Mu Performing Arts is one of the key voices in Asian American theater, and they've recently reasserted their position as an organization committed to racial and gender equality with a new mission statement: "Mu produces great performances born of arts, equality, and justice from the heart of the Asian American experience."
In February, they conducted a panel discussion about the presentation of Asians in television, film, stage, and print in conjunction with the opening of Yellow Face. It was one step towards growing as a leader in the Asian American community, not only as a performing arts company but as a voice both within and outside of the arts.
On April 5th, they will collaborate with the Children's Theater Company for "Casting In Our Times," a public forum that highlights the contemporary challenges of casting and producing multicultural and multiracial theater productions. The Children's Theater Company took a lot of heat this season for some of the most insensitive casting of "Mulan" the nation has seen in years.
The event will be moderated by MPR's Marianne Combs with a diverse panel including Mu's own Rick Shiomi and Randy Reyes, Peter Brosius of Children's Theater Company, and artistic directors Faye Price of Pillsbury House and Michelle Hensley of Ten Thousand Things. Considering an incredible wave upcoming Asian-themed theater productions from Twin Cities companies, including M. Butterfly at the Guthrie, Mulan at CTC, and and The King and I at Bloomington Civic Theatre, this discussion is needed more than ever.
"Casting In Our Times" is free and open to the public with a reservation. April 5, 2010 at 6 pm.Admission is free. Please call the CTC ticket office at 612-874-0400 to make a reservation. It will be held at the McGuire Education Center of Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Av. S in Minneapolis.
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