One day while exploring the historic Lyric Building, downtown Virginia, MN, I found a note on the wall of the dressing room that stated, “ The station manager has agreed to hold the last train to Winnipeg until all actors are aboard.”   Wouldn't you write a play about that?  I did!

In 1911, Virginia, Minnesota was in the process of rebuilding after its second catastrophic fire.  This was in a age before radio or television and Virginia was the hub for entertainment in the region.  Three local businessmen joined together to form the Lyric Opera Company and build a palace for live performance on the west end of town.  The Lyric Opera House opened on a cold night in January of 1912 to rave reviews and pride in this extraordinary addition to Virginia's commercial district.  

The Last Train to Winnipeg is a melodrama that takes us back to the early years when the Lyric was one of the stops on the northern vaudeville circuit.  Performers came and went by train to Winnipeg, or to Duluth, but there were a handful that stayed and made the Lyric a jewel in the crown of the Queen City, Virginia.

We'd like to thank the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council.  This activity is made possible in part by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Of course, as a melodrama you need the heroes and the villians, and lots and lots of drama.  This play has that and more!  I hope you'll enjoy the show.

Mary McReynolds

The Lyric Center for the Arts is a non-profit center for visual, literary and performing arts.  Our mission is to provide educational and cultural opportunities for children and adults across the Iron Range while renovating the historic Lyric Building.

Learn more about us at www.lyriccenteronline.org.