Illusion Theater is goin' south

Whenever live performance is safe again, Illusion Theater will be creating its illusions 32 blocks south from its present location.

The company, which has been in the Hennepin Center for the Arts/Cowles Center complex since relocating there in 1979, will move from downtown to the Center for Performing Arts in south Minneapolis. It's part of a currently-under-construction expansion of the facility at 3754 Pleasant Av. S. When the addition is completed next spring, the Illusion will be an anchor partner of the arts development space, which offers studio, office and rehearsal options for a variety of artists. The addition to CFPA will include two theaters with capacity of about 100 each.

Producing director Bonnie Morris and executive producing director Michael Robins said the new home will help Illusion move into the future, creating partnerships with other tenants of CFPA while nurturing art that speaks to the changing times. And about those times: Since CFPA is being built now, adjustments already are being made to ventilation and other specifications to suit it to a post-pandemic future.

In its 46-year history, Illusion has produced hundreds of works, including 11 premieres by playwright Jeffrey Hatcher, four plays by actor/writer Beth Gilleland, nine pieces from Transatlantic Love Affair and multiple works by Carlyle Brown, as well as nurturing 40 years of new plays with its Fresh Ink series. Next up is a seasonal show, "Miss Richfield's Guide to a Socially Diseased Holiday," which will stream five performances Dec. 5-20.