Fellowships - Providing support for students from high school through graduate school to explore musical and dramatic theatre, literary criticism, and dramaturgy. 

Internships - Behind the scenes and close to the action, our internship programs give students the opportunity to work and learn at the same time.

Salon Series - Guest lectures, roundtable discussions, symposia and post-play discussions offer patrons the opportunity to think critically about our art and continue the dialogue.

Student Matinees - Offering students ages 14 and up the opportunity to explore the African American experience through artistically excellent productions. Bring your students to see a show and stay afterwards for a post-play discussion.

Study Guides - Free and online, Penumbra’s study guides include contextual essays, artist interviews, and much more. Each guide includes curriculum for grades 9-12 by high school educators to enhance learning in your classroom!

Summer Institute - Training the next generation of activist artists! Students study the craft of performance while learning about social justice to promote change in their own communities.

The Wilson Lab - This archival project will preserve the legacy of the preeminent African American theatre company in the nation. The Lab will make personal interviews from founding company members, videography, literature and more available for research.

Workshops - Exploring the power of art to change lives and communities. Join us at the Science Museum of Minnesota or book your own RACE workshop today!

The Penumbra Theatre Company Quilt - See the quilt squares that now illuminate the walls of our theatre.

SARAH BELLAMY - Associate Artistic Director - Education
Sarah is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College where she studied creative writing and postcolonial theory. She holds an M.A. in the Humanities from The University of Chicago in Caribbean Studies where she specialized in colonial history from 1400-1800. Since returning to the Twin Cities, Sarah has focused her attention once again on creative writing including short stories, screenwriting and playwriting. Sarah has been commissioned to research and compose contextual essays that accompany the main-stage productions for Penumbra's 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010 Seasons. She is currently working toward her doctorate in Comparative Studies and Discourse in Society at the University of Minnesota.

STEPHANIE LEIN WALSETH - Education Programs Manager
Stephanie is an MA/PhD candidate in Theatre Historiography at the University of Minnesota and is pleased to be the August Wilson Fellow for Penumbra's 2009-2010 Season. Previously, she served as the Managing Director of the Minneapolis-based Asian American theatre and taiko company Mu Performing Arts. She has worked professionally as a theatre administrator, actor, director, dramaturg, and stage manager throughout the Twin Cities with companies such as Mu, Mixed Blood Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, The Playwrights' Center, Frank Theatre, Theatre in the Round, Starting Gate Productions, Theatre Unbound, Chaos Theories, CLIMB Theatre, and in Maine at the Portland Stage Company. Her writing has appeared in the Baylor Journal of Theatre and Performance, and she is currently serving as the Co-Artistic Director of the University's Xperimental Theatre.

CARRA MARTINEZ - August Wilson Fellow
Carra is a PhD candidate in Theatre Historiography at the University of Minnesota, and she is excited to work with Penumbra as the August Wilson Fellow for Penumbra’s 2010-2011 Season.  In Minneapolis, she has worked professionally as an actor with The Playwrights’ Center and Teatro del Pueblo.  Prior to moving to Minneapolis to work on her doctorate, Carra was a performer and teacher in Austin, Texas.  In Austin, she worked professionally as an actor and collaborator with companies like the Rude Mechanicals, Salvage Vanguard Theater, the dirigo group, Austin Script Works, Hyde Park Theatre, and the Fusebox Festival, as well as in educational settings like the University of Texas at Austin.  Carra was a company member of Refraction Arts Project. By day, she masqueraded as an English teacher at Austin Westlake High School. Currently, Carra is working on a memoir-based, one-woman show.

High School Curriculum Consultants, 2011-2012

Kimberly White Colbert
Kimberly Colbert has worked at St. Paul Central since 1994, where she started as a theater intern for Jan Mandell and the Central Touring Theatre. She volunteered there until receiving her MAT in English Language Arts and Speech Theater. Kimberly spent one year in Minneapolis Public Schools as a theater specialist before returning to St. Paul to join Central High's English Department. Kimberly has continued her connection to the arts through active involvement with Brown University's Arts Literacy Project, which imbeds performing and other art forms in literacy instruction. Prior to working at Central, Kimberly spent five years in Japan and Hawaii where she taught English and worked as a journalist for a local newspaper. In addition to teaching, Kimberly is active in union activities, currently serving on the boards of Education Minnesota and the National Education Association (NEA).

Kaye Thompson Peters
Kaye Thompson Peters has been teaching literature and writing at St. Paul Central High School since January 1999, working with students in grades 9-12 and currently teaches senior International Baccalaureate and freshman honors classes. Thompson Peters came to education after fourteen years as a political and education reporter for newspapers in Texas, Maryland, Washington DC and the Twin Cities. She also volunteered as a child advocate with the Children's Defense Fund and worked as an aide in the U.S. Senate.