MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin Theatre Trust has announced that the Brave New Workshop has survived the holidays and is ready to take on love, romance and rejections with Love And Other Things That Ruined My life running Thursday, Feb. 15 through Saturday, May 18, 2024  at the Dudley Riggs Theatre (824 Hennepin Ave.) in downtown Minneapolis. It’s still cuffing season and the seasoned cast of Brave New Workshop is back with a satirical sketch show about everyone’s favorite problem: love. Whether you’re fighting over the duvet at night or wallowing in loneliness, this show has something that’s sure to strike a chord (and maybe make you rethink your Tinder profile).

The only thing more universal than experiencing love, sex and all the highs and lows of relationships is our complete inability to understand any of it. There is a reason Cupid delivers love through assault with a deadly weapon, and this show is a tribute to all the survivors. Brave New Workshop will attempt to pull out the arrow and cauterize the wound through a one-of-a-kind, funnier-than-your-ex sketch show to hit home with anyone who has ever experienced love, romance, or even rejection. Remember: Saint Valentine’s Day is the name of a massacre, so get your tickets now!

Performers Lauren Anderson, Denzel Belin, Isabella Dunsieth, Katy McEwen and Doug Neithercott perform nightly with Music Director Jon Pumper and Technical Director Matthew Vichlach. Love and Other Things that Ruined My Life is directed by Caleb McEwen.

Tickets are on sale now to the general public at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

Performance dates:
Preview performances are at 7:30 p.m. on:
Thursday, Feb. 15, Friday, Feb. 16, Saturday, Feb. 17
Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024

Opening night is Saturday, Feb. 24 with shows through Saturday, May 18, 2024. Performance times vary.

Ticket prices:
Preview performances: $25
All other performances: $40, $45
A $3 service fee per ticket is included.

An in-person student/educator rush ticket offer will be available for all performances in person on the day of selected performance for 50% off with a two-ticket limit and valid student/educator ID.

Group discounts:
You can get 15% off your group of 8 or more, and you don’t even need to talk to a person! Simply select your performance to buy tickets now, or keep reading for more discounts and ideas.

If you have a group of 20 or more, you are the Costco of friendship, and that means deep discounts.
You can save 20% by contacting us to complete your purchase. Let us make sure you get everything you can out of your event!

Age recommendation: PG-14

Putting together an event that requires customized entertainment, renting space at the theatre, catering or drinks for your party, or something so off-the-beaten-path you have to whisper it in confidence? Intriguing. You have our attention. Let’s make this happen! Just call us at (612) 332-6620.

The Brave New Workshop has been crafting audacious and original satirical sketch comedy and improvisation since 1958 and is the longest running comedy theatre in the United States. Dudley Riggs, a fifth-generation circus aerialist who performed all over the globe, originally founded BNW as the “Instant Theatre Company.”  Riggs assembled and led a talented group of writers and performers intending to make people think by first making them laugh. The company opened off-Broadway with a show consisting of vaudeville-style sketches, burlesque blackouts, and something completely new:  the use of audience input in the creation of “instant theatre.” This “theatre without a net” would be the beginning of comedic improvisation as it is widely known today.

After touring nationally, Dudley and his “Instant Theatre Company” found a permanent home in the Twin Cities in 1958, and the name Brave New Workshop, was added in 1961. In 1997, co-owners John Sweeney and Jenni Lilledahl purchased Brave New Workshop from Dudley Riggs to ensure long-term sustainability and honor the unique history of the theater. In 2021, Hennepin Theatre Trust purchased the Brave New Workshop and the downtown facility (824 Hennepin) from Sweeney and Lilledahl to steward the theatres’ rich world-class sketch comedy and improv tradition.

Since the beginning, Brave New Workshop has made its home on Hennepin Avenue – first in the original East Hennepin location, then in uptown from 1961-2010. Their mainstage theatre home is now in the downtown facility at 824 Hennepin in the heart of Minneapolis’ theater district. In the more than 60 years since its founding, Brave New Workshop has produced more than 400 original productions and exposed over 4 million people to the theatre’s unapologetic and unwavering brand of sketch comedy and improvisation. With an impressive list of alumni, including Louie Anderson, Lizz Winstead, Stevie Ray, Al Franken, Melissa Peterman, Tom Davis, Mo Collins and Cedric Yarbrough, the Brave New Workshop is a true Minnesota institution.

Jon Pumper (Music Director) has been with the Brave New Workshop since 2017. In addition, he served as the Music Director for Stevie Ray’s Comedy Cabaret at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. He also works as the Director of Music for Grace Lutheran Church of Northeast and runs a successful music/comedy YouTube channel that has garnered over 180K subscribers and 87M views as of January 2023.

Matthew Vichlach (Technical Director) designs lights, sound, images, and videos for each Brave New Workshop production. He also serves as the Technical Director for The Hennepin event center. He has been working professionally in theatre for almost twenty years doing sound design for theatres in the Twin Cities including Yellow Tree Theatre, Theatre Mu, Theatre Pro Rata, Commonweal Theatre, and many more.

Standard Disclaimer: For over 50 years, the Brave New Workshop has proudly covered controversial topics in a satirical manner. Therefore, shows may include ALL or NONE of the following: adult situations, sexual content, blatant irreverence to whatever you hold sacred, irresponsible depictions of gunplay, knife fights, and taser usage, and very, very naughty language.

Brave New Workshop, now in its third owner and 65th year of crafting audacious, hilarious, and thought-provoking original comedy, improv and satire in Minneapolis, is a Twin Cities comedy institution, and a truly unique place to enjoy an evening of laughter that will make you think on the car ride home. Brave New Workshop has been writing, performing and producing original sketch comedy, music and comedy improvisation longer than any other theatre in the United States.

Hennepin Theatre Trust drives cultural and economic vitality in Minnesota through leadership of the dynamic Hennepin Theatre District in downtown Minneapolis and educational programming that reaches every area of the state. Its historic theatres — Orpheum, State and Pantages — and event center at 900 Hennepin Avenue light up Hennepin Avenue with top-tier entertainment, including the best of Broadway and a wide variety of arts programming. Hennepin Theatre Trust is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at HennepinTheatreTrust.org.

This activity is made possible by voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.