Noted BNW Alumni - Our Founder, Dudley Riggs - Past Show Titles - 2605 Hennepin

How did the Brave New Workshop get where it is today? During the mid 1950's, Dudley Riggs, a former Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus aerialist, formed the Instant Theatre Company in New York City. The original Instant Theatre cast was made up of performers from the circus, Albert White's Follies and vaudeville. By using audience input to create their sketches, the Instant Theatre Company was able to successfully produce unique comedy shows that differed every night. After touring nationally, with runs in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, the Instant Theatre Company found a home in the Twin Cities in 1958. In 1961, the Brave New Workshop name was added, and in 1965, the Workshop moved to its permanent location in a converted auto shop at 2605 Hennepin Ave. S. In 1971, Riggs opened a second theater called Dudley Riggs' Experimental Theatre Cafe in the West Bank area of the University of Minnesota, which remained open until 1991. The Brave New Workshop has been the resident satire company on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and in 1992, Twin Cities Public Television (KTCA/KTCI-TV) produced an hour long program titled Dudley Riggs' American Scream.

READ THE RECENT BNW ORAL HISTORY COMPILED BY THE STAR TRIBUNE!

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP
The Brave New Workshop is the longest running satirical comedy theatre in the United States and was founded by theatre impresario Dudley Riggs. Throughout its existence, the BNW has performed its renowned brand of comedy from several homes, but 2605 Hennepin Avenue has been home for the theatre since 1965."In the early years ('the sixties') the Brave New Workshop was constantly on the move," said Riggs. ". . .usually just ahead of the urban renewal wrecking ball. When we found the old bike shop on Hennepin, we were allowed to catch our wind. Then we were kissed by 'the muse of 2605 Hennepin.'"

1932 Dudley Riggs is born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He joins his family's circus as a performer at age 5. 1958 Dudley brings his "Instant Theatre Company" to the Café Espresso on University Avenue in Northeast Minneapolis. His café / theatre houses the United States' first espresso machine this side of the Mississippi. 1961 The name "Brave New Workshop" is added. 1965 After mounting productions in the Café Espresso on University Avenue, then moving to 207 East Hennepin Avenue, Dudley and crew follow the muse to 2605 Hennepin Avenue on November 30, 1965, making the former bike shop into their permanent home. The ticket price of a BNW show in 1965 is $2. 1971 Dudley opens a second theatre, the ETC, at 1430 Washington Avenue in the Seven Corners area of Minneapolis. This theatre and café becomes home to other BNW productions, as well as stand-up comedy. The 2605 Hennepin location continues to be the theatre's main stage. Dudley operates the ETC until 1991, when he consolidates his operations back to the single 2605 Hennepin location. 1975 The fourth annual New Years Eve Party at the BNW features a 3-and-a-half-hour satirical comedy focusing on the low points of the year, as well as a buffet for the grand price of $8.50. 1990 The BNW celebrates 25 years at 2605 Hennepin by reducing ticket prices to the 1965 price of $2. 1997 Dudley Riggs passes along his theatre to a new generation of owners, John Sweeney, Jenni Lilledahl and Mark Bergren (who leaves his ownership post and the BNW in 1999 to pursue personal interests). The name of the historic theatre changes slightly to "The Brave New Workshop, founded by Dudley Riggs in 1958." 1998 The BNW celebrates its 40-year anniversary by opening a new space for the theatre's main stage and offices at 3001 Hennepin Avenue in Calhoun Square. The 2605 Hennepin location is now the 'Brave New Institute & ETC Theatre,' and becomes the daily home for the BNW's school for improvisation and acting, the Brave New Institute (BNI). Between 1997 and 1999, the BNI grows from a 7-person program, to a school hosting more than 250 students each week. Adult and youth classes, as well as student productions and smaller BNW shows, are held at the 2605 Hennepin Avenue space seven days a week. The interactive comedy, "Flanagan's Wake," also plays at 2605 Hennepin in 1999 and 2000 before moving to its new home in Saint Paul in 2001. 2001 The BNW reaches another milestone when, for the first time in its history, it opens a theatre in a location other than Minneapolis. The BNW, with assistance from the City of Saint Paul's Cultural STAR Grant Program and Saint Paul's Kelly Brother's Investments, renovates the historic Palace Theatre at 17 West Seventh Place. In January 2001, the BNW opens that space with the Irish comedy, "Flanagan's Wake." "Flanagan's" is followed up with a long-running remount of the BNW show "MINNESOTA! It's Not Just For Lutherans Anymore." During this time, the BNW's main stage productions continue at the Calhoun Square location, as well as BNI classes, shows and programs operating from 2605 Hennepin Avenue. The Palace Theatre closes in 2005. 2002 The BNW moves its main stage operations back to the historic 2605 Hennepin Avenue theatre. 2005 The Brave New Workshop produces its 250th original show (based on our best estimate) – a
best-of revue entitled "Martha Stewart’s Prison Jamboree." 2008 Preparations begin for the
Brave New Workshop’s next 50 years.

BRAVE NEW WORKSHOP - WORLD RENOWNED SINCE 1958
The BNW has been performing original satirical sketch comedy and improvisation since 1958, longer than any other theatre in the United States. The BNW is the third oldest theatre of any kind in the Twin Cities and has produced more than 261 original shows on its stages for more than three million people. The BNW began after Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus aerialist Dudley Riggs survived a near-fatal fall from the air. He soon decided to move to a less risky career and started his own "Instant Theatre Company" with a cast assembled from the circus and vaudeville. They opened off-Broadway with a show consisting of vaudeville-style sketches, burlesque blackouts, and something new: the use of audience input in the creation of "instant theatre." After touring nationally, Dudley and the "Instant Theatre Company" found a permanent home in the Twin Cities in 1958, and the name 'Brave New Workshop' was added in 1961.

The BNW has been the resident satire company on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," has toured the world with its renowned style of sketch comedy and improvisation, and was the exclusive comedy improvisation provider for the Disney Cruise Lines. The BNW also operates one of the globe's three largest schools for improvisation (with more than 250 students), the Brave New Institute, and produces and performs original entertainment and training for more than 100 corporations world-wide each year.

The BNW is best known for the hundreds of distinctively talented and famously funny alumni that have passed through its doors. Legendary entertainers like Pat Proft (writer/producer for more than a dozen Hollywood films including Naked Gun, Police Academy and Hot Shots) , Al Franken (Saturday Night Live), Peter Tolan (writer / producer for films and television, credits including The Gary Shandling Show and Analyze This) and comedian Louie Anderson all earned their chops at the BNW. Recent alumni like Mo Collins (MAD TV) and Melissa Peterman (Reba) are also carrying on the BNW tradition in Hollywood and beyond.