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Michelle Bruch
The Regional Flavor Theatre Company will renovate the second through fourth floors of the Skyway Theatre building.
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New theater company is eyeing Skyway Theater
UPDATED January 30, 2009, 10:23am
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By Michelle Bruch
A new theater company is interested in moving into the empty Skyway Theatre that sits above Barfly on Hennepin Avenue. The Regional Flavor Theatre Company would like to renovate the second through fourth floors of the building at 711 Hennepin Ave into a haven for local artists. “We’re planning to turn that into a large theater on Hennepin Avenue which focuses on allowing Minnesota writers, artists, directors and actors to have a place to perform,” said Artistic Director Phillip Rudy. “We’re going to program shows that are either by Minnesotans or deal with issues that are relevant to the state of Minnesota.” Rudy said he expects the fundraising and renovation to take one–two years to complete. When finished, the group would like to restore the film-screening space to provide a place for filmmakers to screen their work. They would also like to bring in national bands to perform in an intimate stage setting. “It’s our goal and our vision to take that part of Downtown ... and make that something that Minneapolis can be proud of,” Rudy said. “We wanted to provide a theater company that would give Minnesota playwrights and Minnesota artists a chance to have their work done. It’s really hard to find a place that will take a chance on new shows because they don’t sell very well.” Rudy said the new theatre company originally planned to organize a small production in Hopkins. Plans changed when Rudy met David Kabanuk, the owner of the Hennepin Avenue building, and learned that the Skyway Theatre space was available. Rudy said the theatre had been abandoned in 1998, and it will require quite a bit of cleaning and renovation work. Rudy recently relocated to Minnesota, and he currently works as an electrician, stage manager, technical director and lighting designer at venues around the Twin Cities including the Orpheum, Fitzgerald and Guthrie Theaters. He has also stage managed for national touring acts such as The Village People, Ru Paul and Flogging Molly. In addition to Rudy, the team of staff working on the project includes Managing Director Nicholas Olson, Business Manager Josh Airman, and Production Manager Christy Keocher. For more information on the project, Rudy is available at phil@regionalflavor.org
“Anyone that’s willing to help us out should definitely get in touch with me,” Rudy said. This story has been revised to clarify that plans for the theater are still tentative, and a lease is not yet finalized.
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Carmichael Lynch drops Harley account
UPDATED August 30, 2010, 2:29pm
By Gregory J. Scott
When it comes to selling muscle bikes, three decades is enough. Downtown advertising agency Carmichael Lynch announced August 23 that it was resigning from its Harley-Davidson account, ending a relationship of 31 years with the iconic motorcycle brand. In a prepared statement, Doug Spong, president of Carmichael Lynch, said, "Our agency leadership came to the consensus that we've taken the Harley-Davidson brand as far as we can. It's in our best interest to part ways." Mark-Hans Richer, Harley’s CMO, said, "Our strategies have been moving away from a singular consumer target and a one-size-fits-all agency solution. Rather than accept this new reality, Carmichael Lynch chose a different path and we respect that." The
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Community notebook :: Florence Court apartments
By Gregory J. Scott
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At Florence Court, new apartments up, courtyard staysThe mid-August groundbreaking came and went quietly for the FloCo Fusion Apartments, a chic rebranding of a ramshackle cluster of student housing near the University of Minnesota’s East Bank campus. Despite years of resistance from current residents, the new building is officially going up, fanfare or no. Florence Court, as the community used to be called, is one of the oldest apartment buildings in the Midwest, dating back to 1886. The L-shaped structure sits at the intersection of 10th Avenue SE and University Avenue, but is tucked back from the street, hidden until recently behind a BP gas station. The 33-unit complex surrounds a leafy courtyard, which its residents — a colorful
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Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
// Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight award //After Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the Downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be
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Downtown visioning session looks to 2025
By jake weyer
// Whether to add a park north of Central Library will be part of the discussion, meant to produce a 15-year plan for Downtown //It’s been nearly 15 years since Downtown business leaders got together with city staff and elected officials to hash out a long-term plan for the area. Back in 1996, those stakeholders came up with Downtown 2010, a vision that included such grandiose plans as a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins, a light rail line along Hiawatha Avenue, a new Central Library, completion of the Target Center and the development of the Downtown Improvement District — all realities today. “We’re standing now, planless,” said Sam Grabarski, president of the Downtown Council. “And a lot of good
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A mountain out of a bronze molehill?
By Gregory J. Scott
// The Sid Hartman statue stirs debate about public memorials Downtown //
OK, no one disputes that the guy deserves a statue. Sid Hartman, the nonagenarian sportswriter who has spent the last 65 years reporting for the Star Tribune and WCCO, is probably getting bronzed. The Department of Public Works is ironing out technical details for installing a metallic Sid replica, complete with TV reporter microphone and newspaper tucked under the arm, right outside of Target Center and a block from the Twins stadium, at the corner of 6th Street and 1st Avenue. The Public Works assessment is the final stage in a roughly six-week approval process to get the statue out into the public. No one’s upset about that. As Nick Legeros, the artist who designed
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Biz buzz :: Construction costing Elliot Park businesses
By Gregory J. Scott
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For Elliot Park businesses, street improvements come with a price
True to its motto, Band Box Diner can turn “grease into a feast.” But the Elliot Park gem can’t make much out of the road construction that’s transformed its streetscape into a scarred industrial zone.
The throw-back diner is one of the businesses standing to benefit from a sweeping, 15-block reconstruction of Chicago Avenue South — if only it can survive through to the project’s completion.
“It’s kind of like, if you have a half hour for lunch, and then you get lost for 45 minutes, what are you gonna do?” says Brad Ptacek, who has operated the diner for the last 13 years.
Ptacek’s breakfast
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