Download Playbill - Hennepin Theatre Trust

W
hat better way to kick off the new year than by joining us
for the national tour launch of Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Based on the 1994 movie starring Guy Pearce, this outrageously
fun show tells the uplifting story of three friends whose
lives take a new turn on a roadtrip in the Australian outback. With
more than 500 Tony Award-winning costumes, this flashy musical features
a hit parade of nearly 30 dance floor favorites including “It’s
Raining Men,” “Finally” and “I Will Survive.” On behalf of Hennepin
Theatre Trust, we are thrilled you are to be among the first to see this
new musical which will travel across the country after its Minnesota
premiere. What a sensational way to kick off the new year!
The Orpheum Theatre has hosted other national premieres including
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Aida, as well as world premieres of
Disney’s The Lion King, Sweet Charity, Victor/Victoria and The 101 Dalmatians Musical. The
Trust is proud that it and our venues are recognized nationally as optimal locations to begin
countrywide tours that reinforce the city’s reputation for top notch theatre and intelligent,
supportive theatre audiences. We all benefit when our restaurants, parking ramps and hotels
are full and local workers are employed by our theatres. Our cultural district adds economic
value, variety, diversity and interest to our vibrant downtown.
To build an even better core for Minneapolis, Hennepin Theatre Trust has been working with
the Walker Art Center, Artspace and the City of Minneapolis on Plan-It Hennepin, a one-year
initiative to re-imagine Hennepin Avenue as a revitalized cultural district running from the
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to the Mississippi River. Over the past year, we heard from
nearly 1,500 people concerned with the future of our city’s oldest street through Plan-It Hennepin
workshops, roundtable discussions and on the Trust’s website and Facebook page. We’re
now working with General Mills’ “Goodworks” program to explore branding and marketing
for the district. Thank you General Mills!
Hennepin Avenue is already home to some 57 arts, culture and education organizations, more
than 12,000 theatre seats, almost 90,000 square feet of visual art exhibition space, a 7.5 acre
sculpture garden, 20,000 day and evening students and four regional churches of various denominations.
We want to weave together these existing pearls to create a nationally acclaimed,
year-round cultural destination for all residents and visitors alike. We are currently working
with the city and our partners to finalize our cultural district plan. And, we are already taking
steps to further revitalize Hennepin Avenue with initiatives like one that will activate vacant
storefronts. Look for our work to begin appearing soon.
Thank you again for joining us to kick off the new year with the national tour launch of Priscilla
Queen of the Desert. I hope you can join us again and again throughout 2013.
Yours truly,
Thomas L. Hoch
President/CEO, Hennepin Theatre Trust
Hennepin Theatre Trust, owner of the historic Orpheum, State, Pantages and New Century Theatres, is an independent,
non-profit organization dedicated to arts-inspired community cultural development.
2 PLAYBILL