Interview: 4 Reasons Why Sioux Falls is a Great Place to Make Theatre

There's something in the air in Sioux Falls. In the last fifteen years, it has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, the population bump bringing with it more jobs, restaurants, of course, entertainment. Theatre offerings in Sioux Falls have become especially diverse, from professional touring productions to well-attended community driven shows.

We reached out to four local theatre companies for their opinions on why Sioux Falls is a great place to live and make theatre.

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"Sioux Falls is a great place to live and work because of all of the support we get from our community. We are completely funded by city grants, the parks department provides us with an incredible performance space--the ruins of the Queen Bee Mill at Falls Park, we've been able to cultivate an exceptional company of local actors, and we've connected with a loyal audience base that keeps growing year after year. Because of this, we've been able to produce free, accessible Shakespeare professionally for almost twenty years, and I'm really proud that our community sees value in what we do. It's exciting to be a part of Sioux Falls' vibrant and evolving theatre scene."

- Jayna Gearhart Fitzsimons (Bare Bodkins)

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"Sioux Falls is a great place to live and make theatre because of the wide-ranging theatre opportunities, amazing partnerships and support from the community.

Dakota Players, an outreach of the Black Hills Playhouse, has had great success in Sioux Falls in the area of All Ability Theatre. With support from the South Dakota Arts Council and LifeScape funders, the company has been working since 2013 to incorporate theatre opportunities inclusive of people with disabilities into its repertoire.

In July 2016, Dakota Players and the LifeScape Center for the Arts wrapped up a successful production of The Wizard of Oz which featured an All Ability cast (people with developmental disabilities, some with physical disabilities and people without disabilities). Augustana University provided scenic and costume design and build for The Wizard of Oz with assistance from the Washington Pavilion's Dakota Arts Performing Academy summer technical camp participants. Thanks to funding from the South Dakota Arts Council and LifeScape Ambassadors, as well as partners sharing resources, the project was a huge success. We felt great community support with 3 sold out or almost sold out performances.

Sioux Falls is a community that values the Arts and knows the importance of the Arts in the lives of all of its community members. We couldn't be happier to live and work here!"

- Debra Workman (Dakota Players)

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"Sioux Falls has a well-established road house for touring shows, several community theatre organizations that are very consistent, and a strong summer Shakespeare troupe. But the city's fast growth is starting to prime it for a more diverse scene, which is exciting to be part of.

Right now, Sioux Falls is a solid training ground for young theatre artists. You learn the importance of community in the industry, and you can find an array of opportunities. But with the right people pushing the scene, it has the opportunity to become a vibrant artistic destination of itself."

- Matthew Stoffel (Monstrous Little Theatre Company)

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"One of my very first theatre mentors shared some sage advice with me early on in my career. She said: "Make theatre where you are." I have allowed that motto to motivate me in my position with The Dakota Academy of Performing Arts. DAPA is one of the only programs in the Sioux Falls area that gives young people a chance to create theatre in a professional setting. Our students don't just perform theatre, they LEARN theatre.

Through our camps, classes, youth productions and social activism outreach productions we work with over 500 students each year. Last year our students performed to over 17,000 audience members.

I do theatre in Sioux Falls because I love this community. There is a sense of pride in everything our community members connect themselves with and a true desire to collaborate with other artists. Sioux Falls welcomes creativity."

- Bob Wendland (Dakota Academy of Performing Arts)

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