Little Theatre of Owatonna Changes Line Up

Little Theatre of Owatonna already announced they would conduct a full season for 2020-2021. However recently a schedule change was made in order to avoid productions that involve a large cast and crew. In a news release, LTO says it is putting "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Something Rotten" on hold. "A Tuna Christmas" and "The Gin Game" will be added as replacements.

LTO President Kristi Westergaard stated, "Changing our season line-up was a difficult decision for the board, but we are so excited to bring live, high-quality theatre to our community. I hope the community will come out and safely enjoy live theatre here in Owatonna this season."

The news release indicates the board "grew concerned about being able to produce two large-scale musicals, given the pandemic. When the season was put together in late April there was hope that the situation would have improved a little more than it has."

Executive Secretary Victoria Bartowiak said, "The safety of our guests, cast, and crew comes first-we have a plan to provide incredible productions safely within our current environment for a smaller cast size." She has worked with the Minnesota Department of Health, CDC, the American Association of Community Theatre, and other organizations to put together a comprehensive approach to the season.

Westergaard said, "LTO has a history of high quality productions, and we didn't want to deprive our patrons of that level of performance...we decided that we'd feel more comfortable producing shows with a smaller cast and crew. A smaller, high-quality show is much more manageable than a large musical given our current environment."

The first production for the season is "Cat's Cradle" which opens October 9 and runs two weekends. It is one of two performance that was canceled earlier this year.

Other shows are "Clue: On Stage" and "Frumpled Fairy Tales." Theatre goers can find ticket information and other health protocol information on the Little Theatre of Owatonna website.