Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, 501 West 78th Street, Chanhassen, Minnesota
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Chanhassen Dinner Theatre | |
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| Address: | 501 78th Street W |
| City/locality- State/province |
Chanhassen, Minnesota |
| County- State/province: |
Carver County, Minnesota |
| State/province: | Minnesota |
| Country: | United States |
| Year built: | 1968 |
| Historic Function: | Theater/concert hall |
| Current Function: | Theater/concert hall |
(44.861177° N, 93.535259° W)
Chanhassen Dinner Theatre has been a center for musical theater in Minnesota since it opened in 1968.
History
The brainchild of Herbert and Carolyn Bloomberg, a builder/developer and interior designer, Chanhassen Dinner Theatres opened its doors on October 11, 1968 to bring the couple's love of Broadway to Minnesota.
After building the Old Log Theater in Excelsior in 1965, the Bloombergs became interested in owning a theater of their own. They hoped to build a theater where production quality was high and where everything from costumes to sets where produced locally. The result was a 500-seat theater, first known as the “The Frontier” when it opened in 1968.
Chanhassen's first production was “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” directed by founding artistic director, Gary Gisselman. At the time, Chanhassen was still a fairly rural town with a focus on farming and only a two-lane highway to get in and out of town and a population of only 4,200 in 1967. However, with the added draw of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, the city began to develop and grow into a significant suburb of more than 20,000.
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres still thrives today producing a wide range of musicals under artistic director Michael Brindisi, and is now owned by Chanhassen Theatres, LLC, a small group of employees and a local investment group.
Badges
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Photo Gallery
Chanhassen Dinner Theatres' History
Herbert Bloomberg and Chanhassen Mayor Eugene Coulter on opening night of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, October 1968. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
L-R Herbert Bloomberg, Alan Lotsberg (star of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), Carolyn Bloomberg, co-owner and wife of Herbert, Susan Schaefer (another star of How to Succeed). Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Early shot of inside the Chanhassen Main Dinner Theatre. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Waiter at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres in 1970. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Salad prep line in the kitchen 1970. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Waitress serving a table at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Dinner service at 1978 production of Fiddler on the Roof. Photo courtesy of Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.
Artifacts from MN Historical Society Collections
a ca. 1969 ad from a Guthrie Theater program for Chanhassen when in was still known as the Chanhassen Frontier
1970s program for Chanhassen Dinner Theatres
A 1970s ad for Finian's Rainbow at Chanhassen from a Guthrie Theatre program
a program for Guys and Dolls at Chanhassen
Memories and stories
Notes
- http://www.1968exhibit.org
- http://www.mnhs.org/index.htm
- http://www.chanhassentheatres.com
- http://www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us/comm/about/history.html
