Red Eye Theater (legal name Red Eye Collaboration) is a multidisciplinary creative laboratory dedicated to the development and presentation of boundary-breaking performance work in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. It was founded in 1983 by writer/director Steve Busa, performer Miriam Must, and visual artist Barbara Abramson. Branching out from a theatrical base to support a wide range of programming, Red Eye is home to theater, dance, music, performance art, and interdisciplinary forms. In addition to creating its own acclaimed multimedia theatrical productions, Red Eye functions as an incubator and producer of other artists' works. Red Eye's "New Works 4 Weeks Festival," the annual culminating public component of a six-month development program for emerging and mid-career artists, has been called "one of the most important platforms for new and experimental performance in Minnesota." In October 2018, Red Eye lost its long-time Loring Park storefront space to gentrification. In 2019, Red Eye announced the retirement of its founding leaders and the appointment of seven new Artistic Directors to collectively guide the organization forward. Red Eye’s new Artistic Directors are Theo Langason, Hayley Finn, Jeffrey Wells, Valerie Oliveiro, Andrew Lee Dolan, Emily Gastineau, and Rachel Jendrzejewski. All previously worked at Red Eye as independent artists. In 2022, Red Eye relocated to a permanent facility as a part of the city's Seward Redesign's Seward Commons Project. At the new location Red Eye's first performance was streamed live for audiences on March 24, 2022. Others of the hundreds of artists who have collaborated with or presented work at Red Eye include

Lee Breuer Esser Leopold Breuer (February 6, 1937 – January 3, 2021) was an American playwright, theater director, academic, educator, filmmaker, poet, and lyricist. Breuer taught and directed on six continents. Career Breuer was a founding co-artistic ...

BodyCartography Project BodyCartography Project is a dance performance duo composed of Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad. Their work is influenced by their studies at the Body-Mind Center, where dance is taught based on a somatic movement approach. The pair have created o ...

Sheila Callaghan Sheila Callaghan (born 1973) is a playwright and screenwriter who emerged from the RAT ( Regional Alternative Theatre) movement of the 1990s. She has been profiled by ''American Theater Magazine'', "The Brooklyn Rail", ''Theatermania'', and ''Th ...

Lisa D'Amour Lisa D'Amour is a playwright, performer, and former Carnival Queen from New Orleans. D'Amour is an alumna of New Dramatists. Her play ''Detroit'' was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Biography Education D'Amour received a B.A. in ...

, Angharad Davies, Christina Ham,

Jordan Harrison Jordan Harrison (born 1977) is a playwright. He grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington. His play ''Marjorie Prime'' was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Biography Harrison received a B.A. from Stanford University in 1999 a ...

, Ann Marie Healy, HIJACK, Kim Hines,

Julia Jarcho Julia Jarcho is an American experimental playwright and director and professor of theater and performance studies. The NYC company Minor Theater produces and debuts her new works. She won the 2013 Obie for Best New American Play for ''Grimly Hand ...

Emily Johnson Emily Johnson (born March 19, 1976 in Soldotna, Alaska) is an American dancer, writer, and choreographer of Yup'ik descent. She grew up in Sterling, Alaska and is based in New York City. She is artistic director of her performance company, Emil ...

Sibyl Kempson Sibyl Kempson (born 1973) is an American playwright and performer, who received the 2018 PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award for an American Playwright in Mid-career. Kempson was raised in Pequannock Township, New Jersey. ...

, Wendy Knox, Ruth Margraff, Megan Mayer, Neal Medlyn, Leslie Mohn, Kira Obolensky, Ashwini Ramaswamy, Rosy Simas, Karen Sherman, SuperGroup,

Deborah Jinza Thayer Deborah Jinza Thayer is an American choreographer, dancer, and artistic director, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Early life Deborah Jinza Thayer was raised in Brooklyn, New York. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Johns Hopkins Univer ...

, Morgan Thorson,

Anne Washburn Anne Washburn is an American playwright. Life Washburn graduated from Reed College and from New York University, with an M.F.A. Her plays have been produced in New York City by Cherry Lane Theatre, Clubbed Thumb, The Civilians, Vineyard Theatre, ...

, and Marcus Young. Red Eye has received major funding from the Jerome Foundation,

McKnight Foundation The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in ...

Target Corporation Target Corporation (doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a compon ...

, Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Minnesota State Arts Board, and

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

,National Endowment for the Arts — December 2014 Grant Announcement: Art Works grants
Retrieved August 6, 2015. among others.

References

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External links

Official website''Pioneer Press'' interview with Co-founder Steve Busa, April 2014''Minnesota Playlist'' interview with Red Eye's new Artistic Directors, May 2019
Regional theatre in the United States Arts organizations based in Minneapolis Theatre in Minneapolis Arts organizations established in 1983 1983 establishments in Minnesota