Mu Performing Arts is a Minneapolis based theater group formed in 1992 by Rick Shiomi

Rick Shiomi

Rick Shiomi is a Japanese Canadian playwright, stage director and taiko artist. He is a founder and currently the Artistic Director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota based Asian American theater company, Mu Performing Arts.-Early life:...

, Dong-il Lee, Diane Espaldon, and Martha Johnson. It is composed of Theater Mu, which features stage performances and Mu Daiko, a taiko

Taiko

means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...

 drumming ensemble. Currently the third largest Asian-American theater company in the United States, the company is known for its fusion of Asian history and ideas with western. Many productions go beyond a static staged presentation and add elements of music, dance and dynamic storytelling; their shows are an artistic blending of various Asian cultures.

"Mu is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character Mu

Mu

- Language :* Mu , Μ or μ, a letter in the Greek alphabet* Mu , represented by the Japanese kana む or ム* 無, Mu , a Japanese and Korean word important in Zen practice...

for the shaman-artist-warrior who connects the heavens and the earth through the tree of life."

New Eyes is an annual playwriting festival which was started by Theater Mu in 1993. The goal was to find and encourage new Asian-American writers. This program continues to attract new artists.

Mission statement

"To be a premiere artistic company that creates theater and taiko from the heart of the Asian American experience."

• We give theatrical voice and vision to the stories of our Asian American community and culture.
• We create works that move, provoke and challenge our audiences to understand, embrace and celebrate cultural diversity.
• We create and interpret works born of the union of Asian and American cultures.
• We envision theater as a total sensory experience, merging ancient forms, traditions and stories with contemporary ones.
• We are committed to the development of new artists.

Sources

Rohan, Preston. (2008, March 13). Founder of Mu company honored with Sally Award. Star Tribune,B.2.

Royce, G. (2008) Minneapolis Star Tribune, OnStage: Theater Mu fishes for bigger things January 12, 2008