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"Two Mile Hollow" by Leah Nanako Winkler at Theater Mu in 2018. (Photo by Rich Ryan)

Theater Mu’s Next Season: 3 Plays by Asian American Women

The Minneapolis theatre will feature plays by Carla Ching, Jiehae Park, and Lauren Yee.

MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL: Theater Mu has announced its three-show season for 2019-20, titled “The World Is Ours to Build.” The season was planned by a committee after Mu’s former artistic director, Randy Reyes, was let go following allegations of improper conduct. (Lily Tung Crystal was recently named his successor.)

“’The World Is Ours to Build’ is a take on a quote from the late Civil Rights activist Yuri Kochiyama,” said committee member Katie Ka Vang in a statement. “In a way, our season emulates the spirit of Yuri. Like her, our season is bold, fierce, and beautiful. It’s widening the Asian American narrative without stereotyping, telling and living our truths while building up community.”

Added Crystal in a statement, “Although I didn’t play a part in next year’s season planning, I’m looking forward to jumping right in and collaborating with the artistic advisory committee and our artists to make it an incredible season—a powerful season dedicated to imagining our future on our terms.”

The season will start with Carla Ching’s Fast Company (Nov. 8-24), about a family of swindlers hoping to pull off their best con. Brian Balcom will direct. 

Continuing the season will be Peerless (Jan. 31-Feb. 16, 2020) by Jiehae Park, directed by incoming artistic director Crystal. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, it’s about a pair of twins plotting their revenge when one sister’s spot at a prestigious college is given to a different student.

The season will end with Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band (June 24-Aug.2), co-produced with Jungle Theater.  The music-filled play chronicles a father returning to Cambodia 30 years after the Khmer Rouge genocide,  as his daughter prepares to prosecute a Cambodian war criminal.

Founded in 1991, Theater Mu produces contemporary and classic works that explore the Asian American experience.

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