Guthrie Theater

Twelve years ago, Artistic Director Joe Dowling created a new department at the Guthrie, Company Development, to create and oversee programs designed to develop and nurture relationships with young actors. Within that first year, A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training made its debut and almost immediately began to bear the fruits of our efforts as alumni of the program began to appear in Guthrie productions. A Guthrie Experience quickly developed into a major program in this new department.

The objectives of A Guthrie Experience are to provoke and challenge the talents of the participants through various training workshops, discussions and individual working sessions to introduce young actors to the Guthrie and the Twin Cities and to help build a bridge between training and the profession. Our hope is that after the young artists return to their final year of training at their respective institutions and enter their professional careers, they will retain their relationship with the Guthrie and seek to spend some portions of their career here in the Twin Cities with us on our stages (and/or in other capacities) and on other stages of American Theater.

At the end of the summer of 2006, 131 actors will have "experienced" the Guthrie and more than 40 Guthrie acting contracts have been extended to 35 alumni.

Participation in A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training is by invitation only.