A New “Ringmaster” at In the Heart of the Beast Theatre

by Harvey Winje

In the Heart of the Beast Theatre searched far and wide for an Executive Director to assume the role long and capably performed by Kathee Foran who retired last month.  The Board of Directors chose Loren Niemi.  Loren has a wide-ranging background that includes decades of involvement in local theater and literary circles.   Loren Niemi was the Tour manager and Ringmaster of HOTB”'s “Circle of Water Circus” in the summer 1983.  It was an extravaganza that combined HOTB”'s three venues””education, production, and events””in a tour from the Itasca headwaters of the Mississippi River to many towns along the River, culminating in a pageant near the Gulf of Mexico.

Chances are best that Executive Director Loren Niemi and longtime Artistic Director Sandy Spieler will combine to be a dynamic duo of “ringmasters.”   They both have the ability to be in the spotlight just long enough to focus the attention of the “roar of the crowd” on the most important performers of HOTB—students in classrooms, actors on stage, or the audience as “actors” on community streets.

Loren”'s unbridled enthusiasm tempered by professorial, stage, organizing, and administrative experience addresses the three venues of the theatre company. He states, “I  will use my strong belief in HOTB”'s transformative abilities to guide its resources,  build for the future, and advise on physical space needs as HOTB heads toward its 40th Anniversary in 2014.”… Read the rest “A New “Ringmaster” at In the Heart of the Beast Theatre”