For immediate release.

Contact: Julie McGarvie, Director of Marketing
651-288-6784 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tickets: Penumbra Theatre Box Office
651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

EXTENDED RUN - 12 SHOWS ADDED!
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
Directed by Lou Bellamy

March 4, 2008; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s preeminent African American theatre, announces the addition of twelve performances of The Piano Lesson due to popular demand. The extension runs through Sunday, March 30, 2008. Details included in quick reference below.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Piano Lesson is the story of a family haunted by the living legacy of American slavery. At the center of this play is an old, upright piano, hand carved to depict the family history—an unofficial plantation marriage, birth, funeral, and the removal of two slaves from Mississippi to Georgia. The figures carved in the piano create a keepsake album, a sacred relic, a repository of family lore. The piano now sits in the salon of the Charles home and is very valuable. For Berniece, it holds the spirit of her grandparents, sold away in exchange for it during slavery. For her brother, Boy Willie, it holds the key to his freedom from the burden of sharecropping for a meager wage. The struggle between the siblings over the symbolic and literal value of the piano escalates into a conflict that threatens to tear the family apart.

The stellar ensemble features the talents of Ansa Akyea (Boy Willie), Lerea Carter (Grace), James Craven (Doaker), Natalia Gaston (Maretha), Greta Oglesby (Berniece), T. Mychael Rambo (Avery), Dennis W. Spears (Wining Boy), and Ashford Thomas (Lymon).

Performances run Wednesdays through Sundays, times vary. Details follow on quick reference.

For Immediate Release

Contact: Julie McGarvie, Director of Marketing
651-288-6784 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tickets: Penumbra Theatre Box Office
651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

The Piano Lesson by August Wilson
Penumbra launches Wilson's "Twentieth Century Cycle"
Presented by The Cargill Foundation

January 30, 2008; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation's preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of The Piano Lesson written by August Wilson, directed by Lou Bellamy, February 21, 2008. The production will run February 21--March 16, 2008.

A Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, The Piano Lesson is the story of a family haunted by the living legacy of American slavery. At the center of this play is an old, upright piano, hand carved to depict the family history - an unofficial plantation marriage, birth, funeral, and the removal of two slaves from Mississippi to Georgia. The figures carved in the piano create a keepsake album, a sacred relic, a repository of family lore. The piano now sits in the salon of the Charles home and is very valuable. For Bernice, it holds the spirit of her grandparents, sold away in exchange for it during slavery. For her brother, Boy Willie, it holds the key to his freedom from the burden of sharecropping for a meager wage. The struggle between the siblings over the symbolic and literal value of the piano escalates into a conflict that threatens to tear the family apart.

Starring Ansa Akyea (Boy Willie), Thomas Ashford (Lymon), Lerea Carter (Grace), James Craven (Doaker), Natalia Gaston (Maretha), Greta Oglesby (Berniece), T. Mychael Rambo (Avery), and Dennis W. Spears (Wining Boy).

For immediate release.
December 4, 2007
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Marketing Director
651-288-6784, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Penumbra Theatre
Enters New Era With Successful Track Record

December 4, 2007; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, one of the nation’s preeminent African American theaters, announced today the successful completion of a four-year restructuring effort and the implementation of a five-year New Era capacity building plan.

Fiscal Report: 2007 Audit and Completion of Restructuring
Fiscal 2007 was a profitable year for Penumbra, and marked the fourth consecutive year the organization ended in the black. It also marked the successful culmination of its four-year restructuring plan during which it eliminated $600,000 of old debt and established solid administrative and financial practices. “This is great news. Paying off the debt through operations counters national trends and we are very proud of that,” stated Warren Simpson, board treasurer. “Penumbra received a clean opinion from its auditors, Wilkerson Associates, and our net assets increased $194,820 from the year prior. While we do not expect comparable increases this year, we remain confident that we have taken the appropriate steps to ensure the financial solvency of Penumbra in the years ahead, particularly as our New Era Campaign gains momentum.”

For immediate release.
November 16, 2007
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Marketing Director
651-288-6784, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tickets: Penumbra Box Office
651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

Black Nativity: Twenty Years of Holiday Cheer!
A holiday gospel tradition

November 16, 2007; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of Black Nativity: Twenty Years of Holiday Cheer!, conceived by T. Mychael Rambo and Lou Bellamy, directed by Austene Van, musical direction by Sanford Moore on Thursday, November 29, 2007.

This powerful gospel journey includes old favorites such as, “No Room at the Inn,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night,” “Joy to the World,” and several new arrangements by Sanford Moore including “My Way’s Cloudy,” “Christ is Born,” and “Go Tell it on the Mountain.” The performance features live music by award winning musicians, original dance choreographed by the renowned Uri Sands of TU Dance Company, and a stellar gospel choir ensemble that includes members of Moore by Four and the Grammy award-winning Sounds of Blackness.

Featured vocalists include Ansa Akyea, Jamecia Bennett, Aimee K. Bryant, Ginger Commodore, Cameron Hughes, Tonia Hughes Kendrick, Greta Oglesby, Thomasina Petrus, T. Mychael Rambo, Dennis W. Spears, Jennifer Whitlock, and Jack Yates.

For immediate release.
August 30, 2007
Contact: Julie McGarvie, Marketing Director
651-288-6784, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Tickets: Penumbra Box Office
651-224-3180 or penumbratheatre.org

REDSHIRTS
World Premiere
Presented by Lou Bellamy, Penumbra and Round House Theatre

August 30, 2007; St. Paul, MN: Penumbra Theatre Company, the nation’s preeminent African American theatre, proudly announces the opening of REDSHIRTS written by Dana Yeaton, directed by Lou Bellamy, September 6, 2007. The production will run September 6 through September 30, 2007.

This production marks the world premiere of the play, a Penumbra co-production with Round House Theatre, Bethesda, Maryland. The show will open Penumbra’s 31st season and then travels to open the season at Round House. The play’s evolution over the last three years has included a staged reading by the Sight Unseen Theatre Company of California, and a live performance of excerpts by the football players whose voices and experiences helped to shape the piece at the University of Tennessee.

“Penumbra makes theatre that matters. And it takes risks that are actually risky. When we set out to premiere Dana Yeaton's new play, we needed a partner to bring authenticity and perspective to the table. Our partnership with Lou Bellamy and Penumbra Theatre does that. As producers, it makes us more collaborative. As artists, it makes us more inquisitive and daring,” stated Blake Robison, Producing Artistic Director of Round House Theatre.