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OUR MISSION REMAINS STEADFAST
Help us ensure our voices are not silenced.
Theater Mu has been amplifying and empowering the voices of the underrepresented for over three decades. This means that the ideals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are embedded within the foundation of Mu. Regardless of how the political atmosphere changes around us, we will not abandon anyone in our community.
We were informed on May 2 that a $20,000 grant award was rescinded due to the NEA’s adjusted guidelines for funding. That award was supposed to help support the world premiere of Ankita Raturi's Fifty Boxes of Earth, a play centering the experience of a nonbinary immigrant fighting transphobia and xenophobia. Despite this loss to Mu's federal funding, Theater Mu is committed to producing uncensored, high quality art that is a true reflection of the Asian American experience.
We will not be silenced out of fear because we know that history is shaped by whose stories are told.
The story of America is one of immigrants; refugees; people who are queer, nonbinary, and trans; people of color; people of all abilities; allies; activists; and those who strive for a more equitable empathetic world. There are people who want to erase our neighbors and loved ones from existence, and the support of individual changemakers like you is more important now than ever before.
We have set a goal of raising $20,000 to bolster Mu's mission in this time of uncertainty. Will you donate $50 or more today to ensure that our collective voices will not be silenced?
All Fifty Boxes of Earth photos by Rich Ryan ft. Alyssa Taiber, Eliana Durnbaugh, Kiko Laureano, Taylor West, Che’Li, Mina Moua, Mars Niemi, & Alex Galick
Why our art matters
This month, we wrapped up the world premiere of Ankita Raturi's Fifty Boxes of Earth, which followed a nonbinary immigrant who was trying to plant new roots down for their family. The story hit home for so many people around themes of queerness, family, and immigration, and the beautiful choreography by Ananya Chatterjea and puppet designs by Oanh Vu and Andrew Young only furthered the emotional gestalt of it all.
As managing director Anh Thu T. Pham says, “That this is our first play under the new Trump administration is not lost on us. At the same time, playwright Ankita Rtauri wrote this story four years ago, and it was programmed into our season a year and a half ago under a different administration. Here at Theater Mu, we hope that by telling authentic Asian American stories through high quality theater, we can transcend politics and bring people together as a community.”
“One of the very few times I have seen a nonbinary actor play a nonbinary character, and it's always exciting! I was especially delighted to encounter a nonbinary character who was not only a grown adult, but a parent with deep, loving family relationships.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
“I have never worked with a more diverse multi-racial, queer group of beautiful people. This story is so important and needs to be shared especially now.” ARTIST IN THE SHOW
“It's unlike anything I've seen before and it really made me think about how we decide who is the villain, what does it mean to plant roots somewhere, how does our society make people feel unwelcome when they should be welcomed, and how to create spaces for yourself.” AUDIENCE MEMBER
Kelsey Angel Baehrens in Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters, our 2024 co-production with History Theatre. Photo by Rich Ryan.
Theater Mu's FY24 annual report
Looking back at our 2023/24 season, Asian (in) America, we worked on three world premieres and co-presented an Obie-winning play. We expanded our programming. And we continued to double down on telling specific stories about our diverse Asian American community.
Some highlights of 2023/24 include:
159 artists were hired, which helped connect local artists at all points of their careers with nationally acclaimed practitioners.
79.9% more people were reached by community programming (3,831 people in 2023/24 vs 2,219 in 2022/23)
33% of Hells Canyon audience members who took our pre-show survey identified as BIPOC, with 28% of all survey participants identifying as AAPI.
Looking at the numbers even more closely, Mu has surpassed its pre-pandemic average mainstage attendance by almost 3,000 people. From FY13-19, the average mainstage attendance was 8,487 people per season, but from FY23-24, the average mainstage attendance was 11,247 per season.
Just as important as the numbers, of course, is the “why” of our stories. As one audience member said, “I went with a friend, and we spent another three hours afterwards discussing race and racism, theatre, art, and a variety of other things.” Another said, “I really loved the production of [Blended 和 (Harmony)]. It made me realize that I could recall any American musical I've seen in the US that was a predominately Asian American cast. The level of artistry was top notch. ... Thank you so much for this! We need more of these offerings!”