At a moment when national arts funding is threatened, especially for organizations serving diverse audiences, Theater Mu is raising the bar on its ambitions.
The Twin Cities-based Asian-American theater has tapped longtime Los Angeles actor, director and writer Fran de Leon as the fifth artistic director in its 33-year history.
De Leon has toured nationally with her one-woman show, “Faces of America” and co-led the traveling theater Will & Company. She has a range of TV credits including “Criminal Minds,” “Speechless” and “The Brothers Sun.”
She first became acquainted with Theater Mu through a visit to Minnesota two years ago to perform at Mixed Blood Theater with Critical Mass Performance Group. During this time, she met Lily Tung Crystal, who was serving as Theater Mu’s artistic director at the time. De Leon became quickly impressed and excited by Minnesota’s unexpectedly robust theater scene.
As most of her career has been based in Los Angeles, de Leon envisions her first year at Theater Mu as one of learning. She says, “I really want to come in here for the first year with an open heart, open eyes, open ears, and learn and learn what it is that the Twin Cities theater community and the community at large want to cherish, represent, and convey.”
In the search process, Managing Director Anh Thu Pham and the Theater Mu board of directors wanted to prioritize someone who could elevate Theater Mu’s national awareness and recognition.
As one of the oldest Asian-American theater companies in the country, Pham says, it’s important for Theater Mu to earn respect not only in the Asian-American arts community, but in the larger American theater community.
“Some of our plays touch upon American histories but they’re not taught as part of the American history canon,” she says. “Our stories work to humanize and bring a part of American history that has been long forgotten or hidden, to light.”
Pham gives credit to Tung Crystal for raising the bar for Theater Mu’s production and artistic work. It was important for Theater Mu to find someone who could build on Tung Crystal’s artistry while continuing to grow their national presence.
De Leon fit the bill. With roots in Los Angeles’ and New York’s theater scene, de Leon plans to collaborate and co-produce with theater artists around the nation. The vision, de Leon says, is to extend Theater Mu’s impact outside of Minnesota, providing opportunities for Theater Mu artists to share ideas and stories, learn from others around the country, and grow their reach.
Pham adds, “There’s a unique voice that Asian-Americans in the Midwest have. Southeast and South Asian stories that come from Minnesota are majority refugee stories. These stories are really important, and I would love to get some of these playwrights and these stories to travel outside of Minnesota.”
Additionally, de Leon carries a wealth of arts education experience, which she is excited to share not only with Theater Mu artists, but with the community at large. With many years of working in schools and teaching artists, de Leon wants to focus on engaging the community, not just as a source for material, she says, but as active participants in the creative process.
Both Pham and de Leon recognize the road ahead will not be easy under the Trump administration with looming budget cuts for projects that don’t fall under Trump’s artistic priorities.
Last month, the National Endowment of the Arts revoked a $20,000 grant for Theater Mu’s recent production of “Fifty Boxes of Earth.” According to the NEA correspondence, the production fell outside of “projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the president.”
Leading Theater Mu through this hostile political climate for the arts while transitioning directors, although challenging, only strengthens their resolve in sharing Asian-American stories on stage. They won’t be doing it alone, either. Pham and de Leon are aligned in their commitment to work together with and support their community through this uncertain time.
“If I were to spend all of my time worrying about the [budget] cuts in the arts at a federal level, and how that may impact funding, that can really paralyze me,” Pham says. She instead focuses on the impact and need of their work. ”What we have heard from our artists, communities and our audiences is that there’s so much of a need for Theater Mu, and there’s so much of a need for the arts.”
De Leon also does not plan to retreat; rather, she sees the current political reality as a call to arms. As she was deciding whether to accept the position and leave her home, she felt a voice calling her to serve. “I believe that my position is of service, to lead the cause of serving humanity through the arts, and specifically through theater.”
De Leon will take the rest of the year to fully transition into her new role, while juggling a three-month residency in New York as a Drama League directing fellow and a fall performance of “Mariology”, by Critical Mass Performance Group, presented by Boston Court in Los Angeles. She plans to relocate to Minnesota and begin full-time work by December.
