HOME / LEARN & ENGAGE / MU TRAINING INSTITUTE / MTI fALL 2023

AN A LA CARTE SERIES ON DEVELOPING YOUR ACTING CAREER

Being an actor is more than just acting: It's tidying up your financial practices, putting your best foot forward at auditions and networking events, looking for your next opportunity, and more. Join us for one, two, or all three workshops with artistic director Lily Tung Crystal, artists Wesley Mouri and kt shorb, and CPA Mark R. Waller. They’ll go over all the unsaid things that go into your acting career.

Classes are designed for aspiring or working BIPOC artists 16 years or older. Registration for each a la carte session is due the Wednesday before class.

Finances for Artists 101
Nov 4 from 1-3 p.m. CT

Save your money so you can do more art! Led by artist kt shorb, this workshop offers the basics on how independent artists can keep track of their finances in ways that will help them save both time and money. This includes: how to translate your time to freelance, fiscal hygiene, helpful apps and websites for tracking expenses, and other tips to help you take yourself seriously as a creative professional. CPA Mark Waller of Morem & Waller will also be on hand to help answer tax-related questions.

Sign up for this workshop by Wednesday, Nov 1, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Audition Resources & Career Planning
Nov 11 from 1-3 p.m. CT

Join Mu artistic director Lily Tung Crystal and artist Wesley Mouri for a seminar presentation discussing topics such as where to find auditions, how to introduce yourself in the audition room, where to find headshot photographers, training opportunities, and insights into career planning. You’ll come away with resources and tips based on cumulative decades of experiences across local, regional, and national theaters.

Sign up for this workshop by Wednesday, Nov 8, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

Workshop Your Audition Materials
Nov 18 from 1-3 p.m. CT

Wrap up our fall MTI series with a practical materials clinic led by Lily and Wesley. In this session, attendees have the opportunity to receive one-on-one feedback on their personal headshots, resumes, and websites. There is also an option to bring in your monologue and musical theater audition materials for insight into what types of materials are best for the audition room. The Theater Mu resource library will also be available for attendees to search for AAPI-specific monologues.

Note: While Wesley and Lily will talk about what makes a good headshot, there will not be an opportunity to take new headshots during this session.

Sign up for this workshop by Wednesday, Nov 15, at 11:59 p.m. CT.

GENERAL INFORMATION

DATES

Sat., Nov 4 - Finance for Artists 101
Sat., Nov 11 - Audition Resources & Career Planning
Sat., Nov 18 - Workshop Your Audition Materials

All times are from 1-3 p.m. CT.

LOCATION

This MTI course will take place in person at the Mu Studio (755 Prior Ave. N, Suite 107, Saint Paul, MN 55104). All sessions will be held in person; there is currently no option for remote/Zoom participation.

TUITION

Tuition costs $25 per session. For instance, if you registered only for the Finances for Artists 101 session, you would be charged $25; whereas, you would be charged $75 if you signed up for all three offerings. If you have any questions about payment, please reach out to info@theatermu.org.

MEET THE INSTRUCTORS

LILY TUNG CRYSTAL (she/her) is a director, actor, and the artistic director of Theater Mu. Before arriving at Mu in 2019, she was the founding artistic director of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company in San Francisco. She is also a social activist passionate about creative, promoting, and advocating for anti-racist theater. Lily’s recent directing projects include Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s The Kung Fu Zombies Saga: Shaman Warrior & Cannibals, which made its world premiere at Theater Mu; the Jungle THeater/Theater Mu co-production of Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band; Mu’s live film-theater production of Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today Is My Birthday; and The Humans at Park Square Theatre (Twin Cities Theatre Bloggers’ Best Play 2022). She has also helmed David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish and Flower Drum Song at Palo Alto Players and Leah Nanako Winkler’s Two Mile Hollow at Ferocious Lotus, all for which she was named a Theatre Bay Area Award finalist for Outstanding Direction. As an actor/singer, Lily has performed at theaters across the countyr, including Cal Shakes, Crowded Fire, Jungle Theater, Magic Theatre, Mixed Blood, New World Stages, Portland Center Stage, SF Playhouse, and Syracuse Stage.

WESLEY MOURI (he/him) has been performing locally and internationally for the past decade. He has appeared with Theater Mu in Flower Drum Song and A Little Night Music and has served as Mu's development director since May 2020. Other work includes roles at the Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Park Square Theatre, History Theatre, Jungle Theater, Children's Theatre Company, and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. Upcoming: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Artistry.

kt shorb (they/them) is a director, actor, and scholar. They are an assistant professor in the theater and dance department at Macalester College. Their article, “Reappropriation, Reparative Creativity, and Feeling Yellow in Generic Ensemble Company’s The Mikado: Reclaimed,” appears in the Journal of American Drama and Theatre. They also write for American Theatre and have a forthcoming article from Howlround. Directorial credits include: L’incoronazione di Poppea, She Kills Monsters, black girl love: an adaptation project, The Women of __, Carmen, 893 | Ya-ku-za, Scheherazade, and The Mikado: Reclaimed. kt is currently the vice president for the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists, and through 2024, they are Theater Mu’s Arts Research with Communities of Color (ARCC) fellow, which is managed by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) and funded by the Wallace Foundation.