Community meets improv at Sketches of Minnesota

Event focused on building connections among Marshall residents

MARSHALL -- It was an evening full of conversation, laughter and even musical numbers about rolle bolle and the safety risks of electric scooters. But the "Sketches of Minnesota" improv theater event was also a chance for Marshall area residents to have some serious discussions about their community.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to get together with neighbors," one area resident said of the event.

She said it was also a chance for people to learn from each other.

"We all want a lot of the same things in life," she said.

The Minnesota Humanities Center and Danger Boat Productions brought Sketches of Minnesota to Marshall on Sept. 10. The event brought members of the public together to talk about both the positive parts of life in Marshall, and the challenges facing the community. Improvisers sat in on the conversations, and shaped some of what they learned into sketches they acted out later in the evening.

The Minnesota Humanities Center has been bringing Sketches of Minnesota around the state since 2024, as a way to help encourage community conversations.

"It's a beautiful way for community members to meet each other," said Tane Danger, co-founder of Danger Boat Productions.

This year, the sketch tour is coming to a few different cities in southwest Minnesota, said Tiffany Orth, program manager with the Minnesota Humanities Center.

At last week's event, more than 70 people from Marshall and surrounding communities sat in small groups and answered a short series of questions. They were asked what they liked best about the area community, as well as what some of the future challenges for the area would be.

Going around to different groups, some of the positives ranged from friendly people, to the strength of the local school systems and the shopping and recreation that was available in the Marshall area.

"There's a sense of safety in southwest Minnesota," one participant said.

A few different area residents said it was a misconception that there wasn't anything to do in Marshall.

Some of the challenges people discussed included feeling like it was difficult to belong as a newcomer to the community. Other conversations at different tables touched on challenges for growth and industry in the Marshall area, infrastructure needs, and how to respectfully listen to people with different opinions.

Some of the ideas generated by area residents were turned into humorous sketches by improv troupe members. Afterward, audience members were invited to reflect on their experiences. Some audience members offered calls to action.

"We talked about practicing listening to people who disagree with us," and trying to share a sense of community, one audience member said.

Orth said one of best parts of Sketches of Minnesota is getting to hear how connected people are to their hometowns.

"People are so proud about their communities," Orth said.

At the same time, as people share, it also reveals the things that Minnesota communities have in common, and some of their shared challenges, she said.

Orth said the hope for Sketches of Minnesota is to get people into the practice of talking with people as neighbors.

The Sketches of Minnesota tour will be coming to Worthington on Sept. 25, and to Luverne on Oct. 10. More information on the free events is available online, at https://www.mnhum.org/program/sketches-of-minnesota/.