Luverne is a theater graduate of Augsburg College and clowning & physical comedy certified from Burlesque Center-Locarno in Switzerland. Luverne co-founded the theater company Sod House Theater with artistic and life partner Darcey Engen in the summer of 2011. They’ve toured productions around Minnesota every summer since their conception. Luverne has also served as Head of BA Theater Performance at the University of Minnesota since 2004. He was awarded a 2002 McKnight Fellow Artist for Theater, City Pages named him their Artist of the Year in 2008 and in 2009 he won the Ivey Award for Outstanding Performance in Twin Cities Theater. He has since received multiple grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board (2010 & 2012).

After retiring from a career as an environmental planner for St. Louis County, Mary is pursuing writing poetry, painting, weaving and other creative outlets for the next chapter of life.