Letter: Your perspective belongs with Black Dirt Theater

To the editor,

Something big has taken root in Hastings. A seedling of an idea was conceived three years ago, and it has been watered and nurtured by a portion of this community, but it is time for a wider audience to know about and embrace this opportunity. It is collaborative by nature, it is reflective of who we are as a community, and its function is central to who we are as human beings. It is Black Dirt Theater.

As a family, we were cast members in Oklahoma! last summer. Our son Lewis has been in plays for much of his life, but my wife Valerie and I had never stepped on a stage in any formal production until Lewis asked us to audition with him last spring. The entire experience was over the top. We became friends with over 60 people from the area that we had never met before, and we enjoyed some amazing bonding time with our son. The actual rehearsal was unique in that we were encouraged to take this story and make it our own. It became a reflection of our town, our community. We not only embodied our parts, we put ourselves or parts of people we know into them. We were doing something that humans have always done, tell stories: our stories. It was a great choice of play for our community, and the artistic staff was a sensational group of people who were professional, yet accessible, which is an essential characteristic when working with novices and lifelong performers alike.

I want other individuals and families to know about and be able to experience what we did. We, a group of over 60 people from different experiences in the same city, collaborated on a story to make it reflect our community and tell our stories. Black Dirt is a place that finds the common ground among all of us. You are part of our community too. Your perspective, your experience belongs here too. Black Dirt Theater wants you to help tell its next story. Do something different, something meaningful. Come be a part of a new Hastings tradition.

Auditions for The Sound of Music will be on May 11 and 12. See you there!

— David Youngren and family

Tags: letters to the editor, opinion, hastings, minnesota, spiral, local