NNPN in the Twin Cities: Theater Mu & History Theatre

NNPN’s national impact is made possible by the extraordinary Member Theaters bringing bold, adventurous new work to communities across the country. Throughout this campaign, we’ll be spotlighting Member Theaters from our hub cities to celebrate the incredible diversity of theaters, audiences, and stories that make up our network.

Through June 30, 2026, all gifts will be matched up to $20,000 thanks to the generosity of NNPN founder David Goldman and Carol Dweck - extending the reach of every contribution in support of new plays and the theaters that champion them.

This week, we’re excited to feature two Minneapolis-St.Paul based Members: Theater Mu (Core) & History Theatre (Associate).

When NNPN convened in MSP for last year's Showcase, we decided to host a community-wide reception for new play-makers. We were joyously overwhelmed by the crowd, with more than 150 artists and arts administrators joining us to toast the exciting work made each year in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

In this issue we're delighted to introduce you to two of the NNPN affiliated organizations that make MSP Theater Strong - Theater Mu, which focuses its programming on works by Asian American artists and History Theatre, which tells the stories of Minnesotans.

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Tell us a little about your theater and your role in the local arts community.

Theater Mu: Theater Mu is the premiere Asian American theater company in the Midwest and the second largest in the nation. Founded in 1992, Mu has produced over 60 world premieres and over 30 commissions. Theater Mu is the only theater in the Midwest region that specifically centers AAPI voices. Mu is committed to making theater accessible to anyone who wishes to support and uplift Asian American artists. Mu seeks to increase Asian American representation on and beyond the stage.

History Theatre: History Theatre was founded in 1978 and since that time has commissioned, developed, and produced over 140 new plays. Our mission is to entertain, educate, and engage with works that explore Minnesota's past and the diverse American experience. We tell real stories about real people and real events.

Within the Twin Cities, we are one of a number of NNPN members, but the only producing organization that is committed to solely new work.

What makes the theater scene in your city or region unique?

Theater Mu: The Twin Cities has a uniquely high number of theaters. We have one of the highest number of theaters per capita in the nation after New York. Part of this success comes from the support of the state of Minnesota. Minnesota offers funding for the arts in a way that many other states don’t, allowing theaters and artists to thrive. Theater is seen as a necessary part of a good quality of life here.

History Theatre: The Twin Cities has a robust theatrical landscape with many regional theatres celebrating 50+ years of existence. The regional theatre movement started here with the founding of the Guthrie Theatre, and since then, Minnesota has attracted world class theatre artists from all over the world. There's an old statistic that says the Twin Cities have more theatre seats per capita than any other city outside of New York. I don't know the source of that info, and many say it's no longer true. But apocryphally, people here say it all the time.

How does your theater contribute to the development of new plays or playwrights in your area?

Theater Mu: Theater Mu is a frequent champion of new plays and playwrights. One method is through world premieres. Many of our seasons feature at least one world premiere, and in fact often have multiple world premieres. In addition to our mainstage, we offer developmental opportunities for playwrights to work on their plays safely and on their feet. One of these methods is through our annual NEW EYES FESTIVAL, our longest standing tradition of new play readings. Another method is through playwright incubators such as the upcoming MU TANG CLAN. Now in its third iteration, we are partnering with New Native Theater to help foster intersectionality and support work from our Native/Indigenous communities.

History Theatre: We have an annual new works festival in which we commission 4-6 plays every year. From that festival, over 60% of the plays go on to full production here. Playwrights have real opportunity to not only get support to develop their work, but to actually see it go on to production in world premieres at History Theatre.

How has being part of NNPN influenced your theater’s work or approach to new play development?

Theater Mu: NNPN has been a wonderful support. Minnesota has amazing artists, and NNPN is special in that it helps us get the word out about our amazing artists to the rest of the country. The convenings and social media network opportunities are a fantastic way to connect with other like-minded theatermakers we may not have otherwise had a chance to connect with. It’s so important to have the chance to introduce our local playwrights to other theaters around the country; likewise, it’s fantastic to explore opportunities from other theaters about their local playwrights.

History Theatre: NNPN is such an amazing network and opportunity to understand how new play development is happening nationally. It's a wonderful source to help deepen our commitment to new plays, to find like-minded theatres and people, and to help champion new plays for further production.

What is one NNPN-supported project, production, or collaboration that best represents your theater’s impact in your region?

Theater Mu: We’re so excited about our Rolling World Premiere partnership with East West Players in California and Perseverance Theater in Alaska. Together we are premiering Prince Gomolvilas’ play Paranormal Inside. Paranormal Inside is the sequel to The Brothers Paranormal, which Theater Mu co-produced in 2019 with Penumbra Theater to so much success that performances were extended by popular demand. We’re thrilled that not only will our local community be able to enjoy a sequel to an already beloved play, but three different communities in different corners of the country will be able to experience this play thanks to the Rolling World Premiere.

How does being part of a national network like NNPN strengthen the work happening locally?

Theater Mu: The Network strengthens at the micro and the macro. Each intersection creates a strong foundation for more theater to build on.

History Theatre: NNPN helps to connect theatres across the country, and anytime collaborations like that happen, organizations and artists are able to learn from each other and exchange ideas.

What excites you most about the future of new plays in your city or region?

Theater Mu: The Twin Cities are at the epicenter of social change in the United States. Twin Cities theater reflects and catalyses that. We at Theater Mu are excited and determined to use our medium to create the world we want to live in. We are already experiencing this firsthand; our recent production of HMong Futures: The Future of Us by Katie Ka Vang was our first return to programming after a series of cancellations during Operation Metro Surge in early 2026.

During the height of the occupation of our cities, safety was the number one priority, leading to the difficult decision to cancel gatherings where we would have been a target. While the occupation is not over, we were determined to move forward with our planned world premiere of HMong Futures as long as we could do so with an Emergency Action Plan in place. Already we have received audience comments that the show was healing after what we went through just a couple of months ago. Theater is a medium through which we process emotions and reactions to hard times, and the Twin Cities theater scene will be the place where we come together to heal.

History Theatre: There are so many exciting playwrights and so many dramaturgically-minded actors who are passionate about new works. There is so much potential and so much enthusiasm for new work here.

If you could share one message about your theater and your region’s creative community with NNPN supporters and donors, what would it be?

Theater Mu: What the world witnessed in Minnesotans response to the occupation is reflective of the resilience of our artistic community. If you want to collaborate with strong, fierce artists, look to the Twin Cities!

Theater Mu