Brave New Workshop

Founding by Dudley Riggs (1958)

Dudley Riggs (1931–2020), a fifth-generation circus aerialist, established the Instant Theatre Company and found a permanent home in the Twin Cities in 1958. An early address was 18 University Avenue SE, Minneapolis, followed by 207 East Hennepin Avenue in 1961. In 1961, Riggs renamed the company the Brave New Workshop, a reference to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, and relocated to 2605 Hennepin Avenue, a former bicycle shop that became the company's home for most of four decades.

Under Riggs and Subsequent Ownership (1961–2021)

Brave New Workshop produced original satirical sketch revues addressing politics, culture, and current events. The training and performance model developed alumni including Al Franken, Louie Anderson, Pat Proft, Linda Wallem, and Peter Tolan. In March 1997, Riggs sold the company to John Sweeney, Jenni Lilledahl, and Mark Bergren. On 22 September 2020, Dudley Riggs died in Minneapolis at the age of 88. In December 2021, Hennepin Theatre Trust purchased the BNW assets and the 824 Hennepin Avenue building.

Hennepin Theatre Trust Era (2022–present)

Brave New Workshop returned to the stage in May 2022 as the Hennepin Theatre Trust Resident Theatre, operating from 824 Hennepin Avenue. In November 2022, the building was officially renamed the Dudley Riggs Theatre.

Brave New Workshop built its identity on politically engaged satirical sketch comedy in the tradition that Riggs brought from the experimental theatre scene he encountered as a travelling circus performer. The company's revue model, in which original productions were developed from scratch through ensemble work and improvisation rather than presenting touring shows, made it an institutional counterpart to Second City and the Compass tradition rather than simply a local improv venue. The 'Brave New Workshop' name itself announced a satirical intention, connecting the company to critical intellectual culture rather than the apolitical entertainment mainstream.

Brave New Workshop is one of the longest-running satirical comedy companies in the United States. Its alumni include political commentator Al Franken and comedians Louie Anderson and Pat Proft. The company's sixty-plus-year run in Minneapolis established it as the anchor of the Twin Cities comedy and improv scene and an important institutional node connecting the Midwest improv tradition to the broader American satirical comedy lineage.