Interview: Jim Cada & Susanne Egli of ON GOLDEN POND at Minnetonka Theatre

On Golden Pond will be playing at the Minnetonka Theatre from September 14, 2024, through September 29, 2024.

We had the opportunity to chat with the actors and real-life couple, Jim Cada and Susanne Egli, about their roles in this production.

What is your favorite part about playing your characters?

Our favorite part is getting to work with the Minnetonka Theatre on stage! We’ve been directing for the Minnetonka Theatre’s high school program for 20 years and are delighted to be the Equity Guest Artists for the Minnetonka Theatre’s community season. We haven’t been on stage together in 10 years so this is a big treat! The characters, Ethel and Norman, are very similar to our personalities and our time in life. We’ve been married almost 36 years, so we understand the various stages a relationship goes through and how used to each other you become. We’ve raised our children, and they have moved away and have their own lives, so we understand the joy and the angst of that. We’ve also had the benefit of working together in the theatre all these years and truly respecting each other’s talent.

What is your favorite moment in the show?

There are some great moments, and one is toward the end of the play, Norman’s line “Put the book on the shelf. I’ll read it next year.” You get a sense of renewed energy. That life goes on and it’s easier if you have a sense of purpose. It’s a universal lesson no matter where you are on your journey.

What do you hope the audience takes away from seeing this production?

We hope they relax and have a nice evening away from their troubles. Going to the theatre is a 2-hour experience with a group of people watching a story unfold right in front of you. That story may have moments that seem very familiar and other moments you can’t imagine happening to you. Live theatre should evoke emotion, so we hope you laugh and cry. This is something that we emphasize with the students – it’s theatre’s job to tell the story and transport the audience so they feel something.

What are your favorite local spots?

We’ve lived in Excelsior since 1989, and we love living in a small historical town on Lake Minnetonka. There are loads of restaurants, Coalition is one of our favorites. It’s great to have the MN Arboretum nearby and, of course, buying homemade brats from Mackenthun’s. Living close to the Twin Cities we love having lunch with friends at the Monte Carlo, watching the Twins at Target Field and having season tickets to the Minnesota Orchestra. It goes without saying that we are blessed to have such an incredible theatre scene, and we see a wide variety of offerings regularly.

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