Get on The Scene

For the past year, I have held the title of “Hennepin Theatre Trust Education and Community Engagement Associate,” (yes, it is the longest title I’ve ever been given), but prior to starting with the Trust, I was fully immersed in The Scene. What is The Scene, you may ask? Well, if you are in your 20s and 30s, you like the theatre, you like networking, you like engaging with your community in a meaningful way and you care about the future of the arts on Hennepin Avenue, then the answer is: You.

The Scene members with the cast of American Idiot

The Facts: The Scene is Hennepin Theatre Trust’s young professionals group for arts enthusiasts in their 20s & 30s. You sign up, pay a $20 annual membership fee and get access to a slew of benefits. But at the heart of it, The Scene is really about connecting you to your arts community. So I invite you to check out seven lucky reasons YOU should get on The Scene:

1. Exclusive Ticket Offers: The Scene members are privy to exclusive ticket offers to Broadway shows, concerts and other events. For example, this month, Scene members have been offered reduced tickets to Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It and Million Dollar Quartet.
2. Special Events: We the people, of our 20s and 30s, dig parties, right? We’ve got the party thing covered. The Scene members are often invited to opening night parties to grab a drink, nibble on some food and snap photos with the cast- like the one above with American Idiot. We also have smaller meet-and-greets or Q&A’s with cast members if that’s more your style- like this one with Million Dollar Quartet.
3. Broadway Confidential: Members of The Scene receive complimentary access to all Broadway Confidential events. These happen Monday nights before each Broadway show and feature a speaker who is an expert on a topic relating to the show. Join us on Monday March 26^th as the legendary drummer of the Million Dollar Quartet session, W.S. Holland, reflects on his life in the industry and working alongside Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Check it out- here.
4. Drink Discounts: Back to that whole “deals” thing. You show ‘em your Scene card—you get $1 off drinks at the State, Orpheum, Pantatges and New Century Theatres.  Done and done.
5. Networking: Members of The Scene include executives to teachers to entrepreneurs to artists. So come party…I mean network…with us. Connect to us and we’ll connect you to each other.
6. It’s your Plan-It Hennepin: The future of Hennepin Avenue is in your hands. As Hennepin Theatre Trust works with Walker Art Center, Artspace and the City of Minneapolis to improve Hennepin Avenue, we want The Scene members to be a part of these discussions. Check out our page to learn more. Or just join The Scene and we’ll let you know all the ways you can be involved.
7. Give in to your philanthropic self: Angelina and Brad made philanthropy cool—but we know better—they make it cool because they look great doing it together. By becoming a part of The Scene you are not only getting access to tickets, events and networking with like-minded people, you’re also getting connected with Minnesota’s seventh largest non-profit organization. And we hope the more time you spend with us, the more time you’ll want to spend with us. Our educational and community engagement programs such as Access, Critical View and our nationally recognized SpotLight Musical Theatre Program are doing some serious good. And I have a feeling you might look great doing some serious good with us.

To join The Scene, see a full list of benefits, check out photos from past events or learn about upcoming opportunities please visit us online or by contacting me- Whitney Rhodes- at thescene@hennepintheatretrust.org

What’s happening on Hennepin Avenue? Plenty.

You can Plan-It Hennepin, Walk-It Hennepin and, this Thursday and Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. and March 10 at 9:30 a.m., you can Talk-It Hennepin. Just join us and our project partners at the Minneapolis Central Library for the launch of this FREE and free-wheeling series of public conversations and workshops focused on city planning and design, especially as it relates to downtown Minneapolis and the Plan-It initiative for the cultural revitalization of Hennepin Avenue.

Pantages Theatre 1920 on Hennepin Avenue, Photo Credit: Charles Hibbard

There’s a growing excitement, energy and momentum behind the project. For example, check out this hot-off-the-presses March 3 Star Tribune article “Filling in Hennepin Avenue’s Culture Cracks: A coalition of arts groups wants to make one long cultural corridor from the Sculpture Garden to the river on Hennepin Avenue—and they’re asking for your input.”

The Talk-It discussion/workshops, in short, will feature some of today’s foremost visionaries in city renewal and urban design to help spark lively public discussions to guide downtown planning. Panelists will include people like Candy Chang, known for combining street art and social activism with projects like her fill-in-the-blank “I Wish This Was” stickers for people to express what they want in vacant storefronts; and Charles Landry, renowned for his book The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators, which has helped spur a global movement to rethink the planning, development and management of cities by connecting culture and creativity to urban transformation.

Candy Chang "Before I Die"- Photo by Civic Center

The talks are paired with follow-up, hands-on workshops conducted by Twin Cities’ artists to take the conversation into more active methods of defining values, vision and goals.

Working with Walker Art Center, Artspace and the City of Minneapolis, we’ve introduced Talk-It Hennepin to help collect creative ideas and feedback from the people who care the most about Hennepin Avenue—downtown residents, workers, employers and visitors alike. Funded through a National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town” grant, it is part of the larger Plan-It Hennepin initiative to creatively re-imagine this storied avenue as a revitalized cultural corridor running from the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to the Mississippi River.

This first Talk-It panel discussion will delve into the history of the Avenue from its 17^th century origins as a Dakota footpath and trade route between Lake Calhoun and the Mississippi River to its emergence as modern commercial thoroughfare encompassing theatre, restaurants, housing and business ventures complete with the usual urban challenges of safety, traffic and upkeep.

Candy Chang Career Path- Photo by Pete Koivunen

The Talk-It series continues on Thursday, April 26 at the Walker Art Center with Candy Chang as guest speaker for the conversation, followed by the Saturday, April 28 workshop led by local artists. Details will be announced soon on the final two Talk-It Hennepin discussion/workshops, including information on related May events involving Charles Landry. All of these events and workshops are free, but we do request RSVPs as space is limited.

As owner and steward of the historic the Orpheum, State and Pantages Theatres, we attract more than 515,000 people downtown each year who consider Hennepin Avenue an extension of the theatre experience. So we are deeply invested in the long term health and vitality of a downtown that serves a broad, diverse and active public.

This is why we’re asking you to talk the talk and walk the walk. If you can’t attend Talk-It in person, please visit our website to share your thoughts, view historical photos, read feature articles about the project and stop by the Plan-It Facebook page to take the Walk-It survey. We welcome your input!