History comes to life: St. Paul’s History Theatre finds new artistic director
While we are still early into the new year, the Twin Cities theater scene is already experiencing comings and goings in 2023.
Theatre Latté Da is losing its Founding Artistic Director Peter Rothstein to Florida’s Asolo Repertory Theatre in June, and Hennepin Theatre Trust has announced their President and CEO Mark Nerenhausen is stepping down in the fall.
While the two Minneapolis performing companies begin their search for new leaders, St. Paul’s History Theatre has found a torch bearer to carry on its legacy.
Richard D. Thompson took on the mantle of artistic director in early January. While the role might be new, his history with the theater company spans back to 1996.
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“Ron Peluso, who was the artistic director here for almost 30 years, had seen a production that I'd done at Penumbra Theatre ... and asked if I'd be interested in directing a show,” Thompson says.
Since that first directing gig, Thompson has returned to the History Theatre repeatedly and in a variety of roles — most recently as the producing and directing associate.
The History Theatre’s mission is to engage audiences through theater that tells the diverse stories of Minnesota and American history. Peluso says he is confident that Thompson will do well leading the theater.
“He loves the mission of the history of theater and plans to expand and bring his own insight to it,” Peluso says. “I think we all feel really good [that] Mr. Thompson is sitting in the hot seat, as it were.”
As for what Thompson is going to do in the hot seat — he says he is interested in telling stories from communities “whose stories haven't been told.”
“I'm also interested in not leaving any other stories out.” Thompson adds. “I'm not looking to take stories out of that repertoire of history. But just to add more.”
He attributes his interest in diverse stories to his love of school and his upbringing. Not only from his own experiences as an African American, but also those of his friends and neighbors from multicultural backgrounds.
“My mother's friends were extremely broad in who they were, of different ethnicities, of different beliefs,” Thompson says.
He also shared he had the opportunity to live aboard in Germany when he was young, which also shaped his world view.
“All those things have infused me with what I would call a great curiosity of who we are as humans.”
Thompson will be working in tandem with the theater’s longtime managing director, Karen Mueller. She has worked with Thompson before.
“We know each other, we have a sense of how each other works … we've got a good start of how we'll be working together going forward,” Mueller says.
Mueller also says that the theater is navigating uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, and that discussions about next steps, as well as who to partner with in the community, are beginning to happen.
“It's a complex conversation, but it's an exciting one. And we kind of look forward to getting underway with that,” Mueller says.
For Thompson, current events are playing a role in how he selects his inaugural season. However, while he says people are more aware of certain social issues, nothing in history is brand new.
“It was about 100 years ago; we had a pandemic ... when it comes to the notions of injustice, as was the case of George Floyd, injustice isn't something new. [W. E. B.] Du Bois and others have been writing about that forever,” Thompson says.
“In my selection, I'm not necessarily looking at what people are more aware of, I'm looking at issues that have always confronted us.”
The first season curated by Thompson will begin this fall. Thompson will also direct the last show of the History Theatre’s current season, “The Defeat of Jesse James.”
