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Twin Cities Daily Planet - Amplifying and connecting marginalized voices

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Nana Yorke

Community Voices: Learning from elders and reflecting on the antiwar movement

By Guy Chinang, Maddy Osmon and Nana Yorke | May 31, 2017

We are millennials, a generation that doesn’t remember a time when the United States hasn’t been at war. In other words, we’ve never known a time of peace. Continue Reading

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Somali Weaving Workshop Minnesota History Center 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102

08jan7:00 pm08jul8:00 pmSomali Weaving Workshop

Event Details

Learn traditional Somali dances, like the Jaandheer, in a workshop led by the Somali Museum Dance Troupe. Meaning big leap or step, Jaandheer originates in northern Somalia and

more

Event Details

Learn traditional Somali dances, like the Jaandheer, in a workshop led by the Somali Museum Dance Troupe. Meaning big leap or step, Jaandheer originates in northern Somalia and is danced at most Somali weddings and festive occasions.

The Somali Museum Dance Troupe studies and performs traditional dances from all regions of Somalia. Comprised of teens and young adults from the greater Twin Cities area, the troupe has performed for countless corporate, private and public events across Minnesota, North Dakota, Virginia, Ohio, and Texas.

This dance workshop is appropriate for all ages and is offered in conjunction with the exhibit Somalis + Minnesota.

Support for this program has been provided by the Marney and Conley Brooks Fund.

Date
Tue., Jan 8, 2019, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Location
Minnesota History Center

345 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102

Map

Contact

651-259-3015
boxoffice@mnhs.org

Cost
Free

Time

January 8 (Tuesday) 7:00 pm - July 8 (Monday) 8:00 pm CST

Location

Minnesota History Center

345 W. Kellogg Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55102

Organizer

Minnesota History Center651-259-3015 boxoffice@mnhs.org

Learn More

CalendarGoogleCal

Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories

12mar(mar 12)10:00 am27may(may 27)12:00 pmGreen Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories

Event Details

Exhibit: “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories” Date: March 12-May 27, 2019 Location: Irvine Community Gallery, Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul Hours: Tuesday

more

Event Details

Exhibit: “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories”
Date: March 12-May 27, 2019
Location: Irvine Community Gallery, Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday Noon-5 p.m.
Exhibit Admission: Free

Over the years, Minnesota and the Twin Cities have been shaped by many diverse immigrant populations. In the new banner exhibit, “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories,” visitors can learn about the lives of people from 22 different countries—from Bangladesh to Cameroon to Bosnia and Herzegovina—who now live in Minnesota.

The participants represent a diverse range of professions and ages and arrived in Minnesota through many immigration routes—including as refugees, DACA recipients and through family reunification—but they all share one important trait: They now call the Twin Cities home.

In this exhibit in the Minnesota History Center’s free Irvine Community Gallery, visitors can view photographs of each immigrant and read bios of their unique stories. Then scan a QR code on a phone or another device to see first-person videos of each participant discussing their immigration experiences.

This exhibit was created by the Twin Cities nonprofit Green Card Voices. Its mission is to share personal narratives of America’s immigrants, fostering tolerance and establishing a better understanding between the immigrant and non-immigrant populations.

On Tuesday, March 19 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the Minnesota History Center and Green Card Voices will hold a free opening reception to celebrate the exhibit. The night will include performances by local immigrant artists, including cellist Nickolai Kolarov, and Tea Rozman-Clark, co-founder and executive director of Green Card Voices, will discuss her work. Other Twin Cities organizations will also be present to share their work supporting local immigrant communities.

Time

March 12 (Tuesday) 10:00 am - May 27 (Monday) 12:00 pm CST

Location

Irvine Gallery, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul

CalendarGoogleCal

Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories

13mar(mar 13)10:00 am28may(may 28)12:00 pmGreen Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories

Event Details

Exhibit: “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories” Date: March 12-May 27, 2019 Location: Irvine Community Gallery, Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul Hours: Tuesday

more

Event Details

Exhibit: “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories”
Date: March 12-May 27, 2019
Location: Irvine Community Gallery, Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Hours: Tuesday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday Noon-5 p.m.
Exhibit Admission: Free

Over the years, Minnesota and the Twin Cities have been shaped by many diverse immigrant populations. In the new banner exhibit, “Green Card Voices: Immigrants Telling Their Life Stories,” visitors can learn about the lives of people from 22 different countries—from Bangladesh to Cameroon to Bosnia and Herzegovina—who now live in Minnesota.

The participants represent a diverse range of professions and ages and arrived in Minnesota through many immigration routes—including as refugees, DACA recipients and through family reunification—but they all share one important trait: They now call the Twin Cities home.

In this exhibit in the Minnesota History Center’s free Irvine Community Gallery, visitors can view photographs of each immigrant and read bios of their unique stories. Then scan a QR code on a phone or another device to see first-person videos of each participant discussing their immigration experiences.

This exhibit was created by the Twin Cities nonprofit Green Card Voices. Its mission is to share personal narratives of America’s immigrants, fostering tolerance and establishing a better understanding between the immigrant and non-immigrant populations.

On Tuesday, March 19 from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the Minnesota History Center and Green Card Voices will hold a free opening reception to celebrate the exhibit. The night will include performances by local immigrant artists, including cellist Nickolai Kolarov, and Tea Rozman-Clark, co-founder and executive director of Green Card Voices, will discuss her work. Other Twin Cities organizations will also be present to share their work supporting local immigrant communities.

Time

March 13 (Wednesday) 10:00 am - May 28 (Tuesday) 12:00 pm CST

Location

Irvine Gallery, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul

CalendarGoogleCal

Saint Paul Farmers' Market Outdoor Market The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market 290 5th Street East

27apr(apr 27)7:00 am24nov(nov 24)1:00 pmSaint Paul Farmers' Market Outdoor Market

Event Details

The award-winning Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will open its outdoor Lowertown location for the season on Saturday, April 27 and will be open weekends through November 24. Hours will be 7 a.m.

more

Event Details

The award-winning Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will open its outdoor Lowertown location for the season on Saturday, April 27 and will be open weekends through November 24. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to an abundance of fresh, local, seasonal produce, shoppers will find healthful dairy and meat products, eggs, baked goods, honey from local hives, small-batch packaged foods and beverages, plant-based apothecary goods, and an array of flowers and plants from Minnesota growers. On opening day, April 27, free coffee will be offered to visitors from 7:00-8:00 a.m.

The Market will also host chef pairings at a monthly pop-up kitchen organized by restauranteur and Market collaborator Tim McKee at which two chefs who don’t work together will team up to prepare foods using the Market vendors’ produce and foods to create dishes to sell. There will also be art and educational activities for kids, demos on topics such as food preservation and native gardening, and many other community events celebrating the Minnesota growers and makers that add beauty and bounty to the Twin Cities. Visitors will also be able to nosh on an array of foods cooked onsite by vendors including Golden’s Bagel Stand, operated by the family that owned the beloved Golden’s Deli.

“We stand in strong support of Minnesota small-ag and the farm families who comprise it,” said David Kotsonas, executive director of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market. “Farmers Markets increase both the community’s access to the freshest and most nutritious foods, and the opportunities for local, independent food producers to succeed. We are committed to our growers and only offer locally grown produce and locally made foods and we are proud of the wide variety of quality foods available at our Markets, and are always looking to expand upon that variety.”

The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market opened more than 150 years ago and has become one of the most respected farmers’ markets in the Upper Midwest. The Saint Paul Growers’ Association, Inc., which operates the Market, allows only fresh, locally grown produce to be sold, directly from the grower to the consumer, making it unique among many farmers’ markets. The baked goods, artisan foods, confections and other products offered are produced locally or regionally as well.

Some of the Market’s vendors have sold there for many generations, such as the Gerten family that’s been involved since the late 1800s. Hmong immigrants Phoua Thao and Wang Ger Hang began selling their produce at the Market in 1991 and now their children and grandchildren are also involved in the family business. Daughter Pakou Hang is the co-founder of the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA)and her parents grow 40 different kinds of produce on 10 acres on the HAFA Farm, which they helped found in 2011 in Dakota County. The Market also features newer growers such as Nick Robinson of R & R Cultivation who began growing mushrooms last year in a 3’x3’ canvas closet and now offers many varieties including shiitake, oyster, lion’s mane and others, and whose business has grown exponentially in one year’s time. Rachael KraMer of My Goodness! Kombucha creates beverages and apothecary goods using unpasteurized kombucha made of local ingredients including herbs from her garden and she offers those and kombucha starter (SCOBY) at the Market.

In addition to the weekend downtown Saint Paul location, the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market operates neighborhood Markets in Roseville, Rosemount, Andover, Maplewood, Lakeville, South Saint Paul, West Saint Paul, Vadnais Heights, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Woodbury, Savage, and Inver Grove Heights. There are also weekday markets at Securian, 7th Place and St. Thomas More in Saint Paul. The neighborhood markets will open in May and June and will operate into the fall. A Union Depot location will open in the fall. For a complete schedule and locations, visit http://www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com/index.php/locations.

Another unique aspect of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market is a deep commitment to giving back to the community. Each Sunday during the growing season, the downtown outdoor Market donates unsold produce from the growers to the Neighborhood House food bank, averaging 8,000 pounds of produce each month. That location also offers nonprofits the opportunity to be at the Market to promote the work they do, and the neighborhood markets support nonprofits in their communities, too. The Market’s philanthropic focus is an area that Kotsonas and his team are growing, with new programs that foster greater community engagement and ways of giving back in each of the neighborhoods where the Markets are located.

The Market still has a few spaces for makers of locally sourced and produced food products. Visit http://www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com/index.php/membership to download a vendor application. The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market is located at 290 5th Street East in downtown Saint Paul. For more information, visit www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com.

Time

April 27 (Saturday) 7:00 am - November 24 (Sunday) 1:00 pm CST

Location

The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market

290 5th Street East

Organizer

Saint Paul Farmers’ Market

CalendarGoogleCal

Saint Paul Farmers' Market Outdoor Market The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market 290 5th Street East

28apr(apr 28)7:00 am25nov(nov 25)1:00 pmSaint Paul Farmers' Market Outdoor Market

Event Details

The award-winning Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will open its outdoor Lowertown location for the season on Saturday, April 27 and will be open weekends through November 24. Hours will be 7 a.m.

more

Event Details

The award-winning Saint Paul Farmers’ Market will open its outdoor Lowertown location for the season on Saturday, April 27 and will be open weekends through November 24. Hours will be 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to an abundance of fresh, local, seasonal produce, shoppers will find healthful dairy and meat products, eggs, baked goods, honey from local hives, small-batch packaged foods and beverages, plant-based apothecary goods, and an array of flowers and plants from Minnesota growers. On opening day, April 27, free coffee will be offered to visitors from 7:00-8:00 a.m.

The Market will also host chef pairings at a monthly pop-up kitchen organized by restauranteur and Market collaborator Tim McKee at which two chefs who don’t work together will team up to prepare foods using the Market vendors’ produce and foods to create dishes to sell. There will also be art and educational activities for kids, demos on topics such as food preservation and native gardening, and many other community events celebrating the Minnesota growers and makers that add beauty and bounty to the Twin Cities. Visitors will also be able to nosh on an array of foods cooked onsite by vendors including Golden’s Bagel Stand, operated by the family that owned the beloved Golden’s Deli.

“We stand in strong support of Minnesota small-ag and the farm families who comprise it,” said David Kotsonas, executive director of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market. “Farmers Markets increase both the community’s access to the freshest and most nutritious foods, and the opportunities for local, independent food producers to succeed. We are committed to our growers and only offer locally grown produce and locally made foods and we are proud of the wide variety of quality foods available at our Markets, and are always looking to expand upon that variety.”

The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market opened more than 150 years ago and has become one of the most respected farmers’ markets in the Upper Midwest. The Saint Paul Growers’ Association, Inc., which operates the Market, allows only fresh, locally grown produce to be sold, directly from the grower to the consumer, making it unique among many farmers’ markets. The baked goods, artisan foods, confections and other products offered are produced locally or regionally as well.

Some of the Market’s vendors have sold there for many generations, such as the Gerten family that’s been involved since the late 1800s. Hmong immigrants Phoua Thao and Wang Ger Hang began selling their produce at the Market in 1991 and now their children and grandchildren are also involved in the family business. Daughter Pakou Hang is the co-founder of the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA)and her parents grow 40 different kinds of produce on 10 acres on the HAFA Farm, which they helped found in 2011 in Dakota County. The Market also features newer growers such as Nick Robinson of R & R Cultivation who began growing mushrooms last year in a 3’x3’ canvas closet and now offers many varieties including shiitake, oyster, lion’s mane and others, and whose business has grown exponentially in one year’s time. Rachael KraMer of My Goodness! Kombucha creates beverages and apothecary goods using unpasteurized kombucha made of local ingredients including herbs from her garden and she offers those and kombucha starter (SCOBY) at the Market.

In addition to the weekend downtown Saint Paul location, the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market operates neighborhood Markets in Roseville, Rosemount, Andover, Maplewood, Lakeville, South Saint Paul, West Saint Paul, Vadnais Heights, Burnsville, Apple Valley, Woodbury, Savage, and Inver Grove Heights. There are also weekday markets at Securian, 7th Place and St. Thomas More in Saint Paul. The neighborhood markets will open in May and June and will operate into the fall. A Union Depot location will open in the fall. For a complete schedule and locations, visit http://www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com/index.php/locations.

Another unique aspect of the Saint Paul Farmers’ Market is a deep commitment to giving back to the community. Each Sunday during the growing season, the downtown outdoor Market donates unsold produce from the growers to the Neighborhood House food bank, averaging 8,000 pounds of produce each month. That location also offers nonprofits the opportunity to be at the Market to promote the work they do, and the neighborhood markets support nonprofits in their communities, too. The Market’s philanthropic focus is an area that Kotsonas and his team are growing, with new programs that foster greater community engagement and ways of giving back in each of the neighborhoods where the Markets are located.

The Market still has a few spaces for makers of locally sourced and produced food products. Visit http://www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com/index.php/membership to download a vendor application. The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market is located at 290 5th Street East in downtown Saint Paul. For more information, visit www.stpaulfarmersmarket.com.

Time

April 28 (Sunday) 7:00 am - November 25 (Monday) 1:00 pm CST

Location

The Saint Paul Farmers’ Market

290 5th Street East

Organizer

Saint Paul Farmers’ Market

CalendarGoogleCal

THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL Penumbra Theatre 270 North Kent Street, St. Paul, MN 55102

30apr(apr 30)7:30 pm26may(may 26)2:00 pmTHE BROTHERS PARANORMAL

Event Details

This first-time coproduction between two theaters with deep cultural legacies will not only join audiences, but diverse communities. Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu announce the regional premiere of The Brothers Paranormal,

more

Event Details

This first-time coproduction between two theaters with deep cultural legacies will not only join audiences, but diverse communities.

Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu announce the regional premiere of The Brothers Paranormal, by Thai-American playwright Prince Gomolvilas.

The Brothers Paranormal is scintillating thriller that follows two Thai brothers who launch a business to investigate paranormal activities. When they investigate the home of an African-American couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina, their notions of reality and fantasy clash against the shocking truth.

Directed by Lou Bellamy with Sun Mee Chomet assisting, Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu combine their commitment to artistic excellence to tell a story that is both entertaining and rich in cultural authenticity. Witty and haunting, the play explores the intersection of migration, displacement, and mental health. Says playwright Prince Gomolvilas, “The play’s intersection of genre and race, as well as the exploration of the spirit realm in a country that’s doing some deep soul-searching, is what drives my passion for this project. All of my research explores the play’s disparate themes: the trauma of displacement (from one’s country of origin, from post-Katrina New Orleans, from the corporeal world); the high incidence of mental health issues among Asian immigrants; and the different ways in which people cope with incredible loss.”

As part of their partnership, Penumbra and Mu are hosting Ghost Stories in the Park on May 12th and 19th from 6 to 8pm at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center Park at 271 Mackubin St in St. Paul. Neighbors of all ages are invited to hear ghost stories from Asian and African traditions. Sebastian Joe’s will be giving away free ice cream, including a special flavor called The Brothers Paranormal in honor of this special partnership between Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu.

“I’m so happy to bring together two esteemed, legacy organizations of color with deep, trusted, and authentic connections to our respective communities. Penumbra and Theater Mu have invested years in building our partnership and we are proud to see the efforts of that work shared publicly with The Brothers Paranormal. And, we are honored to welcome a phenomenal creative team to enliven this thrilling, dark comedy by Prince Gomolvilas. This one is not to be missed!” – Sarah Bellamy, Artistic Director Penumbra Theatre

“Noting the increased collaboration between individual artists from our respective companies we at Theater Mu are thrilled to be collaborating with Penumbra on a full production of Prince’s exciting intercultural piece. It’s been said that ‘art is the highest form of hope.’ Just as the characters in THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL discover, our hope at Mu is that communities and companies of color can look to this production as a sterling example of just how much our journeys are enriched by one another’s presence.” – Eric Sharp, Theater Mu Artistic Advisory Committee

ARTISTIC TEAM

Lou Bellamy – Director, Sun Mee Chomet – Assistant Director, Saymoukda Vongsay – Dramaturg, Vicki Smith – Scenic Designer, Karin Olson – Lighting Designer, Mathew LeFebvre – Costume Designer, Scott Edwards – Sound Designer, Abbee Warmboe – Props Designer

CAST

Regina Marie Williams (Delia), James Craven (Felix), Kurt Kwan (Visarut), Michelle De Joya (Jai), Sherwin Resurreccion (Max), Leslie Ishii (Tasanee)

KEY BIOS

Prince Gomolvilas, Playwright

Prince Gomolvilas is best known as the world’s only Thai-American playwright. (He challenges you to find another!) He frequently writes comedies with a supernatural twist, along with the occasional drama to shake things up a bit. Recurring themes include the contemporary Asian-American (and, specifically, Thai-American) experience, the tension between immigrants and their offspring, the intersection of ethnicity and sexual identity, race relations in the United States, the trauma of displacement, the nature of loss and grief, and, in the words of Erasure, “the infinite complexities of love. His work has been produced around the United States, as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Singapore. Companies and venues include Singapore Repertory Theatre, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, East West Players, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, INTAR Theatre, International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, King’s Head Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, and more.

Lou Bellamy, Director

Lou Bellamy is the Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Penumbra Theatre, an Obie Award-winning stage director, and taught for 35 years as an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Select Penumbra credits: Two Trains Running, I Wish You Love (The Kennedy Center), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking (National Black Theatre Festival), A Raisin in the Sun and Gem of the Ocean. Other: Radio Golf (Indiana Repertory Theatre and Cleveland Play House); Two Trains Running (Signature Theatre Company and Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Jitney (Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (The Kennedy Center).

Sun Mee Chomet, Assistant Director

Sun Mee Chomet is a St. Paul-based actor, dancer and playwright. As an actor, Sun Mee has worked with the Guthrie Theater (Burial at Thebes, Macbeth, Tony Kushner’s world premiere: The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Naomi Iizuka’s world premiere: After 100 Years); Mu Performing Arts (WTF, Cowboy vs. Samurai, Asiamnesia, Circle Around the Island, Mask Dance); History Theater (100 Men’s Wife); Penumbra Theater (for colored girls…) and many other theaters locally and nationally. As a playwright, Sun Mee’s first play, Asiamnesia, was voted Best New Script of 2008 by Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her most recent one-woman show, How to Be a Korean Woman, will begin touring in 2013-2014. Sun Mee received her M.F.A. in Acting from New York Univeristy’s Tisch School of the Arts and her B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College.

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Dramaturg

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a Lao American writer. She was born in a refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand and immigrated to Minnesota in 1984. Because of her unique background, her work is focused on creating tools and spaces for the amplification of refugee voices through poetry, theater, and experimental cultural production. Her plays have been presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Theater Mu, Consortium of Asian American Theater Artists, and Theater Unbound. She is a Playwright’s Center and Theater Mu fellow in playwriting, a Loft Literary Center fellow in poetry, a Loft Literary Center fellow in children’s and young adult literature, a Twin Cities Media Alliance fellow in public art, and an Aspen Ideas Bush Foundation scholar. Her poetry, essays, plays, and short stories can be found in the Asian American Literary Review, Massachusetts Review, Jungle Azn Magazine, Rubin Museums’ Spiral Magazine, Journal for Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, Saint Paul Almanac, as well as on coffee sleeves (Coffee House Press) and on metro transit (Saint Paul Almanac).

DESCRIPTION

A Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu co-production

Prince Gomolvilas’
THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL
Directed by Lou Bellamy

In response to a nationwide increase in sightings of “Asian- looking ghosts,” two entrepreneurial Thai-American brothers launch a ghost-hunting business. When the siblings investigate the home of an African American couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina, what’s real and what’s fantasy clash against a shocking truth. This witty and haunting story is brought to you in partnership by Theater Mu and Penumbra Theatre.

FOR THE CALENDAR SECTION

A Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu co-production

Prince Gomolvilas’
THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL
Directed by Lou Bellamy

Performance Dates:

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 // 7:30PM (Preview)

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 // 7:30PM (Preview)

Thursday, May 2, 2019 // 7:30PM (Opening Night)

Friday, May 3, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 4, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 4, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 5, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 9, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 10, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 11, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 11, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 12, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 16, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 17, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 18, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 18, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 19, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 23, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 24, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 25, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 25, 2019 // 7:30PM (ASL Performance)

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // 2:00PM (Closing Matinee)

Time

April 30 (Tuesday) 7:30 pm - May 26 (Sunday) 2:00 pm CST

Location

Penumbra Theatre

270 North Kent Street, St. Paul, MN 55102

Organizer

Theater Muinfo@theatermu.org 755 Prior Ave North, Suite 107 St. Paul, MN 55104

CalendarGoogleCal

THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL Penumbra Theatre 270 North Kent Street, St. Paul, MN 55102

01may(may 1)7:30 pm27(may 27)2:00 pmTHE BROTHERS PARANORMAL

Event Details

This first-time coproduction between two theaters with deep cultural legacies will not only join audiences, but diverse communities. Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu announce the regional premiere of The Brothers Paranormal,

more

Event Details

This first-time coproduction between two theaters with deep cultural legacies will not only join audiences, but diverse communities.

Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu announce the regional premiere of The Brothers Paranormal, by Thai-American playwright Prince Gomolvilas.

The Brothers Paranormal is scintillating thriller that follows two Thai brothers who launch a business to investigate paranormal activities. When they investigate the home of an African-American couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina, their notions of reality and fantasy clash against the shocking truth.

Directed by Lou Bellamy with Sun Mee Chomet assisting, Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu combine their commitment to artistic excellence to tell a story that is both entertaining and rich in cultural authenticity. Witty and haunting, the play explores the intersection of migration, displacement, and mental health. Says playwright Prince Gomolvilas, “The play’s intersection of genre and race, as well as the exploration of the spirit realm in a country that’s doing some deep soul-searching, is what drives my passion for this project. All of my research explores the play’s disparate themes: the trauma of displacement (from one’s country of origin, from post-Katrina New Orleans, from the corporeal world); the high incidence of mental health issues among Asian immigrants; and the different ways in which people cope with incredible loss.”

As part of their partnership, Penumbra and Mu are hosting Ghost Stories in the Park on May 12th and 19th from 6 to 8pm at the Martin Luther King Recreation Center Park at 271 Mackubin St in St. Paul. Neighbors of all ages are invited to hear ghost stories from Asian and African traditions. Sebastian Joe’s will be giving away free ice cream, including a special flavor called The Brothers Paranormal in honor of this special partnership between Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu.

“I’m so happy to bring together two esteemed, legacy organizations of color with deep, trusted, and authentic connections to our respective communities. Penumbra and Theater Mu have invested years in building our partnership and we are proud to see the efforts of that work shared publicly with The Brothers Paranormal. And, we are honored to welcome a phenomenal creative team to enliven this thrilling, dark comedy by Prince Gomolvilas. This one is not to be missed!” – Sarah Bellamy, Artistic Director Penumbra Theatre

“Noting the increased collaboration between individual artists from our respective companies we at Theater Mu are thrilled to be collaborating with Penumbra on a full production of Prince’s exciting intercultural piece. It’s been said that ‘art is the highest form of hope.’ Just as the characters in THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL discover, our hope at Mu is that communities and companies of color can look to this production as a sterling example of just how much our journeys are enriched by one another’s presence.” – Eric Sharp, Theater Mu Artistic Advisory Committee

ARTISTIC TEAM

Lou Bellamy – Director, Sun Mee Chomet – Assistant Director, Saymoukda Vongsay – Dramaturg, Vicki Smith – Scenic Designer, Karin Olson – Lighting Designer, Mathew LeFebvre – Costume Designer, Scott Edwards – Sound Designer, Abbee Warmboe – Props Designer

CAST

Regina Marie Williams (Delia), James Craven (Felix), Kurt Kwan (Visarut), Michelle De Joya (Jai), Sherwin Resurreccion (Max), Leslie Ishii (Tasanee)

KEY BIOS

Prince Gomolvilas, Playwright

Prince Gomolvilas is best known as the world’s only Thai-American playwright. (He challenges you to find another!) He frequently writes comedies with a supernatural twist, along with the occasional drama to shake things up a bit. Recurring themes include the contemporary Asian-American (and, specifically, Thai-American) experience, the tension between immigrants and their offspring, the intersection of ethnicity and sexual identity, race relations in the United States, the trauma of displacement, the nature of loss and grief, and, in the words of Erasure, “the infinite complexities of love. His work has been produced around the United States, as well as in Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Singapore. Companies and venues include Singapore Repertory Theatre, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, East West Players, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, INTAR Theatre, International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, King’s Head Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre Center, and more.

Lou Bellamy, Director

Lou Bellamy is the Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Penumbra Theatre, an Obie Award-winning stage director, and taught for 35 years as an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota. Select Penumbra credits: Two Trains Running, I Wish You Love (The Kennedy Center), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Two Old Black Guys Just Sitting Around Talking (National Black Theatre Festival), A Raisin in the Sun and Gem of the Ocean. Other: Radio Golf (Indiana Repertory Theatre and Cleveland Play House); Two Trains Running (Signature Theatre Company and Oregon Shakespeare Festival); Jitney (Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company); Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (The Kennedy Center).

Sun Mee Chomet, Assistant Director

Sun Mee Chomet is a St. Paul-based actor, dancer and playwright. As an actor, Sun Mee has worked with the Guthrie Theater (Burial at Thebes, Macbeth, Tony Kushner’s world premiere: The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Naomi Iizuka’s world premiere: After 100 Years); Mu Performing Arts (WTF, Cowboy vs. Samurai, Asiamnesia, Circle Around the Island, Mask Dance); History Theater (100 Men’s Wife); Penumbra Theater (for colored girls…) and many other theaters locally and nationally. As a playwright, Sun Mee’s first play, Asiamnesia, was voted Best New Script of 2008 by Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her most recent one-woman show, How to Be a Korean Woman, will begin touring in 2013-2014. Sun Mee received her M.F.A. in Acting from New York Univeristy’s Tisch School of the Arts and her B.A. in Sociology and Anthropology from Earlham College.

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay, Dramaturg

Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay is a Lao American writer. She was born in a refugee camp in Nongkhai, Thailand and immigrated to Minnesota in 1984. Because of her unique background, her work is focused on creating tools and spaces for the amplification of refugee voices through poetry, theater, and experimental cultural production. Her plays have been presented by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, Theater Mu, Consortium of Asian American Theater Artists, and Theater Unbound. She is a Playwright’s Center and Theater Mu fellow in playwriting, a Loft Literary Center fellow in poetry, a Loft Literary Center fellow in children’s and young adult literature, a Twin Cities Media Alliance fellow in public art, and an Aspen Ideas Bush Foundation scholar. Her poetry, essays, plays, and short stories can be found in the Asian American Literary Review, Massachusetts Review, Jungle Azn Magazine, Rubin Museums’ Spiral Magazine, Journal for Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement, Saint Paul Almanac, as well as on coffee sleeves (Coffee House Press) and on metro transit (Saint Paul Almanac).

DESCRIPTION

A Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu co-production

Prince Gomolvilas’
THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL
Directed by Lou Bellamy

In response to a nationwide increase in sightings of “Asian- looking ghosts,” two entrepreneurial Thai-American brothers launch a ghost-hunting business. When the siblings investigate the home of an African American couple displaced by Hurricane Katrina, what’s real and what’s fantasy clash against a shocking truth. This witty and haunting story is brought to you in partnership by Theater Mu and Penumbra Theatre.

FOR THE CALENDAR SECTION

A Penumbra Theatre and Theater Mu co-production

Prince Gomolvilas’
THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL
Directed by Lou Bellamy

Performance Dates:

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 // 7:30PM (Preview)

Wednesday, May 1, 2019 // 7:30PM (Preview)

Thursday, May 2, 2019 // 7:30PM (Opening Night)

Friday, May 3, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 4, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 4, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 5, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 9, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 10, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 11, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 11, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 12, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 16, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 17, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 18, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 18, 2019 // 7:30PM

Sunday, May 19, 2019 // 2:00PM

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 // 10:00AM

Wednesday, May 22, 2019 // 7:30PM

Thursday, May 23, 2019 // 7:30PM*

Friday, May 24, 2019 // 7:30PM

Saturday, May 25, 2019 // 2:00PM

Saturday, May 25, 2019 // 7:30PM (ASL Performance)

Sunday, May 26, 2019 // 2:00PM (Closing Matinee)

Time

1 (Wednesday) 7:30 pm - 27 (Monday) 2:00 pm CST

Location

Penumbra Theatre

270 North Kent Street, St. Paul, MN 55102

Organizer

Theater Muinfo@theatermu.org 755 Prior Ave North, Suite 107 St. Paul, MN 55104

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