Twin cities arts community

An important part of SPCPA’s purpose is to connect the students and the school to the Twin Cities professional arts community in a number of ways.

  1. SPCPA supports students who need to miss school to perform locally with professional and youth arts organizations.
  2. Each artistic discipline offers multiple master classes taught by guest artists. Local professionals are regularly invited to perform for and dialogue with students.
  3. Arts teachers are local professional artists and they connect the students to the organizations they represent.
  4. J-Term projects happen in local professional venues.
  5. SPCPA maintains an Arts Advisory Council composed of arts leaders in the community.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

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Yesterday, SPCPA’s 11th and 12th grade dancers had the honor of working with renowned choreographer, dancer, and scholar Ananya Chatterjea.

Ananya’s groundbreaking work blends contemporary dance, social justice, and healing practice. She is the creator of Yorchhā, the signature movement language of Ananya Dance Theatre, and the architect of Shawngrām, a justice- and community-centered choreographic methodology. A Guggenheim Fellow and Professor of Dance at the University of Minnesota, her work has been performed and taught around the world.

We are deeply grateful for the inspiration, movement, and dialogue she shared with our dancers.

#spcpacommunity #uofmn #uofmndance #universityofminnesotadance #AnanyaDanceTheatre #spcpa
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Yesterday, SPCPA’s 11th and 12th grade dancers had the honor of working with renowned choreographer, dancer, and scholar Ananya Chatterjea.

Ananya’s groundbreaking work blends contemporary dance, social justice, and healing practice. She is the creator of Yorchhā, the signature movement language of Ananya Dance Theatre, and the architect of Shawngrām, a justice- and community-centered choreographic methodology. A Guggenheim Fellow and Professor of Dance at the University of Minnesota, her work has been performed and taught around the world.

We are deeply grateful for the inspiration, movement, and dialogue she shared with our dancers.

#spcpacommunity #uofmn #uofmndance #universityofminnesotadance #AnanyaDanceTheatre #spcpa

Guest artist Camila Leiva visited SPCPA last week! A muralist, painter, comic artist, and arpillera artist based in Minneapolis, she was born in Chile during the final years of Pinochet’s military dictatorship. Last week, Camila led an arpillera workshop with students.

Arpilleras are a form of textile art created by women as a form of resistance to Chile’s authoritarian regime. They also helped raise awareness outside Chile about los desaparecidos (“the disappeared”) — people who were kidnapped by the government and never seen again.

In the coming weeks, students will be creating their own arpillera-inspired narrative textile pieces.

#spcpacommunity #visualart #spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #arpillera
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Guest artist Camila Leiva visited SPCPA last week!  A muralist, painter, comic artist, and arpillera artist based in Minneapolis, she was born in Chile during the final years of Pinochet’s military dictatorship. Last week, Camila led an arpillera workshop with students.

Arpilleras are a form of textile art created by women as a form of resistance to Chile’s authoritarian regime. They also helped raise awareness outside Chile about los desaparecidos (“the disappeared”) — people who were kidnapped by the government and never seen again.

In the coming weeks, students will be creating their own arpillera-inspired narrative textile pieces.

#spcpacommunity #visualart #spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #arpilleraImage attachmentImage attachment+2Image attachment

SPCPA arts teachers are working professionals. Check out the work of theatre instructor Isabella Dunsieth in a number of events over the next few weeks!

HYPOCRALYPSE NOW at The Brave New Workshop. Brave New Workshop brings its signature brand of insightful satire!
hennepinarts.org/events/hypocralypse-now-2025

CAMP BLUDDE at the Twin Cities Horror Festival.
An old legend, old money, new blood.
www.tchorrorfestival.com/

OFF BOOK at the Jungle
Every actor has that nightmare: it is opening night, and you never learned your part. Worse, you don’t even know what show you’re performing! But an actor’s nightmare is an improviser’s dream come true.
ci.ovationtix.com/35301/production/1251464

#spcpacommunity #spcpa #theatre #saintpaulconservatory #jungletheater #BraveNewWorkshop
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SPCPA arts teachers are working professionals.  Check out the work of theatre instructor Isabella Dunsieth in a number of events over the next few weeks!

HYPOCRALYPSE NOW at The Brave New Workshop.  Brave New Workshop brings its signature brand of insightful satire!
https://hennepinarts.org/events/hypocralypse-now-2025

CAMP BLUDDE at the Twin Cities Horror Festival.
An old legend, old money, new blood.
https://www.tchorrorfestival.com/

OFF BOOK at the Jungle 
Every actor has that nightmare: it is opening night, and you never learned your part. Worse, you don’t even know what show you’re performing! But an actor’s nightmare is an improviser’s dream come true. 
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35301/production/1251464

#spcpacommunity #spcpa #theatre #saintpaulconservatory #jungletheater #BraveNewWorkshop

We were thrilled to welcome Ten Thousand Things Theater to SPCPA’s Studio 2 on Tuesday to perform Two Gents by William Shakespeare! Our 11th and 12th graders in Theatre and Musical Theatre loved how the company made Shakespeare so engaging and accessible—thank you, TTT, for sharing your incredible work with our students!

#spcpacommunity #spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #ttt #tenthousandthings
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We were thrilled to welcome Ten Thousand Things Theater to SPCPA’s Studio 2 on Tuesday to perform Two Gents by William Shakespeare! Our 11th and 12th graders in Theatre and Musical Theatre loved how the company made Shakespeare so engaging and accessible—thank you, TTT, for sharing your incredible work with our students!

#spcpacommunity #spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #ttt #tenthousandthings

That's SPCPA dance teacher, SCOTT STAFFORD, at the National Dance Education Conference this weekend in Detroit. At the NDEO, dance teachers engage with pedegogy & curriculum design, inclusive & equitable practices, technique & movement classes, research & scholarship, classroom/studio management, advocacy for dance, community networking & collaboration, health/wellnes & somatics, and many other workshops and intensives. Scott teaches Capstone (Sr. Choreographed pieces) amongst other classes.

#spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #spcpadance #spcpacommunity
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Thats SPCPA dance teacher, SCOTT STAFFORD, at the National Dance Education Conference this weekend in Detroit. At the NDEO, dance teachers engage with pedegogy & curriculum design, inclusive & equitable practices, technique & movement classes, research & scholarship, classroom/studio management, advocacy for dance, community networking & collaboration, health/wellnes & somatics, and many other workshops and intensives.  Scott teaches Capstone (Sr. Choreographed pieces) amongst other classes.

#spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #spcpadance #spcpacommunityImage attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

2 CommentsComment on Facebook

👏👏

My license is in theater and dance, but now I just substitute for any high school subject in the St Paul Public Schools. Do you ever need subs? Please message me if so!

Huge congrats to recent SPCPA alum, Sofia Rose Itskovich (class of 2020) – Sofia is the new Production Stage Manager for the 2025–2026 Broadway National Tour of Chicago. Catch the tour in a city near you – way to go, Sofia!

More info: chicagoontour.com/

#spcpaalum #spcpacommunity #stagemanagerlife #SPCPA #saintpaulconservatory #musicaltheatre
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Huge congrats to recent SPCPA alum, Sofia Rose Itskovich (class of 2020) - Sofia is the new Production Stage Manager for the 2025–2026 Broadway National Tour of Chicago. Catch the tour in a city near you - way to go, Sofia!

More info: https://chicagoontour.com/

#spcpaalum #spcpacommunity #stagemanagerlife #spcpa #saintpaulconservatory #musicaltheatreImage attachment

5 CommentsComment on Facebook

Congrats!

This is amazing Sofia!

Literally the best stage manager i have ever had, she was made for this

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ARTS ADVISORY

Current and former members:

Diane AldisPerpich Center for the Arts
Sarah BellamyPenumbra Theater
Maggie BergeronUniversity of Minnesota, Dance
Jennifer BlagenFreelance Theatre Artist
Gary BriggleFreelance Theatre Artist
Steve BusaRed Eye Theater
Steve CardimoneUniversity of Minnesota BFA Acting Program
Lisa ChannerUniversity of Minnesota BA Theatre Program
Karen CharlesThreads Dance Project
Jeremy CohenThe Playwrights’ Center
Andrew CookeMusic Director, Chanhassen Dinner Theater
David DamschroderUniversity of Minnesota, Music
Annie EnnekingFreelance Theatre Artist
Bradley GreenwaldFreelance Theatre Artist
Michael GruberFreelance Theatre Artist
Benjamin HannaChildren’s Theatre Company
Mary HardingPerpich Center for the Arts
H. Adam HarrisPenumbra Theater
Michelle Hensley10,000 Things Theater
Richard HitchlerTheatre 55 and Mixed Blood Theatre
Sheena Janson KelleyChildren’s Theatre Company
Nora JennemanUniversity of Minnesota, Dance
Anton JonesPlaywright, Climb Theatre
Michelle KinneyUniversity of MN, Instrumental Music
Heather KlopchinSt. Olaf College, Dance
Wendy KnoxFrank Theatre
Chuck LazarusMinnesota Orchestra
Peter LeggettWalker West Music Academy
Wendy LehrSPCPA Artistic Director Emeritus
Bob NeuSkylark Opera
Ron PelusoHistory Theatre
Tod PetersenFreelance Theatre Artist
Toni Pierce-SandsTU Dance
Solomon PrahamWalker West Music Academy
Faye PricePillsbury House Theatre
Joe PriceUniversity of MN/Guthrie BFA Theatre Program
Doug OrzolekUniversity of St. Thomas, Music
Jack ReulerMixed Blood Theatre
Randy ReyesTheatre MU
Whitney RhodesMixed Blood Theatre
Michael RobinsIllusion Theater
Peter RothsteinTheater Latte Da
Uri SandsTU Dance
Chris SchlichtingFreelance Choreographer
Luverne SeifertUniversity of MN, Theatre
Anat ShinarWalker Arts Center
Audrey StottlerA.S. Voice Studio/Met Opera
Steven StuckiSkylark Opera
Laurie Van WierenFreelance Theatre Artist
David WalshUniveristy of MN, Opera
Dr. Betty WebbEducation Consultant
Dave WilliamsonMinnesota Orchestra
Max WojtanowiczCatalysts Theatre