On the night before Halloween, neighbors and art enthusiasts alike visited the recently established Hive Collaborative for a lively open house.

The building, which formerly held the performing arts group Dreamland Arts from 2006 to 2023, is located on Hamline Avenue, just a few blocks southeast of campus. As attendees began to file in near the start of the evening gathering, they were met with a smorgasbord of treats, both sweet and savory, as well as a wealth of Halloween-themed goodies and reverie.

The main room was lit up in ghoulish green, and a black-and-white movie flickered from a projector as costumed community members socialized at their tables. Downstairs, the basement space had been turned into an activity room, with attractions such as party games and photo booths catering to the event’s younger participants.

The Hive’s official website states that “[it] strives to be an open, inviting and accessible space for artists of all disciplines to thrive and create.” The organization’s founders, Eric Morris and Laura Rudolph Morris, are described on the website as “Twin Cities music theater artists and collaborators,” as well as the creators of the production company Buzz Music Theater. Both were in attendance at the open house and spoke about their experience and aims regarding the Hive.

The initial idea for the space was conceived when they formed their production company, Buzz Music Theater. They scoured the Twin Cities for suitable venues to produce theatrical events and stumbled upon the Hive’s current location purely by chance.

They initially considered the space to be too small for their needs, but when they learned it was for sale, curiosity led them inside. It was there that they felt an instant connection.
“It felt right, it felt like home, it felt accessible, it felt neighborhood-y, it felt like a place that we could really make our own,” Morris said.

Though neither has lived in Hamline-Midway before, Ruldoph Morris and Morris are excited about embracing the neighborhood.

“We’re really excited to explore all of the different things that the Hamline-Midway neighborhood has to offer. We just really are excited to hopefully become really active members of the community,” Rudolph Morris said. In addition, they hope to draw attention from the Twin Cities theater community and bring more theater opportunities into Midway.

“There’s not a ton of theater opportunities in this neighborhood, in this area, so showing [the theater community] the space, showing them the neighborhood, and just getting people excited about what’s going to be this little hub of buzzy activity,” Morris said, regarding his hopes for the space.

Their genuine enthusiasm and openness to collaboration have already stirred up interest, as evidenced by the full house at the event that only continued to grow as the night went on. In addition, the two expressed interest in getting involved with the Hamline community, including some collaborations that have already begun to take shape.

“We’re excited and hopeful that we will get to collaborate with Hamline University,” Rudolph Morris said. “We have professors that have already started to reach out about doing some things here, and I think that, hopefully, will be a wonderful collaboration that we can have.”

While a background in theater and the performing arts clearly informs the operations of the Hive, its owners plan to use the space for a wide variety of events. The next few months of their event calendar contain a colorful array of community gatherings, including sound baths, a series of gothic-adjacent dance recitals, and a piece of musical theater inspired by female singer-songwriters.

Rudolph Morris, being an event planner in addition to a lifelong performer, highlighted the potential for hosting weddings, workshops, and other such gatherings. Morris, a performer, director and designer, sees it as the ideal space to produce their own work and collaborate on productions. In addition, both have their eyes and ears turned to the immediate community as a source for events they would like to platform in the future.

“We are so excited to be here, and really hoping to create a space that can cultivate more theater and arts in this neighborhood,” Rudolph Morris said. “Anything that someone feels inspired to do in here, we would love to be the hub for that.”

To inquire about organizing an event at the Hive, anyone can send a message through their website, thehivecollaborativemn.com, which features an inquiry form under the “contact” page as well as an official email and phone number for the organization.

“Don’t be shy. Reach out, stop by,” Morris said. “We’re both really great about getting back to people, and we wanna collaborate with everybody.”

Above all else, the Hive Collaborative is already pollinating future excitement and creative development as it continues to make its presence known in the neighborhood.