Jul 9, 2024 | By: Matthew Freeman

Paul Bunyan Playhouse Admits to Struggles Ahead of Smaller 73rd Season

The Paul Bunyan Playhouse, located in the historic Chief Theater in downtown Bemidji, is the largest continuously running summer stock theater company in Minnesota. Unfortunately, for its official 73rd season, the Playhouse admits that it has seen better days.

The Paul Bunyan Playhouse has officially announced the list of productions being presented this season, but this summer will see a smaller selection of three different shows.

“We’re starting off with ‘[The Importance of Being] Earnest’ here coming up, and then we’re going to have ‘The Foreigner,’ and then finally we will have ‘Pirates of Penzance,'” said Philip Hoks, Paul Bunyan Playhouse Artistic Director.

This constrained list of performances for the upcoming season stems from COVID-19 shutdowns that affected people’s jobs, livelihoods, and even different forms of entertainment.

“So theater in general has been struggling in the last few years, anything in the arts really does,” added Hoks. “We here still struggle, and we’re trying to get our donor rate up and we’re trying to get people to come back, especially after shutdowns, and it’s the same place everyone is in, and we’re really working on trying to get those pieces back in place.”

The Playhouse believes a new presentation style will hopefully help pack the house once again.

“We’re going to try to make it a little bit more natural feeling up on stage, and we’re going to be trying to be a little bit more progressive in the way that we do it,” Hoks explained. “It’s that same thing that the [Twin] Cities has really started to pull into, and we’re trying to bring that up here to Bemidji as well. And so we’re going to be able to bring in older work that’s going to look new, fresh, and feel like it’s a contemporary piece for today.”

The Playhouse says this season is one of the most important summers the playhouse has had in a very long time – not just for the theater, but for the artistic community as well.

“It’s a very, very important season,” stated Hoks. “It’s one that we are putting together because we know that we need stuff in our space. We know we need stuff for the community to have. Bemidji has such a beautiful arts scene. The arts are important because it’s a place for people to belong, it’s a place for people to discover new things. It’s not just a place for people to be in their community, but to be a part of their community.”

Their first production, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” will run from July 11th through the 20th.

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