Illusion Theater moved from its downtown theater in the Cowles Center to pursue a partnership as an anchor partner with the Center for the Performing Arts’ new multi-use neighborhood arts development project at 3754 Pleasant Avenue near 38th and Lyndale in South Minneapolis.

Illusion was invited to be a part of the expansion of the Center for Performing Arts. Joining the community of artists that is already established at 38th and Pleasant fit with Illusion’s vision for the work we want to accomplish in the next 20 years. Illusion will be the anchor tenant for the theater at the Center for Performing Arts’ new complex. The CFPA’s Staff will book and manage the facility allowing Illusion to focus on our mission of creating new work that catalyzes change on stage and in the classroom and community. 

The Center for Performing  Arts

The Center for Performing Arts is in the Kingfield Neighborhood. Once a former convent connected to the Incarnation Catholic Church it was acquired by Founder and Executive Director Jackie Hayes in 1995 and renovated into a Center that houses artist studios, classes, and dance and performance spaces. The expansion is a new four-story performing arts building adjacent to the current building. Included in the new building will be two flexible 100 seat performance spaces. The goal of this expansion is to add space for more performances and community gatherings, serving audiences, artists, and the neighborhood, to be “an ecosystem for an innovative creative community.”

We see that the work we envisioned can be accomplished in the intimate theater and efficient office space that will allow us to make the most of our resources and run our programs effectively. While the downtown location of the Cowles Center has afforded us an exciting environment, it’s now time to grow our diverse family and further our mission in a new neighborhood.

Another benefit is the new theater in the Center for Performing Arts will be built to post-COVID needs, with state-of-the-art ventilation and air filtering, additional capabilities to create virtual events anywhere in the space and the theater will be equipped with the latest audio/visual technology. 

Land Acknowledgment

Illusion Theater acknowledges that we work and perform on the stolen, ancestral homelands of the Dakota and the Anishinaabe People - the original Peoples of this Continent.  We express our gratitude to all Indigenous People who for generations have cared for this Continent and who continue to care for its Land, its Waters, and its Creatures. To move beyond acknowledgement to action, may we suggest contacting The Indigenous Peoples Task Force.