Pangea World Theater

PANGEA WORLD THEATER ILLUMINATES THE HUMAN CONDITION, CELEBRATES CULTURAL DIFFERENCES, AND PROMOTES HUMAN RIGHTS BY CREATING AND PRESENTING INTERNATIONAL, MULTI-DISCIPLINARY THEATER.

THE EVENTS OF LAST YEAR, WITH THE ONSET OF COVID-19 AND THE UPRISING THAT FOLLOWED THE MURDER OF MR. GEORGE FLOYD, ARE STILL REVERBERATING IN OUR WORLD. AT PANGEA, OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS TO CENTER THE MOST VULNERABLE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY, AND USE OUR CRAFT TO PROMOTE HEALING AND TRANSFORMATION.KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE FY2020-2021 YEAR INCLUDE: AIDING THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF LONGFELLOW RISING, A COALITION OF BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS IN THE DOWNTOWN LONGFELLOW AREA IMMEDIATELY SURROUNDING THE FORMER THIRD PRECINCT. WHAT BEGAN AS SEVERAL BUSINESS LEADERS COMING TOGETHER TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER THROUGH THE LOGISTICS OF DEMOLITION, INSURANCE, AND RAISING MONEY TO REBUILD HAS GROWN INTO A STRONG, COMMITTED GROUP RE-ENVISIONING THE FUTURE OF DOWNTOWN LONGFELLOW WITH RACIAL JUSTICE, SUSTAINABILITY, AND SHARED OWNERSHIP AT THE CENTER. PANGEA'S CO-ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MEENA NATARAJAN IS A BOARD MEMBER OF LONGFELLOW RISING. PART OF THIS VISION INCLUDES THE CENTER FOR PEACE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE, WHICH WILL BE A BUILDING SHARED BY GANDHI MAHAL RESTAURANT AND PANGEA WORLD THEATER THAT HOUSES THE RESTAURANT, THE THEATER SPACE, COMMUNITY ROOMS, A PUBLIC PLAZA, AND MORE. CELEBRATING OUR 25TH SEASON THROUGH OUR VIRTUAL GALA CAMPAIGN #25DAYSFOR25YEARS. THIS CAMPAIGN INCLUDED WEEKLY LIVE EVENTS VIA ZOOM, HIGHLIGHTING ARCHIVAL MATERIAL FROM THE PAST 25 YEARS, AND AN ONLINE SILENT AUCTION. THROUGH THIS CAMPAIGN, PANGEA RAISED OVER $30,000 IN INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS. THIS IS THE SECOND LARGEST AMOUNT WE HAVE RAISED THROUGH A SINGLE ONLINE CAMPAIGN, FOLLOWING THE 2020 GIVE TO THE MAX DAY, WHICH WAS AIDED BY THE HRK FOUNDATION'S GENEROUS DONATION WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO USE AS A MATCHING FUND FOR THE CAMPAIGN.THIS VIRTUAL GALA ALSO INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING EVENTS, ALL OF WHICH ARE STILL AVAILABLE TO (RE)WATCH ONLINE: DEADLY DRAMA: EMPIRE AND THE COLONIAL GAZE, FROM PALESTINE TO INDIA AND BEYOND ROUNDTABLE OF HISTORY OF COLONIZATION WITH RASHID KHALIDI, MEENA NATARAJAN AND ISMAIL KHALIDI (LIVE BROADCAST VIA ZOOM) INTERVIEW BY ANITA RATNAM OF DIPANKAR MUKHERJEE (LIVE BROADCAST VIA ZOOM) DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS FOR A BEAUTIFUL WORLD: ARTISTS AND TRAUMA (PRE-RECORDED IN PERSON AND BROADCAST VIA FACEBOOK WATCH PARTY PREMIERE) REIMAGINING EDUCATION: BEYOND SHAKESPEARE AND THE CANON (LIVE BROADCAST VIA ZOOM) THE ART OF SUSTAINABILITY: BRAIDING ART & CULTURE, FOOD & COMMUNITY (LIVE BROADCAST VIA ZOOM) PRODUCING SHARON DAY'S PLAY MISSOURI RIVER WATER WALK AT HIDDEN FALLS IN MAY 2021. THIS PLAY WAS SOLD OUT AT EVERY PERFORMANCE AND WAS DEEPLY APPRECIATED AND MEANINGFUL TO ALL ARTISTS INVOLVED AND TO OUR COMMUNITY. INDEED, WE CONSIDER IT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST PLAYS PANGEA HAS EVER PRODUCED, BECAUSE OF THE ARTISTIC VISION AND CRUCIAL MESSAGES ABOUT PROTECTING OUR WATER, OUR EARTH, AND HONORING THE FIRST PEOPLES WHO HAVE STEWARDED THIS LAND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. SHIFTING THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIRECTING AND ENSEMBLE CREATION (NIDEC) ONLINE SUCCESSFULLY THROUGH A THREE-DAY VIRTUAL WEEKEND IN OCTOBER 2020 WHICH REACHED OVER 1,000 PARTICIPANTS FROM MULTIPLE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD, AS WELL AS LAUNCHING A MONTHLY SERIES OF WORKSHOPS TAUGHT BY NIDEC FACULTY. WE ARE PROUD TO SHARE THE NIDEC METHODOLOGIES AND COMMUNITY WITH A WIDER AUDIENCE, DUE TO REDUCED GEOGRAPHICAL BARRIERS WHEN PRESENTING WORK ONLINE. CO-COMMISSIONING THE COMMUNITY-ENGAGED, ART INSTALLATION THE TRANSITION STAGE BY DAKOTA PUBLIC ARTIST ANGELA TWO STARS WITH HOLY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH. THIS INSTALLATION INVITES COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM THE LONGFELLOW NEIGHBORHOOD TO SHARE THEIR LAMENTS, REFLECTIONS, AND HOPES ON VINYL STRIPS THAT HAVE FORMED A LARGE COCOON STRUCTURE AT THE VACANT LOT OF MINNEHAHA-LAKE WINE AND SPIRITS, WHICH WAS BURNED DOWN DURING THE UPRISING. WHEN THE REBUILD OF MINNEHAHA-LAKE WINE AND SPIRITS. CONTINUING OUR SERIES LAKE STREET ARTS! -CIRCLING, WHICH INCLUDES THE PROJECTS LAKE STREET STORY CIRCLES AND POETRY IN THE WINDOWS/POETRY AS PLACEHOLDERS (FOR PLACES SUCH AS DEMOLISHED LOTS, AND THE CONVERSATION SERIES DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS FOR A BEAUTIFUL WORLD. PANGEA WORLD THEATER HAS BEEN NAMED A "REGIONAL CULTURAL TREASURE," AN HONOR THAT TEN BLACK, LATINX, ASIAN AND INDIGENOUS-LED ARTS ORGANIZATIONS IN MINNESOTA WILL SHARE. THE AWARD RECOGNIZES YOUR SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR REGION'S CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OVER DECADES. AS MCKNIGHT QUOTED IN THEIR LETTER, "REGIONAL CULTURAL TREASURES, THE FIRST PHASE OF OUR AMERICA'S CULTURAL TREASURES REGIONAL CHALLENGE INITIATIVE IS FUNDED BY MCKNIGHT AND FORD FOUNDATIONS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONOR THE DIVERSITY OF EXPRESSION AND EXCELLENCE OF THE AWARDEES AND TO SPOTLIGHT THE VITAL CONTRIBUTIONS YOUR WORK HAS MADE IN MINNESOTA DESPITE, HAVING HISTORICALLY BEEN UNDERCAPITALIZED AND FACED WITH OTHER RACIALIZED CHALLENGES TO YOUR EXISTENCE AND SURVIVAL. WE UNDERSTAND THE TREMENDOUS IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON YOU AND YOUR WORK AND HOPE THIS SUPPORT WILL HELP YOU EMERGE STRONG AND READY FOR THE FUTURE."IN MARCH 2020, WE NEVER COULD HAVE PREDICTED THE DURATION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TO STRETCH FOR OVER A YEAR. WE HAVE BEEN CONDUCTING OUTDOOR PROGRAMMING AT A LARGER SCALE THAN WE HAVE EVER DONE OVER THE COURSE OF A SEASON. WHILE PANGEA HAS OFTEN PRODUCED WORK IN OUTDOOR, CULTURALLY ACCESSIBLE VENUES SUCH AS PLAZA CENTENARIO AND LOCAL PARKS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE DONE ALL IN-PERSON WORK OUTDOORS. WE HAVE LEARNED THAT PRODUCING LARGE-SCALE EVENTS OUTDOORS, SUCH AS MISSOURI RIVER WATER WALK REQUIRES SIGNIFICANTLY MORE INVESTMENT OF TIME AND FINANCIAL RESOURCES. INDEED, WE HAD HOPED TO PRODUCE A THREE-WEEK RUN, AS WE WOULD IN A TRADITIONAL, INDOOR THEATER, BUT THIS PROVED LOGISTICALLY IMPOSSIBLE, AND FINANCIALLY INFEASIBLE AS MANY OF THE PARKS PROHIBIT TICKET SALES TO RESERVE THE PARK. PROGRAMMING THAT TAKES PLACE OUTDOORS IN THE PUBLIC BE FREE AND ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. FOR THIS REASON, AND THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR SUPPORTERS, WE HAVE PRESENTED ALL WORK THIS PAST SEASON FREE OF CHARGE.ONLINE WORK HAS POSED CHALLENGES AS WELL, BUT WE HAVE GREATLY IMPROVED OUR SKILLS AND CAPACITY AS A TEAM TO PRESENT WORK ONLINE SMOOTHLY, EFFICIENTLY, AND CREATIVELY. THERE, THE MAIN CHALLENGE LIES IN CULTIVATING COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WITH NEW AUDIENCES, FROM BEHIND A SCREEN. HOWEVER, WE HAVE FOUND A GREAT GIFT IN BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN WORK WITH PARTNERS FROM ALL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. ADDITIONALLY, MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR THE INCREASED ACCESSIBILITY THAT ONLINE WORK OFFERS. AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ONLINE AND ENGAGE OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY.THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, SO MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY IN THE LONGFELLOW NEIGHBORHOOD, HAVE EXPRESSED DEEP APPRECIATION FOR THE WORK WE ARE DOING. IT IS AN HONOR TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS OF HEALING AND REBUILDING ON LAKE STREET. THANK YOU FOR BEING A PARTNER WITH US IN THIS WORK. YOUR SUPPORT HAS TRULY BEEN INVALUABLE, AND WE ARE GLAD TO BE MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER WITH THE HRK FOUNDATION.