Paul Bunyan Playhouse makes a summer stock theater comeback for 2026

BEMIDJI — After a half-season in 2024 and a skipped 2025 season, the Paul Bunyan Playhouse is back for its 75th year of summer stock theater in Bemidji.

Songs for a New World is the first of five shows slated at the Historic Chief Theater this summer season.

The show opened Thursday, June 4, with additional performances through Saturday, June 13.

The Historic Chief Theater was the place to take in the silver screen year-round before the construction of what was then called the Amigo Theater west of town.

The art deco-style building has been the home of the Paul Bunyan Playhouse since the 1990s, when the group moved from an outdoor theater setup at Ruttger’s Birchmont Lodge.

Philip Hoks has been with the Playhouse for more than 10 years and was promoted to artistic director in 2024.

Including a last-minute fundraising push to house the traveling troupe of professional actors, Hoks said there was a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get the season back.

“There's still a lot of work to do because our building, our infrastructure portion, it hasn't had a full renovation in over 30 years,” Hoks said in a Wednesday, June 3, interview. “So now we're looking at: how can we get the renovation done to fix some of the things that we had to put band-aids on before, but now we need to actually have a full thing.”

Larissa Donovan

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KAXE

With fresh paint in the lobby and fresh sealant on the roof’s notorious problem areas, the Playhouse was practically sparkling during KAXE’s impromptu visit to the Chief.

“We're trying to bring as much life back into everything. We've cleaned up a lot of things; we've gotten the smell out of the Playhouse,” he said.

Songs for a New World is a cross between a song-cycle and a full-on musical and just a taste of what’s in store for the rest of the season.

“We really just want to have as many people see this show and really see this season as possible,” Hoks said. “I think it's an amazing, eclectic season and there's something for everybody within this season.”

Madison Alexander will play the part of Woman One in Songs for a New World, described as a collection of different pieces composed for various shows. She offered her philosophy of playing a nameless character.

“The audience can empathize with us being every woman and every man, and that's our way to connect with our audience about one moment and one decision and move through our storyline,” she said.

The part is a dream come true for the Tennessee native, who is in the Bemidji area for the first time.

“It is such a challenging sing for all four characters involved and for our band and music director that this is, I think, all I could handle this summer next to Paul and Babe the Ox,” Alexander said.

Tyler Kelly will play the part of Man Two.

He was involved in the closing show of the Playhouse’s short 2024 season, where he performed in perhaps the most popular British Victorian piece this side of the Atlantic from Gilbert and Sullivan, The Pirates of Penzance.

“I just love this area. There's so much to do around here. I love the small little towns. There's so much to offer here,” Kelly said. “I love bringing live theater to an amazing community that you could really see that this community really loves theater.”

Assistant Director and Choreographer Nat Harper said she is excited to showcase the actors' talents through the unique Songs for a New World show.

“Every song is its own standalone style, its own standalone beat, and so finding choreography that really serves each individual song while still helping connect all the songs together has been a really, really great challenge,” Harper said.

Hoks said it was the right time to bring back a full season after a bumpy couple of years.

“We switched over to now bringing more theater through because having that steady income will make it so that we can have more stuff here and be able to actually get those renovations started,” he said.

The season will continue with Over a Barrel beginning June 18, Church Basement Ladies opening July 2, On the Verge, or, The Geography of Yearning opening on July 16, and the season finale Avenue Q, starting July 30.

The Playhouse announced Wednesday, June 10, that limited registration is open for an Alice in Wonderland summer intensive theater camp for ages 8-18 slated for August.

“We are building a pre-professional company of actors to work alongside industry pros, master proper stagecraft and put on a high-caliber production,” the social media announcement stated.

More information is available at the Chief Theater box office, which is now open weekdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and an hour before curtain, with more information on its website.