My Nonprofit Reviews

My husband and I first attended The Commonweal on a date. It was love at first sight (with the acting company! We were already married!) Although we had lived about 40 miles away for many years, and had visited Lanesboro for other activities, we had never made it to a performance. We were immediately impressed with the involvement of the company members in all facets of theatre operations. We have lived in much larger cities and have never seen the cast off stage, let alone in the box office. We soon learned that the Commonweal is unique in this model and is actually a pioneer of this approach (formally known as the "artist/administrator" model). As patrons, we can instantly feel a sense of pride and ownership in the cast. Acting at The Commonweal isn't just another gig for them... it is their home and their business. As the only professional acting company in the region, the Commonweal is impressive in the depth and breadth of plays it presents. We have been especially impressed at the opportunities given to apprentices and new works. In tight economic times, other professional companies are sticking with "proven winners" to encourage ticket sales. The Commonweal, however, stays true to it's mission with recent world premieres such as "Ice Maidens" and "Midnight Dreary", and apprentice company performances such as "Death and the Plowman" in addition to its well known classic and contemporary offerings. Finally, we have been impressed with the company members' involvement in their local community and beyond. Members can frequently be seen promoting and attending local benefits, festivals, and the occasional cookout on the main street! They give back in abundance promoting theatre to area schools and even to audience members in the form of after performance "Talk Backs" with the cast, and other educational offerings. With over 21,000 ticket sales this year (with a 200 seat theatre!), the Commonweal is most definitely a major cultural, educational, and economic force for the region, and one of the leading rural professional theatre companies in America. How they do all this and so much more on a relatively small budget (about $639,000 in 2009)is amazing. Their reach is thankfully wide due to their very evident passion and commitment to each and every patron. Each performance ends with a sincere wish to "be well, travel safely to where ever the road is taking you, and come back and see us often." We will.

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