State Street Theater is putting out a casting call and an open audition for our winter musical production of the play The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids – probably the most inventively awful kids in history.  This crowd-pleasing comedy features plenty of significant roles for children and adults, a few favorite Christmas carols (This is the play version, not the musical version), and lots of laughs.

Auditions will be held on the following dates. You only need to attend one session, but some additional “Call Back” auditions may be scheduled as required.

Saturday, September 7, 2024 at 9:30 AM

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 at 6:30 PM

Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 6:30 PM 

The performances will run:

Friday, December 6th at 7 PM

Saturday, December 7th at 7 PM

Sunday, December 8th at 2 PM

Auditions are open to actors of all levels of experience, for anyone ages 9 and above. Individuals who are auditioning will take part in a cold read of the script they will perform on the day of the auditions.

Those interested in auditioning should come to State Street Theater Door #7, arriving five minutes before auditions begin, to fill out an audition application. You are asked to park in the lot on the corner of Center and Washington Streets,directly behind the theater.

State Street Theater is located at 1 N. State Street New Ulm, Minnesota 56073

REMARKS FROM THE PRESIDENT

Let’s All Try Something New!

Change is hard…especially for a middle child like me!  But with change comes growth—exactly what State Street Theater has been doing this past year!

Let’s look at these NEW things! First, we had a successful capital campaign in which we could add new seats, update our flooring and paint, modify all three of our bathrooms, and add safety features such as railings and sprinkler systems, plus much more! We still need to finish the front concrete steps and add signage… so any additional donation you can make would be greatly appreciated!

Then we rolled out a NEW ticketing system! Now, you can preorder your tickets and pick the exact seats you want! No need to get here so early… wait in the lobby… and hope for a good seat!  And if you have a Season Subscription, you can pick your seats for all the events for the year! Remember, if you have any issues with the ticketing system, our box office is open at State Street Theater during the week, and Janese or Lorie will gladly help you with seat purchases as well!

More NEW? How about the fantastic collaboration between The Grand Center for Arts & Culture and State Street Theater? The Grand is bringing Emmylou Harris to our stage for their fundraiser—and we couldn’t be happier (or prouder) to help! Did you know that Emmylou was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and was ranked among Rolling Stone’s list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time in 2022? Make sure you get your tickets to this event!

Looking for something NEW? It’s not too early to think about holiday parties or Christmas gifts!! Do you realize there are only 17 Wednesdays until Christmas?!?!  State Street would make a great Christmas party venue- we have plenty of space if you would like to serve a meal (and we have tables and chairs)… or if you are having entertainment with hors-d'oeuvre! Call SST and discuss! I know I have several people on my list who are very hard to buy for… how about a gift card so they can attend an event? We are just full of NEW ideas!

One thing that doesn’t change is our staunch volunteer supporters, young and old, experienced and in-training, whether behind the curtain, in front of the curtain or in the halls. We are always looking for more NEW  volunteers—so if you have an interest you can sign up on our website under the tab “Get Involved”.  It is a great way to meet other people—and get to see the event for free!!

In appreciation,

Lisa Besemer

President and Chairman of the Board

AMAZING MUSICAL!

BY LORIE JEWELL

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was an amazing musical with a large cast, a Huge Pharaoh’s head, and an even bigger coat of many colors. This show can be difficult to perform because it is almost all singing with little spoken dialog.

This cast not only kept up with the singing, but they brought polish and humor to this biblical story of the ages. The Children’s Choir was fun to see throughout the show, adding a spark to the production whenever they were on stage. As the Narrator, Jennifer Deutz gave a nonstop energy performance, guiding the audience along for the duration. Jared Gleisner’s moving rendition of Close Every Door gave the audience the feeling of despair and isolation in a vocally vulnerable style. Potiphar and Pharaoh were both expertly portrayed by Michael Koester with his spot on comic timing. Richard Gurska was made to play the role of Jacob; his character's grief was palpable, and the audience was pulled into the emotion of the scenes.

For those of you who were among the 50 people in line to buy tickets at the door for the Sunday matinee, sorry for the long wait to get all of those last-minute tickets sold. The good news is that it was worth the wait, and it was a smash success. Congratulations to the Cast and Crew and all of the volunteers who made it happen.

INFLATION BUSTING SUPPORT

BY LORIE JEWELL

I need to write about a topic that all of us are feeling in ever-increasing ways: Inflation. It is at the gas pump; it is at the grocery store; it is at the coffee shop; and once again, it is at the Post Office. A first-class stamp is now $.73, a considerable increase. The good news is that our non-profit status offers us a discounted rate on postage. However, I ask that you consider requesting  “Opt Out” to receiving this newsletter in print form. We will instead send the same great articles, updates, and State Street Theater news to you via e-mail instead of your mailbox. (Just like this)

As good stewards of donated dollars, with ever-increasing printing and postage costs, we feel that now is the time to shift to an electronic version for the newsletter and other mailings. You may find that some of our correspondence previously sent as a formal invitation in a double envelope, may now be reduced to a simple postcard with an R.S.V.P. via e-mail and an option to pay through our website, as a way of decreasing costs. Of course, for those of you who do not have an e-mail address, or you just prefer to keep getting communications as you have been, we can continue to send this newsletter to you via snail mail. For those of you who can help us save money and would not mind moving to a digital format, please e-mail [email protected] and let us know that you can go “Paperless.” You will receive your fall edition of the newsletter via e-mail.

Your support is crucial in these challenging times. Please see this month’s Appeal section for ways you can help by making an inflation-busting donation. I want to thank the wonderful supporters of State Street Theater. I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you in my six months here. I look forward to meeting more of you as our busy season gets underway.

Lorie Jewell

Executive Director

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION

BY JANESE OLSON

Meet Pam Hoffrogge, a devoted volunteer at State Street Theater. She started by attending several NU Community Concert Association concerts held at SST. She always admired the acoustics and lighting and that there wasn't a bad seat in the house. Loving that State Street’s events showcased local and national talent, she then started attending those. A friend of hers, Peg, was already a longtime volunteer and invited her along, and "the rest is history!" She loves SST because the variety of talent is fantastic, the price can't be more affordable, and the location is perfect! Pam loves her role as an usher because she loves meeting and helping guests. Every time she volunteers, it is a social activity she looks forward to! She hopes anyone interested in volunteering will join the “cast” of volunteers at SST- a great group that shares the social benefits and the many performing artists offered. Thank you for all you do, Pam!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

OH, NOOOOO, IT BROKE…

BY MARY ELLEN DOMEIER

…Yes, it did break. In the process of wrapping up a wonderful capital campaign, raising over $800,000 to address restroom renovations, expansion of the fire sprinkling system, asbestos abatement, new carpeting, balcony railings, aisle lighting throughout and, most loved by all, new cushioned seats up and down (among other improvements), guess what!  Our steam heating system “broke” and is in need of significant repair! Namely we need to install a new condensate pump (on order), get six new steam traps, and “blow out” several of the old radiators.  

 Life is full of “If only,” and in this case, if only it had started failing two years ago, we could have included it with other campaign projects. The total cost for the pump and labor is $40,755. We did receive $5,000 from the city’s non-profit assistance fund (Thank you, city councilors and staff), and will apply for other grants. With heating season fast approaching, any help any of our supporters can provide is both much needed and much appreciated. Besides the heating system, this month our appeal includes replenishing our tech fund as we had to both purchase and repair mics for Joseph.

You can donate through our website, StateStreetNewUlm.org, by clicking the “Support” button and choosing your preferred method. You can also drop off your donation at the box office or mail your check to State Street Theater noting it is for the Steam Heat Fund. Your contribution, no matter the amount, makes a significant difference to us.

$250 or more will be printed in programs and printed materials

Mailing address:

State Street Theater
PO Box 493

New Ulm, MN 56073

OR

Click below:

*PLEASE PUT “STEAM HEAT FUND” IN THE NOTES BOX*

STEAM HEAT FUND

Join us to see the real Emmylou Harris on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. at State Street  Theater. Tickets are now available to the public, and a few seats are still available, but they are going fast. This fantastic opportunity is made possible because this incredible show is a fundraiser for The Grand Center for Arts & Culture. You can check out her show at The Ryman  Auditorium on YouTube, favorites like "Lodi” “Guitar Town” and "Half as Much” Just search Emmylou Harris at the Ryman Auditorium 2017. You do not want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime show, where you can see a world-class artist right here in New Ulm, MN. Each person is limited to purchasing four tickets. You can do so on our website, stop by our Box Office Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, or call us at 507- 359-9990.

GET TICKETS HERE

On stage next at State Street Theater:

Simon & Garfunkel 1981 The Concert: A Tribute is the first show in our Show Series season subscription!

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