Broadening audience demographics and increasing event attendance will be the focus for Backus Community Center officials as they utilize a $48,900 grant awarded to the facility earlier this month.
“We’re so excited about this grant,” said Ward Merrill, executive director at Backus.
Merrill said the competition for the Arts Tour Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board was “really intense.” About 90 applications were submitted with only 34 receiving funding, he said.
“We were up against some high-powered arts groups,” Merrill said.
The purpose of the Arts Tour Minnesota grant program is to provide Minnesotans with greater access to high-quality arts activities regardless of geographic location. Grant dollars will bring performers with International Falls connections to the Backus stage.
The first, which according to Merrill is tentatively scheduled for February, is “The Mill,” by Jeannine Coulombe, an accomplished playwright and former International Falls resident.
Two performances are planned for the production that focuses on the labor unrest in International Falls in 1989, as Boise Cascade offers to expand the town’s mill, but only if the union workers sign a new contract that would, among other things, change shifts from eight hours to 12 hours. Meanwhile, the factory hires a massive crew of non-union construction workers, which creates violent tension in the community.
“The unique feature of this grant was bringing the play to the community that inspired it,” Merrill said.
He explained his awareness to the controversy that such a play might spark and said he believes it will cause people to reflect on things, which an arts experience does.
“Having seen the play, I don’t think it’ll be a controversial play to have up here in the Falls,” he said. “I think it’ll be an eye-opening event.”
In addition to “The Mill,” the grant will also bring singer-songwriter Chris Koza and his band, Rogue Valley to the stage. Koza, son-in-law of local artist Mary Casanova.
Rogue Valley is a theatrical folk-rock band based in Minneapolis. This group has toured extensively since its debut in 2010 on the Fitzgerald Theater stage in St. Paul.
In addition to a performance, which is without an exact date as of yet, Merrill said the band will engage both community members and students during three days of outreach to four schools in Koochiching County.
“(Backus) is trying to do more of that outreach all the time,” Merrill told The Journal. “We’ve done it before and we’re happy to continue that with this grant.”
Coulombe will also offer a playwrite workshop to Falls students.
Merrill reported the grant will also give Backus Community Center $5,000 so as to add more lighting to the auditorium and another $5,000 to allow staff and board to visit other historic theaters in Minnesota. The visits will provide education on how to update Backus Community Center and present things on a more professional level.
“We’re just very fortunate,” Merrill said. “Exciting things are happening for Backus.”
