The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, are vibrant urban performing arts centers. Famously, the cities boast more theater seats “per capita” than every other U.S. city except New York and Chicago. The faculty and staff of the Theatre and Dance Department work and consult regularly with theater and dance artists in the Twin Cities, and many of these artists are adjunct faculty in the program or come to our classes as guest speakers, choreographers, directors and designers. Most of our classes assign one (or several) professional productions as part of the course, so that students can apply the critical vocabularies they are learning in classes to the variety and quality of professional work they see with their peers and professors.

Consistently rated as highly “liveable,” the Twin Cities are places where young artists – many graduates of our program -- can experiment in affordable rehearsal spaces, do fulfilling work as teaching artists in theater and dance and on the staffs of professional companies, and find ready employment in stage management and design (scenic, costume, props, lighting).

A current, representative list of the Twin Cities professional theaters and dance companies that Macalester theater and dance alums regularly call “home” includes:

Theatre Companies

• Mixed Blood Theatre
  Jack Reuler ’75
  Founder and Artistic Director
  Aditi Kapil ’94, playwright/director/actress
• Guthrie Theatre
  Steve Yoakam ’75, acting company
  Kristen Larsen ’04, carpenter 
  Amber Brown ’04, costume/wardrobe
• Pillsbury House Theatre
  Faye Price ’77, Co-Artistic Director; 
  James Williams III, Artistic Program Manager
• Bedlam Theatre
  John Bueche ’92
  Maren Ward ’93
  Julian McFaul ’91
  co-founders, performers, directors, designers
• Penumbra Theatre Company
  James Williams III ‘77, actor and Company Member
  Mike Allen ’09, master carpenter
• The Playwrights’ Center
  Julia Gallagher ‘06, casting director
• Frank Theatre
  Emily Zimmer ‘00, actor 
  Taous Claire Khazem ‘03, actor
• Shuler Shook Theatrical Design Company
  Paul Whitaker ‘97, lighting and scenic design consultant
• Children’s Theatre Company
  Genoveva Castaneda ‘96, associate production manager
• Neighborhood BRIDGES Program of the Children’s Theatre Company
  Emily Zimmer ’00, teaching artist 
  Rachel Bernstein ’09, company manager
• STAGES Theatre Company
  Katia Cardenas ‘10, teaching artist

Dance Companies

• Ragamala Dance Theatre
  Tamara Nadel ’95, dancer
• MadKingThomas
  Theresa Madaus ’05, Tara King ’05, Monica Thomas ’05, founders and performers
• Ballet of the Dolls 
  Heather Cadigan Brockman ’95, dancer