MU Performing arts announces 2005-06 season

Mu Performing Arts is pleased to announce the line up for the 2005-2006 Season. This year marks the 13th season of performance for Mu. The Mu Performing Arts 2005-2006 season includes four mainstage productions, comprised of three Theater Mu theatrical presentations and one Mu Daiko concert, and three developing artist festivals. Season 2005-2006 will take place at Intermedia Arts, The Southern Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, and other local venues. Season tickets are available for $60 or individual tickets can be purchased for each production. More ticket information is available below or by calling at 612-824-4804 or visiting www.muperformingarts.org.

“For all of us, there are gaps in our lives – gaps in our understanding and our ability to embrace the unknown,” Artistic Director Rick Shiomi explains. “Mu’s 2005-2006 Season works to bridge gaps to provide audiences with a vehicle to experience cultures, and to inspire understanding and help audiences embrace the unknown.” The season features a world and a regional premiere by national Asian American playwrights, a world premiere musical created, produced and performed by local Mu artists, and our annual taiko concert that continues to draw sold-out houses. Three festivals showcase developing playwrights, composers, directors, taiko players, and actors and demonstrate Mu’s commitment to developing Asian American artists locally and nationally.

Mu Performing Arts Mainstage
The 2005-2006 mainstage season opens with Happy Valley a Theater Mu world premiere by California playwright Aurorae Khoo in September 2005. Life in Hong Kong for 13-year-old Tuppy and her guardian uncle is a magnificent world of horse racing, chinchillas and make believe. But as the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to mainland China looms, their untraditional family must scramble to devise an exit strategy. At once a charming comedy and a complex drama, Happy Valley explores racism between Asian ethnic groups, the struggles of adolescence, and the life changing nature of emigration. Happy Valley runs Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm from September 16 – October 2, 2005 at Intermedia Arts (2822 Lyndale Ave S., Mpls.). Tickets are $16 with $2 discount for students & seniors. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per ticket. Preview performances are open to the public on Wednesday, September 14th and Thursday, September 15th at 8pm for $8. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, September 24th. Tickets available at 612-871-4444.

In December, Mu Daiko taps into the earthy energy of pounding drums and the ethereal powers of the heavens for their annual taiko concert. TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth combines muscle and spirit to create a musical experience like no other, where rhythms resonate in your ribcage, drummers move like dancers, arms wave, sticks fly and voices shout from deep within the soul. The second weekend, internationally renowned Kenny Endo and his Taiko Ensemble join Mu Daiko onstage. The annual Mu Daiko concert, TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth, takes place weekends December 2-11, 2005 at The Southern Theater (1420 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis). Performances take place Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. First weekend (Dec. 2-4 featuring Mu Daiko solo) tickets are $20. Second weekend (Dec. 9-11 featuring Mu Daiko with special guests Kenny Endo and his Taiko Ensemble) tickets are $25. (Ticket prices include a $2 Southern Theater building preservation fee). There is a $2 discount for students & seniors. Children under 12 get half off the general admission price. Group discounts are available opening weekend only. Call 612-340-1725 for tickets.

The regional premiere of the comedy Cowboy Versus Samurai by Michael Golamco opens in February 2006. This no-holds-barred romantic comedy re-imagines the Cyrano de Bergerac story with an Asian American twist. The lives of the only two Asian Americans in the tiny western hamlet of Breakneck, Wyoming are turned upside down when the beautiful Veronica Lee, a Korean American teacher from New York City moves to town. Through irony, humor, and social commentary, Cowboy Versus Samurai cleverly exposes the struggle of Asian Americans to find their place in the vast American landscape and with each other. (Contains some mature language.) Cowboy Versus Samurai will be performed Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm from February 17 – March 5, 2006 at Mixed Blood Theatre (1501 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis). Tickets are $16 with $2 discounts for students and seniors. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per ticket. A preview performance takes place Thursday, February 16 at 8pm for $8. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, March 19th. Tickets are available at 612-338-6131.

The Theater Mu World Premiere musical, Filipino Hearts, closes the mainstage season in May 2006. Written by R. A. Shiomi and Allen Malicsi with music and lyrics by Kurt Miyashiro (The Walleye Kid: The Musical), this original musical blends Filipino folktales, music, dance and movement with a modern story in signature Mu style. When Benny, a poor aspiring theater artist, is sent to the Philippines for a family gathering, his simple vacation becomes an entangled adventure of arranged marriages, unexpected romance, and obstacles of antagonism from the local people. Pre-conceived notions shattered, Benny's self-understanding unfolds in relation to the land, the people, and the stories of his heritage. Filipino Hearts will be performed Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm from May 18 – June 4, 2006 at The Southern Theater (1420 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis). Tickets are $20 with $2 discounts for students and seniors. Children under 12 receive half off the general admission price. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per tickets. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, May 20th. Call 612-340-1725 for reservations.

Mu Performing Arts Festivals
Mu Performing Arts Festivals provide a forum for the development of emerging artists and serve as a testing ground for new work that may be presented on the mainstage in the future. “It's what keeps our company constantly creative and vibrant with new energy,” said Mu Performing Arts Artistic Director Rick Shiomi.

From January 19 – 22, 2006, Mu presents its 14th annual New Eyes Festival. Mu artists perform brand new works-in-progress by local and national composers, lyricists, and playwrights. (Performance times TBA, performances will take place at the Mu Performing Arts Studio Space.)

Over two weekends, March 24-26 & March 31-April 2, 2006, Mu will present its annual New Directions Festival, a showcase of new, up-and-coming directors. The first weekend, several new directors will present shorts and excerpts from plays. The second weekend, one director will be chosen to present a fully staged production from a nationally recognized Asian American playwright. (Performance times TBA, performances will take place at the Mu Performing Arts Studio Space.)

Mu Daiko students take the stage in July 14-16, 2006 for the annual taiko recital, Passing the Beat. Passion and discipline explode into rhythm as students and instructors perform new and classic pieces from the Mu Daiko repertoire. (Performance times TBA, performances take place at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.)

For more information or ticket reservations for Mu Performing Arts Festivals, call 612-824-4804 or visit www.muperformingarts.org

About Mu Performing Arts
Founded in 1992 as Theater Mu, Mu Performing Arts is the foremost Asian American theater and taiko company in the Midwest. Mu Performing Arts encompasses the theatrical presentations of Theater Mu and the professional taiko (Japanese drumming) group, Mu Daiko. Through the core value of giving voice to the Asian American experience and the transformational power of their works, Mu Performing Arts successfully merges Eastern and Western, traditional and contemporary theatrical forms.

Mu Performing Arts’ mainstage season includes three Theater Mu theatrical productions, one Mu Daiko concert, and several festivals highlighting new works, emerging directors and taiko artists. Outreach programs to schools, community organizations and corporations reach over 46,000 people annually and Mu Performing Arts offers residencies and classes to develop theater and taiko skills for adults and children in the Twin Cities.

The meaning of Mu: Our Mu (pronounced “moo”) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese ideogram for the shaman/artist/warrior who connects the heavens and earth through the tree of life. For more information about Mu Performing Arts call 612-824-4804 or visit www.muperformingarts.org.

Interviews & Artwork available upon request:
Contact Sonja Wahlberg, Mu Performing Arts, 612-824-4804 or sonja@muperformingarts.org

Mu Performing Arts Season 2005-2006: Mainstage and Festival Dates
More information is available at www.muperformingarts.org

Happy Valley
By Aurorae Khoo
Directed by Jennifer Weir
September 16-October 2
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
Tickets: $16
Intermedia Arts
Box office: 612-871-4444

TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth
A Mu Daiko Concert
with special guest Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (special guest performs Dec. 9-11 only)
December 2-11
Friday – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
First weekend tickets (Mu Daiko only): $20
Second weekend tickets (with special guest Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble): $25
The Southern Theater
Box office: 612-340-1725

Cowboy Versus Samurai
By Michael Golamco
February 17-March 5
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
Tickets: $16
Mixed Blood Theatre
Box office: 612-338-6131

Filipino Hearts
Book by Rick Shiomi & Allen Malicsi
Music and lyrics by Kurt Miyashiro
May 18-June 4
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm
Tickets: $20
The Southern Theater
Box office: 612-340-1725

MU PERFORMING ARTS SEASON 2005-2006: Artwork
Electronic files of artwork are available for each show by contacting Sonja Wahlberg at Mu Performing Arts at 612-824-4804 or sonja@muperformingarts.org

Questions? Email



	Mu Performing Arts Announces 2005-2006 Season Dedicated to “Bridging Gaps” Mu Performing Arts is pleased to announce the line up for the 2005-2006 Season. This year marks the 13th season of performance for Mu. The Mu Performing Arts 2005-2006 season includes four mainstage productions, comprised of three Theater Mu theatrical presentations and one Mu Daiko concert, and three developing artist festivals. Season 2005-2006 will take place at Intermedia Arts, The Southern Theater, Mixed Blood Theatre, and other local venues. Season tickets are available for $60 or individual tickets can be purchased for each production. More ticket information is available below or by calling at 612-824-4804 or visiting www.muperformingarts.org. “For all of us, there are gaps in our lives – gaps in our understanding and our ability to embrace the unknown,” Artistic Director Rick Shiomi explains. “Mu’s 2005-2006 Season works to bridge gaps to provide audiences with a vehicle to experience cultures, and to inspire understanding and help audiences embrace the unknown.” The season features a world and a regional premiere by national Asian American playwrights, a world premiere musical created, produced and performed by local Mu artists, and our annual taiko concert that continues to draw sold-out houses. Three festivals showcase developing playwrights, composers, directors, taiko players, and actors and demonstrate Mu’s commitment to developing Asian American artists locally and nationally. Mu Performing Arts Mainstage The 2005-2006 mainstage season opens with Happy Valley a Theater Mu world premiere by California playwright Aurorae Khoo in September 2005. Life in Hong Kong for 13-year-old Tuppy and her guardian uncle is a magnificent world of horse racing, chinchillas and make believe. But as the 1997 handover of Hong Kong to mainland China looms, their untraditional family must scramble to devise an exit strategy. At once a charming comedy and a complex drama, Happy Valley explores racism between Asian ethnic groups, the struggles of adolescence, and the life changing nature of emigration. Happy Valley runs Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm from September 16 – October 2, 2005 at Intermedia Arts (2822 Lyndale Ave S., Mpls.). Tickets are $16 with $2 discount for students & seniors. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per ticket. Preview performances are open to the public on Wednesday, September 14th and Thursday, September 15th at 8pm for $8. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, September 24th. Tickets available at 612-871-4444. In December, Mu Daiko taps into the earthy energy of pounding drums and the ethereal powers of the heavens for their annual taiko concert. TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth combines muscle and spirit to create a musical experience like no other, where rhythms resonate in your ribcage, drummers move like dancers, arms wave, sticks fly and voices shout from deep within the soul. The second weekend, internationally renowned Kenny Endo and his Taiko Ensemble join Mu Daiko onstage. The annual Mu Daiko concert, TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth, takes place weekends December 2-11, 2005 at The Southern Theater (1420 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis). Performances take place Fridays & Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. First weekend (Dec. 2-4 featuring Mu Daiko solo) tickets are $20. Second weekend (Dec. 9-11 featuring Mu Daiko with special guests Kenny Endo and his Taiko Ensemble) tickets are $25. (Ticket prices include a $2 Southern Theater building preservation fee). There is a $2 discount for students & seniors. Children under 12 get half off the general admission price. Group discounts are available opening weekend only. Call 612-340-1725 for tickets. The regional premiere of the comedy Cowboy Versus Samurai by Michael Golamco opens in February 2006. This no-holds-barred romantic comedy re-imagines the Cyrano de Bergerac story with an Asian American twist. The lives of the only two Asian Americans in the tiny western hamlet of Breakneck, Wyoming are turned upside down when the beautiful Veronica Lee, a Korean American teacher from New York City moves to town. Through irony, humor, and social commentary, Cowboy Versus Samurai cleverly exposes the struggle of Asian Americans to find their place in the vast American landscape and with each other. (Contains some mature language.) Cowboy Versus Samurai will be performed Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm with Sunday matinees at 2pm from February 17 – March 5, 2006 at Mixed Blood Theatre (1501 South Fourth Street, Minneapolis). Tickets are $16 with $2 discounts for students and seniors. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per ticket. A preview performance takes place Thursday, February 16 at 8pm for $8. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, March 19th. Tickets are available at 612-338-6131. The Theater Mu World Premiere musical, Filipino Hearts, closes the mainstage season in May 2006. Written by R. A. Shiomi and Allen Malicsi with music and lyrics by Kurt Miyashiro (The Walleye Kid: The Musical), this original musical blends Filipino folktales, music, dance and movement with a modern story in signature Mu style. When Benny, a poor aspiring theater artist, is sent to the Philippines for a family gathering, his simple vacation becomes an entangled adventure of arranged marriages, unexpected romance, and obstacles of antagonism from the local people. Pre-conceived notions shattered, Benny's self-understanding unfolds in relation to the land, the people, and the stories of his heritage. Filipino Hearts will be performed Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm from May 18 – June 4, 2006 at The Southern Theater (1420 Washington Avenue South, Minneapolis). Tickets are $20 with $2 discounts for students and seniors. Children under 12 receive half off the general admission price. Groups of 10 or more receive $4 off per tickets. The AD/ASL performance takes place Saturday, May 20th. Call 612-340-1725 for reservations. Mu Performing Arts Festivals Mu Performing Arts Festivals provide a forum for the development of emerging artists and serve as a testing ground for new work that may be presented on the mainstage in the future. “It's what keeps our company constantly creative and vibrant with new energy,” said Mu Performing Arts Artistic Director Rick Shiomi. From January 19 – 22, 2006, Mu presents its 14th annual New Eyes Festival. Mu artists perform brand new works-in-progress by local and national composers, lyricists, and playwrights. (Performance times TBA, performances will take place at the Mu Performing Arts Studio Space.) Over two weekends, March 24-26 & March 31-April 2, 2006, Mu will present its annual New Directions Festival, a showcase of new, up-and-coming directors. The first weekend, several new directors will present shorts and excerpts from plays. The second weekend, one director will be chosen to present a fully staged production from a nationally recognized Asian American playwright. (Performance times TBA, performances will take place at the Mu Performing Arts Studio Space.) Mu Daiko students take the stage in July 14-16, 2006 for the annual taiko recital, Passing the Beat. Passion and discipline explode into rhythm as students and instructors perform new and classic pieces from the Mu Daiko repertoire. (Performance times TBA, performances take place at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis.) For more information or ticket reservations for Mu Performing Arts Festivals, call 612-824-4804 or visit www.muperformingarts.org About Mu Performing Arts Founded in 1992 as Theater Mu, Mu Performing Arts is the foremost Asian American theater and taiko company in the Midwest. Mu Performing Arts encompasses the theatrical presentations of Theater Mu and the professional taiko (Japanese drumming) group, Mu Daiko. Through the core value of giving voice to the Asian American experience and the transformational power of their works, Mu Performing Arts successfully merges Eastern and Western, traditional and contemporary theatrical forms. Mu Performing Arts’ mainstage season includes three Theater Mu theatrical productions, one Mu Daiko concert, and several festivals highlighting new works, emerging directors and taiko artists. Outreach programs to schools, community organizations and corporations reach over 46,000 people annually and Mu Performing Arts offers residencies and classes to develop theater and taiko skills for adults and children in the Twin Cities. The meaning of Mu: Our Mu (pronounced “moo”) is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese ideogram for the shaman/artist/warrior who connects the heavens and earth through the tree of life. For more information about Mu Performing Arts call 612-824-4804 or visit www.muperformingarts.org. Interviews & Artwork available upon request: Contact Sonja Wahlberg, Mu Performing Arts, 612-824-4804 or sonja@muperformingarts.org Mu Performing Arts Season 2005-2006: Mainstage and Festival Dates More information is available at www.muperformingarts.org *Happy Valley* By Aurorae Khoo Directed by Jennifer Weir September 16-October 2 Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm Tickets: $16 Intermedia Arts Box office: 612-871-4444 *TenChi Taiko of Mu Daiko: Drums of Heaven and Earth* A Mu Daiko Concert with special guest Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble (special guest performs Dec. 9-11 only) December 2-11 Friday – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm First weekend tickets (Mu Daiko only): $20 Second weekend tickets (with special guest Kenny Endo Taiko Ensemble): $25 The Southern Theater Box office: 612-340-1725 *New Eyes Festival* January 19 – 22, 2006 *Cowboy Versus Samurai* By Michael Golamco February 17-March 5 Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm Tickets: $16 Mixed Blood Theatre Box office: 612-338-6131 *New Directions Festival* March 24-26 & March 31–April 2, 2006 *Filipino Hearts* Book by Rick Shiomi & Allen Malicsi Music and lyrics by Kurt Miyashiro May 18-June 4 Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm Tickets: $20 The Southern Theater Box office: 612-340-1725 *Passing the Beat* July 14-16, 2006 MU PERFORMING ARTS SEASON 2005-2006: Artwork Electronic files of artwork are available for each show by contacting Sonja Wahlberg at Mu Performing Arts at 612-824-4804 or sonja@muperformingarts.org Home \| News \| Calendar \| Directory \| Library \| Plays Copyright 2005, Roger W. 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Mu Performing Arts Announces 2005-2006 Season Dedicated to “Bridging Gaps”

Mu Performing Arts Announces
2005-2006 Season Dedicated to “Bridging Gaps”