Radical Hospitality

What is Radical Hospitality?
Radical Hospitality provides no-cost access to all mainstage productions for any audience member beginning with the 2011–12 season. An expansion of Mixed Blood’s egalitarian mission, Radical Hospitality erases economic barriers in pursuit of building a truly inclusive, global audience. Whether a patron is a long-time Mixed Blood attendee, a new immigrant living in Mixed Blood’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, a person with low income or disabilities, a college student, or someone who has never been to theater, he or she will be welcomed, free of charge—with radical hospitality.

Read and listen to coverage in the media: minnpost, Star Tribune, City Pages, MPR, KFAI. And a blog at Arena Stage's New Play Blog features a conversation with MBT staffers Amanda White Thietje, Jamil Jude and Pj Doyle, about how the first effort, during Neighbors, went.

Why is Mixed Blood doing it?
Revolutionizing access is a core part of Mixed Blood’s vision. In pursuit of that goal, Radical Hospitality aims to: 1) Build relationships with those who have been traditionally underserved by the arts; 2) Eliminate real or perceived barriers to participation; and 3) Increase the number of Minnesotans participating in the arts.

Why is it called Radical Hospitality?
Father Daniel Homan and Lonni Collins Pratt coined the term “radical hospitality” in their 2002 book “Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love.” They write: When we speak of hospitality we are always addressing issues of inclusion and exclusion. Each of us makes choices about who will and who will not be included in our lives…. Hospitality has an inescapable moral dimension to it…. All of our talk about hospitable openness doesn’t mean anything as long as some people continue to be tossed aside…Hospitality is the answer to modern alienation and injustice.

For Mixed Blood, radical hospitality has not only social, but also political and economic implications; Radical Hospitality exercises our commitment to justice.

Will anything change for audiences?
Audience members can expect no change in the high quality, provocative and predictably unpredictable theater that Mixed Blood has offered for 35 years. What current and new audiences can expect is maximum value: high quality at no cost.

How does it work?
There will be two ways to see a performance:
1) First come, first served, no-cost admission: Mixed Blood holds a significant number of seats for no-cost admission on a first come, first served basis for each performance. To access these seats, provide your contact information by registering online or in the lobby (lobby opens two hours prior to the show). Seating begins 30 minutes before show time and is open (no assigned seats).
2) Guaranteed admission: Audience members who want to guarantee entry can do so for a $15 fee paid in advance online or by calling the box office at (612) 338-6131. Seating begins 30 minutes before show time and is open (no assigned seats). 

How will Mixed Blood sustain this?
By revolutionizing access, Mixed Blood believes audiences will grow to be truly inclusive and reflective of the entire community. With that growth, Mixed Blood believes that audiences and supporters will embrace the egalitarian core value of the company, providing support in return. Simply put, instead of charging for tickets, audiences will be asked, subsequent to attendance, to voluntarily become supporters of a vision that ensures access for all. Funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund will support the launch of Radical Hospitality in 2011-12, with individual, corporate and philanthropic sponsorships sustaining no-cost admission beyond next season. For more information, click here.