Artists in Community: Challenges
In May, we sat down with six notable Twin Cities artists (bios below) who are know both for the quality of their work and the quality of their work in communities.
In this episode, learn about how some well-known local artists found themselves developing their talents through community-driven art.
See artists bios below and thanks again to the Guthrie Theatre for use of the Kitchak Lounge for this conversation.
H. Adam Harris is a local professional actor with recent credits at The History Theatre, Penumbra Theatre Company, and The Children's Theatre Company. He is the Associate Director of Programming at Penumbra Theatre Company, a resident teaching artist with the Guthrie Theater and the Children’s Theatre Company, and faculty at the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.
Kurt Kwan is an actor and works at Pillsbury House Theatre.
Carolyn Levy is a theatre director and a professor at Hamline University. Her freelance life includes work with Penumbra, Theatre Unbound, and Wonderlust. At Hamline she directs Making Waves, the Hamline Social Justice Theatre Troupe, and she teaches classes including Acting, Directing, Theatre and Social Change, as well as a Women's Studies class titled "Living in a Rape Culture: What Are We Going to Do About It?" She also is a volunteer advocate at SOS - the rape crisis center of Ramsey County.
Chris Lutter-Gardella is a designer, inventor, theater-maker, and community educator whose work revolves around the design, construction, and performance of puppets, masks, props, costumes, unique theatrical inventions, kinetic-sets, and sculptural installations. He produces his art predominately from waste-stream materials, exploring the unique potentials inherent in the material.
An actor, director, and educator, Jeffrey Meanza began his tenure at the Guthrie Theater as Associate Artistic Director in the summer of 2015. He joined Joseph Haj as part of the new leadership for the theater after having spent 8 years working with Haj at PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC. In his role at the Guthrie he oversees the Artistic Department which includes Education and Community Engagement.
Sha Cage is a performer, writer, and creator of new work. Her performance and work has taken her across the U.S, to South Africa, England, France, the Netherlands, Croatia, Mali, and Canada. She is a co-founder of Mama Mosaic Theater (for Women), a recipient of a Regional Emmy, an Ivey Award, a McKnight Fellowship, and a distinguished Fox/TCG Fellowship. She’s been named one of the leading artists of her generation.
