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2011-2012 Season Proudly Presented by:
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Class of 2011
 Grace will be a sophomore in the fall. She has been involved in ballet since her toddler years and began
acting lessons soon after that. Since then she has been in several performances around the Twin Cities.
Some of her favorite experiences have been performing at the Guthrie Theater, Youth Performance
Company and SteppingStone Theatre. She also participates in track and field at her school and enjoys
playing volleyball and swimming. She is hoping to develop a social change project around her passion
to educate youth about the power of their words to end racial slurs and jokes. This is Grace’s first year
at Summer Institute, and she is thoroughly grateful for the tools this program has given her to make a
positive difference in areas she is passionate about.
 Brian will be going into eighth grade this fall at an arts based school, where he plays soccer, basketball,
baseball and was in the drama class with Ms. Rasheed. When Brian was in the 2nd grade he got an
award for class clown at Urban Academy Charter School. Brian’s social justice issue is racism. Racism for
Brian is “a grownup’s disease and we need to stop using children to spread it.” (Ruby Bridges). This is
Brian’s first year at Summer Institute. He is grateful for the program because it allows him to spread his
positivity.
 De’Jha will be a junior in high school this fall. She has been on the honor roll and has received several
other awards and recognitions. Her most recent show was Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, where she was
cast as a dancer. During her freshman year of high school she participated in the school theatre class.
She has been dancing with a community drill team for eight years and praise dance with her church. She
has taken a “clowning” theatre class and is participating in Summer Institute with Penumbra Theatre.
She has taken ballet, jazz, tap, modern, character dance and hip-hop classes. For her social change
project, she wants to eliminate unnecessary worldly material things. Her goal is to help families in need,
including families in other countries. This is her first year at Summer Institute and she is very grateful to
be here. Summer Institute has shown her how to approach situations in a new and comfortable way, as
well as being able to make a difference in the world by getting people to talk about social justice issues.
 Dylan will be starting his freshman year this fall. He enjoys sketching, sculpting, singing, playing guitar,
writing music and acting. He was named Drama Student of the Year at the International School of
Minnesota. He is interested in making others aware of domestic abuse; specifically between men and
women and immigrants. This is his first year at Summer Institute and he has been inspired to take a
stand against seemingly innocent racist and sexist jokes, understanding the impact that these comments
have in our society.
 Denae is a senior at a performing arts high school. Her key interests focus around equity for all, LGBTQ
rights, human trafficking and racism. Denae aspires to create a social change project that will center
around sexual equity and awareness. This is her first year at Summer Institute. She looks forward to
completing the program and making personal positive changes in her life.
 Delly is going into eighth grade this fall. Delly received special recognition from the Pioneer Press in the
article “Gifted, Talented and Invisible” for being the single African American girl in the gifted program at
her middle school. She is in the honors choir and the young women’s leadership forum at her school.
She is interested in cooking, food chemistry, sewing, singing and law. She is also interested in helping
girls with self-esteem issues, gang violence, and alcohol and drug abuse. She is in her first year of
Summer Institute and is grateful for having the opportunity to learn from so many accomplished artists.
 Brianne will be entering her junior year of high school. Brianne sings and plays basketball. She also likes
to act, dance, and has interests in fashion and poetry. Brianne has played volleyball, served as a peer
mediator, and been on student counsel at her school. She also has experience in modeling for fashion
and playing softball. The social justice issue she is interested in is teenage homelessness, and because of
Summer Institute she wants to think about others and help people that are having problems and change
the community one by one. This is her first year at Summer Institute.
 Noel will be entering her sophomore year of high school. Some of her interests include writing, singing,
listening to music, and wellness issues. Some social justice issues that interest her include: adoption,
sexual abuse and teenage suicide. This is her first year at Penumbra’s Summer Institute. Noel thinks
Summer Institute has really helped her in her personal life and has helped her grow and understand
more of herself as an artist and as a young woman.
 Alexis will be entering her freshman year of high school. She is involved in basketball and soccer for her
school. She is also involved in chamber orchestra at her school as section leader in the second violins.
Alexis enjoys cooking and baking. Her social justice interests focus on racial equality and involvement
in school. This is her first year at Summer Institute. She is grateful for meeting new people who share a
passion for social change as she does.
 Aubriana is entering her junior year of high school where she has been awarded for her leadership
and artistic abilities. Aubriana is a part of her cheerleading team at school and is also a Sunday school
teacher. She was also a part of the production Ruby Bridges at SteppingStone Theatre. Aubriana enjoys
singing, acting, cooking, doing hair and nails, and writing. She holds her community close to her heart,
and enjoys listening, helping, and mentoring young children. Her love and passion for others has guided
her self-awareness to education and social justice issues. This is her first year at Penumbra’s Summer
Institute, and she is grateful for the opportunity to grow and improve herself while engaging with others
through acting and the arts.
 Christopher is entering his senior year of high school. Chris is in his school’s symphonic band, and
through that, has participated in marching band, jazz band, and pep band. Other areas of fine arts
include membership in concert choir, as well as performing in his school’s 2011 musical, Annie Get
Your Gun. Chris is a Link Crew leader at his school, and has his purple belt in Karate. Personal interests
include singing, dancing, playing saxophone, filmmaking, and being all out goofy. Chris is committed to
raising awareness about stereotypes, generalizations and discrimination. This is his first year at Summer
Institute. Chris is grateful to meet so many remarkable people and learn from the experience to better
his awareness and acting skills. He looks forward to returning in future years, and using the skills he has
learned in the meantime.
 Malika is entering her sophomore year of high school, where she is a member of the media team.
Malika is interested in learning more about social change issues and celebrating differences and self-
awareness. This is her first year training at Penumbra Theatre’s Summer Institute. She is grateful for
the opportunity that theatre has given her, and is looking forward to committing to a specific social
change issue.
 James is going to be a senior in high school. He runs track and was appointed captain of the hurdling
team. He loves to write music when he is not running or studying. James played the lead roll (Curtis)
in the play Dream Girls at his school. James wants people to be aware of music and how it can
influence different people. This is James first year at Summer Institute, and he is grateful for having the
opportunity to be a part of the program. He looks forward to furthering his career in the arts.
 Kelly is entering her sophomore year at a performing arts school, where she was recently awarded for
a Shakespeare performance in her theatre class. Kelly has been involved with SteppingStone Theatre
and the theatre program at her school. She has acted in several productions including; Willy Wonka the
Musical, The Music Man, and Carousel. Kelly is interested in watching musicals, going to the Guthrie and
Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and she enjoys biking. Kelly plans to change social awareness regarding
disabled individuals, by writing and performing scenes that are about people with various disabilities
finding and dealing with love. This is Kelly’s first year at Penumbra’s Summer Institute, and she feels
blessed to have family and friends supporting her desire to create art for social change.
 Tiffany likes to be called T.J. for short. She loves to care for animals and people in need. She is entering
her eight grade year in junior high this fall. She has received two sports awards for football and
basketball, and another award for G.I.R.L (Girls In Real Life). T.J. loves to play football, soccer, basketball
and enjoys theatre. She enjoys making new friends and spending time with them. She is interested in
helping her community, using art to create change, and being unique. She came to Summer Institute to
learn skills to change the community, to fight for LGBTQ rights and against gender discrimination, drug
and alcohol abuse, and racism. This is her first year at Summer Institute and she is grateful to be here.
She looks forward to making change in the community using art. T.J. plans to complete three years of
Penumbra’s Summer Institute and change the world.
 Brianna will be entering her junior year of high school in the fall of 2011. Her time is dedicated to
academics and theatre. She played the role of Meredith in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
directed by Louise Bormann. Brianna is also skilled in ceramics and photography. Passionate about
social justice, Brianna is concerned about the future impact that resource instability may have on social
dynamics. This is her first year at Summer Institute and she is grateful for the experience and excited for
the years to come.
 Sari will be starting her senior year of high school this fall. For the past four years Sari participated in
a rigorous improvisation class at the Minnesota Institute for Talented Youth, and has been a member
of the youth improvisation troupe at the Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis for the past two years.
Sari is an avid writer and has fallen into the world of Slam Poetry. Sari is a lover of the arts and enjoys
pursuing new forms of artistic expression. As an actor, she has been under the instruction of Jan Mandell for the past three years. She excelled in beginning and intermediate theatre and went on
to join the touring theatre, a two hour social justice theatre class which writes and performs original
material at schools and events in the Midwest. Sari has taken particular interest in the struggles
immigrants face in journeying to the United States, and the prejudices they meet upon arrival. Sari is
also very interested in the education system; driven to find better ways to educate, inform and motivate
youth. This is Sari’s first year at Penumbra’s Summer Institute. She is grateful for the guest artists,
educators and specialists who have inspired her to dream bigger and reach further to address issues of
justice and social change.
 Adera is a diligent student entering her freshman year of high school. She was recognized by the
Hopkins Board of Directors for being Miss North American Teen Essence, 2010. Adera plays volleyball,
lacrosse, softball and saxophone in her school band. She also attends a dance school. In her free time
she enjoys taking pictures with her dad, babysitting and writing poetry. She is passionate about learning
how to eradicate present day genocides such as Darfur and Rwanda. This is Adera’s first year at Summer
Institute and she is looking forward to using her newly learned skills in her community and coming back
next year.
 Anne will be entering her junior year of high school. She placed first in state with her competitive
cheerleading team, was selected by her vocal teacher to sing at an art festival and received special
recognition for her dedication to community service. She is involved in diversity team, S.A.D.D, French
club, Destination Imagination and will be the head writer of her school’s newspaper. In her free time
she enjoys photography and writing. Anne is passionate about issues surrounding immigration and
raising awareness about body image. This is Anne’s first year at Summer Institute and she is looking
forward to using the skills she has learned to raise awareness about the issues that concern her.
 Patricia is going into her junior year of high school. She has been in two theatre productions; she was
cast as a Venticelli in Amadeus and the fairy Peaseblossom in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream. Her passion is being part of the speech team at school. In January Patricia flew down to Atlanta
to compete in varsity poetry and placed second in the tournament. Patricia’s social justice interests
are based around how the media incorrectly informs teens, specifically young women, on what true
beauty is. This is Patricia’s first year at Summer Institute and she is looking forward to learning ways to
positively influence her peers in her community.
 Darnesha is entering her junior year of high school. She was awarded an Excellence in Acting certificate.
Darnesha loves playing sports but currently is not on any teams. She has two years of training with
her school’s theatre program and is looking forward to participating in the advanced touring theatre
this year. Darnesha loves to dance, and is currently on a drill team. She is very interested in raising
awareness about the connections between abuse and homelessness. She aspires to invest in a
homeless shelter in St. Paul, Minnesota and then traveling throughout the world. This is Darnesha’s
first year at Penumbra’s Summer Institute. She is grateful for having the opportunity to be in a place so
diverse and comfortable because there are not many places that she feels safe in.
 Micah is entering her sophomore year of high school, where she has won awards for academics
including being on honor roll, and a freshman focus project. Micah lettered in track and field her
freshman year and competed in the finals for hurdles. Micah also participates in the Multicultural Excellence Program (M.E.P) and various other afterschool programs. She is interested in law,
fashion and entrepreneurship. Micah is planning on doing a social change project on avoiding the
word “perfect” when it comes to describing people. She wants to illustrate that every man, woman
and child has the same amount of value on this earth. Micah is completing her first year at Summer
Institute, and is deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of this process because it is such a life
changing and amazing program.
 Lena will be a senior in high school this fall. Being elected to the Student Council and named the
National Honor Society committee head, Lena aims to use the social activism tactics she learned at
Summer Institute to influence those organizations to create change. Lena plans to pursue a career
in activist theater and currently does so with her school’s touring theatre and Summer Institute. For
her social change project, Lena will confront the misrepresentations of high school life that incoming
freshman in her neighborhood have grown up with, and feel are necessary in order to be popular. She
plans do so with recurring discussions with specialists on an array of topics. This is Lena’s third year
training with Penumbra’s Summer Institute and is grateful for always being invited back.
 Matthew will be a senior in high school this fall. A devoted student, Matt has won a state U.S History
Day award for an original monologue about the 1934 Truckers Strike. Matt is also part of the Thespian
Guild acting as secretary for the 2011-2012 school year. Matt plays ultimate frisbee and participates
in any sport that he finds interesting. Matt enjoys writing poetry (spoken word), monologues, plays
and short stories/novels. He skateboards and freestyles over any genre of music that is playing. Some
social justice issues that Matt wants to address are stereotypes; particularly the stereotypes that
surround African Americans. Another issue he wishes to tackle is the passiveness of our art and artists,
particularly in mainstream rap and pop music. He believes the people producing low forms of poetry
are his generation’s role models, and they are perpetuating the injustices that youth are confronting
each day. Like a great man once said, “if your art doesn’t question the oppression then in fact your
art is aiding the oppression.” Matt has spent two years at Penumbra’s Summer Institute and says the
program has catapulted him to such great heights and has changed his life for the better.
 Nick is a gifted artist, dancer, actor, and activist artist at Penumbra Theatre. Nick is involved with Hope
Ministries in Minneapolis, and is helping community activist and leader K.G. Wilson organize a peace
march this summer. Nick likes to play basketball and advocate for people who are oppressed. He likes
to dance; mainly krump, but his true passion is helping victims of gang violence, sex and race based
crimes, and others facing social injustice. This is his third year at Summer Institute, and he is grateful for
the program that saved his life. He is looking forward to working for Penumbra in the future. Nick feels
he is developing into a full blown activist and will continue to pursue activism for the rest of his life.
 Mariana will enter her senior year in high school this fall. She enjoys volleyball, track, acting clubs, a
family garage band, culinary arts classes and audio recording classes. Social justice issues that interest
her include women’s rights, gay rights, segregation based on class and race, as well as other forms of
discrimination. This is her second year at Penumbra’s Summer Institute. Mariana is grateful for the
opportunity to connect with youth that share her interests around social justice. She is planning a social
change project around the creation of a band that will compose and perform original pieces around
social justice issues.
 Alexandra will be entering her sophomore year in high school. She is primarily an actress and social
justice advocate. She has completed an acting elective at her school and is on Justice League, her
school’s social justice club. She plans to use Justice League to start an Art for Social Change club as a
continuation of her social change project from last year. She has participated in a number of school
plays including Shakespeare’s As You Like It, as Rosalind. Alex is also active in forensics and comfortable
with public speaking; placing 5th in novice LD at state and participating in extemporaneous speech.
She has played classical violin since she was three and enjoys all kinds of performing arts. She is
passionate about social justice issues around race, color, self-image, culture and socio-economic
status. Penumbra’s Summer Institute has inspired Alex to speak up and take action to empower herself
and others. This is Alex’s second year at Summer Institute. She received the Kathryn Coram Gagnon
fellowship her first year.
INTERNS:
 Nathan E. will be a university sophomore this fall, where he is working towards a double major in
Spanish and Theater, and possibly in gender studies as well. He is also excited to be a part of the new
dance program. Nathan is the current Claude Edison Purdy fellow at Penumbra Theatre. He serves
on multiple committees at Lawrence and is involved in many student organizations and theatrical
productions. Nathan is passionate about issues surrounding the LGBTQ community as well as adoption
and interracial families. This is Nathan’s first year as an intern for Summer Institute, after spending
three years as a student of the program. He is grateful to have the opportunity to work with students,
teachers, and staff of Summer Institute 2011.
 Nathan Y. recently graduated from Macalester College with a degree in English and a thirst for art.
Intrigued most by the strictures of sexuality, Nathan works to encourage the bravery of the bold and the
love for others through the love of self. This is Nathan’s first year at Penumbra and he hopes for many
more.
 Hannah is going to be a senior in college this fall. She is pursuing a major in American Studies and a
minor in Theatre. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Hannah is a founding member of the Underage
Sugar Addicts, Chicago’s only independent youth improv troupe. She has been actively involved in
theater for the last ten years. Her social justice interests involve public education and continued racial
segregation. Penumbra’s Summer Institute has been an amazing opportunity to combine her interests
in theater and education.
 Lauren previous Summer Institute Intern who returned this summer to work alongside the
interns as Intern Facilitator, is eagerly entering her second year of graduate school. Nearing
the completion of a Master of Arts in American Studies, Lauren is passionate about critical
pedagogy, black history and black art, and performance art as a tool to address social justice
issues - namely racism and sexism. Due to her families encouragement early in her life to engage
in the arts, specifically theatre and vocal performance, she bridged those talents and interests
with her curiosity in social justice issues that she later become more critically aware of. Lauren
highly anticipates a life-long engagement in art and social justice education and is honored to
call Penumbra Theatre a place that most keenly shaped her interest in doing so. |
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