The Good Night Theatre Collective is on a mission to bring musical theatre and cabaret to the heart of the Sioux Falls community.
Founded by four self-proclaimed “theater nerds,” the company officially launched in November 2016 and instantly sold out their first three shows. Since then, they have hosted themed cabaret nights on every third Thursday of the month at Icon Event Hall + Lounge. The venue even creates a unique cocktail to suit each theme in order to add even more flavor to the night.
Past Good Night events, which are described as being between a concert and a musical, have held such titles as Villains: A Criminal Cabaret and Romance + Revenge: A Valentine’s Cabaret.
As executive director Sydney Place-Sallstrom explains, though their express aim is to provide the audience with an evening of entertainment, their cabarets are about much more that just that.
“We desire to create consistently captivating and distinct theatrical experiences for audience members,” she said. “Our aim is to create professional-level productions that entertain, challenge, and engage the greater arts community.”
Not only does the group host their own nights, they are also keen to collaborate with other businesses and organizations throughout the community. They recently performed and emceed for the South Dakota Advertising Federation ADDY Awards show.
“It’s like the [Academy Awards] for [advertising and marketing],” described Place-Sallstrom. “It was a big event at The District with 250 advertising executives from the area. We wrote content specific to the group, and performed songs in musical theatre style”.
The Good Night Theatre Collective are growing, as the Sioux Falls independent theater scene is witnessing a small renaissance.
“We are excited to be making a name for ourselves at a time when new companies are being launched, audience membership is up, and traveling shows continue to experience success in town,” said Place-Sallstrom. “Our long-term goal is to diversify our theatrical offerings and move into not only cabarets, but full-length scripted productions, including original works and classics.”
One such work is the upcoming production of BALL: A Musical Tribute to My Lost Testicle, a play that centers on a twenty-something singleton who is diagnosed with Stage III testicular cancer.
Written and performed by Minneapolis-based Max Wotjanowicz, it is the real-life story of his struggle with the illness and his battle to overcome it with the aid of music.
“While undergoing chemotherapy treatment, he wrote this entire musical, and it is one of the most honest, humorous, heart-warming looks at cancer of anything I’ve ever seen,” said Place-Sallstrom.
April is National Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, so in addition to hosting the event, The Good Night Theatre Collective plans on donating 50 percent of the show’s profits to Sioux Fall’s own cancer charity, SurviveIt.
The one-man show is the first full-length production for the company, a notable milestone, and an exciting opportunity to see what else the collective has to offer the community in the future.
“While Good Night is all about creating fun and memorable nights for our audiences, we also share a deeper, common goal with artists everywhere,” continued Place-Sallstrom, “to tell stories that we feel people need to hear – stories about survival, strength, honesty – stories that challenge what audience members know to be true and, perhaps, change their thoughts in the process.”
BALL: A Musical Tribute To My Lost Testicle is taking place at Icon Lounge on Saturday, April 29 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 30 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20/$50 (VIP) and are available, along with all other event information, at goodnighttheatre.com.
What:
BALL: A Musical Tribute To My Lost Testicle
When:
April 29 // April 30
8 p.m. // 2 p.m.
Where:
Icon Event Hall + Lounge
402 N. Main Ave.
Sioux Falls
Tickets:
$20 general
$50 VIP
