The theater at 824 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, the former Hennepin Stages Theatre building, has been renamed after an iconic local comedian, after being bought by Hennepin Theatre Trust in December last year. Hennepin Theatre Trust announced that the theater’s new name will be Dudley Riggs Theatre, honoring Dudley Riggs, the founder of satirical improvisational theater and the founder of the Brave New Workshop, the nation’s oldest sketch comedy troupe, based in Minneapolis.
“Dudley Riggs is an institution in the history of comedy in our nation, and Hennepin Theatre Trust is honored to play a role in continuing his legacy,” Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust, said in a press release. “The Dudley Riggs Theatre will continue to be the home of Riggs’ Brave New Workshop comedy theatre, but it will also be a home for the next generation of trailblazers and entertainers—whether they be drag queens, trapeze artists or anything in between.”
Dudley Riggs Theatre is the home of the Brave New Workshop, now in its 64th year of crafting satirical sketch comedy and improv theater in the Twin Cities. The comedy theater troupe is the longest running in the country, opening its doors in 1958, and was originally deemed “The Instant Theatre Company” after the spontaneous and oftentimes erratic choices made in improvisational theater.
In the 60 years since the company’s first performance, Brave New Workshop has produced more than 400 original productions and exposed millions to the theater’s unapologetic brand of sketch comedy. Over the years, it had homes across the Twin Cities.
Alongside its iconic sister venues lining Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, Dudley Riggs joins the Orpheum, State, and Pantages, rounding out the historic Hennepin Theatre District. Since first opening its doors, the Brave New Workshop has had a long line of history spanning the length of Hennepin Avenue through downtown to uptown, and its new home will only continue to strengthen that tradition.
“Hennepin Theatre Trust continues to put Minneapolis on the map and increase the vibrancy of our city,” Melvin Tennant, president and CEO of Meet Minneapolis and member of Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Board of Directors, said in a statement. “The naming of Dudley Riggs Theatre further establishes the Hennepin Theatre District as the heart of entertainment in our region and honors our city’s rich history in comedy.”