The Twin Cities Lose A Gem

I'm sorry to see this company close. They will leave a large void in the Arts in Minneapolis. From the newsletter of Theater de la Jeune Lune:

A Statement from the Artistic Director

In 1978 Barbra Berlovitz, Vincent Gracieux, and Dominique Serrand began
an adventure called Theatre de la Jeune Lune. They were soon joined by Robert
Rosen and eventually Steve Epp and innumerable other collaborators. Over the
past 30 years we have created nearly 100 productions, performed for hundreds of
thousands of people in cities across the United States and in France, but
primarily and most importantly in Minneapolis. For the first 14 years we were
itinerant, making the most of any venue we found ourselves in. Then in 1992,
with an amazing groundswell of support, we purchased and renovated the Allied
Van Lines building in the Minneapolis warehouse district. We excavated the
interior of this historic building to create a stunningly innovative and award
winning performance space, opening our new artistic home to the public on
November 18th of that year.

Sixteen years later we are faced with an excruciating decision. With
the organization burdened by mounting and unmanageable debt, the Board of
Directors has voted to put Jeune Lune's home up for sale. After much soul
searching and extensive fundraising and debt management efforts, we have
determined it to be the only prudent and fiscally responsible choice. What has
been acclaimed, as one of the most striking and unique theatre spaces in the
country will go dark. It is a huge loss, a loss for us, for all of the artists
who work with us, for our audience and for the community at large, both locally
and nationally.

And with the building, we have decided that the time has come to bid
adieu to the theatre ensemble we have all known as Jeune Lune.