HOME / End of Calendar Year 2021
SEEING OURSELVES
This December, support our mission of uplifting and creating space for the Asian American community through theater.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY “SEE OURSELVES”?
Through its 29-year history, Theater Mu has offered the Asian American community a platform to see themselves. Founding Artistic Director Rick Shiomi sought out, nurtured, and created space for Asian American artists here in the Midwest where no such opportunity existed.
Our legacy continues with Lily Tung Crystal and the rest of the Mu staff and board who are leading Theater Mu into the future by not only continuing to employ and empower Asian American actors, but also by expanding Mu’s reach to playwrights, designers, directors, stage managers, dramaturgs, and more. Theater Mu is evolving, receiving both local and national recognition for creating high quality art and fostering community for Asian American theater makers.
This look back at our history and excitement for the future of Mu perfectly aligns with this season’s theme of “Seeing Ourselves.” When you stand in front of a mirror, you not only see what’s reflected behind you, but you also begin to envision a future version of yourself.
BY THE NUMBERS
58 world premieres and 35 commissions over the past three decades.
224 artists employed in the past year alone, with 169 from Minnesota and 55 from across the country.
183 participants in this year’s Mu Stories school residency program, summer camp, and family programming.
24 virtual theater commissions and 1 virtual mainstage event since March 2020. The commissions included our News Eyes Festival, which responded to anti-Asian racism.
6 playwrights in our national playwrights incubator program, the Mu Tang Clan, led and designed by our Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Playwright-in-Residence Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay.
55 participants in our 2020/21 Mu Training Institute.
4 years and counting of Pay As You Are ticketing, making our performances more accessible to all.
1 of 10 “Cultural Treasures of Minnesota,” a designation awarded by the McKnight and Ford foundations.
MARLINA GONZALEZ, Mu Tang Clan playwright
“Mu’s legacy is a continuing treasure trove of new voices, new angles, and new challenges about the Asian American experience.”
AUDIENCE MEMBER
“Mu’s work is a living reminder of why theater and art is important in this world. Thank you for your efforts, for the actors, directors, interns, designers, etc.”
CARLA CHING, playwright and screenwriter
“What a gift to feel invited into a community of artists to create new work speaking to our times. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of Theater Mu.”
AS WE LOOK TO THE FUTURE, WE COMMIT TO:
Continuing the journey towards competitive and equitable pay for both artists and staff.
Establishing a five-day work week for show rehearsals and eliminating “10 out of 12s,” the industry practice of 12-hour tech rehearsals.
Creating a safe environment for both audiences and artists by maintaining the COVID-19 protocols, which Theater Mu helped create alongside other local theaters.
Completing a six-month equity, diversity, and inclusion training program with both staff and board members, facilitated by LIT Consulting.
Expanding representation for the entire Asian American diaspora among artists, staff, board members, and mainstage programming.
Will you join us in honoring Mu’s past legacy and supporting Mu’s journey into the future by helping us reach our goal of $20,000 by Dec 31?