It was bought Tuesday by the Hennepin Theatre Trust, which operates the Orpheum, State and Pantages theaters along Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis. Terms were not disclosed.
"It's not just a real estate transaction but something that continues the legacy of this great institution — the Brave New Workshop — as a theater company," said Mark Nerenhausen, president and CEO of Hennepin Trust. "In the bigger sense, we get to preserve a theater space and continue to build up a campus in the entertainment district that offers world-class entertainment to the people of Minnesota."
The trust, which also owns a flexible-space venue adjoining the Orpheum that's used by schools and other community partners, has taken over BNW's two-story building at 824 Hennepin Av.
It also has acquired the intellectual property of the workshop whose sketch-comedy shows have borne titles such as "Atheism Means Never Having To Say You're Lutheran," "Obama Mia!" and "Minnesota Summer: It's Not the Heat, It's the Stupidity."
Artistic director Caleb McEwen will continue to lead the irreverent troupe as it plans for a new production in "late winter, early spring" next year. Whether or not the current company of actors will be back is an open question, he said.
"But people who've been to our shows in the past will not see a difference," McEwen said, adding that the trust will support the creative independence of the troupe known for its biting humor directed at trends, politicians and celebrities.
McEwen said he feels "a sense of relief and honor" to be charged with keeping the legacy of Brave New Workshop alive. He was first hired as an actor in 1996 by workshop founder Dudley Riggs before being elevated to artistic director by now-former owners John Sweeney and Jenni Lilledahl.