- Penumbra Theatre Company
The Penumbra Theatre Company, an African-American theatre in Saint Paul,
Minnesota , was founded by Lou Bellamy in 1976. The theater has been recognized for its artistic quality and its role in launching the careers of playwrights including two-time Pulitzer Prize winnerAugust Wilson . [cite book|last=Hill|first=Errol |coauthors=James V. Hatch|title=A History of African American Theatre|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2005|pages=471-472|isbn=9780521624435|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4ePerohXDIUC&pg=PA471&lpg=PA471&dq=Penumbra+Theatre+Company&source=web&ots=3E4MgIPSc-&sig=HQRkKNZaXUfZcIwwO847TR9ys6U&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result]Each year Penumbra performs for over 40,000 people and conducts educational activities for more than 5,000 students. The theater employs more theater personnel of all categories than all other theatres in Minnesota combined. Located at St Paul's Hallie Q. Brown/Martin Luther King Community Center, the theatre strives to influence the Selby/Dale neighborhood and the larger community.
Under Bellamy's leadership for over 25 years, Penumbra is Minnesota's only professional African American theatre and one of only three such groups in the nation offering a full performance season.
Awards
In January 2000 the theatre was given the Jujamcyn Award for development of artistic talent. Penumbra has been named "Best Theatre for Drama" by
City Pages and "One of Ten Companies that Make a Difference" by Stage Directions Magazine.References
External links
* [http://penumbratheatre.org/content/blogcategory/21/43/ Penumbra Theatre Company home page]
* [http://www.stage-directions.com/ Stage Directions Magazine]
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