- Mu Performing Arts
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Mu Performing Arts is a Minneapolis based theater group formed in 1992 by Rick Shiomi, Dong-il Lee, Diane Espaldon, and Martha Johnson.[1] It is composed of Theater Mu, which features stage performances and Mu Daiko, a taiko drumming ensemble. Currently the third largest Asian-American theater company in the United States,[2] the company is known for its fusion of Asian history and ideas with western. Many productions go beyond a static staged presentation and add elements of music, dance and dynamic storytelling; their shows are an artistic blending of various Asian cultures.
"Mu is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character Mu for the shaman-artist-warrior who connects the heavens and the earth through the tree of life." [2]
New Eyes is an annual playwriting festival which was started by Theater Mu in 1993. The goal was to find and encourage new Asian-American writers.[1] This program continues to attract new artists.
Mission statement
"To be a premiere artistic company that creates theater and taiko from the heart of the Asian American experience."[3]
- We give theatrical voice and vision to the stories of our Asian American community and culture.
- We create works that move, provoke and challenge our audiences to understand, embrace and celebrate cultural diversity.
- We create and interpret works born of the union of Asian and American cultures.
- We envision theater as a total sensory experience, merging ancient forms, traditions and stories with contemporary ones.
- We are committed to the development of new artists.[3]
Sources
Rohan, Preston. (2008, March 13). Founder of Mu company honored with Sally Award. Star Tribune,B.2.
Royce, G. (2008) Minneapolis Star Tribune, OnStage: Theater Mu fishes for bigger things January 12, 2008Notes
- ^ a b "Theater Mu Founded in 1990s." DISCovering Multicultural America. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Discovering Collection. Gale. Hennepin County Library. 27 May. 2009
- ^ a b Lemanczyk, Sarah. (2009, January). Rick Shiomi: Carving a Space. American Theatre, 26(1), 68-71.
- ^ a b Mu Performing Arts Homepage, http://www.muperformingarts.org/
Categories:- Asian American theatre
- Asians in film and theatre
- Theatre companies in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- United States theatre stubs
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