Theater Latté Da seeks to create new connections between text, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater. Under the directorship of founders Peter Rothstein, Artistic Director, and Denise Prosek, Music Director, Theater Latté Da’s (TLD) passion for innovative approaches has created a new voice for musical theater that respects, challenges, and unites artists, audiences, and communities. Now in the midst of its tenth season, TLD boasts an impressive history of work including thirty-one mainstage productions, nineteen area and world premieres, an ongoing autobiographical cabaret series, and seven original TLD creations to significant popular and critical acclaim.
Inspired by the rich canvas of the human experience, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of artistry while remaining committed to taking risks and constantly pushing the boundaries of musical storytelling. Since our inception, we have maintained an unwavering commitment to our mission, earning a unique place in the Twin Cities’ arts scene by staging and creating productions that challenge our preconceptions, offer new insights, and allow diverse voices to reflect the vast array of beliefs in our community.
We create and search for smart and sensitive pieces that speak to a contemporary audience. In choosing and crafting our productions, we ask ourselves, “What stories need to be told? Whose narratives need to be experienced in this community? How can we ensure that all voices can be heard?” With diverse programming from Edward Albee’s The Death Of Bessie Smith to the atonal musical Wings, from Tod Petersen’s hilarious and poignant A Christmas Carole Petersen to the vaudevillian twist on the classic Gypsy, TLD prioritizes
Ø providing challenging and artistic opportunities for local artists to expand their craft
Ø creating innovative collaborations with both arts and non-arts organizations
Ø expanding our accessibility and outreach programs
Ø instigating partnerships that yield original musical theater works
Why We Need a New Website
Innovative, contemporary, timeless, dramatic, cutting edge, impact on social justice, unique aesthetics--these are all words used to describe Theater Latté Da. We are an innovative theater creating and producing work that will impact the genre of musical theater from this point forward. Our aesthetics, attention to detail, and respect of the art form and all the artists (including stage managers, designers, crews, etc.) who collaborate to create the work are well-known throughout the Twin Cities arts community and we are on the verge of breaking out in the national scene. Our most recent work written by Peter Rothstein in collaboration with the male a cappella singing sensation Cantus, All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 performed to sold-out crowds this past winter. Written as a radio drama, this piece was broadcast over the MPR stations. Next year, we plan on performing this piece for a month-long run at the Guthrie, as well as national broadcasts on American Public Radio and a commercial recording available for sale. However, our organization is mainly dependent on its founders and a small staff of 1.25 FTE to support all this artistic growth and success. The most obvious hole is our website. Our website needs to reflect us, Theater Latté Da, in its innovation, creativity, and theatricality as well as for basic needs such as contact information and receiving donations and sales online.
Theater Latté Da this past season has left its home at the Loring Playhouse and has essentially become a vagabond theater. It was extremely successful, expanding our audiences three- and four-fold. For the next few years, we will not be looking for a new home but instead embracing the unique opportunities of programming musical theater pieces in the venues that most suit the needs of that piece. Next year, we are planning on opening a play with music at the Guthrie Dowling Studio, opening All Is Calm at the Guthrie and A Christmas Carole Petersen (our holiday hit now in its ninth year) continuing its run at the Ordway, and our experimental world premiere aerial musical closing the season at the Southern Theater.
A new website is essential in Theater Latté Da's success. We have batted about the name Virtual Venue. While we have no performance home, any audience member, media person, donor, volunteer, or new visitor will find the aesthetics of Theater Latté Da on our Virtual Venue. We want our website to be its own theatrical destination, creating a unique experience never before seen on theater's websites. We would love to lead the Twin Cities and perhaps the national scene on how the website interacts with the audience members, how it taps into the most up-to-date technological advances and uses those advances to our best advantage and to the convenience of the patrons. As our innovative performances continue to advance the genre of musical theater, we equally want our Virtual Venue to be unique, groundbreaking, and beautiful. With a new website that reflects who Theater Latté Da is, our mission can continue to affect and impact the much broader community here in the Twin Cities, nationally, and beyond.
When the judges choose which non-profits will be selected to participate in this year's F1 Challenge they will take into account testimonials from beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, board members and other
Theater Latte Da is known for consistently outstanding work -- here's a partial list of recent awards:
Theater Latté Da
2006 Best Director – Peter Rothstein (City Pages)
2005 Outstanding Theater Company (Lavender Magazine)
2005 Best Director – Peter Rothstein (City Pages)
Gypsy
2006 Outstanding Musical, Small Theaters (Star Tribune)
2006 Outstanding Director, Musical, Peter Rothstein (Star Tribune)
2006 Outstanding Musical Director, Denise Prosek (Star Tribune)
2006 Outstanding Actress, Musical, Jody Brisky (Star Tribune)
2006 Top Ten Plays (Pioneer Press)
La Bohème
Peter Rothstein – 2005 Ameriprise Financial Ivey Award
2005 Outstanding Musical Theater (Star Tribune)
2005 Top 10 Theater Productions (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
King of Hearts
2005 Best Costume Design (Star Tribune)
2005 Best Scenic Design (Star Tribune)
2005 Best Lighting Design (Star Tribune)
Knock!
2006 Outstanding Experimental Theater Work (Star Tribune)
2005 Best Comedy of the Year (City Pages)
Jim Lichtscheidl – 2006 Ameriprise Financial Ivey Award
Jay Waldera, president of the board
Today's audience members depend on a easy to use,comprehensive website for ticket purchasing. Theater Latte Da does great work on stage but its website is stuck in 1999. It is time to invest in a website for the 21st century to match the wonderful performances Theater Latte Da does on stage.
Bill Venne, Board Member
Theatre Latte Da is creating life-changing experiences for people--and having an ever-greater impact on the arts community. We need a website that gets the Latte Da message to the world--in a timely and innovative fashion, a site that reflects the spirit and excitement that audiences expect from us. We've moved far beyond the old website and need web designers who are as talented in their art as Peter and Denise are in theirs. We're on the cusp. Please join us!
Margaret Nelson Brinkhaus, Board Member
Theatre Latte Da is the perfect partner for a design team appreciative of singular, unique and inventive creativity in the development and implementation of a much needed and imagined ‘cyber-theater’ space.Theatre Latte Da is worthy of a web presence that allows the company to share access to all aspects of the storytelling, education and entertainment that have afforded them the highly regarded and recognized reputation of a very special and dynamic theatre company which they enjoy.
Thank you for considering their application for this innovative opportunity.
Elizabeth Gibba, Board Member
If you look at Theatre Latta Da's mission it states, "we seek to create new connections between text, music, artist, and audience." Clearly by the awards that this company has won, they are truly making this connection. This past year, Theatre Latta Da has gone mobile and does not have a home playhouse. It is now more important then ever for us to continue, and to enhance the connection that we have with our audiences. By redeveloping our website, it allows Theatre Latte Da to remain connected and to help us bring our message to even more people in the Twin Cities community. He us stay wired (connected)! Sorry, couldn't resist the pun.
Steve Froeschl, Board Member
This competition is what Theater Latte Da is all about - collaboration, innovation, excitement, heart, breaking out of the box, being leading edge, and spending sleepless nights over our art!
Christina R. Jansa, Board Member
When I attend a Latte Da production I come away having been inspired and enlightened. I am a witness to bold creativity and centering simplicity. This work should continue to reach audiences of all ages. An updated website which reflects this artistic excellence is one of the necessary tools for this endeavor.
Wendy Short-Hays Director/Choreographer...Latte Da fan
For awhile now, Theater Latte Da has known that it needs to improve its online presence in order to carry out its mission more fully. But as all non-profits know, finding the time, energy and money to make this happen is a challenge. I love the idea of this contest...very innovative and generous...and I think that Latte Da would be a worthy and appreciative recipient. It regularly produces quality work that is relevant to today's world and appealing to a broad range of people. Thank you for considering to help us reach a wider audience!
Peter Carlson, Board Member
A part of Latte Da's mission is to connect with communities who need their stories to be told. A revamped website would enhance our ability to reach a wider audience to tell those stories. And the interconnection of online art and live performance would make for an interesting challenge project.
Jeff Brockmann, Board Member
I am thrilled about the opportunity to collaborate on a new website. Our work strives to be intensely engaging, highly imaginative, readily accessible. I think those qualities could transfer over to a web design. I would love to have a website that is theatrical, a work of art, a stage onto itself.
Our audience is rapidly growing and diversifying. This past December we created a piece of music theater for public radio. There were over 500,0000 thousand listeners. Next December our production will be broadcast in 50 states. A dynamite website is crucial to our organization now more than ever. We hope you can take us there!
Peter Rothstein, Founding Artistic Director
Theater Latte Da is truly a Gift to the Twin Cites community and beyond. The theater challenges, inspires, engages,entertains, moves, transforms, and educates it's audience. It continues to present award winning theatre and is known for "pushing the envelope" and innovative artistry. The website must reflect all of that and is crucial and necessary as Latte Da continues to move forward and increases it's audience. Thank you from the hearts of Theater Latte Da for this consideration. It is so appreciated!
Mike Wenzel, Board Member
Theater Latte Da is imbued with energy, passion, creativity, and the courage to step outside the box. A website which reflects this character would create a new venue for the current audience, remind them of the unique and special contributions which Theater Latte Da brings to the Twin Cities, and share this spirit with a much larger audience beyond our own community. I believe it would be a joy and a privilege and just pure fun to work with this group to develop their website. Thank you for considering their application.
Carol Windfeldt, Supporter and Fan
My enthusiasm and support for Theatre Latte-Da is the result of attending several of the company's outstanding productions. Immaginative staging, outstanding performances by the actors, and the focus on quality material - these elements combine to bring enthusiastic response from audience members as well as respected critics. The company is now faced with new challenges and further opportunities to grow and to bring significant artistic experiences to musical theatre fans in the Twin Cities. The time is perfect for a web-site "face lift" to complement the great expectations for the future significance of Theatre Latte-Da!
Jean Waldera - Professor Emeritus of Theatre Arts/Donor
It is with the utmost repect that I write this. As an Artistic Associate with the company, I can attest that this theatere company has allowed me several things. I have been afforded the opportunity to take part in this artistic experience as both and artist and as a doer. What TLD has afforded me as an artist has been invaluable, no doubt. But as a partron of the arts, I want to see this company flourish and grow. We need quality and intelligently produced musical theater in the Twin Cties, and Peter and Denise have done that with great sensitivity and accumen. A greatly designed website that conveys vital ibox office information and an accessible history about the organization would only be deserving. After all, we are not for profit. Not complicated, easy to navigate and get out the information at hand would only be advantageous .Please, honor our request and design a daring and informative website that only honors this deserving organization.
Vera Mariner, Artistic Associate
In my opinion, the best of the small theatre companies in the Twin Cities is Latte Da. I have felt from the very beginning that they have the best chance of surviving long term because they have been smartest from the get-go. They need a superb website now more than ever because they have let go of their 'home'. The site needs to reflect their unique mission, their incredible creativity, their genius, and their strength. It needs to reflect their status in the community, their reputation among their peers, and their future growth in the community. The web page can function as their central core until they are able to find a new home. They deserve it and I hope you take this in consideration.
Robin Macgregor, loyal friend and Stage Manager
There is a powerful awe-inspiring energy that emanates from Theatre Latte' Da when the combined forces of Peter and Denise create theatrical experiences that positively affect actor's and audiences alike. By creating a virtual website capable of reaching out to those already aware of this phenomenon and those yet to be enlightened, all will benefit.
Jody Briskey, Actor and friend
For the past ten years Theater Latte Da has produced some of the most creative, smart, thought-provoking and inspiring musical theater in the Twin Cities. With each season our audience has grown. And so has the respect and enthusiasm for our work. Unfortunately, our web presence hasn't grown with us. We need a web site that reflects the quality of the creativity we put on stage... and which meets the needs of a 21st century audience. Theater Latte Da adds much to the quality of life in the TCs. It would be a great honor and privilege to receive your professional services to build a web presence that will better serve our growing audience.
Lisa Hoene, Board Member
Many thanks to F1 for this opportunity to talk about my favorite non-profit organization -- Theater Latte Da. Over the past 10 years, TLD has solidified its brand in the Twin Cities on stage with award winning productions and a loyal audience. Throughout this time it has never strayed from its mission statement and it continues to tell the stories that this community needs to hear. TLD is at an amazing point in its history. After several years of calling the former Loring Playhouse its home, TLD made the difficult decision to take its show on the road to various other venues in pursuit of greater artistic freedom. An enhanced web presence is crucial during this growth phase to provide a consistent home base for its patrons and further strengthen TLD's brand.
Bill Underwood, Former Board Member
Theater Latte Da is one of the best theaters the Twin Cities have to offer. Latte Da is innovated and always on the cutting-edge; constantly redefining the art of musical theater. It now needs a web presence that is of the same claiber as the art it produces.
Jen Patti - Former Board Member
With the exciting challenge of becoming a 'traveling' theater group this year, a new web site would be a tremendous addition for the future growth of our organization. We as board memebers are passionate about our commitment to Theater Latte Da and to have a site that would be able to project and maintain that passion would be such a great joining force that could rival all others. We would indeed be humbled and honored to have your expertise and welcome your creativity to bring us into the future greatness that is indeed in store for Theater Latte Da.
Charla Eccles, Board Member
Year after year this great organization continues to grow but our technology sadly has been left in the dust. The cold reality that we have faced as an organization is that in order to continue on with our great works, and provide the services that audiences expect via the web, we need to bring that technology up to the year 2008 and beyond. The concept of being able to have a new web component for Latte Da is so thrilling to me as a board member and audience member. A new website will unlock doors that we have not been able to pry open and will most certainly help this organization continue to provide the outstanding exposure to the fine art of musical theater that so many Latte Da theater goers crave and deserve.
Daniel Caldwell ~ Board Member
Theater Latte Da continually has advanced the genre of musical theater. And the website does not reflect their ingenuity, creativity, and whimsy. They consistently get local media attention, and with their productions moving into the national scene, critics, media, audience members, and potential donors from across the United States will be visiting the website. Wouldn't it be great if they encountered a theatrical event on the web as inventive as they are in person?
Milton Ferris, Donor and former Board Member
Theater Latte Da is truly a gem to our community. The opportunity to improve their website would allow even more people to experience the way in which they re-define "theater." Please give them your fullest consideration. They are so very deserving of this award.
Stephanie Untiedt, former Board Member
Theatre Latte Da is a dynamic theatre concept with exceptionally talented directors, designers, actors, and support staff. Their work has been reviewed very favorably by the Star Tribune over the past three to four years. Their following continues to grow--in numbers and enthusiasm. Seriously consider them for a web site.
Patsy Meisel, suppoerter and friend
Theater outside the box!
Expect the unexpected!
Excellence in every aspect!!
Creative! Innovative!!
That's what you get from Theatre Latte Da.
Can you design a webpage to match this?
Being associated with TLD is guaranteed to benefit you more than you will ever know!!
Margie Hebig, donor and friend
A new website would be a wonderful opportunity for this great organization to further connect with its audience. Your consideration is greatly appreciated!
Alex Rosenstein, Board member
Theater Latte Da has made a giant and ongoing difference in our lives!
A year and a half ago, our (then) 10 year old son was asked by Peter Rothstein to try out for the cast of Gypsy, based on his performance in a high school musical. He joined the cast and was caught in the TDL "spell." It rapidly became apparent to us that the warm, fun and supportive environment was something very special, harnessed to create truly innovative new productions. The combined group of Peter, Denise, dance coach, stage managerial staff, and actors helped our son feel welcomed and an integral part of the artistic enterprise. He has gone on to be in performances continuously since then, with Peter still serving as a mentor and helping open doors to enhance his 'career' opportunities. In the course of this, we were happily caught in the TDL web, now becoming season ticket holders and donors. We have been struck by the breadth and innovation of the performances, and their ability to leave one feeling "touched." A very recent example is the holiday show All is Quiet which was one of the most original and powerful seasonal performances that I have ever seen. Perhaps the example that most exemplifies the important influence of Peter and the TDL enterprise is that my son spontaneously decided to ask his friends to make donations to TDL rather than give him birthday presents this past year. We look forward to the stimulation, friendship and new experiences Latte Da has in store for us.
David Ingbar - friend, donor and definite beneficiary
Theater Latte Da
1614 Harmon Place #230
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Our Mission
Mission: Theater Latté Da seeks to create new connections between text, music, artist, and audience by exploring and expanding the art of musical theater. Under the directorship of founders Peter Rothstein, Artistic Director, and Denise Prosek, Music Director, Theater Latté Da’s (TLD) passion for innovative approaches has created a new voice for musical theater that respects, challenges, and unites artists, audiences, and communities. Now in the midst of its tenth season, TLD boasts an impressive history of work including thirty-one mainstage productions, nineteen area and world premieres, an ongoing autobiographical cabaret series, and seven original TLD creations to significant popular and critical acclaim.
Inspired by the rich canvas of the human experience, we hold ourselves to the highest standards of artistry while remaining committed to taking risks and constantly pushing the boundaries of musical storytelling. Since our inception, we have maintained an unwavering commitment to our mission, earning a unique place in the Twin Cities’ arts scene by staging and creating productions that challenge our preconceptions, offer new insights, and allow diverse voices to reflect the vast array of beliefs in our community.
Background: Rothstein and Prosek began their successful collaboration together by privately producing original cabarets, five of their own creation, for local artists to showcase their broad range of talents. They discovered that by placing equal emphasis on both the music and the storytelling, they could weave tapestries of engaging, thought-provoking, multi-layered—and often surprising—narratives that resonate with people on many levels: personal, intellectual, emotional, visceral, and spiritual. TLD officially incorporated in 1998 and has remained committed to this discovery.
We create and search for smart and sensitive pieces that speak to a contemporary audience. In choosing and crafting our productions, we ask ourselves, “What stories need to be told? Whose narratives need to be experienced in this community? How can we ensure that all voices can be heard?” With diverse programming from Edward Albee’s The Death Of Bessie Smith to the atonal musical Wings, from Tod Petersen’s hilarious and poignant A Christmas Carole Petersen to the vaudevillian twist on the classic Gypsy, TLD prioritizes
Ø providing challenging and artistic opportunities for local artists to expand their craft
Ø creating innovative collaborations with both arts and non-arts organizations
Ø expanding our accessibility and outreach programs
Ø instigating partnerships that yield original musical theater works
Theater Latte Da
