The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting Minnesota to the peoples of the world. While the Guthrie Theater's mission and artistic excellence have remained constant, much has changed over the past four decades. The Guthrie's new multistage theater center, built on the banks of the Mississippi River, opened in 2006. The complex includes three stages: a classic thrust stage for the grand-scale classics of the centuries, a proscenium stage for the more intimate classics of this century, and a studio theater for developing the classics of tomorrow. The new theater allows the Guthrie to retain its pre-eminence among theaters nationally and internationally.