Guthrie Theatre

Guthrie Theatre (Minneapolis, Minnesota). The theatre was established by Oliver Rea, Peter Zeisler, and Tyrone Guthrie. The idea was to form a permanent repertory company away from the commercialism of New York theatre. The three men put an open ad in the New York Times inviting cities to indicate if they were interested in Guthrie's concept. Seven urban centers responded positively, and it was decided to place the theatre in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area after the Walker Art Center offered the trio a $400,000 grant and land on which to build a playhouse. Guthrie and his designer, Tanya Moiseiwitsch, worked out details for the famous auditorium seating 1,437 people in a 200‐degree arc around an asymmetrical thrust stage. The theatre opened in 1963 with a performance of Hamlet. Among Guthrie's personal successes there were his mountings of The Three Sisters, Henry V, Volpone, and Richard III. After Guthrie's death the season was expanded, the company went on occasional tours, and a smaller theatre opened for the presentation of experimental plays. Other noteworthy artistic directors over the years have included Douglas Campbell, Michael Langham, Alvin Epstein, Liviu Ciulei, and Garland Wright. Currently under the leadership of Joe Dowling, the Guthrie remains one of the nation's most respected regional theatre companies with a wide range of activities. It received a Tony Award for its activities in 1982.