Theater MU Incorporated

Theater Mu produces great performances born of art, equity, and justice from the heart of the asian american experience. Mu operates with the following primary artistic values and goals: to give voice and cultural profile to the asian american community; to develop and nurture the emerging asian american artistic workforce; to promote awareness of and progressive action on issues of social justice in society; and to move, provoke, and challenge audiences to understand, embrace, and celebrate diversity. The 2023-2024 season continued Mu's work of "widening circles" of asian american representation by programming a season made almost entirely of world premieres, including the two mainstage productions (hells canyon by keiko green and blended (harmony): the kim loo sisters by jessica huang and jacinthe greywoode, a co-production with history Theater), and the name jar, a play for young audiences produced in collaboration with stages Theater company. In addition to these, Theater Mu also collaborated with walker art center to present a touring production of the nosebleed, written and starring aya ogawa. Each of these shows were met with critical and audience acclaim. One audience member described Theater Mu's production of hells canyon as "so thought provoking. I will be thinking about the many layers of this play for a long time." Other audiences were moved by the stunning theatricality of the play, with some saying "it was the best performance that my children and i have ever been to, and that includes on broadway in new york." Speaking of how moved they were to be a part of an asian american production, one actor working on blended (harmony): said, "who knew being asian american was enough? I didn't until the first day of rehearsal. No other production can recreate the magic, art, love, and pride felt in blended." This season, over one-third of Mu audiences self-identified as being part of the lgbtq+ community. Theater Mu is proud to have such a prominent demographic in regular attendance at Mu shows, and seeks to continue fostering a positive relationship with queer asian americans in our community. This has carried Mu towards a 2024-2025 season that focuses on queer and south asian stories, as part of Mu's commitment of widening circles. In the 2024-2025 season, Mu will present two mainstage productions and two presentations in collaboration with other theaters in and around the twin cities, as well as continuing the annual tradition of the new eyes festival with a refreshed submission process. First up in the 2024-2025 season is the new eyes festival, Mu's longest running tradition. New eyes festival is an event beloved by the Mu community, in which audiences get to hear new plays read out loud by actors in a laid-back atmosphere that allows for the story to be heard without full sets, costumes and lights. This season, the new eyes festival used a submission-based model for the first time since 2006. The goal of pivoting to a submission process is to level the playing field and increase the number of opportunities that Theater Mu can offer to asian american playwrights.following new eyes festival, the first mainstage production of the season is the world premiere of fifty boxes of earth by ankita raturi, produced with support from a grant from the playwrights' center venturous fund which seeks to support plays that are "formally adventurous, epic in scope, and full of bold ideas." Inspired in part by bram stoker's dracula, the story centers around an immigrant named q from an unidentified country who travels to the united states. Q prepares earth in a community garden in preparation for the arrival of their son and mother; while there, q builds a friendship with their new neighbor mina harker and battles xenophobia from her father, jon. This play will be a visual feast, including puppetry design by oanh k. vu and choreography by ananya chatterjea. For the third year in a row Theater Mu will collaborate with stages Theater company in hopkins, mn on a youth play. The world premiere of when you trap a tiger is based on the novel by tae keller and adapted for the stage by katie hae leo. This story for young audiences follows lily, a young girl trying to save her dying grandmother through stories she learns from her grandmother's past. Theater Mu will next produce diana son's glaad and obie award winning play stop kiss. The play is a beloved canonical work that centers two queer women and their relationship before and after they are the victims of a hate crime. Stop kiss has been read and performed all over the country countless times since its publication in 1999, but is rarely produced with an asian american lead cast despite being written by an asian american playwright. Theater Mu seeks to celebrate this necessary story as part of the asian american Theater canon. Rounding out the season is a presentation of adil mansoor's amm(i)gone produced by woolly mammoth theatre company & playco in association with the kelly strayhorn Theater. This co-presentation with the jungle Theater of adil's one-person, autobiographical show reconciling his queerness with his mother through the lens of the greek classic antigone is powerful cap to our season of south asian queer stories. In addition to these productions and presentations, Theater Mu will also spend the 2024-25 season supporting commissions of several new plays, including paranormal inside by prince gomolvilas, kung fu zombies vs. southeast asian girl scouts by mellon foundation playwright-in-residence saymoukda duangphouxay vongsay, and a new adaptation of pride and prejudice by may lee yang. Through a grant from the joyce award, Theater Mu will also support the development of hmong futures, a landmark play by katie ka vang to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hmong resettlement in the united states. Mu is also committed to training the next generation of asian american artists. In addition to creating a space where early career asian american artists continue to train and hone their skills through the Mu training institute, Mu offers artists on-the-job training in the form of production assistantships, internships and fellowships in multiple departmentsacting, direction, dramaturgy, design, and stage management. Theater Mu's outreach strategy begins with its thoughtful season selection of diverse asian american plays. From there, it works within the community to educate, develop relationships, identify and eliminate barriers, and deeply engage. The company structures this engagement around educational programs designed for the asian american community to see themselves and participate in Mu's storytelling, as well as public engagement programs, designed to introduce Mu's work to the larger twin cities community in a variety of settings. Educational programming includes: - Mu explorations summer camp. Each summer Mu holds a multiple-week Theater intensive for students entering grades 3-12. Participants hone performance skills with professional asian american Theater educators, and create showcases and performances for family and friends. For many participants, it was the first time they could see a place for themselves in american Theater, learning about and creating art in an aapi affinity space. - Mu stories. Designed for grades 3-12, these programs are offered through diverse public schools and weekend language schools. Focusing on basic themes including identity, racism, immigration, assimilation, gender equity, family, friends, and relationships, these classes with experienced aapi artists include play, Theater games, physical warm-ups, and imagination exercises. Personal stories and experiences are shared and written into plays performed for family, friends, and community members. In the end, students have experience with acting, writing, and producing plays, as well as sharing their stories and finding their voices. Many teachers have expressed that formerly silent students were active and engaged after participation.- Mu training institute. Mu training institute (mti) offers self-development and training opportunities designed for working and aspiring bipoc artists (16+). Topics can include Theater courses, intensive acting workshops, and dramatic literature in the asian american canon. We shine the spotlight on bipoc-led Theater by creating a nurturing space for individuals to learn by taking risks and being open, in a supportive artistic environment. In the 2023-2024 season, Theater Mu offered four mti classes: acting as a career; introduction to devised Theater; musical Theater with katie bradley; and introduction to the suzuki method of acting with kt shorb.