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Photo by Robb Long
Monkey Wrench Repairs “Head Chimp” Seth Scott installed new, energy-efficient LED lights on the Brave New Workshop stage in October.
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Brave New sustainable workshop
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By Dylan Thomas
Theater continues push for sustainability with new lighting, sustainable theater group
THE WEDGE — A memorable sketch from a recent Brave New Workshop production was set on a beach after an oil spill and featured actor Josh Eakright — dressed in a hilariously unflattering spandex bodysuit — as a petroleum-slicked seal.
Lauren Anderson, spoofing an environmental do-gooder, arrived to give the soiled seal a good scrubbing. Eakright’s barking, googly-eyed reaction as he enjoyed the cleaning just a bit too much was a highlight of “The Brave New Workshop Saves the Planet; or, Yes We Can, but Do We Have To?”
While they poke fun on stage, the crew of the Brave New Workshop is getting serious about its behind-the-scenes environmental efforts.
The theater finished installing what may be the most energy-efficient stage lighting system in town in October. It was only the latest step in an ongoing campaign to make the theatre more environmentally sustainable.
While other Twin Cities theaters are experimenting with more energy efficient forms of lighting few, if any, use low-wattage LED (light-emitting diode) lights to the extent of Brave New Workshop, said Monkey Wrench Repair owner Seth Scott.
“It’s probably the first theater I’ve heard of that’s completely LED for wash lights,” said Scott, who has a dozen years experience in theater lighting and completed the Brave New Workshop job Oct. 2.
The new lights were expected to slash the theater’s total demand for electricity by nearly three-quarters and eventually save thousands on energy bills. But the Brave New Workshop isn’t stopping there.
Elena Imaretska, vice president of client services in the workshop’s corporate division, initiated the sustainability campaign when she arrived about two-and-a-half years ago. This summer, she organized the first meeting of Twin Cities Sustainable Theaters, a group that aims to grow a local green theater community.
“I think we are not the only theatre in town that’s trying to be sustainable, that’s trying to make a difference,” Imaretska said. “I believe it’s very important that we share best-practices, and that we know what other [theaters] are doing.”
Smaller bills
Up until this fall, the lights hanging above the Brave New Workshop’s small, black stage were hand-me-downs from 
The Children’s Theatre Company. Those were installed 10 years ago.
“They just weren’t suitable for our space,” Imaretska said. “They were too hot. They were creating extra heat for the audience and also for the actors.”
They also were gobbling up electricity. The old stage lights were the largest contributor to Brave New Workshop’s more than $4,000 annual electricity bill.
The upgrade wasn’t cheap, either. The new lights cost just over $18,000 to install, an expense Brave New Workshop was able to afford by participating in Xcel Energy’s One-Stop Efficiency Shop program for small businesses.
Administered by Minneapolis-based nonprofit Center for Energy and Environment, the program offers incentives in the form of loans and rebates to small businesses looking to retrofit outdated lights.
The rebate covered just over half of Brave New Workshop’s installation costs. The loan is repaid through the theater’s savings on its energy bill; it will continue to pay higher rates for the next two-and-a-half years, with the difference going to Xcel.
“When [the payments are] spread out in this way we can afford it, so it was a fabulous opportunity for us,” Imaretska said.
Cooler lights
Some of Brave New Workshop’s lighting upgrades offer dramatic energy savings. Old 1,000-watt incandescent wash lights, which provide general lighting on stage, were replaced with 65-watt LED fixtures.
LEDs also replaced incandescent PAR lights, the familiar can-shaped fixtures that add dramatic splashes of color on stage.
Scott said LEDs most commonly are used for smaller stages, like Brave New Workshop’s low-ceilinged room. LED technology that can light a big stage, or replace hot-burning spotlights, just isn’t here yet — although more high-efficiency incandescent bulbs are being used in those cases, he said.
The quality of light from LEDs is also considered colder, or a little more toward the blue end of the spectrum, and can require some tinkering to get right. But when LEDs can be used in theaters, they have benefits that go beyond shrinking electricity bills.
An actor sweating on stage isn’t just suffering from butterflies. Traditional stage lighting can be really, really hot.
“It’s just sort of like you’re working in 150-degree temperature,” said Joe Bozic, a workshop actor. “Especially when you’re running around and stuff like that on stage, it gets pretty rough.”
LEDs throw off very little heat, by comparison — a difference Bozic noticed immediately. A skit featuring Fred Rogers required Bozic to don a cardigan, a moment he used to dread.
“The first night that the [new LED] lights were in, I put it on and I was like, ‘Hey, this is pretty comfortable,’” he said.
Scott said the audience would be more comfortable, too, and predicted lower air conditioning bills for the theatre this summer.
Planning for 
sustainability
Imaretska described Twin Cities Sustainable Theatres — inspired by a London green theater initiative — as a way to share ideas for sustainability projects within the local theater community. The group began meeting in August, and includes members of The Children’s Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Pillsbury House Theatre and Hennepin Avenue’s State and Orpheum theatres.
There were plans for Scott to talk about the Brave New Workshop’s new lighting system at a future meeting, but the theater has plenty of other ideas to share. Since it began its sustainability campaign, it has begun to offer discount tickets for audience members who bike or ride the bus to shows, switched to reusable glassware at the theater’s bar and hosted “waste-free” opening night events, Imaretska said.
Bozic said the Brave New Workshop crew was on board with the changes, although they can’t resist cracking jokes about going green. There were mock complaints about having to eat the plates at the waste-free events.
“We try to live and run our business improvisationally, and part of improv is you embrace other peoples’ ideas,” Imaretska said. “… They will joke about it, of course, and make fun of me all the time, but that’s the way things work around here.”
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Community divided on dog park proposal
By Jake Weyer
Emotions soared at a racially split meeting about whether to build an off-leash area for dogs at Martin Luther King Park in Kingfield.
KINGFIELD — A tense, culturally divisive meeting about whether to add an off-leash area for dogs at Martin Luther King Park has prompted the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to step back and take a fresh look at alternative options for a dog park in Southwest.
More than 100 people attended the Park Board-hosted meeting Sept. 2 at King Park and dozens lined up at a microphone to offer their thoughts on the issue to the group, which included City Council Member Elizabeth Glidden (8th Ward), Park Board staff and several commissioners. With a handful of exceptions, the speakers were racially split on whether to add the dog park.
Supporters, almost all of them white, wanted the added amenity to socialize and exercise their pets, build community and reduce crime. Opponents, nearly all of them black, viewed Martin Luther King Park as sacred ground, a memorial to a great civil rights leader and a family park that is no place for dogs, which during King’s time were commonly used to attack civil rights marchers.
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Neighborhood notebook
By Dylan Thomas and Nick Halter
Linden Hills9/11 Tribute preparing for year nineIt’s been nearly nine years since the 9/11 attacks, and the Linden Hills community is once again doing its part to keep the events of that day on the minds and hearts of Twin Cities’ residents. For the ninth consecutive year, Bob Bayers, owner of Bayers Do It Best Hardware, is producing the “9-11 Tribute: Our Community Remembers” memorial concert at the Lake Harriet Band Shell. The event begins at 7 p.m. on Sept. 11. “We are not letting people forget,” said Bayers, who wants people to remember 9/11 the way the previous generation remembers Pearl Harbor. The 90-minute program features a 58-person chorus and a 64-person
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Watching out for the homeless
By Sarah McKenzie
Volunteer outreach worker Jerry Fleischaker honored with prestigious McKnight awardAfter Jerry Fleischaker’s wife died of Alzheimer’s disease, he came across a newspaper article about St. Stephen’s Human Services’ work reaching out to homeless people with mental health issues. The story inspired him to start volunteering for St. Stephen’s. Now the 79-year-old retired pharmaceutical sales representative volunteers full time for the downtown-based organization. “My wife died of Alzheimer’s in 2002. I saw the care she needed,” Fleischaker told Monica Nilsson, director of street outreach and community education for St. Stephen’s. “I was haunted by the thought that people might be out
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Peace through meditation
By Brent Renneke
Outside the door, about 50 pairs of shoes ranging from high-heels to flip-flops piled up against the wall. Inside, barefooted people filled up every seat in the spacious Uptown building. They were all there for one purpose — finding peace in life through meditation. The meeting at 3115 Hennepin Ave. S. was one of many around the world that were part of Tergar International, a Minneapolis-based network of meditation centers that spans four continents. Under the teachings of an internationally known Tibetan Buddhist, the members of Tergar are learning the value of mediation in everyday life.Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche started Tergar International a year ago, so his followers could come together and further their practice in his teachings through guided
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Chief Supreme
By Gregory J. Scott
Lorie Gildea is in charge of a $300 million, 315-judge court system. And she lives in your neighborhood.“I love my neighbors!” Lorie Gildea didn’t flinch when we asked her about Lowry Hill. The Southwest neighborhood, overwhelming liberal, is one of the bluest regions in an already blue state. A quick scan of the 2008 election results shows that 80 percent of voters in the area backed Obama. A solid 68 percent wanted Al Franken as senator, and 76 percent helped push U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison toward reelection. Meanwhile, Gildea, a judge, had just wrapped up a two-year appointment to the Minnesota Supreme Court (she was elected to a second, six-year term that same year). The guy who appointed her? Republican Gov. Tim
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Parks update // Park Board talks docks
By Jake Weyer
Park Board talks docksDuring a lively discussion following the regular Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board meeting Aug. 18, the board’s recreation committee discussed the possibility of reintroducing swim docks and relaxing beach rules. Staff gave a presentation about current beach rules, lifeguard duties and dock options, which included a comparison to neighboring cities. At-Large Commissioner Bob Fine and Commissioner Brad Bourn (District 6) have been the drivers of the idea of bringing back swim docks and relaxing beach rules as a way to revive the city’s beach attendance. They found plenty of agreement at the meeting. “I’m very much in favor of relaxing the rules and encouraging more and more people to come
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Green digest // Greener district
By Dylan Thomas
New school year, greener districtFor Minneapolis Public Schools, the benefits of a greener district are many. The district’s efforts to reduce energy consumption and increase recycling rates are a good cause for a collective pat on the back that also generate much-needed cost savings. But they may have educational value in the classroom, too. Meredith Fox, special assistant to Chief of Policy and Operations Steve Liss, told the School Board in a presentation this summer the new “green reports” that will soon generate regular energy use, recycling and waste reports for each school site in the district could find their way into the curriculum. Science classes, for example, could use the information to calculate the carbon
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Park Board looks to make $50,000 from donated artwork
By Jake Weyer
A statue set donated in 1955 for placement in the Rose Garden has been in storage ever sinceFive little-known sculptures tucked away since a family donated them to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board more than a half-century ago might soon see the light of day. The cash-strapped board has been looking into a variety of new ways, large and small, to boost its revenue and earlier this summer discussed the possibility of selling the Greek-themed marble artwork set for $50,000. The income would be put toward maintaining the park’s existing artwork. Iron-ore entrepreneur Russell M. Bennett commissioned the works — a sculpted table and the busts of two Pan characters and two satyrs — in 1913. Local sculptor Charles Brioschi
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Schools notebook // Go-To cards
By Dylan Thomas
Go-To cards go to high school studentsMinneapolis Public Schools purchased 1,280 Go-To Card transit passes to distribute to high school students who lost district-provided transportation this fall, Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons said in August. “Our enemy is the single-occupant car, and we appreciate the opportunity to capture these young people when they’re in high school because then we have the potential of having them be lifelong riders,” Gibbons said. He said the cards cost $172 per semester, putting the cost to the district at about $220,000. The district’s total spending on transportation topped $28 million in the 2009–2010 school year. The Changing School Options cost-saving
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Crime reports
By Nick Halter
Editor’s note: Alleged crimes against persons (assault, murder, robbery) will feature the + symbol. Note, this compilation of crime reports provides highlights of area criminal activity. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive overview of Southwest crime.
ECCOAug. 18, 8:30 p.m., 3120 Hennepin Ave. S. A man parked his car at 8:30 p.m. and went to a friend’s nearby residence. At 6 a.m. the next morning he discovered that someone had smashed his passenger-side window and took his backpack. Aug. 18, 10 p.m., 3008 Hennepin Ave. S. A man parked his car at 9:30 p.m. in front of North Face while he went to Aura Restaurant and Bar. When he returned at 10:30 p.m. he
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Architect suggested for new Walker Library
By Jake Weyer
County commissioners will vote this month on a selection committee’s top pickDesign work for a new Walker Library on the existing Uptown site will begin in earnest this fall following the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners’ approval of an architect for the project. The county’s Designer Selection Committee recommended a firm earlier this summer after reviewing 21 proposals. The name won’t be released until Sept. 14, when a board committee reviews the suggestion. The full county board is scheduled to vote on the matter Sept. 21. If the architect is approved, the board will direct staff to negotiate a contract, said County Commissioner Gail Dorfman, whose represents the area. Then the firm will begin drawing up plans
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Kingfield youth working on event to unite community
By Katherine Lymn
KINGFIELD — A diverse group of Kingfield neighborhood youth is breaking barriers and battling bigotry with a program to unite the community. Participants range in age from 13 to 18 and have been meeting biweekly since June to work on what will be the culmination of the program: a culture clash event in October. “One of the things that this group is doing, that I think is historical work, [is] they are trying to figure out how they bring teenagers and other young people together from different socio-economic backgrounds,” said Kyle Rucker, executive director of nonprofit youth organization Project Footsteps, which is leading the effort. “They talk about the dividing lines.” Rucker said he got lucky with the socio-economic
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Biz buzz // Studiiyo 23
By Nick Halter
Urban fashion store and art gallery opens on HennepinWith rare Michael Jordan sneakers dating back to 1985, local art work, a DJ table and pinewood floors, Moh Habib on Aug. 21 unveiled Studiiyo 23, an urban fashion store and art gallery at 2319 Hennepin Ave. Everything about Studiiyo 23, from the name to the design to the merchandise, is a reflection of Habib, a 34-year-old world traveler who spent his high school and college years in Minnesota. “In those travels — I’ve been to 30 countries and 169 cities so far — I picked up the best of what I like from all those spots, and what I did was try to merge everything I love in life into one space,” he said. Habib has spent the last eight years
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Harriet concession contract nears approval
By jake weyer
The board will decide this month whether to approve local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & PickleAfter more than a year of community review and a selection process that narrowed a field of nearly a dozen applicants, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is scheduled to vote this month on a new Lake Harriet concession contract. Staff recommended local restaurateur Kim Bartmann’s concept, Bread & Pickle, based on the suggestion of a community group that reviewed and interviewed the applicants. That group was made up of former members of a Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) the Park Board assembled last year after public outcry over a proposed concession change that would have required a new building. The CAC examined
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Superintendent’s top priority: academics
By Dylan Thomas
Bernadeia Johnson talks about her approach to the district’s top jobSpeaking one week before school bells rang in the start of another year, new Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson was clear on her top priority for the next nine months: academics. That may not be a surprising stance for a schools superintendent, especially one who previously served as the district’s chief academic officer. But Johnson also oversees business functions of an organization with a $680 million budget and 5,600 employees; one facing a projected $19 million shortfall in 2010–2011 and a teachers contract in arbitration; and a district whose reorganization last year shuttered schools and limited bus transportation for students.
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