Wurtele Thrust Stage

Venue Type: Main Stage
Seating Capacity: 1100
Stage Type: Thrust

"We will keep the asymmetrical auditorium and the intimacy between actor and audience as our hallmark." ~ Joe Dowling

It's a new space that feels totally familiar. Guthrie audiences will recognize the thrust stage they came to love on Vineland Place - the perfect venue for the classic literature for which it was created. The multicolored seats, the slope rising up to connect main floor to balcony, the sculpted acoustic sound shields (or "clouds") and most importantly, the incredibly intimate relationship between actor and audience remains the same. This time, more leg room and 200 fewer seats provide improved sightlines and increased comfort. You'll feel right at home.

First-time Guthrie patrons will experience live theater as never before. The Guthrie's unique thrust stage reaches out to its audience. With seating on three sides and opportunities for actors to enter and exit the stage via backstage, an intricate collection of trap doors and elevators, and directly through the audience, patrons are at the center of the action.

The thrust stage itself is designed to change dramatically as each new production demands. By building a customized stage floor for each play, the size, shape, color and texture of the stage floor changes. This flexibility is essential in creating an appropriate environment for each individual production. Audiences throughout the season will delight in the many nuances possible in this stunningly new yet perfectly classic space.

Through the leadership and generosity of Margaret and Angus Wurtele, the new Guthrie Theater became a reality. The Wurtele Thrust Stage is named in their honor.