Commonweal Theatre Company

Commonweal Theatre Company Professional live theatre in historic Lanesboro, MN.

The mission of the Commonweal Theatre Company is to enrich the common good through actor based storytelling which is both transcendent and relevant.

The Spitfire Grill is “a Midwestern tale of second chances and HOPE!! Be prepared to be swept away with humor and a few ...
08/29/2026

The Spitfire Grill is “a Midwestern tale of second chances and HOPE!!
Be prepared to be swept away with humor and a few tears.” (–Janine H. on Instagram)

This beloved musical about fresh starts and community building is bound to nourish your spirit.

THE SPITFIRE GRILL
Music and Lyrics by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the Film by Lee David Zlotoff

Directed by Adrienne Sweeney

Now playing through October 24

Get tickets at CommonwealTheatre.org

📷: Stela Burdt, Adam Lenehan, Alex Schlesinger, Georgia Doolitle, Lizzy Andretta, and Betti Battocletti (Peterson Creative Photography & Design).

Katie Forgette's hilarious Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help has only a handful of performances left!“The cast felt...
08/28/2026

Katie Forgette's hilarious Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help has only a handful of performances left!

“The cast felt like real family on stage: genuine, hilarious, and completely engaging.” (Google Review by Laura V.)

Don's miss this retro coming-of-age comedy before it closes on September 5.

Get tickets at CommonwealTheatre.org

📷:Beth Regener, Grace Cummings, Elisabeth Meyer, Betti Battocletti, and Jeremy van Meter (Peterson Creative Photography & Design).

Playwright Paul Kruse shares his inspiration and hopes for his ice-fishing comedy Eelpout.“I was watching the TV show Le...
08/26/2026

Playwright Paul Kruse shares his inspiration and hopes for his ice-fishing comedy Eelpout.

“I was watching the TV show Letterkenny, which is a Canadian TV show about a small town. And I just loved the way that the people on this show talk. It’s created by this guy named Jared Keeso, and the way he writes is poetic and fast, and he’s interested in masculinity. So I wanted to make a version of that, but q***r it a little more. And bring it back to the part of the world that I know well, which is Minnesota and Wisconsin.

I hope people have fun. I really am invested and interested in theatre that brings people together and entertains. I know that sometimes sounds frivolous, but I think that it’s actually really powerful when that happens and happens well. And that’s what the Commonweal does so beautifully.

And then if people want to sit with it a bit more, I hope people leave thinking about greater possibility in their own lives, greater invitations to strangeness, greater attention to animals that surround us, greater attention to kinship with the natural world and our bodies. And I hope that they’re blown away by the dream ballet because I think every play should have a dream ballet.”

EELPOUT begins previews on September 12.
Opening night is September 19.
The production runs through November 1.

Get your tickets at CommonwealTheatre.org

CLOSING SOON!Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Helpby Katie ForgetteOnly 6 performances remain of this hilarious '70s-ta...
08/25/2026

CLOSING SOON!
Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
by Katie Forgette

Only 6 performances remain of this hilarious '70s-tastic comedy.
Don't miss out.

Friday, August 28 (7:30 pm)
Saturday, August 29 (1:30 pm)
Monday, August 31 (7:30 pm)
Thursday, September 3 (7:30 pm)
Friday, September 4 (7:30 pm)
Saturday, September 5 (1:30 pm)

Get your groove on at CommonwealTheatre.org.

📷: Elisabeth Meyer and Grace Cummings (Peterson Creative Photography & Design).

"Thoughtful. Provocative. Human. Humorous. Incredible performances—so relatable and believable...We are always blown aw...
08/25/2026

"Thoughtful. Provocative. Human. Humorous. Incredible performances—so relatable and believable...
We are always blown away by this GEM of a theater in SE MN. We feel immense gratitude for this quality theater in our backyard!" (–Audience member Kirsten R.H.)

We're so grateful for comments like Kirsten's.
We're so grateful to your visits to the Commonweal.
Because we know that this matters to you, that theatre at the Commonweal enriches the common good.

If you want us to keep telling stories that make a difference, please make a contribution to the Commonweal today. We can't rely on ticket sales alone.

Give today > > > https://commonwealtheatre.app.getcuebox.com/o/XMK3QX9N/donate/6GKZD4WD

Thank you for your gifts.

====================
📷: Alex Schlesinger, Lizzy Andretta, and Stela Burdt in The Spitfire Grill (Peterson Creative Photography & Design)

MERCH ALERT! MERCH ALERT!We've got new gear for you.Commonweal t-shirts and caps are now available for purchase at the b...
08/22/2026

MERCH ALERT! MERCH ALERT!

We've got new gear for you.

Commonweal t-shirts and caps are now available for purchase at the box office.

We have a limited quantity, so don't miss out!

===============

📷: Stela Burdt and Theo.
Note: Currently merch is only available for purchase in-person at the box office; dog not included.

We’re gearing up for one heck of an icy adventure with our upcoming production of Eelpout by Paul Kruse!Here’s the cast:...
08/21/2026

We’re gearing up for one heck of an icy adventure with our upcoming production of Eelpout by Paul Kruse!

Here’s the cast:

Lizzy Andretta (Heidi Olsen)
Cody Beyer (Eelpout)
Catherine Glynn (Holly Olsen)
Elisabeth Meyer (Lena Lingon)
John B. Nicol (Lars Larsen)
Tim Sailer (Ole Olsen)
Alex Schlesinger (Sven Svensen)

Previews begin on September 12.
Opening night is September 19.
The production runs through November 1.

Come fishing with us > > > https://commonwealtheatre.org/our-season/eelpout/

08/20/2026

In our latest video, director Adrienne Sweeney shares what makes The Spitfire Grill such a beloved musical.

THE SPITFIRE GRILL
Music and Book by James Valcq
Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
Based on the Film by Lee David Zlotoff

Now playing through October 24

In The Spitfire Grill, Percy travels Gilead for the beauty of the autumn colors and the chance for a fresh start. Simila...
08/18/2026

In The Spitfire Grill, Percy travels Gilead for the beauty of the autumn colors and the chance for a fresh start.

Similarly, we know many of you love coming to Lanesboro for the natural beauty and your own a kind of restart. And we’re so grateful you put the Commonweal on your itineraries again and again.

If you’ve had a fulfilling time at the theatre, could you do us a favor an make a contribution to our annual Midsummer Giving Campaign?

Any amount (seriously) goes a long way to keep the Commonweal light shining—ensuring our region is rich in stories that stretch imaginations and open hearts and minds. We do this for you, and we want to keep enriching the common good.

Give today > > > https://commonwealtheatre.app.getcuebox.com/o/XMK3QX9N/donate/6GKZD4WD

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📷: The Spitfire Grill ensemble (Peterson Creative Photography & Design).

If you're making it a double feature on Saturdays, you're also seeing double—with actor Betti Battocletti, that is!Betti...
08/15/2026

If you're making it a double feature on Saturdays, you're also seeing double—with actor Betti Battocletti, that is!

Betti's doing double duty this summer as:
1) Aunt Terri in Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help
2) Hannah Ferguson in The Spitfire Grill

That means, today, she's juggling a two-show day!

📷: Betti Battocletti, Elisabeth Meyer, and Ian Zahren (Peterson Creative Photography & Design).

Address

208 Parkway Avenue N
Lanesboro, MN
55949

Telephone

+18006577025

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