About Us

Founded in 1976 by award winning director Lou Bellamy, Penumbra is a nationally recognized organization housing Minnesota’s only Black professional theatre company. Penumbra has earned tremendous accolades, producing nearly 200 plays, over 30 premieres, and has cultivated generations of artists of color. Through our powerful art, we open hearts, rehearse strategies for change, and dispel dehumanizing narratives of people of color.

Today, under the leadership of Sarah Bellamy, Penumbra is evolving into its next life cycle: a performing arts campus and center for racial healing that nurtures Black artists, advances equity, and facilitates wellness for individuals and community. Our space will center the Black experience, learn from and support people of color who are not Black, and welcome white individuals interested in building resiliency and competency for racial equity and racial healing work. Penumbra will stand in solidarity with and support indigenous communities upon whose land the work is located.