty-plus years since, the theatrical offerings of Minneapolis and St. Paul have only grown—everything from world-renowned venues to independent stages and innovative festivals—and the Twin Cities hold a prominent place in the national theater scene today.

In Offstage Voices, author Peg Guilfoyle provides an in-depth look at this vibrant world and offers fascinating insights into what it takes to put on a production, from first script to closing night, and what it takes to make a living in Twin Cities theater.

Firsthand stories from practitioners of the art take you behind the scenes at a wide range of theaters, including the Guthrie, the Playwrights’ Center, Ten Thousand Things, Mixed Blood, Penumbra, Theater Latté Da, Mu Performing Arts, the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and many more.

Extensive interviews with actors, artistic directors, designers, and playwrights reveal rich perspectives on the at times turbulent, always passionate world of the theater. Guilfoyle brings together these myriad experiences to explore why and how the Twin Cities have established such a strong and well-regarded theatrical community over the last four decades.

Featuring the voices of forty theater professionals, including actors Sally Wingert, Tyler Michaels, T. Mychael Rambo, Anna Sundberg, Ricardo Vazquez, and Bradley Greenwald, artistic directors Jack Reuler (Mixed Blood), Randy Reyes (Mu Performing Arts) , Michelle Hensley (Ten Thousand Things), Peter Brosius (Children’s Theater Company), Lou and Sarah Bellamy (Penumbra Theatre) and Peter Rothstein (Theater Latte Da), directors Joel Sass and Bain Boehlke (Jungle Theater), playwrights Kira Obolensky and Aditi Kapil, and designers.