By Carra Martinez, August Wilson Fellow, Penumbra Theatre and University of Minnesota

Art plays a vital role in the creation of a healthy society; to make it a better place to live. At Penumbra, we believe in the power of art to affect social change. That is why our unique educational tools are designed to increase awareness, stimulate dialogue and celebrate difference.

The Penumbra Signature Series will provide regional theaters with plays steeped in a culturally specific context. It will also deliver strong educational programs that make the art accessible and inspirational, where issues embodied in the play can be explored. These programs fully energize the play’s potential social impact.

Developed by Sarah Bellamy, Penumbra Associate Artistic Director – Education, the programs address the politics of representation, its historical use in the shaping of the black image, and the strategic artistic and cultural interventions made by Penumbra in questioning and challenging acts of representation.

These tools are rich, complex materials, grounded in scholarship and written by leading experts in the field. They provide audiences with the catalysts vital for re-thinking and re-imagining equity and equality in American society. As the Signature Series visits new communities, it will expose audiences to Penumbra’s signature style and create opportunities to invigorate communal conversations about social justice.