About

Open Window Theatre, led by Executive-Artistic Director Jeremy Stanbary puts on beautiful productions that are engaging, inspiring, and provocative…I am now a huge fan.

Will Prather, IVEY Awards Green Room Blog

WHO WE ARE

Founders:

Jeremy & Sarah Stanbary

Board of Directors:

Mark J. Blando, J.D. (President)
Jeremy Stanbary (VP)
Michael J. Barrett, CPA (Treasurer)
Mark Daoust
Molly Koop
Jon O’Malley
Mary Hodgdon
Tim Skidmore


MISSION

Open Window Theatre was founded in May 2011 for the purpose of bringing multigenerational professional theater with a redemptive vision to the Twin Cities. We focus on telling relevant stories of faith, hope, and reconciliation in an intimate and immersive environment.

We view art as inherently transcendent–a window to the Divine and to the innermost reality of the human person and the world. Art, and particularly live theater, has a unique ability to not only bring joy through entertainment but also to educate and inspire by provoking profound self-reflection about the deepest and most important aspects of our humanity. Alternatively, “With the same power with which theater can ennoble the spectators, it may corrupt them, degrade them, spoil their taste, lower their passions, offend beauty” (Konstantin Stanislavski, father of modern theater).

At Open Window Theatre we focus on a redemptive vision in the arts because we believe there’s a crisis of hope and true beauty in today’s world. Beauty is the purest glimpse we have of the Divine who is Beauty itself, leading Fyodor Dostoevsky to proclaim “beauty will save the world.”

Believe in our mission?

CORE PRINCIPLES

  1. We believe theater should not only entertain but also educate and inspire with the kind of beauty that will save the world.
  2. We believe good art should challenge people to be better versions of themselves.
  3. We believe we do not have to be vulgar in order to produce good theater, and that some things are better left to the imagination.
  4. We believe good art – in exploring the darkness of the human condition – should always possess a redemptive value while respecting the dignity of the human person both on and off stage.
  5. We believe in exploring the transcendent nature of life and art by bringing faith and spirituality to the stage in serious and thought-provoking ways.
  6. We believe in creating an intimate theater-going experience that is memorable, engaging, and immersive.
  7. We believe in producing top-quality theater that is accessible to everyone (yes, EVERYONE) and won’t break your budget.

Now that’s a breath of fresh air! We hope you agree.

Donate now to show your support for our unique and redemptive mission in the arts. Thank you for your support!

PERMANENT STAFF

Jeremy Stanbary
Founder & Exec-Artistic Director

Jeremy holds a BA in Fine & Performing Arts with 20-years of experience producing and performing theater professionally while advancing his uniquely redemptive vision for the arts. In 2003, Jeremy began touring full-time with his original one-man and small-cast dramas. For the next 8-years, he performed for tens of thousands of people both nationally and internationally, reaching countless others via cable television. In 2011, Jeremy & Sarah founded Open Window Theatre, which has become a staple of the Twin Cities arts scene. Jeremy also has over 10-years of active experience in theater education for youth, developing and growing the E-Rhapsody Youth Theater program between 2007-2016. The legacy of the E-Rhapsody program lives on now as the Young Actors Academy.

Sarah Stanbary
Co-founder (non-salaried)

Sarah is the co-founder of Open Window Theatre and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a dual degree in Theatre Performance and Arts Management. Sarah toured both nationally & internationally with husband Jeremy between 2007-2011 and also served as a youth theater instructor for their E-Rhapsody Youth Theater program from 2007-2016. 

Aside from her acting talents, Sarah is also an accomplished ballroom dancer and dance instructor.

Mark Dittman
Managing Director

Mark Dittman is a versatile and results-oriented organizational leader, coming to us in the summer of 2024 with more than 25 years in church business administration. He holds a BA in Psychology & Liberal Arts from the University of Minnesota-Morris, a Master of Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas, and an MBA from Bethel University. He is Working Genius Certified and is a Certified Senior Professional through the Society for Human Resource Management. Mark has a love of art, literature, and history and is a historical reenactor with the First Regiment of Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. He is excited to bring his skills, experience and interests in service to the mission of Open Window Theatre.

Jill Mraz
Box Office Manager & Office Admin

Jill is a graduate of The Minneapolis College of Art & Design with a BA in photography and creative writing. As a self-employed national title loan closer for the past 20+ years, Jill has a plethora of organization and people skills that she brings to her new role with Open Window Theatre. She is also a self-published poet and playwright and has been a contributing writer since 2016 for WINE (Women in the New Evangelization), a weekly inspirational blog for Catholic women. Possessing a deep love of theater and OWT’s redemptive mission, Jill has been a steady patron and volunteer since 2015, accepting the role of Box Office Manager in 2023. “I am delighted and grateful to be a part of the astonishing, beautiful work that Open Window Theatre so uniquely encompasses.”

Nate Farley
House Manager & Resident Designer

Nate has been with OWT since our second season (2012-2013) and has been a cornerstone of our operations since that time. Nate is a Librarian by day at the University of Northwestern–St. Paul, and a freelance designer/actor by night. His acting talents were featured on the OWT stage in our production of Shadowlands in 2013, although most patrons will recognize him as our friendly house manager at most productions. Nate’s broad spectrum of creative talents are showcased mostly through our props, sets, and costumes. He has served as the props designer for most of our shows since 2014 in addition to designing the sets for The Jeweler’s Shop (2014), Lolek (2020), FRASSATI (2021), A Christmas Carol (2021) and George Orwell’s 1984 (2022). Nate’s costume design work has also been featured in The Jeweler’s Shop, The World Over, Lolek, and every production of our ’21-’22 season.

Lauren Volkart
Volunteer Coordinator

Lauren hails from the sunshine state of Florida and made her way to Minnesota by way of New Jersey. She graduated from Florida State University in 2016, worked in college campus ministry for a number of years after that, and now works for the Ordway in St. Paul. Lauren discovered her passion for theatre during college, and it flourished during her two years living in New Jersey with frequent trips to NYC. She is thrilled to have a space where her passions in administration, theatre, and community-building can work together within the mission of Open Window both as a volunteer coordinator for our performances as well as an occasional stage manager.

Jeromy Darling
IT/Website Development

VOLUNTEER

Interested in volunteering at Open Window? Volunteers can see our shows for free! Sign-up below.