Arts Midwest

Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, presented The Actor’s Gang in January 2010.

This Performing Arts Fund—supported engagement featured a performance of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine and included an extensive array of residency activities in which more than 1,200 individuals participated. The activities included book readings with facilitated discussions, panel discussions, “Politics and a Pint” discussions, a mock trial, and a workshop on the music of the era. History came alive during this examination of the 1968 trial of two Catholic priests and seven fellow Catholic activists who committed an act of civil disobedience in protest of the war in Vietnam, which galvanized the national protest movement. While condemned as criminals in a court of law, the activists were hailed in the streets as patriots during one of America’s most turbulent eras.

The production provoked conversations in the community that touched upon themes that included an individual’s responsibility in an active democracy and the role of religion in civic dialogue. The subject matter was of interest to the community at large, and was particularly engaging for the Saint John’s community, due to its history of Catholic thought and tradition. One member of the Cantonsville Nine, George Mische, lived in the nearby Saint Cloud, Minnesota, area for years and attended one of the performances. He was able to connect and share his personal experience with the performers and audience members during the “REPLAY” audience engagement activity that followed the performance.

One example of the 17 in-depth educational activities was a makeup workshop in commedia dell’arte style with girls from the Eastside Boys and Girls Clubs. Saint John’s University provided these girls with a professional make-up kit to use in the workshop and for planning and producing their spring theater production.

“What an amazing group of young women we had in the residency last night! We were inspired, amused, and touched. The willingness of them to jump right in was great. Those are some fierce, brave little ladies.” –- Company manager of the Actor’s Gang

Weeks prior to the performance, Saint John University’s director of community outreach facilitated book discussions centered on books with themes relating to the trial. The week leading up to the performance was termed the “Week of 1968” and featured activities that concentrated on issues of the past and how we can make them present in our lives today. The residency activities reached a variety of people, including the aforementioned girls from the Eastside Boys and Girls Club in Saint Cloud; audience members that attended the performance; faculty and monastics from Saint John’s University; university students from the areas of communication, political science, history, peace studies, and pre-law; and other members of the community in general.

“Funding from the Performing Arts Fund is critical to our organization’s ability to ensure that our programming includes an active residency schedule and outreach activities. These activities have a tremendous impact on the performance itself by drawing and engaging audiences and to help prepare them for the work that will be presented on stage.” –- Leslie Hanlon, Saint John’s University

This engagement was a Star Project that deepened participation with a community-based residency.