Theatre In The Round Players Names New Managing Director

Theatre in the Round Players (TRP), the oldest theatre in Minneapolis and one of the oldest community theatres in the nation, today announced that Larisa Netterlund will join the organization as managing director.

In her role, Netterlund will be at the center of the crosscurrents of information, communication and day-to-day decision making. Her duties will include managing daily operations, staff and volunteer experience, financial oversight, facility management, community engagement and fundraising, and programming and productions.

Netterlund comes to TRP with over a decade of arts administration and higher education administration experience. She served as executive director of The Moving Company in Minneapolis, and as advising supervisor and academic advisor in Arts and Humanities at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

As managing director, Netterlund will ensure the values of TRP: community, volunteerism, artistic integrity and fiscal responsibility, as well as equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). She also will build upon the successful history of TRP as a place of self-reliance, creativity and ingenuity, and where volunteers, artists, and audience members feel at home.

"Theatre created for an Arena Stage is a beautiful metaphor for community. There is a shared experience, but every person has a slightly different perspective from their particular seat," said Netterlund. "I am thrilled to be at an organization where this practice of theatre-making is - quite literally - at the center of its mission. As TRP's managing director, I am excited to be a champion for this practice of theatre-making and philosophy of community-building at all levels of the organization."

She succeeds longtime executive director of TRP, Steven Antenucci, who retired in 2020. Her arrival comes at a pivotal time for TRP, which like other performance venues, is making a cautious return to live audiences after more than 18 months of darkness due to COVID-19. The theater launched its 70th season Oct. 1 and is implementing an abbreviated five-show season for this year.

"Theatre in the Round has such a long and important history in the Twin Cities' theatre ecosystem. I am so honored to be a part of it and excited to play a role in envisioning the next chapter," said Netterlund.

Netterlund holds a Master of Arts in Theatre from the University of North Dakota.

"We are thrilled that Larisa will be joining TRP, bringing her experience and passion for theatre, community and developing people," said David Stevens, president of TRP's board of directors. "She will be a strong partner as we build on TRP's 70 years of history in the Twin Cities community and position it to grow and develop into the future."