Peter Aitchison

Peter Aitchison (’89 speech communication) and Kristin Halsey Aitchison (’90 speech communication) met as students in the theatre department at Iowa State. Since graduation, Peter has worked in summer stock, commercials, film, and theatre; Kris is both an actor and a director. The couple recently launched their own company, Hero Now Theatre, along with a third partner, in the Twin Cities. In January, Hero Now presented its second production: Terra Nova. This show is notable for two reasons. First, Peter and Kristin met while performing in the production at Iowa State. Second, the company presented the show outside. In January. In Minnesota. In a crazy way, this makes perfect sense. Terra Nova tells the story of two expeditions, both heading for the South Pole at the same time in 1911. One never returned. So Hero Now’s winter theatre experience began the minute theatre-goers got out of their cars. Performances took place inside a performance tent set up on a soccer field in a northeast Minneapolis suburb. According to its website, Hero Now Theatre aims to “engage audiences with stories about everyday people making extraordinary choices, unique performance atmosphere in nontraditional venues, and thoughtful conversation before and after each performance. We aim to tell stories so compelling that you experience something new – an insight, self-understanding, an idea for change – that leads you to respond, to be a hero, now.”