Interview: Irene Green, Director of External Relations at Children's Theatre Company

Did you know that a Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre is just a few hours away from Des Moines? Children's Theatre Company (CTC) in Minneapolis started in 1965, when the Moppet Players moved into the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and was incorporated as Children's Theatre Company in 1975. Several of the children's shows we see in our local theatres have premiered at CTC. Recently, they got a new tie to Iowa when they hired a new Director of External Relations, Irene Green.

I don't usually do interviews, but I was inspired to start doing them when CTC reached out to me, due to the inspiration the theatre has been to me. In college, I was introduced to the world of children's theatre on a Central College theatre trip to Minneapolis when I saw CTC's 2005 production of "The Monkey King." It's become a theatre I visit almost every trip to Minneapolis. It's led to seeing several of their productions, including "Esperanza Rising," "Disney's Aladdin," "Huck Finn," The BFG," and "Average Family," and more. This has led me to take part in, direct, and support several children's theatre productions locally.

DC Felton (DC): Can you start by sharing a little about your Iowa roots?

Irene Grene (IG): Hi, DC, and thank you for choosing to interview me. My family moved to Pella, IA from the West Coast when I was 4 years old and I grew up in Pella and then attended Luther College in Decorah. I have never lived anywhere as long as I lived in Iowa - cornfields and gently rolling hills feel like home.  

DC: What got you interested in theatre?

IG: My mom enrolled me in some community theater productions when I was in first grade, and I enjoyed it and kept making theater. In seventh grade, Missoula Children's Theatre came through my town and I was cast as the lead in the show. That experience was an "aha" moment for me, and I realized that I was being called to a life in the arts. Incidentally, my first year out of college, my first full time job was as a tour actor/director with Missoula Children's Theatre. It was a wonderful full-circle moment that let me help build great theater experiences for kids in rural places --- just as had been done for me. In my mid 20s, I joined the Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanesboro, MN as an artist/administrator. In addition to being in the resident acting company, I worked in the box office and on the sales and marketing team. Over time, I became more interested in arts administration and my arts career shifted to a higher proportion of administration and less artistic work. 

DC: How did you get introduced to Children's Theatre Company?.

IG: My husband and I made a decision for family reasons to relocate to the Twin Cities from Vermont four years ago. The Guthrie and Children's Theatre are the two theater companies in Minnesota larger than the one I co-led in Vermont (Northern Stage) so I have been aware of CTC and its work especially since moving to this region. My daughter was four when we moved, so we enjoyed several performances and loved being patrons for shows at CTC including The Carp Who Wouldn't Quit, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Frozen. 

DC: What surprised you most about Children's Theatre Company that Iowa audiences might find interesting?

IG: As the nation's largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people, Children's Theatre is shaping the canon and breaking new ground on the type of productions offered to young people in the USA. A great example is the world premiere musical Princess Kay of the Milky Way which will premiere at CTC in spring, 2027. The show is about the Minnesota State Fair. It is created by, for, and in this area of the country and reflects the identity of our region. For a sector often assumed to have all of its trailblazers in New York, I hope Iowa audiences are proud that Children's Theatre is leading and creating the future of theater for young people right here in the Midwest.

DC: Why is it important to have places like Children's Theatre Company that do shows geared towards children?

IG: There are so  many reasons -- because humans are wired to understand the world through stories, and theater is the most clear and compelling storytelling mechanism on Earth. Because theater by its nature invites audiences to imagine and wonder and be curious about the life experiences of other people. Providing these experiences for children not only connects them to themselves and their fellow audience members, it also stretches and grows kids toward their fullest potential. I saw this with my own daughter -- after we saw The Carp Who Wouldn't Quit at CTC the show's refrain- the Japanese phrase "ganbatte" meaning to persevere through struggle --became a catch phrase in our household. Because of our shared experience and her learning in the theater, we could use that one phrase to positively teach and mentor her through her own daily struggles.

DC: What words of advice do you have for students who might be looking to pursue a career in the arts?

IG: Be open to the strong possibility that what you will want from your career will change over time. Acknowledging and listening to the changes that you desire as you age and grow is a key to career fulfillment and success.  

DC: Anything else you would like to share with our audience?

IG: Thank you to the theater makers in Iowa that provide opportunities for young people -- I spent a summer in college in the ensemble of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Des Moines Playhouse --and that experience was a valued part of my own growth into the adult I am today.

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