Lanesboro WW 2 and Beyond was the sixth pop-up play by History Alive Lanesboro; each a unique production of a different era of local history. Audience members were surrounded by the 1940’s! The audience moved around our historic S.E. MN town with character guides to outdoor and indoor scenes in locations accurate to the events portrayed.

This unique theater experience featured the tales of many local World War II veterans! After months of oral interviews, Jane Peck’s original script Lanesboro WW 2 and Beyond brought to the stage and streets local accounts of soldiers involved in the D-Day Invasion, German prison of war camps, the Norwegian Resistance, a Japanese nurse in Rochester, and farmers growing food for Europe. Area veterans Orval Amdahl, Don Ward, Bob Earley, Dr. Westrup, Paul Abrahamson, Ruby Nelson, and Signe Soma were portrayed in the production. 

Jane Peck is the playwright and artistic director who wrote and directed the production. Jane researched and wrote the show with the assistance of the Lanesboro History Museum’s extensive archives of photos, obituaries, and newspapers. Jane interviews many local residents about their memories or their ancestors to gather content for the scripts produced by History Alive Lanesboro.

*This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Many thanks to Lanesboro Area Community Foundation and our individual donors.