Bedlam has always made it happen with community support, time, & effort.

Click this link for updated volunteer calls, open shifts, and volunteer time slots.

http://bedlamtheatre.org/2010/08/volunteer-visit-the-bedlam-blowout/

Thank you. You’re Welcome… Be Bedlam.

“Superlatives of Excellence: A Jamboree of Breviloquent Masterworks by Josef Evans”

click here to watch the preview!

A self-proclaimed genius performs odd plays in his grandparents’ garage. Interlopers disrupt his plans; rampant peculiarities ensue. From the folks who brought you ‘06 Encore hit “Love in a Time of Rinderpest.”

Bedlam returns to the Minnesota Fringe Festival this year, once again collaborating with playwright Josef Evans. The last Fringe pairing of these two very fringe artistic visions gave Festival audiences one of the year’s most popular productions, resulting in an appearance in the Fringe Encore at the Guthrie.

FEATURING A COMEDY ALL-STAR CAST with CHRISTOPHER ALLEN, PAIGE COLLETTE, ELISE LANGER, TOM LLOYD, GEORGE MCCONNELL, MAREN WARD, CARLY WICKS, JASON VOGEN and INTRODUCING……FORREST ZOLL!!!!

Cedar Riverside Art Zone for Youth’s “Aniga Adiga”

Aniga eya adiga means “me and you” in Somali. This show is a fun and insightful reflection on being African, American and Minnesotan. Created and performed by Bedlam’s Cedar Riverside Art Zone for Youth.

Fringe Central

Once again, Bedlam is at the center of Fringe Festival activities. Fringers of all stripes are welcome to stop by to get festival information at the concierge desk, grab a drink or bite to eat and come by after shows for late-night activities. Check out the schedule, August 4-14.

- Leah Cooper, Program Director, Minnesota Theater Alliance

Minneapolis, July 15, 2010—

Bedlam Theatre regretfully announces the end of it’s Cedar-Riverside venue within 7 weeks.

Since 2007, Bedlam has used the space to redefine the theater experience, creating an innovative, interactive social and cultural hub for audiences, artists and the community.

The groundwork is already being laid of the support, plans and resources necessary for a permanent Bedlam location in Minneapolis. But FOR NOW – we invite one and all to join in the daily bustle of the busiest summer of our Cedar-Riverside experiment – and celebrate the end of a fantastic 4 years.

The Move-Out details…

Bedlam received notice on June 30 from landlord, Fine Associates (dba Currie Park Developers), terminating its lease at 1501 S. 6th Street South in Minneapolis, effective August 31, 2010, to accommodate another community organization being displaced due to Riverside Plaza’s renovation project. Though the notice was sooner than expected, Bedlam has leased the property since 2006 with the knowledge that the home would eventually give way to future development. To honor short-term events and manage move-out logistics, Bedlam expects to leave 1501 no later than September 7th, 2010.

Bedlam staff, board and artists discussed plans for the immediate and long-term future of the organization at a town hall meeting with the community on Sunday, July 11. Bedlam is humbled already by the outpouring of community support. With much emotion, but optimistic spirit, the staff and supporters are sad to leave this space, but embracing this situation as an opportunity for a new chapter of Bedlam.

The theatre’s mission is properly supported in the long-term by a multifaceted community social hub venue. Bedlam’s priority will be determining the ideal solution for a permanent home as well as temporary solutions while it is developed. Bedlam is working with Redesign Inc. and others to explore both short and long term locations. Initial conversations with funders and partners have been positive as have initial meetings with Minneapolis’s Department of Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED).

Bedlam is notifying and working to accommodate all of its community partners and fellow artists who have events or activities booked in the current space. The company is also working on its responsibility to all staff members who depend on Bedlam wages for their livelihood will be affected by the transition.

“Bedlam has been successful in this location and we welcome the opportunities that a new, permanent location will afford us,” says Bedlam’s Board of Directors President Scott Pakudaitis. “Now we embark on a new theatrical adventure.”

Innovative Work in the Bedlam Social…

In 2007, Bedlam moved two blocks from its home of ten years in a tiny studio next to Riverside Plaza. During the era of Bedlam Studio we built a loyal following and the beginnings of a Minneapolis institution. In the new world of the Bedlam Social at 1501, we’ve taken the informal social hub of Bedlam Studio and made it official. With more space and resources, Bedlam has created and fostered new work that’s more wildly imaginative than ever. We have a full restaurant, beer and wine bar with artists and audience in a nightly dialogue. We have the capacity for local and international guest productions, a fantastic mainstage as well as lounge spaces for late night music, performance art and experimental mayhem.

In this space, Bedlam’s community reach has far surpassed expectations. its Cedar Riverside Art Zone for Youth (C.R.A Z.Y.) engages over 300 neighborhood youth and young adults in skill building workshops, events and the creation of performances. GLBT specific partnerships ensure a significant gender-queer following. Bedlam’s ongoing interaction with activist and social justice groups concentrates on issues blending peace activism, labor issues, and ecology. Our partnerships in metropolitan livability and environmental sustainability include our long-time DIY bicycle shop and Transit for Livable Communities, outdoor performances greeting the LRT passengers, a local menu and full compost/recycling in our restaurant and work with the MN Watershed Management Organization to develop rain-gardens and water management systems in 2010. And we have many more examples of ways Bedlam benefits the community.

Bedlam has become part of a national dialogue to rethink the non-profit paradigm for arts organizations, with burgeoning success in our mix of community building, innovative art work and emphasis on earned revenue. Theaters across the country are looking at how Bedlam works with its community and generates earned income with a bar and restaurant.

Support Bedlam

Bedlam relies on the generous support of its community during this critical time. During its final six weeks at 1501 S. 6th Street, Bedlam will be celebrating four amazing years and is asking all of its audience members and supporters to join the party, support Bedlam, volunteer, have dinner and see some final shows in the space.

Those interested in volunteering should e-mail wemakeit@bedlamtheatre.org.  To donate, visit bedlamtheatre.org/donate. We will continue to make it with the support of our community. Please join Bedlam in thanking our city officials and community members for their support.

Wednesday, May 26th we took the opportunity to stage a HOLE-a-THON!!!! To showcase the Bedlam wHole community on a small stage in what once was – AND WILL BE AGAIN – our FirePlace Lounge.

Over 50 pledges of cash (upwards of $1,099) and time.

Way more then 50 PHONE-IN-HECKLEs… ok, the phone in Heckles were just about the best ever….

ITS NOT TOO LATE FOR YOU TO JUMP ON BOARD

• CLICK HERE for MORE ON THE wHOLE and how YOU can help
• CLICK HERE for HOW YOU CAN JOIN THE FIRESHOWs VOLUNTEER ARMY – opens June 3rd

and Looking forward to more YouTube recollections.

THIS was UNEXPECTED.
The Bedlam COMMUNITY rose to meet the immediate clean-up – and have a $4,000 impact on the project.
Our landowners – Fine Associates, dba Currie Park Developers – are working with CNA Insurance and Christians, Inc. Insurance Restoration – on the replacement of the structure, floor and walls – seeking permits and starting as soon as May 28th.
Individual Donors have contributed over $7,500 in cash so far, to support Bedlam in all the related costs which we’re still trying to understand.
We’ll be able to improve our use of the space, including wiring to the stage, flow from the kitchen and more flexible seating – making the LOUNGE a better hang-out and dining area, especially while the Mainstage is in use.

IN THE MEANTIME… THE SHOW DOES GO ON!!!!

We’re open, as always, 4p-2a Tuesday-Sunday. Great performances, music and events everynight. And the ANNUAL Bedlam/Infiammatti FIRE CIRCUS SPECTACLE – PERSEPHONE: REIGN of FIRE OPENs June 3rd.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Donate your money
through Give MN

or send checks to Bedlam 1501 S. 6th St. Mpls 55454

Donate your time
Email wemakeit@bedlamtheatre.org and let us know your skills & interests, we’ll respond with Hole updates and wHole updates – including other volunteer opportunities.

AND as always SEE THE SHOWS!!!!

WHY is the FLOOR GONE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Tuesday evening May 4th Bedlam Tech Director Brandon Levy discovered cracks in the floor around Bedlam’s Lounge stage. BRANDON DISCOVERS THE CRACK

By night’s end, investigation had revealed a plumbing leak that had compromised a corner of the room’s framework and soaked the remaining floor joists most thoroughly.

The room is self-contained on its own limestone foundation, completely enclosed, with a shallow drop to the sandy soil below – downside: kept us from noticing the leak, upside: kept the damage confined to one room.

Once again we were amazed by the support that has always been magnificently present, Bedlam staff, volunteers, artists and friends fell into step and started to address the problem.  We worked around the clock with Fine Associates (our landlords), architects, engineers, contractors and the first wave of the Bedlam volunteer brigade to assess the needs, insure safety, and… excavate the room (yeah, at this point, the floor is gone.) By Friday afternoon May 6th, the floor was gone.

We’re going to put it back. Fine’s architects and engineers have already drafted several scenarios for replacing the floors, and we will be meeting together early this week to decide the plan of action.

Whatever BEDLAM can do to help, including material donations, including volunteer time, including monetary expenses will be deducted from our rent. So you can not only help us get the Lounge space back up and running, you can help keep the whole operation up and running – long after the hole has been filled.

LIVE FEED FROM THE HOLE!

"What’s the warmest thing on a cold winters night? Beaver!!!" -
 Hopeful Beaver
in Foxy Tann’s Beaverdance!

Put Hopeful’s theory to the test with a Thursday Night Snow-Storm-Special or Come-n-Cuddle-Discount.

5 degrees outside, $5 per person inside
OR
$10 for-as-big-a-cuddle-bunch you bring (limit 73 people per cuddle bunch, you must be in active cuddle at the box office to qualify!)