By Grace Jacobson / Public Affairs Programming Producer

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Dean Holt stumbled into theatre by accident.

Originally attending St. Cloud State University to be a pilot, the resident Children’s Theatre Company actor soon realized that the current flight path wasn’t it, so he diverted to St. John’s University. On his transfer, Holt needed to declare a major. 

“I didn’t really have one,” he admits.

After expressing he was taking a theatre class at the time and enjoying it, admissions put him down as a theatre major.

“All that stuff I’d been looking for in high school–that community–that’s where I found it [in theatre].”

After graduating from St. John’s in 1994, Holt was offered a one-year apprenticeship with the Minneapolis-based theatre company. He fell in love with the place right away and even though it was for a year, he wished he could stay longer.

“I came to that theatre expecting to then go off to grad school and do my next chapter.”

But his wish was granted and Children’s Theatre offered him a spot in their resident actor company.

“It was one of those things where I was in the right place at the right time. I had the right skill set for what the theatre needed and they certainly had what I was searching for.”

Holt has been with CTC since then and attributes his decades-long stay to the interesting work he gets to do.

“I’ve never gotten bored with anything. From Dr. Seuss to Shakespeare, we’re sort of doing the whole gamut of different titles and different roles. The flexibility of stretching all those different muscles has been always there.”

One of the muscles he’s been able to develop is even directing. After starring in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas during his inaugural season, Holt made his directorial debut with the show in 2024.

“I’m so thankful I got that opportunity. It’s something I really wanted and I sort of chased after it. That holiday show is a big thing for our theatre as far as financially and artistically. It’s something families look forward to [every year]. I didn’t want to let anyone down.”

So Holt looked back on his countless times performing in the show to draw inspiration on how he wanted to direct it.

“We did a lot of weaving together a quilt of what the highlights were for me and my time with that show.”

He also looks back on his time performing in the roles he gets to return to in productions, noting he has unfinished business with them.

Children’s Theatre Company is currently in performances of The Wizard of Oz where Holt plays Hank and the Scarecrow, his fifth time stepping back into the role.

“For me it’s always a luxury to step back into a role, because I think this time I want to solve these problems I encountered last time or take it into a different direction. In my mind, every time we’re coming back [to a story], that storytelling should be getting stronger.”

One of the biggest tests on just how strong that storytelling is night after night is the audience–an audience made up of what Holt calls their truest audience members: children.

“They will laugh if something is funny. If it’s not funny, they will not laugh.”

Holt says it’s a great charge for an artist to step into an environment like that. He’s even gotten feedback about his artistry mid-performance from children in the audience.

“We did a performance back in the 90s where I was playing a dog in a show. I thought I was the best dog ever, but the little kid in the front row turned to his mom and asked why the monkey was sweating.”

It’s of the same token Holt says that the children 30 years ago are now returning to Children’s Theatre with their own kids.

“You see this legacy and you realize that’s the impact.”

It’s an impact that Holt intends to continue being a part of for more generations to come. For him, there’s no place like home.

Performances for The Wizard of Oz run through June 14, 2026. For further show and ticket information, visit childrenstheatre.org.

Children’s Theatre Company is the nation’s largest and most acclaimed theatre for young people. It is the only theatre focused on young audiences to win the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and the only theatre in Minnesota to receive three Tony nominations.

The above quotes have been edited and condensed for clarity and readability. To hear the full conversation, including how Holt balances being an actor and a director, and his favorite show he’s done thus far at Children’s Theatre Company, listen below.

Untold Stories of Central Minnesota is made possible through support from the Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

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