Brainerd Community Theatre

The Brainerd Community Theatre, part of the Central Lakes Community Performing Arts Center, serves as a cultural hub for the Brainerd Lakes area, and enjoys nearly a 50 year tradition of providing year-round theatre entertainment.  Students and community members alike are welcome to be a part of the productions, both onstage and backstage.  Productions are staged year-round, with a robust summer theatre program serving the resort population of the area.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. It’s just for CLC students, right? Not at all! As a community theatre we involve the entire community. Auditions are open to everyone. And we’d love to have you backstage, if being onstage is not your thing. Our shows are always a mix of community members, students, former students, and people of all ages.

2. You have to have a lot of acting experience to get a role, right? Not at all! We love having first-time actors in our productions, along with seasoned performers. You have to start somewhere, so why not start with one of our productions?

3. It takes a lot of time, doesn’t it? The short answer is: maybe. That depends on how much time you have to give. Rehearsals for our productions typically last anywhere from 4 to 5 weeks, with another two weekends of performances. We try to work with your schedule as much as we possibly can so that you can participate. The crews who run our shows are generally committed to three weeks of time. We respect your time. We understand you’re making a sacrifice of time to be with us. We think you’ll find it’s well worth it.

4. How do those actors memorize all those lines? The one question most actors are asked. The answer, of course, is one sentence at a time. We’re beginning a new program, Rough Cuts, which will be script-in-hand performances of plays. Minimal rehearsal time, and you’re not required to memorize the play.

5. I don’t want to act. What else have you got? We are always glad to hear this question! For every actor on stage there are at least three people working behind the scenes to build scenery, paint it, hang it, find props, help with costuming, focus the lighting, run the controls, manage the stage, usher the audience….it takes an army! We’d love to have you enlist! You may rise to the rank of general!

6. Who do I contact if I want to join up, or just have more questions than these? For information about upcoming plays, auditions, and work on stage, contact Patrick Spradlin at pspradlin@clcmn.edu or at 855-8255. For work back stage, contact George Marsolek at gmarsolek@clcmn.edu or at 855-8204. To be added to our audition announcement email list, or to ask about opportunities to usher or help promote our work, contact Jean Beckmann at jbeckmann@clcmn.edu or at 855-8253.