The Playwrights' Center

Come play in our world for a night.

What is it?

Wonderlust. The desire for that which stops us in our tracks. The hunger for that quickening of the heart, that welling-up, that wide-eyed awe. The itch that only art can scratch.

When we find it, for a moment we are startled into clarity. For a moment we transcend. That is why we crave it, and why there is such power in creation.

On May 15 join us for a benefit to honor playwrights: the creators, the world-builders and spell-casters, the insatiable makers, the architects of awe who take us to a hidden place beyond the day to day. Raise a glass to the artists who devote their lives to the quest for the profound.

Shed the scaffolding of your everyday routine and plunge into the (im)possible, the (un)imaginable, the new and never-been. Satiate your cravings for the “Wow!”, the “Oh!” and the “Yes!”. Above all, check your dull at the door.

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Aria Map

Aria at the Jeune Lune

Wonderlust will take place at the gorgeous Aria at the Jeune Lune, on the corner of North First Street and North First Avenue in the Historic Warehouse District of Minneapolis.

Parking is available in the lot across the street, and there is also ample street parking. See a map with more parking options.

105 North First Street
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401
Map →

Cast of Characters

Featured Playwrights

During the auction, bid to have one of these wonder-makers write a play—on the spot—just for you and see the play performed at the end of the night by some of the best actors in town.

Actors

Plays created at Wonderlust will be brought to life by the Twin Cities’ finest actors, including Jennifer Blagen, Cat Brindisi, Cristina Castro, Sun Mee Chomet, Nathan Christopher, Sean Dillon, Emily Gunyou Halaas, Terry Hempleman, and ShaVunda Horsley.

Directors

Your commissioned play will be in good hands with directors including Lisa Channer, Leah Cooper, and Dominic Taylor.

Evening Overview

  • Cocktails & Silent Auction
  • Act One: Welcome & Entertainment
  • Act Two: Program & Live Auction
  • Act Three: New Play Performances
  • Last Call

Tickets & Tables

All tickets include heavy hors d’oeuvres buffet and seating for the entertainment.

PATRON TICKET

$85
Cash bar ($60 tax-deductible)

PREMIUM TICKET

$150
Includes premium seating and three drink tickets ($100 tax-deductible)

PATRON TABLE OF 8

$680
Cash bar ($480 tax-deductible)

PREMIUM TABLE OF 8

$1,200
Includes premium seating, one drink ticket upon arrival and table wine service ($800 tax-deductible)

To purchase tickets, register online or contact Sarah Chaplin at or (612)332-7481 x138. To purchase a table online, register for 8 tickets at the Patron or Premium price.

Auction Packages

  1. Dinner for Six at Icehouse's Exclusive Chef's Table

    Enjoy an incredible dining experience at the Chef's table of the award-winning Icehouse Restaurant, where Chef Matthew Bickford and team will create an unforgettable meal with up to seven courses paired with wine and other libations for you and your group based on a theme of your choice.

    Donors: Chef Matthew Bickford & Brian Liebeck of Icehouse Restaurant and Noah & Aaron Day of Blue Construction, Inc.

  2. Exclusive Chicago Insider Theater Package for Two

    Join Playwrights' Center Producing Artistic Director Jeremy Cohen for a special weekend in Chicago. Go see the world premiere production of Chapatti featuring Frasier's John Mahoney at Northlight Theatre. Spend time with Playwrights' Center Core Writer Mona Mansour and attend the opening night of the world premiere of her play The Way West at Steppenwolf, with private party to follow.

    Donors: Dark Matter Coffee, Fountainhead, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive Outsider Arts, Mona Mansour, Northlight Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Savoy Restaurant

  3. Las Vegas Getaway for Two

    Stay at a private condo and enjoy a weekend in Las Vegas seeing the new turbo-charged Blue Man Group show at the Monte Carlo one night, then head over to Caesars Palace the next night for the critically acclaimed acro-cabaret variety show Absinthe, hailed by Las Vegas Sun as "the most inventive and daring show to open on the strip in years!"

    Donors: Absinthe, Blue Man Group Scott Mayer

Thank you to our sponsors.

Knock Inc.
Sponsors

Events Committee

  • Cindy Ahlberg
  • Rachael Crew
  • Barb Davis*
  • Tessa Gunther*
  • Janet Jones*
  • Jonna Kosalko
  • Molly Lehman*
  • Steve Pospisil
  • Leah Wilkes

Event Host Committee

  • Toni Bjorklund*
  • Carlyle Brown*
  • Dr. Cory Ecklund & Dr. Shannon Harris
  • Barbara Field*
  • Christian Fitchett*
  • John Geelan*
  • Greg Giles*
  • Chelle Gonzo*
  • Betty Grant*
  • Char Hovi
  • Bruce & Jean Johnson
  • Ann Kaner-Roth
  • Carson Kreitzer*
  • Nathan Perez*
  • Lisa Pugh*
  • Charlie Quimby*
  • Steve Strand*
  • Marcia & John Stout
  • Joe Waechter*
  • Harry Waters Jr.*
  • Ruth Weiner*

*Board Member