We were lucky to catch up with Tyler Michaels King recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tyler, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
I’ll start off with some context: I am the Founder and Artistic Director of Trademark Theater, a theater company in the twin cities. Trademark is solely a new-works company, meaning we only create, develop, and produce new works of theater. To do so, we commission local artists to create the scripts, music, lyrics, etc, that you might see on stages around the metro.
One of my favorite projects we’ve commissioned was from local rock band Kiss the Tiger. I had performed with Meghan Kreidler, the band’s front woman, in a few productions around town and knew she was an incredible talent that we would want to support. The band was in the early stages of developing an experimental new show. Not quite a rock concert, not quite a play, it was sort of its own beast, mixing rock ‘n’ roll, spoken word, and theatrical storytelling in a wild, vibrant, in-your-face kind of performance. They called it STONE BABY. (Simple and impactful!)
We commissioned them in 2020 in the hopes of co-producing their show in the next season. I don’t think any of us really knew what the piece was in the beginning, only that KTT was chasing something exciting and something that felt uniquely their own. We spent a year sitting with them, giving feedback on their writing, dropping in on their rehearsals, etc. It was admittedly hard for us at first. Trademark and KTT came from different worlds and we had to work hard to build a new vocabulary together. Eventually, I figured out the best way I could support their artistry was to let them create how they create (making music in a room together, not through building a script on boring paper), and to encourage them to keep reaching for the really experimental aspects of the show (Patti Smith’s abstract spoken word performances were a direct inspiration and something Meghan excelled at crafting).
The band kept working a revising right up to their opening night at Icehouse in Minneapolis, playing for a packed house. The moment the band started their first chord and Meghan stalked onto stage I was in awe. STONE BABY was electric, funny as hell, deep and mournful, and blew the roof off the place. I’d never been in a room where the audience was so invested in a story while also screaming their faces off.
Stone Baby is easily one of the best things we’ve produced in our seven year history. And, a key moment for me in learning how to support artists in all sorts of ways. It sort of set the standard for how Trademark can support artists, regardless of the style, genre, or method. It showed us that the unconventional is usually the most exciting.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a multi-hyphenate theater artist, which really means I do all sorts of creative work in theater arts: I direct, I act, I sing, I write, I choreograph, I produce, I design. I make theater! I do much of this work at Trademark Theater, a company which I founded in 2017. As I mentioned before, we are a new works company, which means we create, develop, and present world premiere shows from local artists. Our shows come in all sorts of shapes and forms: big musicals, small interpersonal dramas and comedies, rock shows, dance concerts, solo performances… We’re interested in anything that presses at the boundaries of what’s considered “traditional” and is shooting for something unique and adventurous.
I originally started the company to fill a hole in our arts community. For as vibrant and wonderful as the Twin Cities theater community is, there hadn’t been a company devoting all of its resources to new works before we came along. Trademark first started by producing theater that I, or my Associate Artistic Director Tyler Mills came up with. As Trademark has grown, we’ve been able to commission several local artists to create/write/compose/dream up new shows that we also support and produce. Our 20 year mission is to become the midwest hub for new theater, right here in the Twin Cities. We’re currently seven years into that adventure.
Over the past seven seasons we’ve brought a lot more focus to the creative process for our audiences. We’ve shown theater-goers how exciting the new play development process can be as well as how much time, effort, creativity, and funding it takes to bring a piece of theater to life. (Did you know it can take more than 8 years to develop a new musical?) A lot of our season consists of workshops and readings of new plays through which we rewrite, reimagine, and craft our stories. We do that kind of work so that, when we produce a full world premiere production, we can be confident that it will thrill or move our audiences. It also allows us to provide a place for emerging creatives to have a home, explore their craft, and get their work seen by others in the community.
I’m thrilled that Trademark can be a place for me to explore my creativity and leadership while also being a place for other local theater makers to do the same.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
This post-covid time has been hard for the live entertainment industry. Habits have changed for a lot of the general public. People don’t go out as much, they don’t gather as much, they don’t spend as much on live entertainment. I try to encourage people to take they risk of turning off their tvs (gasp!) and checking out a show or an artist in their community.
So, go out and take in local art! See some theater, walk through a museum, go to a gallery, attend a festival, take in some live music. Get to know some artists or companies, and support the ones that excite you!
There is that special something that we experience as human beings where we are sharing space with one another, taking in something as a collective. We cheer together, we laugh together, we cry together, our hearts literally beat together. We need that kind of connection, especially in our increasingly digital world. It builds community. It generates commonality and empathy. It ignites joy!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
A lot of my creative practice at Trademark is rooted in uplifting and encouraging other artists.
What has become most rewarding for me is, when I’m inside of long term collaboration working with a writer, or an actor, or a designer for several months, I get to witness the moment when they achieve something they didn’t think possible. It’s like Mario eating his mushroom. I see them sort of evolve, or level up. They hit that high note, or they write that perfect monologue, or they light the scene just right so as to bring tears to the audience’s eyes. You can see their body shift and their confidence increase. It’s a true gift to witness artists stepping into their own.
I’m so proud that Trademark can provide the kind of space for artists to take big risks, and feel supported while doing so.
Contact Info:
- Website: tylermichaelsking.com; trademarktheater.org
- Instagram: @tylermichaelsking
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tyler.michaels/
Image Credits
singer in blue light, leaning back with microphone – Juliet Farmer – Production photo of Stone Baby two people sitting looking left – Dan Norman – Production photo of Understood two people hugging with singers in background – Dan Norman – Production photo of The Hollow young boy looking to the right with man in background – Rick Spaulding – Production photo of The Boy and Robin Hood black and white photo – Emily Michaels King – rehearsal photo of The Boy and Robin Hood men with heads together – Lauren B Photography – Production photo of 5