2009 marks the 10th anniversary season of the Jon Hassler Theater, and to celebrate we’ll look back fondly at where it all started, tip our hats to the ‘greatest generation’, and make a return trip to Bunyan Bay, Minnesota.

Opening the 10th anniversary season will be the return of Dear James by Jon Hassler, playing June 12th – July 12th. Dear James was the first Hassler adaptation to be produced in Plainview, where it played to standing room only audiences at St. Joachim’s Catholic Church in 2000. Dear James focuses on the character dearest to Hassler’s heart, the memorable Miss Agatha McGee, upright resident of fictional Staggerford, Minnesota, who regularly sets the town on its ear with her sawtoothed tongue. At loose ends due to forced retirement from her longtime teaching post, Agatha despairs when she looks at the motley crew of friends gathered at her table for an excruciating Thanksgiving dinner. At one time, Agatha's respite from these small-minded, albeit kindhearted people was her Irish pen-pal James, to whom she poured out her feelings, but she severed that tie when she discovered he was a priest. Now, she signs on for a tour of Italy where, unbeknownst to her, James awaits. During her absence from Staggerford, a malicious neighbor finds their correspondence and lays it on the public pillory. Agatha returns to cold shoulders from townsfolk angered by her sharp commentaries, but finds consolation in her deepening relationship with James—and with the Church.

Following Dear James, the Hassler welcomes the return of the Hassler Summer Sampler, playing weekends in August. This late summer series offers a variety of theatrical entertainments and will feature the return of the delightfully zany Leslye Orr with her new one-woman show, Wisecracks from My Father, in which she relates episodes from her father’s life—growing up in St. Paul during the Depression era, living at the Angus Hotel, surviving Spam during WWII, and becoming the father of eight kids while delivering 10,000 more as an OBGYN in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Playing September 18th through October 18th will be the comedy about vacations, Leaving Iowa by Time Clue and Spike Manton. A toast to the classic family road trip in the station wagon, and to the idealism and character of the ‘greatest generation’, Leaving Iowa tells the story of Don Browning, a middle-aged writer who returns home and decides to take his late father’s ashes to his childhood home, as requested. But when Don discovers Grandma's house is now a grocery store, he begins traveling across Iowa searching for a proper resting place for his father. This father-and-son road trip shifts smoothly from the present to Don's memories of the annual, torturous vacations of his childhood. Don's existential journey leads him to reconcile his past and present at the center of the United States. Leaving Iowa is a postcard to anyone who has ever found himself or herself driving alone on a road, revisiting fond memories of his or her youth.

To close the 2009 season, we’ll return to Bunyan Bay, Minnesota for A Don’t Hug Me Christmas Carol, playing November 5th – November 22nd. It’s Christmas Eve in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota, and cantankerous bar owner Gunner Johnson gets in an argument with his wife, Clara, tells her he's skipping Christmas, storms out, goes snowmobiling across the lake, falls through the ice on his skidoo and goes into a coma. He then comes back in his dream where he's visited by the folk legend, Sven Yorgensen, who plays the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future. Sven takes Gunner (Scrooge) on a journey similar to that in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol... only very different. Will Gunner come out of his coma and find redemption with Clara at The Bunyan? Find out!

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The Jon Hassler Theater’s 2009 season brochure will arrive in mailboxes in May. Season Flex Passes will once again be available. Flex Passes may be purchased in quantities of six at a discounted price of $114.00, or eight at a discounted price of $228.00.

New for 2009

The Hassler Four by Four program. Present your Jon Hassler Theater direct mail postcard at the Hassler box office, and receive a $4.00/ticket discount on your order!

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Discounted Friday evening sneak previews will again be offered prior to the opening night of each production. The Hassler will also continue to offer Thursday matinees and one weekly bargain-priced evening performance. Hassler opening nights will continue to feature special pre-show entertainment, and the Hassler Lobby-Gallery will continue to feature the work of regional painters and sculptors throughout the 2009 season. In conjunction with opening nights, the Meet the Artist program will continue to welcome these artists to the Hassler to mingle with opening night patrons, as well as offering opportunities to participate in post-show talkback sessions with directors and cast members.

The Jon Hassler Theater is housed within the Rural America Arts Center, 412 West Broadway, in Plainview, Minnesota. Tickets for all Jon Hassler Theater 2009 performances are $22.00 for adults, $20.00 for seniors, and $14.00 for students. Tickets for all sneak previews and Thursday evenings are $14.00. For tickets and information, phone the Jon Hassler Theater at 507-534-2900, or 866-JHT-SHOW.

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Did you know that the Jon Hassler Theater is available for rental?

Phone us at 507-534-2900 for details!

We honored Jon Hassler by planting a tree in front of the Writer's Center.
Click here to see more!