Anoka Ramsey Community College

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Theatre Department

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Theatre Department

Recognized by the Kennedy Center in 2013 for distinction in theater production, Anoka-Ramsey Community College offers one of the finest two-year theater education programs in Minnesota.

Our productions are only open for participation to Anoka-Ramsey students, allowing greater opportunities in acting, design and production. Join a nearly 50-year tradition of creating engaging, exciting theater here at Anoka-Ramsey.

Who We Are

Our Theater degree has a generalist focus allowing Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) in theater majors a variety of experiences in acting, design and production. Classroom learning offers students an introduction to practices, techniques and historical influences that are unique to our productions.

Our three show season serves as a laboratory where classroom learning is practiced and excellence demonstrated. Our productions serve as springboard for deeper learning about the craft of theater making.

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Course Descriptions
Department Directory
Admissions | 763-433-1300
Dean Hannah Oliha-Donaldson |
763-433-1186

Meet Blayn Lemke

Instructor of Theatre

View All Faculty Profiles

Meet Holli Richgels

Theatre student

View All Student Profiles

Degrees We Offer

Courses offered include a wide range of specialties with particular emphasis on performance and technical theatre.

The department offers one degree:

Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree in Theatre

Cambridge Campus produces one production each academic year.

Students participate in all aspects of production including acting, stagecraft, lighting, costuming, stage management and assistant directing.

Whether you are an experienced performer or a novice, there is a place for you in the Theatre program. If you can hammer a nail, sew a stitch, or create a character onstage, we want you!

"Comedy Triple Feature" "The Proposal" "Here We Are" "The Sure Thing" By: Anton Chekhov, Dorothy Parker, David Ives Directed by: Lisa Weaver	"And Then There Were None" By: Agatha Christie Directed by: Lisa Weaver
"The Last Night of Ballyhoo" By: Alfred Uhry Directed by: Lisa Weaver	"Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music" By: Lee Blessing Directed by: Lisa Weaver
"Fools" By: Neil Simon Directed by: Gail Kasl	"The Dining Room" By: A.R. Gurney Directed by: Gail Kasl
"Dinner with Friends" By: Donald Margulies Directed by: Lisa Weaver

Our students are engaged in all areas of production. Whether performing on stage as actors or creating props and costumes in our shops or building scenery, running lights, sound, and special effects behind the scenes – we offer many exciting opportunities for everyone to get involved.

Take a look at some of our recent work and see for yourself the variety and quality of our student’s production work here at Anoka-Ramsey Community College.

	*The Foreigner* By Larry Shue Directed by Thomas McCarthy
*Guys and Dolls* By Damon Runyon Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser Book by Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows. Directed by Scott Ford	*The Hollow* By Agatha Christie Directed by Lisa Weaver
"Flavio Betrayed a Comedia" By: Scott Ford Directed by: Scott Ford	*HONK!* Music by: George Stiles Books and Lyrics by: Anthony Drewe Directed by: Scott Ford
*A View From the Bridge* By: Arthur Miller Directed by: Lisa Weaver	*The IT Girl* By: Michael Small and BT McNichol Directed by: Scott Ford
*Las Hermanas Padilla* By: Tony Meneses Directed by: Blayn Lemke	*Tartuffe* By: Moilere Directed by: Blayn Lemke
*Urinetown The Musical* Music By: Mark Hollmann Lyrics By: Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis Directed By: Scott Ford	*The House of Blue Leaves* By: John Guare Directed by: Blayn Lemke
*Anatomy of Gray* By: Jim Leonard Directed: Scott Ford	*Book of Days* By: Lanford Wilson Directed by: Lisa Weaver
*Harvey* By: Mary Chase Directed by: Jack Bibee	*HMS Pinafore* By: Gilbert & Libretto Sullivan Directed by: Blayn Lemke

Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a great place to begin or continue your Theatre training.

Students of Anoka-Ramsey regularly go on to complete Theatre degrees at four-year colleges and universities such as the University of Minnesota, University of

Minnesota-Duluth, Hamline University, Minnesota State University at Mankato and Moorhead, Winona State University, the University of Colorado, the University of South Dakota, and many others.

Theatre students from Anoka-Ramsey regularly appear on stage and backstage all over the Twin Cities. Our alumni have worked for the best theatres in the region including the Guthrie, Chanhassen Dinner theatres, Theatre in the Round, the Old Log Theatre and the Medora Musical. Others have appeared in television commercials and locally produced films. Some have even grabbed the national spotlight, performing on stage and television for Disney and Nickelodeon and stage managing international Broadway Tours.
Whether you are an experienced performer or technician or a theatre novice, there is a place for you in the Anoka-Ramsey Theatre program. We can provide you with valuable experience and training to start a career in theatre or just a welcoming environment to discover all the elements that go into a production. With two or three major productions each year at the Coon Rapids Campus, regular opportunities for involvement abound as students participate in all aspects of production; including acting, stagecraft, lighting, sound, props, costuming, stage management, and assistant directing. If you have a desire to construct scenery or costumes or create a character onstage, this is the place for you!

Whether you become directly involved or not, be sure to see all four shows. Anoka-Ramsey students receive two free tickets for each production.

Tickets are available online starting four weeks prior to each performance or can be purchased at the box office starting 1 hour prior to curtain each night.
Check out the Theatre's coloring book Fun for all ages!

More About The Department

Students Can See Free Performances

With your student ID, you can get two free tickets to any Theatre production at Anoka-Ramsey.

For more information and viewing please visit https://www.arcctheatre.com/current-production

Anoka-Ramsey Community College Theatre presents These Shining Lives

November 8, 9, 14*, 15, & 16 at 7:30 p.m.
*ASL Interpreted Performance

This play chronicles the tragic and inspiring true story of a group of young women in the 1920s and 30s sometimes referred to as the Radium Girls. They land well-paying jobs painting glow-in-the-dark watch and clock faces at the Radium Dial Company in central Illinois. Over the next decade, the radium-infused paint slowly poisons the women leading to an array of debilitating health issues. The ensuing legal battle exposes the dishonesty and callousness of the profit-seekers, and the spirit and fortitude of these strong women. Join us for this moving story about friendship, love, women’s rights, and worker’s rights.
"Anoka-Ramsey Theatre Students Recognized At Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival 53"
Patch.com, Oct. 3, 2021

"Ovation and Rogue Fixtures Transcend Time and Space in College Production of 33 Variations"
Stage Direction, Nov. 29, 2016
Purchase tickets for our Theatre productions here.

For more information and viewing visit ARCCTheatre.com

Meet Our Students and Alumni

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Meet Brandon Osero

Brandon Osero

Arts & Communication

AFA in Theatre

"The Theatre Department offers a warm, welcoming environment. The instructors provide fantastic feedback to their students. There are also wonderful opportunities for all students to be involved in theatre whether it is onstage, backstage, directing or participating in classroom activities."
Meet Neal Skoy

Neal Skoy

Arts & Communication

AFA Theatre

"The student counselors and academic advisors were a great resource for me. They were a fantastic help in figuring out the standard college confusions. I recommend taking advantage of those wonderful people.

This college is a gem. The environment, when taken full advantage of, is a remarkable place to learn. It’s close to home and you can’t beat the tuition. If allowed, this place grows on you!

I enjoyed a lot of GREAT instructors at Anoka-Ramsey. Every subject was led with friendly wisdom and approachable guidance. A school is defined by its instructors and these people are absolutely fantastic.

The Theater program at Anoka Ramsey is solid. The shows are great. The experiences are unforgettable. The hands are more than capable for giving you the experience you need. You can’t go wrong. I am a bit biased toward the Theater Department. The Theatre instructors are personable, full of passion, and genuinely smart theater people. Also, the Music Department is underrated –no matter how much credit is given to them."
Meet Courtney VonVett

Courtney VonVett

Arts & Communication

AFA in Theatre

"The sense of community among the students and faculty. If one of my instructors is having a rough day or has to cancel a class due to an emergency, I know there are a number of students who will go out of their way to email that teacher and make sure things are okay. The instructors will do the exact same thing for the students."