Setting the Stage

What is it like to create art in a community like Sioux Falls? And how should local performing artists navigate the balancing act of building something special from the ground up? We talked to five such artists who have made their own marks in their respective areas of expertise—in the worlds of theatre, comedy, dance and music.

What’s your take on the state of performing arts in this community?

Brett Cooper: I think I’m excited where we’re at, because Sioux Falls has established kind of the original pillars—the community theatre, the orchestras, the choirs, dance—in institutional, traditional ways. And I think the community is big enough and that people are excited enough that we can branch into these DIY collectives and ensembles. It’s kind of an exciting time and I think the community embraces it.

Pictured: Madeleine Ellis (Credit: Peter Chapman)

Bob Wendland: I think it’s cool that even with those “institutional” organizations like the community theatre and dance studios and educational arts bodies like Augustana, USF and a lot of the high schools—even though there are so many organizations that have been embedded in this community for so long, we’re starting to see some of these smaller ones pop up. It’d be so easy to look at each other as competition, and, instead, everybody is supporting each other and lending resources and showing up to each other’s shows. I think that’s what’s really special about the climate right now of the arts scene. In any other city you’d have that sense of competition.

Emily Wilson: We all want each other to be successful—in any format it is, if it’s comedy, improv, performing arts, music—we just want each other to thrive and be successful. To do the things that make us happy at the end of the day.

Nathan Hults: A high tide rises all ships.

Madeleine Ellis: And there seems to be an understanding that more integrative art is needed and wanted. I think of LiRa Dance Theatre Company’s collaboration with the South Dakota Symphony, and it’s so cool to bring those very diverse art forms together and appeal to a broader audience group.

BW: Looking around the table, too, it’s cool that I have worked with every single one of you onstage, and on the flipside I’ve gotten to see each of you perform. And I feel like we can all say the same thing about a lot of artists in this town. It’s cool that it’s such a collaborative community.

EW: There are a lot of extremely talented people at so many different levels of involvement. It’s really cool to see how much talent we have here. After our show, Steel Magnolias, so many people said, “Oh my gosh—this is just as good as anything that I’ve seen in D.C. or the (Twin) Cities.” It’s really cool to hear how excited people are to support the talent that’s here, because it is high-class talent.

BC: It makes it extra special when it’s people you know—and such a surprise to see your friends and your coworkers doing these things that they do well.

NH: I love that idea. Because when you hear your friend’s in a band it’s kind of like… “Ooookay, we’ll go…” [laughter] And then you get there and think, “Wow, you guys were really good! No, like, I expected you to suck!” [laughter] That’s always a great feeling.

BW: It’s like the weirdest compliment to feel really great about, because with Good Night (Theatre Collective), we’re in season four and, still, after every show there are new people who come and are like, “Oh my gosh—I’m never going to miss one of your shows again.” They see the show and they’re like, “Holy cow—who knew there was this kind of talent?”

ME: I think that this community carves out such a cool space for people who maybe aren’t professional performing artists as their full-time position. I would have never thought I’d get to dance again after college. I thought I was done. And then, moving to Sioux Falls and meeting adults who had both performing arts professional lives and those who chose other paths—and for me to me get to do both is such a blessing. I still can’t believe it.

NH: I think we’re in a huge growth right now from what I’ve seen. We are seeing more and more coming up—people are really trying. I don’t know about you guys, but on the comedy side, I just need the audience to catch up. We have a hard time getting people to shows. I love that we’re all growing—I would just love the audience to grow with us.

BC: It’s tough when you have Disney+ at home. [laughter]

Pictured: Brett Cooper (Credit: Peter Chapman)

NH: It’s true honestly, though! Right now, we’re just trying to figure it out—because there’s a place for each and every one of our art forms.

EW: I think people are so hesitant to go because they think, “Is this going to be a waste of my time?” Even when people leave our improv shows who went in saying, “I had nothing better to do tonight,” and leave saying, “Oh my god, that was the best!” They get really excited about it, and you need that word of mouth to help you grow. Really the best thing for all of us is word of mouth. It’s helping our audience have the most positive experience possible—

BW: —so they can’t help but tell all of their friends.

EW: We’ll get there.

What are some of your favorite parts of performing in a community like Sioux Falls?

EW: Getting to work with people who are your friends and become your family—you get to do things with them over and over again and see the things they can offer and how they help you grow and push you and challenge you.

BC: I think audiences in this town are willing to give something a shot. I appreciate that it doesn’t have to be nationally or internationally renowned names for someone to explore something.

BW: I think honestly that sometimes if it is local, they’re even more likely to try it. Because it is your office-mate, your neighbor… it’s just so exciting that we have these platforms in Sioux Falls, which is really not a massive city, but we have just as many platforms and outlets for artists in Sioux Falls as you would find in any other much bigger city in the country.

EW: Also, people aren’t always interested in spending $140 to see a certain show—and here you can see a show for $30 if you want to. It’s more accessible for a lot of people. That’s also great—you can give them world-class entertainment, but it’s not costing them a month of groceries, so to speak.

BC: I have to give a tip of the hat—(Bob), you’re doing all your shows at ICON, and (Nate), you’re doing all your stuff at Boss’ (Comedy Club)—it’s a clever, economic venue. We (White Spruce Chamber Players) try to do our stuff in the lobby of the Pavilion—just literally meet people where they are.

NH: That’s the best part about it—everyone is super excited to help. If you go to Chicago and ask a bar, “Hey, can we film a commercial here?” They’d be like, “Yeah, six grand—

BW: —for half an hour!—

NH: —yeah, and this guy is going to be eating peanuts the whole time!” I think it’s a fantastic place where if you want to create something you have resources that you wouldn’t necessarily have elsewhere because everyone wants to pitch in.

Pictured: Nathan Hults (Credit: Peter Chapman)

ME: I feel a deeper sense of commitment to audiences in Sioux Falls. Having danced for bigger crowds, I’m actually way more nervous to perform in Sioux Falls because they are people that I know more intimately and I feel like I really, really owe people something great. If we’re going to have the first professional dance company, we’d better be something that’s worth people investing their time in.

BW: I think for a non-performer it’s hard to understand what that give-and-take energy is like when you’re on stage. When you have a supportive, committed, excited audience in front of you, you feel like you could fly. You push yourself further. You un-tap this potential inside of yourself you didn’t know was there. So it is a little nerve-racking because you feel connected to them in a really profound way.

What’s your favorite memory of performing in Sioux Falls?

ME: I actually loved the first year that LiRa collaborated with Good Night, and I got to perform with two of my very best friends (and coworkers). These are people I met later in life, so I hadn’t seen them perform and they hadn’t seen me perform very often, so to see these people that I show up and type at my computer with and get to see them completely crush it on stage was so cool.

NH: I got to open for Kyle Kinane at Bro’s Brasserie after they closed—in front of 40 people that had no interest in watching anyone but Kyle Kinane. [laughter] And that was pretty early—I was only 3.5 years in. The only reason I got the show is because I was able to find a PA system for the event. I had a lot of people come up to me and say, “Wow—great job,” which was a nice feeling.

BW: This is totally clichéd because it was the last thing I was in, but when I’m performing, a lot of times I get to a point where I’m like, “I’m ready for the next thing.” Not because I didn’t have a great time performing the show—but being an artist, you get to create and then you get to put it out into the world and then go and create something else. I think for the first time in a long time, with (The Rocky Horror Show) we created this bond as a cast and created a show that was so unexpected—so many of our audiences either new exactly what to expect and then were caught off guard or had no idea what to expect and were still caught off-guard. But everyone across the board just had these incredible things to say, and that validation sticks with you.

BC: There was a program (White Spruce) did this summer and there was a person who came up after who was so open—who said that at the strong recommendation of her friend had decided to come join us and that she had been in a very down place. And whatever we did that afternoon, whatever piece we played, however we hit just the right note at the right time, it just got her out of that down place and into a “bright light” place. To think that this actually meant something to somebody—what you’re doing is important and meets a need and has some lasting, good effects.

Pictured: Bob Wendland (Credit: Peter Chapman)

What inspires you about what other groups are doing in town?

NH: I went to (Good Night’s original musical) David & Lucy—from the very beginning I was so inspired to see that. To produce your own play, to write it… a musical, for god’s sake. That’s book, that’s song lyrics, that’s everything. That was inspiring.

BC: I had a former coworker who used to say, “It takes a lot of work to have a little fun.” We like to think with White Spruce that it’s a lot of work to have a lot of fun. So I can applaud the behind-the-scenes people for handling the operations—the doers. I hope everyone can appreciate, when they go see these things, what goes into it.

BW: Comedy—I could never. I don’t think I’m funny—unless I accidentally am sometimes. Honestly, I need a script to be funny. So to write this content and to put so much of yourself into it is so impressive. 

ME: I echo your sentiments—comedy has to be one of the most vulnerable things you can do.

BW: And I feel it mimics in a lot of ways what local dancers are doing. I wish I could do half of the things that most good dancers can do—

NH: —a quarter.

BW: Yeah, I’ll take a quarter! But watching it from backstage—the commitment, the head-to-toe—it’s otherworldly.

ME: I’m lucky enough to get to work with prospective college students when they’re applying to Augustana (University), and I think the vulnerability and the tenacity of the upcoming college-going-age students is seriously unparalleled. Their ability to talk about mental health issues and their love for the arts and their vocations have even in the last six years really escalated. There are a lot of students really expressing themselves through the arts and really looking for that outlet. It’s cool for me to be able to say we have a home for that in Sioux Falls—there’s a space for you. You may be from Minneapolis or Omaha or Denver and there’s still so much for you to do in this community.

Pictured: Emily K. Wilson (Credit: Peter Chapman)

What do you see for the future of performing arts in the community?

BW: We’re all so supportive, and there’s a great pool of audience members in Sioux Falls. I think the next step is to figure out how can we as artists not only show up and support each other, but also how can we start to change the narrative to be less siloed and integrate more? Like, for example, maybe (Nathan) is opening for our shows and doing a 10-minute comedy act before we start the show—

NH: —wait, are we doing this? [laughter] The best thing about art is that it adapts to where we are in life, in society—it mimics what we are. I can’t begin to speculate, because I thought we were going to have flying cars 12 years ago. But I hope that in five years everyone is still doing it—that everyone is still interested.

BW: It seems like people are more willing to invest in art in Sioux Falls than ever before. I think there are companies in Sioux Falls that have been supporting arts in Sioux Falls for a very long time and I think everyone else is starting to catch up with that.

BC: It’s a good investment.

BW: Yeah, it’s a great investment! So many people see your logo, see your brand, see your messaging. And since the community of Sioux Falls has been so supportive for so long, they recognize when businesses do the same.

ME: I hope that the performing arts in this community continue to be a community-building experience and that we have diverse voices representative of the entire Sioux Falls community. And that it stays a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds. I hope we continue to leverage the power in that.

NH: More sports stadiums—I think that’s what we need. [laughter]