At the MN Vietnamese Language School's Tet festival on Jan 14, visitors experienced non-stop music and dancing from elementary schoolers to adults; heavy plates of delicious, home-cooked food; and of course, some lion dances. Amid it all, you could also catch the fall 2022 Mu Stories class performing scenes from established playwrights Qui Nguyen, Lauren Yee, Lloyd Suh, and Jihae Park, and emerging playwright (and Mu artist) Dexieng Yang.

"Even though only one of these plays was written by a Vietnamese-American playwright, we discovered a lot of similarities between the many different Asian American experiences," says Mu teaching artist Michelle de Joya, noting that some of the plays touched on topics such as immigration, bilingualism, and mixed-race heritages. "It really allowed them an opportunity to understand their own identity and how that fits into the world and informs their points of view."

de Joya and Mu teaching artist Clay Man Soo worked with 16 students for three hours every Sunday from September through January. Most Mu Stories culminate in a private showcase of original works created by the students reflecting on their identity, but because this one ended in a public performance, the class spent the bulk of its time rehearsing, diving into theater skills, discussing the significance of the scenes, and even doing a Q&A session with actor Viet Vo, who was in town performing Vietgone at the Guthrie.

"Our goal is to create a space for young Asian American students to see themselves as artists or see themselves as independent, who can make choices, be confident to be themselves, and to carry that into their real life," Man Soo says. And, while the fall semester's curriculum looked more different than normal, that's not atypical for Mu Stories as it tailors itself to each student group's experiences and identities.

Benji Stoebner, a fifth grader who was in the class, was perhaps the only student with professional theater experience. (You may have seen him in A Different Pond, Mu's collaboration with Stages Theatre Company this fall.) Still, he enjoyed the experience, particularly his scene from Suh's The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra, Go! "I really like it since it shows an energetic young boy like me inside it. So I really like that my part has a fit for both my normal life and my theater life, and it's been really fun working with Theater Mu for this class," he says.

For many students, simply learning how to embody the scene changed how they carried themselves. Man Soo remembers working with two students on The Great Leap, where Connie is telling her cousin to not give up on playing in the basketball exhibition in Beijing. To help the students get into the rhythm of the scene, Man Soo had them hold up their hands to each other and push whenever their character was talking. And with that simple exercise, the student playing Connie realized just how much agency and power Connie had. 

"Suddenly the scene transformed," Man Soo says. "She became confident and would speak out more, moved around, took bigger risks." And that even translated beyond that one scene: When one student couldn't perform during Tet at the last minute, she stepped in without any anxiety.

This was the first time Mu Stories worked with the MN Vietnamese Language School, but hopefully it won't be the last. "I just loved seeing students—especially teenagers—decide to take risks, do things that might not be seen as 'cool,' and end up feeling accomplished and successful," de Joya says. "Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a student take a chance and instantly feel it pay off in growth, learning, and affirmation."

This spring, Mu teaching artists have been working with students at Hmong Language and Culture, E-STEM Middle School, Hmong Language and Culture Middle School, the Youth Leadership Institute, and the Karen Organization of Minnesota. Have a group of students you want to connect with Mu? Email programs manager Morgen Chang at morgen@theatermu.org.