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Phil Thompson performs his Elton John and Billy Joel tribute Saturday evening, Oct. 4 during the Pipestone Performing Arts Center’s season kickoff. Thompson will be back with a Michael Bublé themed Christmas show on Dec. 19. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
The Pipestone Performing Arts Center (PPAC) launched its 32nd season on Saturday, Oct. 4 with a tribute to Billy Joel and Elton John by Phil Thompson.
PPAC Managing Director Mark Thode said Thompson is a Minnesota-based pianist, vocalist and music producer. He’s also known as WCCO’s Man About Town for a segment about the greater metro area arts and entertainment scene.
“We figured if we bring in this Elton John and Billy Joel tribute, we know that people are going to enjoy it,” Thode said a couple days before the show. “Phil Thompson has a strong following and he’s entertaining. We know that he’s going to deliver.”
That’s why the PPAC is bringing Thompson back for a second show on Dec. 19 called “Phil Thompson: A Michael Bublé Christmas.” It will be the second of three Presenter Series shows the PPAC has scheduled for its 32nd season. The third is “512: The Selena Experience” on May 16. The show is a tribute to 1990s pop star, Selena.
“The programming committee chose to present a Selena tribute show because her music crosses cultures and generations, and we hope that by bringing this performance to Pipestone we can celebrate her music, celebrate her influence on 90s pop culture, but also while inviting and engaging our local Latino audience, along with anybody who enjoys her music,” Thode said.
People enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, punch and champagne prior to the Pipestone Performing Arts Center’s (PPAC) season kickoff show on Saturday evening, Oct. 4. The show was an Elton John and Billy Joel tribute by Phil Thompson. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
As usual, there will also be productions by local performing arts groups, the Calumet Players and the Al Opland Singers, throughout the season. Their productions include “The Pin-Up Girls,” by the Calumet Players Nov. 7 to 9 and 14 to 16; the Christmas show “Let Heaven & Nature Sing,” by the Al Opland Singers Dec. 4 to 7; “Little Women,” by the Calumet Players Feb. 13 to 15 and 20 to 22; a Calumet Children’s Theater production March 27 to 29; the Al Opland’s spring show “Music of the Heart” April 9 to 12; and the musical “The Wizard of Oz,” by the Calumet Players June 18 to 21 and 25 to 28.
With local productions, the Presenter Series shows, rehearsals and other rentals, Thode said the facility is in use 250 to 300 days a year. There’s a cost to keeping the PPAC up and running and available for all those uses, and in fiscal year 2025, which ended on Aug. 31, it totaled $138,690. Revenue for the year totaled $151,704. Thode said 80 percent of the PPAC’s income came from donors, underwriters and grants; 10 percent came from rental fees and 5 percent came from ticket sales.
The PPAC experienced some notable changes in 2025, including the loss of Dennis Hansen, the visionary and long-time managing director of the PPAC, who died in January.
“I know that our board — and I do personally — feel his absence at meetings and events,” Thode said. “He just brought a unique energy that inspired us all and I’m hoping that we can steward that energy forward into the future.”
Other changes on the PPAC Board of Directors included the resignation of long-time member Mary Ann Yseth, and the addition of Lynda Ewing.
Audience members watch Phil Thompson performs his Elton John and Billy Joel tribute Saturday evening, Oct. 4 during the Pipestone Performing Arts Center’s (PPAC) season kickoff. The event marked the start of the PPAC’s 32nd season. Photo by Kyle Kuphal
There were also some structural changes to the PPAC in fiscal year 2025. That included a car crashing through the stage doors that had just recently been installed. That required patching of the hole where the doors had been just as the weather turned cool, making it difficult to regulate the temperature in the theater, and created a financial burden for the Pipestone County Historical Society, which owns the building.
On a more positive note, the Historical Society replaced the fire escape stairs on the west side of the lobby and installed new black columns on both sides of the main entrance during fiscal year 2025. The PPAC also received an equipment grant of $9,533 from the Southwest Minnesota Arts Council to acquire a new sound board to replace one that was more than 20 years old and make improvements to the sound booth.
Thode said the PPAC is also trying some new marketing and advertising efforts. That includes creating a tiered underwriter system with different levels of benefits and advertising opportunities during PPAC events for different levels of funding. As of fiscal year 2025, the underwriters include 15 local businesses.
To learn more about the PPAC and upcoming events, or order tickets, visit www.pipestoneperformingartscenter.com.