Today we’d like to introduce you to Darcey Engen.
Hi Darcey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
About 11 years ago we wanted to do a site-specific production of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in a mansion. We found a beautiful mansion in New Ulm MN that we rented. We cast both professional actors from the Twin Cities and local actors in New Ulm. We did a shorter comic adaptation (kept the poignancy too) and used local musicians (a polka band). The Cherry Orchard is a play about the loss of an estate and we did it at a time in our state when we were experiencing a rash of foreclosures both in rural and urban MN. Our show was an amazing success! We added shows and folks from New Ulm and neighboring towns (twin cities too) came to see it.
When it was over we loved what we discovered: Professional and Local actors working together, local musicians and a site-specific production around a subject that matters to all MN is an amazing “recipe” for meaningful theater.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Grants are an ongoing effort for us — many of the granting agencies change their grants or qualifications so it’s hard to track and predict. Sometimes we don’t find out until just a few months before we open.
Usually, in theater, we plan 12 months ahead so that can be challenging. The bright side is that through changes, we’ve developed more individual donors which is so satisfying and we are so honored folks belief in the work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I work as co-artistic director of Sod House Theater along with my partner Luverne Seifert. Sod House’s work is so gratifying. We bring folks together around theater around subjects that are important to Minnesotans: clean water, local eating, relationships with farmers and so much more. We bring folks together that are often quite different from each other: young/old, rural/urban, blue/red, and so on.
My other job/identity is that I’m chair and professor of theater at Augsburg University. I specialize in movement and vocal training and love working with students — both majors and the Augsburg population at large.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Hmmm, maybe what lesson or important knowledge is affirmed along the journey: That Minnesotans have richer lives, and more thoughtful experiences when they can engage (barrier-free) in the arts. It’s what makes MN special and the best place to live.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sodhousetheater.org/
