THEATER LATTÉ DA ANNOUNCES OPENING OF COMMUNITY SCENE SHOP IN NORTHEAST MINNEAPOLIS

Theater Latté Da, with support from the McKnight Foundation, envisions a shared space for Twin Cities theater companies and scenic artists to utilize—from full-service scene shop to work space for projects large and small.

(MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL) Theater Latté Da announces the opening of their new scene shop in Northeast Minneapolis. With support from a grant from the McKnight Foundation, the Twin Cities-based theater company is establishing the space as a shared scene shop with the hopes it will be a resource for other theater companies, scenic artists, and even individuals to utilize for set building, carpentry, woodworking, welding, small paint projects, and more.

Theater Latté Da’s vision of a shared space for scenic artists was conceived about a year ago with the rising cost of rent in the Twin Cities area, and a desire to provide a shared resource for the greater Twin Cities theater community.

“A shared scene shop has been a need for small to medium-sized theaters for decades,” says Rothstein. “We’re excited to provide this space for our work and that of the broader community.”

With the support of the McKnight Foundation, Theater Latté Da is able to provide the shared space at below current market prices, as well access to shared resources in the form of talent, tools, and equipment.

The sharing of space and know-how isn’t the only goal of the scene shop. It would likely result in a reduction of material waste. That’s the hope for Rothstein, as well as Latté Da’s Technical Director Bethany Reinfeld. The opportunity to reuse platforms or provide wall stock—panels for walls in other theater productions—built for a given production could be repurposed in another production with another theater company, greatly reducing the amount of lumber needed.

More than materials are sharable and Technical Director Bethany Reinfeld plans to offer assistance, training, and supervision to those who wish to use the scene shop. Earlier this season, Mixed Blood Theater partnered with Theater Latté Da to build, paint, and install the set for Is God Is and will do so for Roe in the coming months.

Located at 8040 University Ave NE, Theater Latté Da’s scene shop is open Monday-Friday 9am to 5pm and weekends by appointment. More information including daily or weekly rates and other pricing can be found at Latteda.org/scene-shop or by contacting Bethany Reinfeld at bethany@latteda.org.

Theater Latté Da is an award-winning Twin Cities musical theater company that combines music and story to illuminate the breadth and depth of the human experience. The company seeks to create new connections between story, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater.  www.latteda.org