Penumbra Theatre hires instructors who are professional artists with established careers, extensive backgrounds and education in their fields to teach at Summer Institute. These artists are exemplary teachers, mentors and professional contacts for Summer Institute students.

Lou Bellamy - Performance Element II

Lou is the founder and artistic director of Penumbra Theatre. During his 32-year tenure, Penumbra has evolved into one of Americas premiere theaters dedicated to dramatic exploration of the African American experience. Under his leadership, Penumbra has produced 23 world premieres, including August Wilson's first professional production, and is proud to have produced more of Mr. Wilson's plays than any theater in the world. Bellamy is an Obie Award-winning director, an accomplished actor and sought-after scholar. He has been a member of the University of Minnesota's faculty for 31 years and is currently appointed to the rank of associate professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Recent directing credits include Penumbra's production of Gem of the Ocean presented at the Guthrie Theater, Fences and The Piano Lesson at Penumbra, Two Trains Running at the Signature Theatre in New York, Jitney at Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company, and the staged reading of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Kennedy Center.

Sarah Bellamy - Art With Intent, Seminar and Performance Element I 

Sarah is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College where she studied creative writing and postcolonial theory. She holds an M.A. in the Humanities from The University of Chicago in Caribbean Studies where she specialized in colonial history from 1400-1800. Since returning to the Twin Cities, Sarah has focused her attention once again on creative writing including short stories, screenwriting and playwriting. Sarah has been commissioned to research and compose contextual essays that accompany the main-stage productions for Penumbra's 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010 Seasons. She is currently working toward her doctorate in Comparative Studies and Discourse in Society at the University of Minnesota.

Patricia Brown - African-Based Movement II 

Patricia has been active as a dancer, performer and educator in the Twin Cities for over eleven years. She is an African-based movement instructor whose style is primarily rooted in and influenced by dance of West Africa, but not limited to that region or continent. She continues to teach throughout the community at large with students of all age groups, including Macalester College, Arts Us, Vocal Essence Witness Program, Penumbra Theatre's Summer Institute and SteppingStone Theatre. Patricia is also an instructor at the University of Minnesota where she was recently nominated for the 2004 College of Continuing Education Distinguished Teaching Award.

Aimee Bryant - Musical Theater

AIMEE K. BRYANT is a founding ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, and a graduate of Howard University. Recent theatre credits include Two Queens, One Castle with Mixed Blood Theatre, Seussical the Musical at The Children's Theatre Company, and Ain't Misbehavin' at Penumbra.

Ginger Commodore - Music Element I 

Ginger Commodore has been a member of the Twin Cities music scene for many years. Her career has taken her down many musical roads. From performing as a long time member of the Grammy Award winning Sounds of Blackness, to performing with the vocal jazz ensemble Moore by Four. She has toured across the United States and Europe, most recently appearing at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City, NY. Her theatrical credits include: the World Premiere of Death In The Family with the Minnesota Opera Company, Selma with Penumbra Theatre Company, Black Belts at the Mixed Blood Theatre, Stamping, Shouting & Singing Home with the Children's Theatre Company, Smokey Joe's Cafe at Hey City Theater and most recently Black Nativity (Penumbra).

Benjamin Hanna - Social Change Project Workshop

Benjamin is an actor, director and artist educator who believes that arts education fuels creative thinkers, produces problem solvers and emboldens leaders. Ben began his theatrical journey in a small community playhouse in rural Minnesota and went on to graduate with a degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Minnesota. He then studied at the Children's Theatre Company as a Performing Apprentice. Currently Ben works at Penumbra Theatre Company in the Education department and does freelance directing and education work with SteppingStone Theatre as a teaching artist in area schools and on their mainstage.

Bakesta King - Scene Work I and Scene Work II

Bakesta resides in Chicago where she is a proud ensemble member of Congo Square Theatre. Her Chicago credits include A Lesson Before Dying, Steppenwolf Theatre Company; Crumbs From the Table of Joy, the Goodman Theatre; The Talented Tenth (nominated for Best Performance by the Black Theatre Alliance), Joe Turner's Come and Gone, Deep Azure and Layla's Dream all with Congo Square Theatre. Her regional credits include Joe Turner's Come and Gone at Baltimore's CenterStage; Columbo Takes the Rap written by Columbo creator William Link, at the International Mystery Writer's Festival; and A Raisin in the Sun at Kansas City Repertory and Studio Arena Theatre. Ms. King received her B.F.A. from Howard University and her M.F.A. from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Debra McGee - Jazz and Modern Dance

Debra is a MN native, and began locally in the arts with Ballet MN, Milwaukee Ballet, Zenon Dance, and the Penumbra Theater Institute. She returned MN after performing, teaching, and choreographing in NY for almost a decade. She received her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. She performed works by Jose Limon, Milton Myers, Jeffrey Holder, Louis Falcon, and Lars Lubovich with the MMC Dance Company for four seasons. Debra is a former member of Garth Fagan Dance and performed his works nationally and internationally. Thereafter, she began teaching dance again and choreographing while training vocally at the Eastman School of Music in NY. Debra currently performs and teaches throughout the Twin Cities. This is her first season with TU Dance. Debra has also has performed Julie Warder's work in Kinetic Kitchen at Patrick's Cabaret, Deborah Jinza Thayer’s Dougieland 60: Seven Dances, Cathy Wright's Thrower of Light in the Fringe Festival, Mathew Janczewski's Arena Dances "Pop" at the Lab, Jim Lieberthal’s work in the MN Dance Festival at the Fitzgerald Theater and in Renovate at the Ritz Theater. She has been teaching at the Zenon School of Dance since 2006. Debra recently taught workshops and master classes for the University of MN, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Paul Conservatory, District 196 and other dance events that come through the metro area. She just completed residencies with the Apple Valley High School and the Breck School. Debra's true love is any and all dance because she can communicate to any culture with this universal language.

Leslie Parker - African-Based Movement II 

Leslie Parker a St. Paul, MN native has worked as a freelance dancer, choreographer, and teaching artist holding a B.F.A in modern dance & choreography from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. She has also studied extensively under master dance teachers from Senegal, Guinea, Ghana, and Corte Ivore. She is a teaching artist for not-for-profit organizations, Groundworkinc, and Learning Through An Expanded Arts Program working to incorporate arts with academics in the New York City Public School System. She apprenticed with Urban Bush Women and performs as a member of Nioka Workman's Jazz and Dance Co., Nia Love's Blacksmith's Daughter and Errol Grimes Dance Group in NYC, NY. Her choreography has been seen at Joyce SoHo (NYC, NY), The Painted Bride Arts Center (Philadelphia, PA), The Women's Roseville Correctional Facility (Roseville, MN), Patrick's Cabaret (Mpls, MN), and Penumbra Theatre for The Late Nite Series.

Sanford Moore - Music Element II 

Sanford is an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota School of Music, and Minister of Music for Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church. Recent musical direction credits at Penumbra include Black Nativity - Hear Again the Christmas Story, The Piano Lesson, Get Ready, Blue, Black Nativity - A Homecoming, and Ain't Misbehavin'. Other select credits include Crowns, Dream on Monkey Mountain, Triumph of Love, and As You Like It at the Guthrie Theater and Two Queens, One Castle at Mixed Blood Theatre.

Sonja Parks - Acting I and II

A theatre professional for the past 15 years, Sonja has performed at many notable venues including: The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, Playwright's Horizons, The Boston Center for the Arts, La Pena, Highways Performance Space, The Randolph Street Gallery, Frontera @Hyde Park Theatre, The Guthrie Theatre, The Children's Theatre Company, The Walker Art Center, The Penumbra Theatre, with The Kennedy Center, Pillsbury House Theatre, The Playwright's Center & The Public Theatre. Sonja was an original member of poet/playwright Sharon Bridgforth's celebrated root wy'mn theatre company, touring nationally with them for 3 years and was the featured performer in two one-woman shows; one of which, no mo' blues, was nominated for an Osborn Award by The American Theater Critics Association. She studied at The University of Texas, The Dance Theatre of Harlem and The National Black Theatre under the direction of its founder and artistic director Barbara Ann Teer. Sonja is the recipient of a 2000 Walker Art Center/NEA grant; a 2002 Minnesota State Arts Board Fellowship; a 2005 McKnight Artist Fellowship; was named "Best Actress in the Twin Cities-2004" by the City Pages Weekly; has been a featured artist in Time Magazine and one of "Seven Performers You Must See" by American Theatre Magazine. Currently, she is a member of the Theatre Arts faculty at the University of Minnesota.

Namir Smallwood - Improvisation 

Namir Smallwood has performed at Penumbra in Blue and On the Open Road. He is a Newark, NJ native and a 2006 graduate of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie B.F.A. Actor Training Program. He has performed with the Children's Company in Five Fingers of Funk!, Bud, Not Buddy, Lost Boys of Sudan, Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, and Reeling, at Pillsbury House Theatre in Phoenix Fabrik, and at the Guthrie Theater in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Dominic Taylor - Playwright

Dominic is a director, playwright and the head of Penumbra's OKRA New Play Development Program. Most recently, Mr. Taylor directed Black Nativity: A Season for Change at Penumbra. Other select directing credits include the new opera Fresh Faust at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, The Negroes Burial Ground at the Kitchen, N.Y.C., Uppa Creek at Dixon Place, and Ride The Rhythm in the Hip-Hop Theatre Festival. He is an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota where he has directed The Wiz, Night Train To Bolina, and Execution of Justice. Mr. Taylor has worked with Crossroads Theater, Rites and Reasons Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, The Public Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, and Ensemble Studio Theatre, among others. He is an alumni member of New Dramatists and holds a Bachelor's and a Master of Fine Arts Degree from Brown University.

Grupo Cultural de Capoeira Angola do Acupe - Capoeira Angola

Grupo Cultural de Capoeira Angola do Acupe was established on the 23rd of October, 1987. Grupo Acupe is a private non-profit institution registered in the municipal council of Social assistance of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Also, the organization is a registered non-profit in the State of Minnesota and the federal government of the United States. Grupo Acupe is a cultural institution with a focus on Capoeira Angola which collaborates with many types of institutions. Since the organization began, the group has been actively working with students in communities within governmental and nongovernmental programs including orphanages, state schools and community centers. Mestre Marrom leads the group. As a student of Mestre João Pequeno, the oldest living Mestre of Capoeira Angola, Mestre Marrom links the past to the present in this oral tradition. Grupo Acupe makes a place (mocambo) in Salvador, Indianapolis, MIT in Boston and in Minneapolis (on Glenwood and Morgan) to continue this tradition.