Penumbra Theatre Company

270 N Kent Street, Saint Paul

Year: 1976

Owner: Sarah Bellamy

Founded in 1976 by Lou Bellamy, Penumbra Theatre Company remains the first and only Black professional theatre company in Minnesota. Penumbra Theatre has nurtured generations of Black theatre artists through its nearly 200 plays and over 30 premieres. Now under the leadership of Sarah Bellamy, Penumbra focuses on projects of racial healing. This means offering workshops on racial equity for individuals and organizations, and hosting culturally-specific programming that centers wellness and collective healing. Penumbra stages powerful performances, both new and classic, that tell the story of Black experiences and those of other racially marginalized peoples. Penumbra Theatre stands in solidarity with Indigenous people in Minnesota and around the world.