Ahn Thu T. Pham, Managing Director of Theater Mu, celebrates the theater company’s plays written by Minnesota-based Southeast Asian playwrights and artists.
Transcript
Opening: This is Minnesota’s Legacy: A look at the organizations and people who have benefitted from Minnesota’s unique Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment.
Amira Warren-Yearby: How do you find the strength to face life when a terminal illness returns?
music
For Minnesota-based Hmong American playwright Katie Ka Vang, the answer lies in storytelling. Through her musical ‘Again,’ she brings to life her deeply personal journey of surviving a cancer diagnosis, twice. A show that debuted on the main stage at Theater Mu.
sound bite from the musical
Ahn Tu Pham: And you would not think that it would be something that would be a crowd pleaser. But I really feel good about how we presented that and everything from Katie and the director and wanting to have an authentic cast.
Warren-Yearby: That’s Anh Tu Pham, Managing Director at Theater Mu! She says musicals like ‘Again,’ are at the heart of Theater Mu, which brings Asian American experiences to the stage.
classical music from Southeast Asia
Pham: I was really happy with our season. We were really excited to showcase and present an entire season of Southeast Asian plays.
Warren-Yearby: As one of the Midwest’s largest Asian American theater companies, Theater Mu offers a diverse range of programs aimed at empowering, celebrating, and nurturing emerging Asian American artists. Programming from Theater Mu helped ‘Again’ have an authentic cast of primarily Hmong actors.
Pham: We needed to have a cast of people who could act and sing and so having some of those artists having gone through our MTI training institute and [..] having that connection to our programming work.
sound bite from the musical
Warren-Yearby: Operating support from Minnesota Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund helps Theater Mu fulfill its mission. Fostering connection within the Asian American community and beyond, enriching Minnesota’s cultural landscape.
Pham: so many people came up afterwards who were just telling me, it's like, this felt like it was a part of our community, that it was more than just a play, that this was a Hmong community event.
Warren-Yearby: Find more information at Theater Mu dot org.
Closing: Minnesota’s Legacy is a production of AMPERS, with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, more at ampers dot org.