(NOTE: As of March 2012, the Penumbra is undergoing a financial restructure; it maintains plans to stage a full 2012-13 season)

Centered around plays exploring the African-American experience, Penumbra helped launch the professional career of Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson. Productions produced during Penumbra’s thirty-year history have included seminal works like A Raisin in the Sun and Lost in the Stars, alongside the canon of such contemporary writers as Oliver Goldstick (Dinah Was) and Frank Higgins (Black Pearl Sings!).

Boosting an extensive education and outreach program, Penumbra is at the forefront of bringing the arts into Twin Cities’ inner city schools, while its recently launched OKRAprogram provides new playwrights the chance to develop rough works in a safe and supportive environment.