Penumbra Theatre's Education and Outreach department expands the possibilities for imagination. Audiences and artists are asked to push beyond the thoughts and feelings that our main stage plays stir up, challenging us to realize a world where social action creates true and lasting change. And the possibilities begin with you.

Want to learn more about the art you enjoy at Penumbra? Come join us for a workshop with professional artists or download a comphrehensive study guide today. Are you a teen looking for a better way to use your creativity and passion to create a better world? Check out our Summer Institute program for young activist artists. Penumbra Theatre is a national leader in producing art for social change. We offer programs that create opportunities to come together across lines of race, culture, class and gender to find similarities and enhance learning.

There is a place for you at our table - we look forward to hearing your story!

  Sarah Bellamy
  Education Director

Horace J. Bond Ambassador Program - Macalester College, the University of Minnesota and Hamline University faculty select exceptional undergraduates who work with Penumbra to address social issues on campus.

August Wilson Fellowship - In partnership with the University of Minnesota, this fellowship provides support for graduate students to explore culturally specific literary criticism and dramaturgy.

Internships - Behind the scenes and close to the action, our internship programs give students the opportunity to work and learn at the same time.

Kathryn Coram Gagnon Fellowship - Investing in the future of young women and girls as dramatic or musical theatre artists. Each year one artist is recognized for her potential.

Quilting Circle - A community experience you can look forward to annually. Learn new skills and make an original art piece that is featured in our holiday musical favorite, Black Nativity.

Salon Series - Guest lectures, roundtable discussions, symposia and post-play discussions offer patrons the opportunity to think critically about our art and continue the dialogue.

Student Matinees - Offering students ages 14 and up the opportunity to explore the African American experience through artistically excellent productions. Bring your students to see a show and stay afterwards for a post-play discussion.

Study Guides - Free and online, Penumbra’s study guides include contextual essays, artist interviews, and much more. New this year: Curriculum for grades 9-12 by high school educators to enhance learning in your classroom!

Summer Institute - Training the next generation of activist artists! Students study the craft of performance while learning about social justice to promote change in their own communities.

The Wilson Lab - This archival project will preserve the legacy of the preeminent African American theatre company in the nation. The Lab will make personal interviews from founding company members, videography, literature and more available for research.

Workshops - Exploring the power of art to change lives and communities. Join us at the Science Museum of Minnesota or book your own RACE workshop today!

The Penumbra Theatre Company Quilt - See the quilt squares that now illuminate the walls of our theatre.

SARAH BELLAMY - Education Director
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 and 2008-2009 Seasons. She is currently working toward her doctorate in cultural studies and critical discourse at the University of Minnesota.

BENJAMIN HANNA - Education Coordinator
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.

ALICIA WIESNETH - Summer Institute Coordinator
Alicia is a graduate of the University of Minnesota where she studied Theatre, Business and Communication Studies with an emphasis in Arts Administration. While at the University of Minnesota she worked as a marketing associate, stage manager and project coordinator in the theatre department. Alicia also works with area youth directing musicals at Murray Jr. High School in St. Paul and Adath Jeshuran Congregation in Minnetonka.

STEPHANIE LEIN WALSETH - August Wilson Fellow, 2008-2009
Stephanie is an MA/PhD candidate in Theatre Historiography at the University of Minnesota and is pleased to be the August Wilson Fellow for Penumbra's 2008-2009 Season. Previously, she served as the Managing Director of the Minneapolis-based Asian American theatre and taiko company Mu Performing Arts. She has worked professionally as a theatre administrator, actor, director, dramaturg, and stage manager throughout the Twin Cities with companies such as Mu, Mixed Blood Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, The Playwrights' Center, Frank Theatre, Theatre in the Round, Starting Gate Productions, Theatre Unbound, Chaos Theories, CLIMB Theatre, and in Maine at the Portland Stage Company. Her writing has appeared in the Baylor Journal of Theatre and Performance, and she is currently serving as the Co-Artistic Director of the University's Xperimental Theatre.

 
High School Curriculum Consultants, 2008-2009

Kimberly White Colbert
Kimberly Colbert has worked at St. Paul Central since 1994, where she started as a theater intern for Jan Mandell and the Central Touring Theatre. She volunteered there until receiving her MAT in English Language Arts and Speech Theater. Kimberly spent one year in Minneapolis Public Schools as a theater specialist before returning to St. Paul to join Central High's English Department. Kimberly has continued her connection to the arts through active involvement with Brown University's Arts Literacy Project, which imbeds performing and other art forms in literacy instruction. Prior to working at Central, Kimberly spent five years in Japan and Hawaii where she taught English and worked as a journalist for a local newspaper. In addition to teaching, Kimberly is active in union activities, currently serving on the boards of Education Minnesota and the National Education Association (NEA).

Kaye Thompson Peters
Kaye Thompson Peters has been teaching literature and writing at St. Paul Central High School since January 1999, working with students in grades 9-12 and currently teaches senior International Baccalaureate and freshman honors classes. Thompson Peters came to education after fourteen years as a political and education reporter for newspapers in Texas, Maryland, Washington DC and the Twin Cities. She also volunteered as a child advocate with the Children's Defense Fund and worked as an aide in the U.S. Senate.