Old Log Theater
Encyclopedia
The Old Log Theater is the oldest professional theater in the state of Minnesota
. It is sometimes cited as the oldest continuously operating professional theater in the United States, although other much older theaters such as the 200-year-old Walnut Street Theatre
in Philadelphia would seem to have a stronger claim to that title.
The Old Log Theater first opened in 1940 in a building originally used as a shed with a dirt floor. Throughout its existence the theater has focused mostly on screwball comedy
, contemporary plays and British farces, though in its early years it operated as a summer stock
company. During its years of operation in its original Greenwood, Minnesota
location the theater was able to seat 270 people and during its summer season would present a show per week.
During the 1950s the theater's popularity grew and late in that decade it found a need for larger quarters. Herb Bloomberg, who was a builder in Chanhassen, Minnesota
, was hired to design and build the new theater on 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) near Lake Minnetonka
in 1965. The new building could seat 655 and was designed to look like a barn with a large lobby featuring a fireplace and a high ceiling. Herb Bloomberg went on to build and operate the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.
The attached restaurant, The Old Log dining room, can seat 350 diners and provides an important source of revenue.
Current owner and operator Don Stolz joined the theater a year after its inception. When he joined the Old Log Theater he was 23 and was a graduate student in theater at Northwestern University
. The first show Stolz directed that year was Sidney Howard
's Ned McCobb's Daughter. Stolz would be instrumental in the growth of television in the Twin Cities
and became a radio veteran in the area. In 2006, several of Stolz's sons took over theater operations, though Stolz still remains active in the productions, including a short speech before and after each night's performance.
Theater alumni include actor Nick Nolte
who spent three years with the theater, Loni Anderson
and long-time Twin Cities news anchor and actor Dave Moore.
An estimated 6 million people have attended productions at the Old Log Theater. The Old Log Theater exists solely on income generated by ticket and concession sales, and by its attached restaurant.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It is sometimes cited as the oldest continuously operating professional theater in the United States, although other much older theaters such as the 200-year-old Walnut Street Theatre
Walnut Street Theatre
The Walnut Street Theatre , located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at 825 Walnut Street, is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the English-speaking world and the oldest in the United States...
in Philadelphia would seem to have a stronger claim to that title.
The Old Log Theater first opened in 1940 in a building originally used as a shed with a dirt floor. Throughout its existence the theater has focused mostly on screwball comedy
Screwball Comedy
Screwball Comedy is an album by the Japanese band Soul Flower Union. The album found the band going into a simpler, harder-rocking direction, after several heavily world-music influenced albums.-Track listing:...
, contemporary plays and British farces, though in its early years it operated as a summer stock
Summer Stock
For the article about the theatre genre, see Summer stock theatre.Summer Stock is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical made in 1950. The film was directed by Charles Walters and stars Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken, Gloria DeHaven, Marjorie Main, and Phil Silvers...
company. During its years of operation in its original Greenwood, Minnesota
Greenwood, Minnesota
Greenwood is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 688 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
location the theater was able to seat 270 people and during its summer season would present a show per week.
During the 1950s the theater's popularity grew and late in that decade it found a need for larger quarters. Herb Bloomberg, who was a builder in Chanhassen, Minnesota
Chanhassen, Minnesota
Chanhassen is a city in Carver and Hennepin counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is southwest of Minneapolis. The population was 22,952 at the 2010 census....
, was hired to design and build the new theater on 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) near Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka is a lake in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Throughout its recorded history, the lake has been a resort destination. It is located west-southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The lake is an irregular shape with numerous bays and islands which make up about of shoreline...
in 1965. The new building could seat 655 and was designed to look like a barn with a large lobby featuring a fireplace and a high ceiling. Herb Bloomberg went on to build and operate the Chanhassen Dinner Theater.
The attached restaurant, The Old Log dining room, can seat 350 diners and provides an important source of revenue.
Current owner and operator Don Stolz joined the theater a year after its inception. When he joined the Old Log Theater he was 23 and was a graduate student in theater at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
. The first show Stolz directed that year was Sidney Howard
Sidney Howard
Sidney Coe Howard was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for Gone with the Wind.-Early life:...
's Ned McCobb's Daughter. Stolz would be instrumental in the growth of television in the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
and became a radio veteran in the area. In 2006, several of Stolz's sons took over theater operations, though Stolz still remains active in the productions, including a short speech before and after each night's performance.
Theater alumni include actor Nick Nolte
Nick Nolte
Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:...
who spent three years with the theater, Loni Anderson
Loni Anderson
Loni Kaye Anderson is an American actress who played the role of Jennifer Marlowe on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.- Early life :...
and long-time Twin Cities news anchor and actor Dave Moore.
An estimated 6 million people have attended productions at the Old Log Theater. The Old Log Theater exists solely on income generated by ticket and concession sales, and by its attached restaurant.