What is the Capitol Play Podcast?
Wonderlust is a theater company that makes plays based on the stories of real people. In 2018 we made a play about Minnesota’s government and discovered that just like theater, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes you don’t know. OUR HOUSE, the podcast, revisits the play – and the insiders we met making it – five years later, to peel back the curtain on how change happens here.
Online Now:
Episode 1 : How Power Really Works
Three former Capitol insiders detail what the public might not normally see about how power really works, and doesn’t, at the Capitol.
in conversation:
Kevin Lindsey, former Commissioner of the MN Department of Human Rights and current CEO of the MN Humanities Center,
Andy Dawkins, former MN State Legislator,
Stephanie Andrews, former Deputy Commissioner of MN Management and Budget; current Talent, Learning, and Evaluation Director, Bush Foundation
Episode 2 : The Power of Culture
Two legislators compare their experiences at the Capitol. As the legislative membership grows more diverse, the culture shifts; some things get more difficult while other things don’t change at all.
Roger Moe, Former Majority Leader of the MN State Senate and
Athena Hollins, current MN State Representative , District 66B
Episode 3 : The Power of Dedication
There is a complex push and pull between what the legislature has created agencies to do and what the public thinks they want and need from their government.
Frank Kohlasch, Assistant Commissioner for Air and Climate Policy
Sia Her, Executive Director of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesota
Episode 4: The Power of the Past
Why do people get so upset about what art is displayed at the Capitol? Because how we see the past guides where we will go, and who is invited, into our collective future.
Kate Beane, Executive Director of the Minnesota Museum of American Art
Paul Mandell, former Executive Secretary of the Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board
Episode 5 : The Power of Invisibility
Our guests shed light on the staff members that would rather, and sometimes need to be, invisible in order to get work done.
Ned Rousmaniere, former Supervisor at the State of Minnesota EAP and Organization Health
Jerry Krueger, Building Maintenance Coordinator of the MN State Capitol
Episode 6 : The Power of Performance
In some ways the state capitol is like theater. In other ways, it really IS theater.
Sam Fettig, former Press Secretary in the Office of Mark Dayton, current Senior External Communications Specialist of the MN Nurses Association,
Jim Schowalter, Commissioner of MN Management and Budget
Episode 7 : The Power of Information
Though not officially part of state government, the press play an essential role. The information they traffic in can make things happen.
Lori Sturdevant, retired Star Tribune editorial writer and columnist who has written about Minnesota government and politics since 1978
Briana Bierschbach, current politics and government reporter for the Star Tribune
Episode 8 : Power of Relationships
If you learn nothing else about Minnesota state government, learn this: Relationships, relationships, relationships!
John Apitz, Executive Director of the MN Regional Railroad Association
Henry Jimenez, former Executive Director of the MN Council of Latino Affairs and current CEO of the Latino Economic Development Center
Episode 9: Power of Disruption
What does it feel like to be the pieces on the game board rather than the players? Two activists who advocate from outside the system remind us that its the community that matters.
Vina Kay, Director of the Piper Fund at the Proteus Fund
Monica Hurtado, Policy Director at Voices for Racial Justice
Episode 10: How to Succeed, Part 1
Follow the 40 year journey of one piece of legislation about adoption and how it finally got passed this year!
Penny Needham, Executive Board Member of the Minnesota Coalition for Adoption Reform
Greg Luce, Founder of the Adoptee Rights Law Center
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What episodes are coming soon?
Episode 11: How to Succeed, Part 2
Justin Terrell, Executive Director of Minnesota Justice Research Center
Raymond Dehn, Former Minnesota State Representative
Brother Shane Price, Director of the Power of People Leadership Institute
Episode 12
Guests: TBD
Want to hear the play?
Read MoreCredits
Produced and hosted by: Alan Berks and Leah Cooper
Co-produced and Edited by: Marianne Combs
Sound Designer/Audio Engineer: Peter Morrow
Audio Support: Rachel Brees
Production Assistant: Frances Matejcek
Thanks
Thanks to our community partners Minnesota Humanities Center, In Progress Studios, and Eastside Freedom Library for providing recording space, advice, and promotional support.
Thanks to The Theater of Public Policy and MinnPost for spreading the word to listeners.
Thanks to the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen Foundation for financial support. See our thank you page for a complete list of the donors and granters whose general operating support makes all of our work possible.
