The Jungle Theater

08/25/2026

Dear friends of the theater,

This letter is an update on where the Jungle Theater stands and what happens next.

Building sale closes in September
The Jungle has signed an agreement to sell our building on Lyndale Avenue. We expect the sale to close in mid-September. The costs of owning the building have outpaced revenue for years. We could keep the building or keep the Jungle. We chose the Jungle.

The sale removes our largest fixed cost and puts us on a strong financial footing. It gives us the means to build the Jungle’s next phase. Now our hard-earned resources can go where they belong: to the artistic work and to the people who make it.

Supporting other theaters
As we prepare the building for sale, we have donated equipment, costumes, tools, and materials to other Twin Cities theaters, arts organizations, and community non-profits, including: Pillsbury House + Theatre, The Costume Collective, Mixed Blood, Playwrights’ Center, Theater Mu, Yellow Tree Theatre, Lyric Arts, Minnehaha Academy, Open Eye Theatre, The Moving Company, The Gremlin, The Crane Theater, Red Eye Theater, Walking Shadow Theatre, University of Minnesota Theatre, Cretin-Derham Hall High School, Theater Latté Da, Theatre in the Round, and History Theatre. We are delighted that so many of the elements that went into our productions will feature in future productions across the community.

Auction
Grafe Auctions is running an online-only auction of the remaining contents through September 1st. The auction is a direct way to support the Jungle. Proceeds support the organization and help fund the transition ahead. If you would like a piece of the Jungle, place a bid. Our archives are not part of the auction. We are preserving them. The auction link can be found in comments below.

Planning our next act
The sale of the building is a major milestone in the disciplined reset that we began at the start of the year. While our communications channels have been quiet these past months, behind the scenes the work has been ongoing and immense.

This fall, the board will begin a strategic planning process. The goal is an artistic and operating model with lower fixed costs and a revenue base built on realistic assumptions, with the mission protected at the center. Writing the next chapter won’t be a solo act. It will be built with our community, not just announced to it.

We will be reaching out and keeping you updated as this work advances.

In January, we said we would step back and plan responsibly rather than spend money we did not have. We did exactly that. We know how important it is to earn your confidence. Thank you for standing with the Jungle for more than 35 years. The Jungle was never just the building. It was the people in it, on both sides of the stage. That has not changed.

With gratitude,

Rich Thompson
Board Chair

05/29/2026

On Wednesday, June 3, join us for a Benefit Reading of LETTERS FROM MAX at Open Book in Minneapolis. One night. One room. A way of staying close to the work, and a way of investing in what comes next.

Presented in collaboration with Milkweed Editions and Open Book, with special guest - playwright Sarah Ruhl, the evening brings together our literary and performing arts communities for a shared purpose.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Reception 6:00 p.m. | Reading 7:30 p.m.
(approx. 2 hours, with intermission)

Ticket link in comments.

05/26/2026

We are honored and excited to be joined by playwright Sarah Ruhl for our June 3rd benefit reading of Letters From Max! Get your tickets now and join us for this joyful, intimate & powerful event presented with our partners at Milkweed Editions--ticket link in comments.

Sarah Ruhl’s plays include In the Next Room, or the vi****or play (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee), and The Clean House (Pulitzer Prize finalist, winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), among many others. She is recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant, and of, most recently,...

05/11/2026

Help us build what’s next.

Letters from Max was meant to be on our stage this season. When we paused programming, that production was among the things we set aside. On June 3, we are bringing it back to Open Book as a benefit reading — one night, one room, with Sarah Ruhl in attendance.

Sarah Agnew and Jesse Lavercombe read. Christina Baldwin directs.

Reception 6 p.m. | Reading 7:30 p.m. | Tickets $150

Every seat helps keep our artistic vision alive, our community gathered, and our future in motion.

Presented in collaboration with Milkweed Editions and Open Book.

Link for tickets in comments below.

04/30/2026

Dear Friends,
After careful consideration, we have made the decision to put the Jungle Theater building up for sale.
We know how much this space means to so many of you. It holds decades of memories—for artists, audiences, and our entire community. We feel that history deeply, and this was not an easy decision.
At the same time, owning and operating the building has required a significant share of our resources. This step allows us to focus more fully on what matters most: supporting artists, serving audiences, and thoughtfully planning for the future of the Jungle.
This is not the end of the Jungle Theater.
It is a transition—and an opportunity to reimagine what comes next.
The Jungle has always been more than a building. It is the people who make and experience the work. That community continues, and it will shape what comes next.
We’ll be sharing more as plans develop. Thank you for being part of this community and staying with us in this moment.
-Rachel & Christina

04/19/2026

Two more classes remain to learn with Allison Vincent on the Jungle stage! Link in comments to register.

04/10/2026

Allison Vincent's classes start on Monday--come learn & PLAY on the Jungle stage. 🐅 Registration link in comments!