COOKIES AND EXORCISMS. Menomonie native Rachel Ropella recently directed A Girl Scout's Guide to Exorcism, performed at the Minnesota Fringe Festival 2023, with rave reviews and sold-out showings. (Submitted photos)

From Girl Scout exorcisms to “Get Ready with Me” TikTok videos, Menomonie native Rachel Ropella has nearly seen – and directed – it all. After graduating from St. Olaf University and co-founding her own theater production company, Melancholics Anonymous, Ropella has been busy crafting distinctive and moving theater pieces, one of which has landed her in Scotland.

Ropella grew up in the Menomonie theater scene, participating in theater camps held by the Menomonie Theater Guild and acting in many performances at the iconic Mable Tainter Theater. She eventually became a camp counselor for the Red Cedar Youth Stage before graduating from Menomonie High School.

“GROWING UP AND DOING THEATER AT THE MABEL TAINTER WAS SUCH A FOUNDATION TO MY LOVE OF THE ART AND REALLY EMPOWERED ME TO GO OUT IN THE WORLD AND KEEP PRODUCING MY OWN THEATER.”

RACHEL ROPELLA

co-founder of melancholics anonymous production company

After her time at St. Olaf, Ropella decided to continue down the path of directing since she found her passion there, which led to the start of Melancholic Anonymous. Ropella founded the theater production company alongside friend and fellow theater enthusiast, Timothy Kelly, in 2019.

“I love how, in the Eau Claire and Menomonie area, the community is involved in bringing children into the arts and into theater,” Ropella said. “I think (theater) is such a powerful medium for children to really explore their emotions and explore narratives as a way to connect to people who aren’t like them, and the larger community.”

Rachel Ropella.

Since the start of Melancholics Anonymous, Ropella and Kelly have produced many shows including Proof, Horse Girls, Good Grief, and more while also participating in the last five Minnesota Fringe Festivals.

This year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival, held from Aug. 3-13, showcased a multitude of exciting shows, including the Melancholics Anonymous production of A Girl Scout’s Guide to Exorcism, which sold out on day three of the festival. They also received high praise from many local media outlets, including The Star Tribune, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine, and The St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Still riding the Fringe Festival train, Ropella was asked to direct a one-woman show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland this year, from Aug. 4-28. She will be in Scotland for two and a half weeks to produce J.E.N., an original one-woman play starring Jen Kehl. Kehl's character explores the lives of different women throughout time while completing TikToks through the viral format of “Get Ready With Me” videos where people film themselves getting ready for events and describing them for audiences.

After her return from Scotland, Ropella will be assistant director of a production of Pride and Prejudice on the Hartford Stage. She hopes in the future she can bring a show back to the Mabel Tainter, where her love for theater took root. For now, she’s busy pursuing projects that reflect her passion for the business and are taking her far and wide.

“Growing up and doing theater at the Mabel Tainter was such a foundation to my love of the art and really empowered me to go out in the world and keep producing my own theater,” Ropella said.

Follow along with Melancholics Anonymous on their website and Facebook for future and past shows.