You can support the excitement that is GREAT Theatre by making a gift today! We are in our fourteenth year and have created an innovative season with show titles that celebrate the diversity of this community. What we are striving to accomplish on stage, in conjunction with our work in schools, community centers, libraries, and parks is vital. We believe that art changes lives, gives participants tools to deal with life’s challenges, and builds understanding for others.
GREAT is now embarking on its 14th season of productions and has grown to become the largest youth arts educator in Central Minnesota. In 2010-2011 we educated and entertained 60,208 audience members and hit a record 1,264 students in summer camp. GREAT believes that every child should have the opportunity to benefit from live theatre. In fact, since our inception, no child has ever been turned away from our performances or summer camps due to an inability to pay. Will you join us in continuing to support the arts for all youth?
Donations of all sizes truly make a difference in our ability to bring the joy of community theatre to families across Central Minnesota. Make your gift online or over the phone by calling GREAT at 320-258-2787. You can also mail a check to:
919 West St. Germain,
St. Cloud, MN 56301.
Click here to read a letter from local teacher Tim Holbrook.
GREAT is a registered 501c3 nonprofit; 100% of your donation is tax-deductible.
GREAT Supporters
As a donor, you help create UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES like this one:
Submitted by Casey M. Schmoll, St. Cloud, MN
I can still vividly remember walking upstairs in the newly occupied GREAT Clearwater Playhouse to audition for Annie the fall of my fourth grade year. After much bribing and pushing from our mother, my sister, Katie, and I reluctantly agreed to venture down the hill to audition for a show, dragging our feet as we went. Neither of us expected to catch the attention of any director’s eye, let alone make it into the show. To the surprise of both my sister and I, but not to our mother, we were cast in our very first show. Little did we know, it would open up a world of opportunities to us as children, and later we would come to realize our lives would be much different without GREAT Theatre around! I was cast as Mr. Bundles/Lt. Ward and my sister was cast as one of the sassy orphans. Both of us had a blast, and were soon to return to the theater to audition for the next production. My sister and I both quickly became involved in GREAT’s upbringing at the Clearwater Playhouse, in its renovation, performing onstage, and helping out behind the scenes whenever possible. GREAT was our hobby, GREAT was our passion, and GREAT was our place to play. Since then, I have been involved in more than 70 GREAT productions. My two favorite roles? Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (Fall 2007) and the mischievous Mouse inIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie (January 2010).
My sister and I have appeared in many GREAT shows together and are so interconnected that we even share the same birthday, just two years apart! I can still recall our early childhood days and how pretend play shaped our shared interest in theatre, unbeknownst to us at the time. As young tots we spent our sunny summer afternoons on our family’s Willmar farm, dressing up and pretending to be in the movies we saw on television. I loved playing the Blue Power Ranger and she adored pretending to be Baby Bop from Barney and Friends. In terms of our involvement in GREAT during our grade school years, I don’t think there have been many productions one of us were involved with that the other didn’t help out with in some way or another. We have a lot in common, even though sometimes we really hate to admit it. GREAT only helped us recognize that our brother-sister bond is stronger than we could have ever imagined it to be.
As the company evolved into a bigger, better space for children to explore and have fun, I have had the privilege to be involved with GREAT’s summer camp program for eight years, four of those as a paid instructor. Although the work is exhausting and very energy-driven, I wouldn’t wish to spend my summer days doing anything else. The glow from a first-time campers eyes as he sees his costume for performance day, or the eagerness of a young actor memorizing her solo for auditions are few simplicities in this world only summer camp instructors are fortunate enough to witness. In terms of acting onstage, my favorite part of performing in GREAT shows is getting a reaction from young kids, especially during school matinee performances. I also wildly enjoy signing autographs, where I receive the chance to meet young patrons up close. Asking a child what his or her favorite part of the show was, and him or her confidently stating, “All of it!” always gives me butterflies.
As I have grown with GREAT, I have become wrapped up in the world of theatre, movies and acting. My favorite actors include the WickedandGleestar Idina Menzel, as well as Meryl Streep, George Clooney and Sally Field, all for their versatility and ability to make just about any role believable and loveable to the audience. Musically, I bow down to the pop sensation Lady Gaga for her bold, yet unique approach to performing and over-the-top self confidence. Without a doubt, my favorite musical of all time is You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brownfor its distinctive portrayal of childhood innocence and its lighthearted humor.
Thanks to GREAT, my college career was filled with many other extra-curricular activities, which I know I would not have had the confidence to pursue without the courage instilled within me during my childhood years onstage. To name a select few, while at St. Cloud State University, I was a member of the Speech and Debate Team, where I won several state and national awards in competition. I also participated in the Honors Club and the Concert, Chamber, and Men’s Choruses, as well as served as a University Ambassador and Campus Tour Guide. I have also won handfuls of academic and extra-curricular awards and was a well-known face on campus to staff members and my peers. Additionally, I was able to secure many well-paying part-time jobs throughout my college years to keep my finances stable. Again, I can only credit this success back to the self-confidence built within me while I was involved with GREAT Theatre.
This past May, I graduated Summa Cum Laude from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biomedical science with an emphasis in pre-dentistry and a minor in gerontology. This October I will be getting most serious as I apply to a handful of dental schools across the nation. My long-term career plan is to continue on to study dentistry in a warmer region of the U.S. where I will work toward becoming an orthodontist. I look forward to incorporating my passion for entertaining young people into my work and will always continue to pursue new theatre opportunities in the future.
When I’m not busy in a show, studying or working, I enjoy hanging out with friends, sledding, running, go-karting, swimming and all things active. As an athlete in high school, I can confidently state that GREAT taught me more about teamwork than any sport’s activity could. Acting with GREAT taught me time management skills and gave me the chance to meet kids from other schools that I didn’t see at mine on a regular basis. Most importantly, GREAT nurtured a sense of confidence in myself, as well as a desire to push myself just a little bit harder in everything I do. These have essentially built the foundation of my yearning to never settle for anything than the best, and both will always be unsurpassable in their origin compared to other activities I am involved with as my life continues to unfold.
Throughout all of my years as an actor, I have no doubt in my mind that the Great River Educational Arts Theatre, even in its beginning stages, was always meant to be a part of my life. Without the passion, commitment and drive of every person behind the scenes and on the stages, my only chance to perform may have been on my family’s farm. To that I can boldly say, I’m glad I decided to do a bit more than just pretend.
Join us as a donor today and help create unforgettable experiences for future kids just like Casey!