(Lanesboro, Minn.) The Commonweal Theatre Company announces its 37th season with a set of five marvelous plays: Lauren Gunderson’s ode to friendship The Half-Life of Marie Curie; Paul Slade Smith’s screwball comedy The Angel Next Door; Josh Tobiessen’s small-town comedy Lone Star Spirits; William Shakespeare’s legendary classic King Lear; and Mark Shanahan’s merry and mysterious mash-up A Sherlock Carol.
Season passes and single tickets are on sale at www.CommonwealTheatre.org or by calling the box office (800) 657-7025. All performances are at the Commonweal Theatre, 208 Parkway Ave N., in downtown Lanesboro, MN.
The first play of the season is Lauren Gunderson’s captivating The Half-Life of Marie Curie. Chemist and physicist Marie Curie is about to accept a second Nobel prize for her pioneering work in radioactivity when a public scandal forces her to seek refuge. She retreats to the seaside home of engineer and suffragist Hertha Ayrton. There, the two friends explore what it means to be mothers, wives, scientists, and thought leaders in a changing world on the verge of war. With her sharp wit, crackling dialogue, and deep empathy, playwright Lauren Gunderson (Silent Sky and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley) illuminates the indomitable power of friendship between two extraordinary women. Jaclyn June Johnson will direct fellow company members Laurie Roberts (Marie Curie) and Stela Burdt (Hertha Ayrton). This ode to friendship will run from April 5 through July 5.
Next up is the glamorous and goofy comedy The Angel Next Door by Paul Slade Smith (who wrote last season’s smash-hit political comedy The Outsider). Audiences will be transported to an opulent Newport mansion in 1948, where playwrights, actors, and a star-struck novelist gather to work on their next Broadway hit. (Never mind the housekeeper who wants them gone.) “The Angel Next Door is a glittering, effervescent hit romantic comedy. It’s an elegant, sweet-dry glass of champagne, bubbling over with non-stop laughs, merriment, glamor, and high-spirited hijinks. It’s hard to think of more fun you could have at the theatre right now, or really, more fun anywhere” (BroadwayWorld). Charlie Oates (professor Emeritus University of California, San Diego) will direct Commonweal company members Hal Cropp, Tim Sailer, and Adrienne Sweeney, along with some beloved guest artists from the region. The fizzy screwball comedy runs from May 17 through September 6.
The third offering of the 2025 season is Josh Tobiessen’s small-town comedy Lone Star Spirits. A trip home gets wildly out of hand when Marley introduces her fiancé to her estranged father. Hoping for a quick visit, she ends up stranded in a liquor store with her football-hero ex, a single mom desperate for a girls’ night out, and the ghost of a bear-wrestling pioneer who founded their tiny Texas town. This fast-paced comedy with hairpin turns takes a sympathetic look at those who stay and those who leave their hometowns—and the ghosts that haunt folks either way. “A very fine coming-home story, reconciliation story and small-town-hero story—another spunky, funny work by Josh Tobiessen” (The New York Times). Adrienne Sweeney will direct fellow company members Lizzy Andretta, Cody Beyer, Alex Schlesinger, and Jeremy van Meter. The spirited fun runs from July 12 through October 25.
Next, the Commonweal will embark on a legendary classic by William Shakespeare: King Lear. As age overtakes Lear, he divides his kingdom amongst his daughters. Misjudging their loyalty, he finds himself stripped of all that defined him. Now this once-revered king is trapped in an emotional hurricane ravaging his head, home, and heart. Amanda Rafuse has adapted the script and returns to direct (recent Commonweal credits include Ugly Lies the Bone and Bernhardt/Hamlet). Producing Artistic Director Hal Cropp will play Lear, founding company member Eric Bunge will play Gloucester, and a host of company members will join them. The epic drama plays from September 13 through November 2.
Finally, the holiday offering to round out the 2025 season will be Mark Shanahan’s delightful caper: A Sherlock Carol. The worlds of Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle collide in the ultimate Christmas crossover. When a fully grown and not-so-Tiny Tim asks Sherlock Holmes to investigate the peculiar death of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Great Detective must use his tools of deduction to crack the case. But it’s a dark and gloomy Christmas Eve, and the holiday is haunted by the spirits of the past, present, and future. Michael Bigelow Dixon (Alice in Winter Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and On the Verge) returns to direct, with Jeremy van Meter playing the Scrooge-like Sherlock. The merry and mysterious mash-up runs from November 8 through December 21.
COUNTY FREE NIGHTS
THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE – Thursday, April 10
THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR – Thursday, May 22
LONE STAR SPIRITS – Thursday, July 17
KING LEAR – Thursday, September 18
A SHERLOCK CAROL – Thursday, November 13
All County Free Night performances begin at 7:30 pm. While admission is free of charge to residents and employees of Fillmore and Houston Counties, seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended to be made at least two weeks in advance. There is a limit of four tickets per household. To claim tickets, call the box office: (800) 657-7025.
County Free Nights at the Commonweal Theatre are made possible with support from Houston Dental Clinic, POET, Merchants Bank Lanesboro, and Nethercut Schieber PLLP
“PAY WHAT YOU CAN” PERFORMANCES
Additionally, the Commonweal offers “Pay What You Can” performances on the following dates:
THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE – Friday, April 18
THE ANGEL NEXT DOOR – Thursday, May 29
LONE STAR SPIRITS – Thursday, July 24
KING LEAR – Thursday, September 25
A SHERLOCK CAROL – Thursday, November 20
For these performances, anyone may choose to pay any amount for their tickets. There are no county restrictions. Single adult tickets are normally $38. The “Pay What You Can” program has been supported by the Mayo Clinic Community Foundation.
For more information about the 2025 season, visit www.CommonwealTheatre.org. To check availability and to reserve tickets, contact the box office at (800) 657-7025.
ABOUT THE COMMONWEAL THEATRE COMPANY
Since 1989, the professional artists of the Commonweal have brought to life soulful stories told with honesty and creativity. Located in the heart of southeast Minnesota’s bluff country, Lanesboro (pop. 720) is home to the company’s theatre in its historic downtown. Under the leadership of producing artistic director Hal Cropp, the company boasts a distinctive organizational model with resident ensemble members (who have come from all over the country to make their home in the area) fulfilling the day-to-day artistic and operational needs of the company as artist/administrators.
For more information, visit www.commonwealtheatre.org.
