Assemble the Artists

What has surprised and delighted you about the past season of Sioux-Falls-based performing arts? Assembling a panel that checks the boxes of actor, singer, musician, director, dancer, technician, writer and educator remarkably took just four incredibly talented locals. They recently talked to Sioux Falls Stage about what left a lasting impression these past 12 months.

What makes Sioux Falls an excellent place to create?

Richard Swanson: We’ve lived here for 30 years now, and, when we arrived, Sioux Empire Community Theatre (SECT) was good and strong, but there was a whole lot of nothing beyond that. The colleges did things and they were strong, but my sense when I arrived was that was kind of it and it was about what the town could take. And over the last decade, things have blossomed. There’s so much new theatre being done that it’s just really fun to be around this place. That does something for the audience and for those of us that find ourselves sometimes writing things—the fact that this town is getting interested in that is thrilling.

Pictured: Rebekah Merriman (Credit: Peter Chapman)

Rebekah Merriman: I think what I really love about doing art in Sioux Falls is that if you dream it, I feel like you can make it happen, which in a lot of bigger cities just isn’t true—or smaller cities. I feel like it’s a really great size for when you find something you’re really passionate about. It’s great to be a part of this community and watch more and more theatre and dance happen—more improv, comedy and music. It’s really fun to watch how that has grown and just to know that you have those possibilities. It’s so motivating and creates a lot of great art in this city.

Amy Morrison: One of the things I love about creating here is the supportive audiences. I feel like we don’t compete against each other as different organizations. We share a lot of resources. We are supporting each other in so many ways. Also, so many experiences, particularly in theatre, can be really good and build such a community—a family—and you can be friends with these people forever. But it can also be really toxic and crush self-esteem. I’ve been in both of those places, and I have to say, every experience I’ve had in Sioux Falls has been so supportive and fun to be a part of. The people are just awesome here—the positivity is one of the things that makes it so special.

Randy Ruud: The growth of downtown and the support that there is downtown to go out, eat and experience entertainment—when I was in high school and then college at Augie, the only place we had to go was the campuses. We would take trips up to the cities to see improv, small shows, alternative shows. And now there’s this growth going on of these little local companies booming. I believe the moral support of those companies contributes to the growth.

This past season, what are some examples you saw of artists innovating?

AM: I think both of the colleges had some really great examples of innovation this year. The first thing that popped into my mind was James and the Giant Peach at Augie. I enjoyed that so much, and I just loved the creativity that they brought to it. Stuff that wasn’t in the script—the circus atmosphere. You also have to be really creative in that space. And University of Sioux Falls (USF) did two original shows for their season this year—that’s saying something. It’s risky to do original shows, and they weren’t afraid to take that risk.

RM: It’s so fun to see original work. I went to Monstrous Little Theatre Company’s (MLTC) reading of Loving Arms—then got to see USF do it on the stage—and it’s very cool to know that original work is happening in town. It’s fun to see something you’ve never seen before and to watch people’s creativity come to life. As a dancer, that’s why I love to see the LiRa Dance Theatre Company, because it’s the first professional company in Sioux Falls and the work there is so inspiring and fun to watch. It’s shows and choreography you’ve never seen before.

AM: Sioux Falls Chamber Music Collective’s collaboration on Moving Music, where they combined the strings and (ArtiTänzer Project) dancers—I loved that. It’s how music should be done. It just made the music so much more expressive. Those playing it just got so bodily involved in it.

Pictured: Richard Swanson (Credit: Peter Chapman)

RS: The combination of music and dancing was lovely.  Angelina (Gibson) is the choreographer that I’m working with on the This is My Body project (see “Richard Swanson” inset), and I’ve loved what she’s started to do with that company (ArtiTänzer Project). Things happen there that are just amazing to watch. I also loved—deep down in my soul—having The Rocky Horror Show in town with people I knew doing lovely work. I loved being in the room with the Good Night Theatre Collective (GNTC) audience—they know each other and love each other, and it was such fun to feel them erupt and sing along in their hearts. And one of the finest dance performances that we did not get to see was LiRa’s collaboration with the Augustana Orchestra of Swan Lake. The nice thing about playing trombone in an orchestra is you get to count 138 measures of rests. At our final rehearsal they were dancing behind us and I turned my chair around. And my goodness—Madeleine Ellis… I hope we perform that someday, because you’ve got to see what that woman can do. It was stunning and lovely.

RR: The first thing that comes to my mind is The Rocky Horror Show. Just seeing what GNTC did with the set—setting it in a mall—so unique. Hearing about companies going above and beyond like this is exciting.

RS: With a company like Bare Bodkins (Theatre Company), I love that it is about the story. The costumes are very slim, the set-pieces are chairs—and they don’t apologize for that. They let the story be as strong as it is and they find ways to tell that story. They let the story lead. I’ve loved that from the beginning. I also love the setting (the Queen Bee Mill ruins) and that they have to look at airplanes and think about what they’re going to do when they go over.

What long-term impact will the collegiate programs have on local performing arts?

AM: The current performing arts scene is spearheaded by graduates of our universities. When I see our graduates staying in town and creating art, that’s what excites me. Suddenly it’s indicating that you don’t have to go away to be successful. I love what our universities are doing, but I love what our alumni are doing as well.

Pictured: Randy Ruud (Credit: Peter Chapman)

RS: It is a great joy to watch someone that you saw on stage as a freshman now growing into her strength. I find that amazing.

RM: That’s why I love working both with the Dakota Academy of Performing Arts (DAPA) and USF.  Getting to see people discover their love of creating. Those programs continue to grow and inspire these students—actors, writers, technicians. It’s fun to see them as a student, learning and growing, and then later getting to collaborate with them and work alongside them. It’s rewarding, and it’s exciting—and it’s why I’m still in Sioux Falls.

RR: DAPA was the first thing that came to mind—the youngsters. Teaching them how to act, dance, sing—and from there the colleges. The good thing is that now there are so many production companies, including ones that hire union people if you want to go into tech. You also have smaller companies that produce events that you can now get experience with and even get paid for. That all has to be nurtured from the youth shows, like what DAPA does—to get that spark and grow from there.

AM: One of my first theatre experiences in Sioux Falls was directing the all-school musical at my kids’ elementary school. Now that my kids are in high school and in college, and I see those kids that got bit by the theatre bug when they were in fourth and fifth grade. We just have great theatre education in this city, and I just love that.

What was the most surprising thing you saw in Sioux Falls performing arts this season?

AM: I would say Bob (Wendland) in fishnet stockings (in The Rocky Horror Show), but I can’t say I was really surprised.

[Laughter]

RS: Maybe not surprising—how about stunning? That would work.

AM: There you go.

RM: The two things that popped into my mind were getting to see Loving Arms at USF—it was gripping and it made you uncomfortable, and it’s so well-written. I also thought MLTC’s The How and the Why—that stuck with me. I remember it was another show that made you think—it’s just two actors, and I thought they just did a beautiful job with that story in a really intimate place (Full Circle Book Co-Op).

RS: When we arrived in town, Rocky Horror was something that edgy people loved with all their might, but onstage things were very careful. It’s because the companies knew their audiences. But the town has changed, and that for me is an index of how much more interesting this town has become.

AM: GNTC’s It’s a Wonderful Life—it was really fun. It was so different to be able to do that radio-show kind of a feel. And I think Nick Jackson was my biggest surprise. I know Nick through church, and so maybe I knew him as a little more reserved. But holy cow—that man can do anything, and he was so fun to work with.

RR: I don’t know—I don’t get surprised too much.

[Laughter]

AM: That’s because you’re in the production end of everything!

RR: I guess Alvin Fletcher’s Surprise 34th Birthday Party comes to mind. When I first saw it in early rehearsals it felt kind of flat, and I thought, “Man, they need an audience.” And when they got an audience, the energy level blew up, the acting was great and it turned out to be such an enjoyable show. That’s probably my biggest surprise of the season—the turnaround of being in rehearsal to having an audience and having such a drastic energy shift.

RS: Cheryl (my wife) and I have been going to GNTC shows for a long time. This year, we decided to buy four tickets, rather than two, so we could bring friends each time. So we picked people that we knew loved theatre but didn’t know a thing about GNTC. It was such fun after each show to have them say, “I had no idea there was anything like this in Sioux Falls!” And especially with Alvin Fletcher, the friends we invited came along because they like us. And they left wanting to get tickets because they loved it.

Pictured: Amy Morrison (Credit: Peter Chapman)

RM: I’m so bummed I missed It’s a Wonderful Life because I was directing 75 children in DAPA’s Frozen Jr.

AM: Can we say 75 children onstage in the Belbas (Theater)? That’s a surprise!

[Laughter]

How has the local theatre scene evolved in the past 12 months—what wowed you?

RR: We’ve seen Broad Cast Theatre start. They had a great first production with the support of MLTC. And I’ve seen more and more original scripts coming out—we haven’t seen that for a while.

AM: And what better place? Theatre is so well-supported here. Why not try stuff? I think it’s great.

RM: I think one of my “wow” moments was a show I got to choreograph—(SECT’s) Mamma Mia! It’s a show with so much spectacle and fun. Matt Cook’s lighting design blew me away. (Director) Kim Bartling really pushed the cast as actors, and I feel it all worked well together. It was a great way to start SECT’s season. It was a very fun ride.

What does Sioux Falls performing arts need more of?

AM: Let’s be honest—we could use more diversity. Representation from a wider variety of voices.

RS: When we moved here 30 years ago, our eldest son was a fifth grader. We came here from Saint Paul. He came home from school the first day, and we asked him how he liked it, and he said, “It was fine, the teacher’s okay—but where all the ‘normal’ people?” And he meant he’d never been in a classroom where all the kids’ skin was the same color. Well, in the last 30 years, the town has become more “normal.” But that takes a while to spread into every part of the life of the town, including performing arts.

AM: I think we’re in a pivotal moment right now where we’re forced to reckon with being uncomfortable with where we’ve been. And theatre can be so good about that—about educating not only our audiences but our actors, pushing us outside our comfort zones and helping people see from a different perspective. I think it’s a great time to really grab on and be a part of the ride.

RS: That’s something this town needs, and it’s a thing this town has to be ready for. We also need more dance—and we need official dance programs. I’ve only been making that argument for 30 years. It’s a piece that we’ve got to have. And that’s from someone who comes from a long line of dance-impaired people.

[Laughter]

RS: People like me need that as part of their education.

RM: I know a lot of DAPA students who would consider the theater programs at USF or Augie, but they want to minor in dance. I think our local schools would benefit greatly from a dance program. And our community would as well.

What arts innovating have you observed locally in response to COVID-19?

AM: We all had to say goodbye to a lot of things, which was really hard. We had to stop shows mid-production. It was sad, and a lot of us had a lot of grief. And then all of the sudden we found our evenings very free. And I don’t know about you, but I have to have a creative outlet. We’ve been seeing so much creativity online—I have to give kudos to GNTC for being one of the first local groups to create an online performance (A Very Virtual Cabaret). I’ve been taking the opportunity to educate myself in areas that I haven’t had the time before. It’s not showy or flashy, but it makes me better at what I do. One of the things I miss the most is just being together—making art together. We’ve been forced to be more creative. There’s the grief, and then what you do with it—and I think creativity is a good salve for that.

RS: Losing our chance to play together as an orchestra, (Augustana Orchestra conductor) Peter Folliard assembled out of our separate recordings some simple Bach chorales. It was lovely to do that. Also, when Russell Svenningsen and Natalie Campbell put together their rewrite of a Mozart piece—this lovely, flirtatious song—that they turned into a song about staying apart. They performed their parts separately, and it came to life with the resource of pros that know how to (mix, edit and produce).

RR: The one thing that I’m seeing is that people can’t stay away from theatre once they’ve got the bug. So you’re seeing things like what SECT is doing with their radio shows. I’m excited to see where that could continue to go as it evolves.

RM: It’s true—as creative people, it’s hard to be still. We had our mourning period, but I think what’s been fun to see is all these creative people grow. Education in the arts has really grown and accessibility has really grown. People are willing to share what they’re doing and share what they know. Just think of what’s going to be produced in the years to come—artists are learning a lot. That’s definitely one of the responses that has been positive out of all of this.