In 1959,
Sir Tyrone Guthrie published a small invitation in the drama page of
The New York Times soliciting communities' interest and involvement in a resident theater. Out of the seven cities that responded, the
Twin Cities showed not only interest but also eagerness for the project. Frank Whiting, the director of the
University of Minnesota Theater, introduced Guthrie to the arts community in the Twin Cities and helped gather support that persuaded Guthrie to locate his theater in
Minneapolis. With the help of the newly founded
Tyrone Guthrie Theater Foundation, a fundraising effort raised over
US$2 million. The new theater was completed in 1963, in time for the May 7 opening of
Hamlet. During its first season the Guthrie featured well known stage actors
Hume Cronyn,
Jessica Tandy and
Zoe Caldwell as well as a group of younger actors including
George Grizzard,
Ellen Geer and
Joan van Ark. Tyrone Guthrie served as
Artistic Director until 1966, and continued to direct at the theater he founded until 1969, two years before his death. In 1966
Douglas Campbell was named as the next artistic director of the Guthrie, succeeding the theater's founder and namesake. Throughout the 1960s, the Guthrie found critical acclaim in its productions of
Henry V,
St. Joan,
Caucasian Chalk Circle,
Three Sisters and
The House of Atreus. In 1968, the Guthrie's production of
The House of Atreus was taken on the road for a national tour, a first for a resident theater. His changes allowed more structural flexibility in the stage, granting each production a unique physical presentation. While Ciulei was not able to realize all the goals he had envisioned, he was able to maintain and advance the Guthrie's national and international reputation as a first-rate example of American theater, and under his direction, the Guthrie experienced critical success with productions of classics such as
Peer Gynt,
The Marriage of Figaro, ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Seagull, and Tartuffe''. During this period, in 1982, the theater won the
Regional Theatre Tony Award. Ciulei also worked to reestablish the Guthrie's commitment to acting ensembles, gathering together a rotating repertory in his last season as artistic director in 1985. That same year, the Guthrie tapped Garland Wright, who'd previously spent time serving as Ciulei's Associate Artistic Director during the early 1980s, as Ciulei's successor. Wright shared with his predecessor Ciulei a vision for the theater which included the desire to have a second, smaller stage which could serve as a kind of laboratory, enabling exploration of new work and performance techniques. Born from this vision was the Guthrie Laboratory (commonly referred to as the Guthrie Lab) located in the Minneapolis Warehouse District. Wright also shared Ciulei's desire to keep the concept of a resident acting company alive, using his ensembles to great effect. Wright was able to combine critical and popular success with a series of productions that helped reestablish a large, enthusiastic and loyal audience base. Productions from this period include
The Misanthrope,
Richard III,
The Screens,
Medea,
As You Like It, and a trilogy of
Richard II,
Henry IV (
Parts I and
II) and
Henry V. Wright also cultivated a series of outreach programs, which were designed to garner expanded interest in theater among young people, involving high school and college instructors in the effort. Garland Wright announced his resignation as artistic director in 1994, and after an international search for his successor,
Joe Dowling was chosen as the Guthrie's seventh artistic director. In 2015,
Joseph Haj succeeded Joe Dowling as artistic director. ==Vineland Place==