Michael O’Connell
Lundstrum Board Member and Community Leader
Michael O’Connell has served on the Lundstrum Performing Arts board since 2008, however his connection to North Minneapolis dates backs to 1966 when he was a young deacon assigned to the Church of the Ascension on Bryant Avenue North in Minneapolis. Since then, he has lived an incredibly rich life of service marked by two beacons:
his compassion for under-resourced families, and his deep understanding of the power of beauty to transform lives.
During his long tenure as rector of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, Michael expanded the church physically and figuratively, and opened up important dialogue with other faith traditions, notably Temple Israel and the Jewish community. He also founded the Jeremiah Program, which disrupts the cycle of poverty for single mothers and children. Michael returned as a pastor of the Church of the Ascension in 2008, serving North Minneapolis parishioners and expanding the impact of its school, now Ascension Catholic Academy.
Michael’s leadership has also extended significantly to the visual and performing arts. He has supported fine artists and promoted art exhibitions throughout his career, and in 2005 commissioned a Holocaust Memorial Oratorio by legendary Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus, which continues to be performed around the world to this day.
This year, Lundstrum Performing Arts salutes Michael as a tireless champion for our mission, a leader who celebrates the joy of the arts, and works tirelessly so that children can have access to Lundstrum’s high-quality programming.
Peter Brosius
Children’s Theatre Company Artistic Director 1997-2024
Peter Brosius is an actor, director and legendary Artistic Director of Minnesota’s landmark Children’s Theatre Company (CTC). As he retires this year from his official role with that flagship organization, Lundstrum Performing Arts recognizes him as our Community Honoree for his far-reaching impact in the world of youth theater in our community and across the country.
In Peter’s 27 years at the helm of Children’s Theatre, he has produced more than 180 productions, including 70 newly commissioned works for youth and family audiences. One of these, A Year with Frog and Toad, won a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre. Fittingly, Peter has won numerous awards including the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Sara Spencer Artistic Achievement Award.
Throughout the years, Peter and his team at Children’s Theatre have worked closely with Lundstrum faculty and students, frequently casting Lundstrum students and alumni in Children’s Theatre productions. Once cast, Peter has personally welcomed these students into the acting community, and supported students as they spread their artistic wings on the CTC stage. Another mark of Peter’s generous nature is the leadership he provided during the covid-19 pandemic, when he brought together leaders of area youth theater organizations for weekly zoom meetings to share knowledge, resources, and support during that unprecedented time of challenge.
Artist, innovator, leader, champion for youth theater, Lundstrum Performing Arts salutes Peter Brosius for the lasting impact he’s had on Twin Cities theater. We thank him for his lifelong commitment to celebrating the exuberance of youth on area stages.
