Homegrown Theater: County Seat Theater Company

The County Seat Theater Company started as a fundraiser for Carlton high school band uniforms in 1987, with their first production The Odd Couple. The event was so successful that they continued to produce shows in conjunction with the high school band fundraiser for the next few years. After three years of successful shows, the County Seat Theater Company received non-profit status and spent the next thirteen years producing performances at Carlton High School. In 1999, the company decided it was time to have their own space. They purchased an old church building in Atkinson, on the outskirts of Carlton. In 2008 after years of sold out performances in their small venue seating only 75 patrons, they purchased their current facility in Cloquet where they can seat nearly 140 guests. With only a six-month capital campaign their patrons made it possible for them to place a down payment and begin renovations on the new space in Cloquet. Now the new home of the County Seat Theater Company, the Encore Performing Arts Center and Gallery, includes a space for local artists to showcase their work and provides the community with a full season of plays, concerts and events. The company continues to grow and offer more artistic opportunities to the people of Carlton County. In 2011, County Seat Theater Company entered their rendition of Wiley and the Hairy Man in the Minnesota Association of Community Theater’s (MACT) Festival in Fergus Falls. They won Best of Festival on the statewide level, and progressed on through regionals, on to nationals, and finally, to the World’s Festival of Children’s Performing Arts in Toyama, Japan. In 2012 the group hired Joel Soukkala as a full time general manager to continue to help the theater grow and relieve some of the added stress upon its volunteer base. “It’s important not to burn out your volunteers,” says Soukkala. “We would not be in existence without the support from sponsors, patrons and volunteers. Everyone who volunteers, acts or comes to our shows has a great pride that this theater is in their backyard.” The directors and actors primarily live in or near Carlton County. “We only pay small stipends to our directors,” Soukkala continues. “Those that work with us do it because they love the art of live theater.” Each year the theater group welcomes new actors to the stage, some who have never acted before. “We have a good mix of actors who have a theater background and those just willing to learn,” he says. Education and teaching the next generation of theater makers is also critical to their mission. Alongside of their regular season, they have continued to run teen and children’s theater camp. “Our youth programs are very important to our success,” says Soukkala. “We are creating actors that may someday come back and act as adults, as well as introducing youth and adults to live theater – many of who support us on a regular basis.” Introducing new faces to the Encore! Performing Arts Center and Gallery is important to the continued growth of the theater. “By offering concerts and hosting extra events we open the doors to people that may not know about us,” he says. “Once people come to an event, they usually come back for another.” The County Seat Theater Company is now staging The Trip to Bountiful, a drama by Horton Foote. When the theater troupe produces comedies and musicals they almost always sell out, but producing a show such as The Trip To Bountiful or any drama is a more difficult challenge for the County Seat Theater. “We have a core audience, and they like to laugh,” says Soukkala. “We have the talent on stage, it is just a matter of getting the people in the seats. We can easily scare patrons away by stating that a production has mature language.” As the theater continues grow, one of Soukkala’s daily objectives is to expand its audience base. “We want to make sure we offer something for everyone, including our actors,” he says. “We are aware of what sells and what pays the bills, but we also want to continue to challenge our actors. We really try and push sales of dramas, we want to show people that we can do every type of theater – and do it well.” “We have been compared to larger-scale companies throughout the state, and we have visitors from everywhere that keep coming back,” says Soukkala. “We take pride in what we do in Cloquet, we love our supporters and we hope we can continue to grow and keep the arts alive in Carlton County.”