Just over four years ago I stepped foot in Winona, Minnesota for the first time. I couldn’t have known it at the time, but it was the beginning of something so much bigger than where I would spend that summer or do a little Spear(e)shaking. Looking back on it now I can say, without hyperbole, coming here was a choice that has changed the course of my career. It may sound dramatic, and as an actor I imagine that’s expected, but it also happens to be true. What, you ask, about this dreamy Mississippi River town left such an impression on me? I guess a bit of context would help.
I had heard of the Great River Shakespeare Festival in conversation and for years Andrew Carlson, a longtime company member who attended the university where I earned my MFA, frequently sang the praises of the company and Winona, but for whatever reason, I was never able to get up here. Almost a year after finishing my degree, I was contacted by Artistic Director Paul Barnes about auditioning for their upcoming season which would include Othello and Comedy of Errors but, unfortunately, I was away from New York when he was holding auditions. He graciously allowed me to submit a video and this is where kismet kicked in. Today, “cyber” auditions are becoming more commonplace, but at that time I had never secured or known anyone who had secured a job from a tape, especially not the titular role of a play. I had previously worked with Alec Wild (director of Othello), but didn’t know Barnes well and once I had submitted the tape, I honestly didn’t expect it to go beyond that. I thought I had a greater chance of winning the lottery than booking the job, but as things would turn out, I received an offer to come to Minnesota to play the ill-fated Moor of Venice. That following May I packed my car and drove from California to Winona.
One of the great benefits of working in the American regional theatre circuit is the travel. I’ve had the fortune of working at theaters around the country and though that in itself is exciting, I have frequently found that there were, more times than not, great theaters located in okay cities or okay theaters in great cities, but this place is an exception. The moment I rolled into town I felt there was something unique about the place. Taking in the majestic bluffs, the ever-churning river, and architecture as diverse and detailed as any I’ve seen anywhere, I immediately felt like I’d stumbled upon some magic little village. Then I reached the rehearsal room and the deal was sealed.
I had heard the company sales pitch from company alumni but seeing it in person was something completely different. GRSF’s commitment to through text work, production values and its community inspired me and once I had memorized my lines I began to wade into the town a little more. A creature of habit, I discovered and began to frequent some of the town’s great establishments and before I knew it, was coming face to face with audience members. Initially at the likes of the Blue Heron or the Co Op and then in parking lots, on runs around the lake and eventually, once I’d explored a few bars and settled in there, at Ed’s No Name Bar. I had never had so many people offering to buy me drinks or lunch (or this year… groceries!) They were enthusiastic about the work I was doing, wanted to discuss the plays, the characters, where I hailed from and every conversation was buttoned with a “Welcome to Winona.” It was new; endearing but new and I must admit, after years of New York living, I was initially skeptical. I had not yet experienced Minnesota Nice. I didn’t doubt the sincerity but the level of generosity, openness and appreciation for what we were doing onstage was staggering.
Eventually I settled in, learned the lay of the land, a bit of the city’s history and found its love of all things sandwich and Shakespeare! The plays were challenging and well received. My workload in Othello was heavy and I spent a great deal of time on my own, before and after the shows, so I didn’t get to fully experience Winona and before I knew it the first season was over almost as suddenly as it began. There were discussions about the following year’s shows and talk of my possible return, but in this business everything is about timing and I was not sure I’d be able to even if asked. When an offer did come the following spring and my schedule allowed me to accept, I was thrilled.
May came, I departed from New York, flew to California to claim my car and drove to town only to find that NOTHING had changed! People looked a little older, happier, wiser, thinner or fatter but their spirits and the spirit of the place was firmly intact. It was as if we’d never left. People were still inviting, just as hungry for the work and on top of that I noticed something else. In all the welcomes I received Winona was replaced with one word: home. Without exception, everywhere I went it was “Welcome Home!” and then it hit me. Somewhere in that first season, without even noticing it, I had indeed found another home of sorts. I had a table at the Heron, a spot down on the dock, a regular order at Ed’s, not to mention a new family of artists whose work I loved and who supported mine, an audience ready and willing to go on the journey with us and a growing number of friends in the community. The realization floored me and to this day I marvel at the fact that I even after that first summer nine months before I remembered so many names, so many faces and in such a short period of time. That season I met new people, attended parties and got more involved in the company and community and when that year ended I knew I’d come back if invited. I was hooked.
The rest, as they say, is history, but as I think on it now, four seasons in, it’s hard to believe there was a time pre-GRSF. I firmly believe some of my strongest personal work has been done its stage, some of the best friendships of my adult life were born here and I always manage to leave Minnesota calmer and more balanced than I arrived. Winona has become home far from home. I cherish the time I’m able to spend on the bluffs, by the Mississippi, at bar of Ed’s, the Blue Heron or Dibs Cafe and running the lakes. The town is a place restoration, one I have often bragged to my New York friends about and this year have set to trying to capture the sights and sounds of town so they can see what I mean when I get back.
Interestingly, as I’ve photographed my experience here this year, I have found myself thinking things aren’t so different from where I live the other nine months out of the year. Sure, NYC is busier, grittier and packed with far more people, but the two have more in common than one might think. There are Winonan streets that could be right out of parts of New York. The level of cultural activity and community activism, indie music and arts appreciation remind me of time spent in Williamsburg or Bushwick. It reminds me that New York doesn’t hold a monopoly on culture, that great things happening everywhere you go and in the case of Winona, home can be whatever you make it.