Perpich News
Members of Pangea World Theater Visit with Theater and Musical Theater Students about Political and Social Justice Theater
October 28, 2024
Perpich Theater and Musical Theater students welcomed special guests from Pangea World Theater to their classroom on Friday, October 25th. Sir Curtis Kirby III, Directing Fellow, and Sarah Tan, Education Lead, were invited to speak on political and social justice theater and the concept of “The American Dream”. That theme is being explored by Perpich Theater and Musical Theater students this fall which has involved several conversations and visits. The group discussed work being shown in theaters around Minneapolis, the small and large theater entities, and who are the “gate masters” of the systems.
Sir Curtis Kirby III and Sarah Tan pose with Perpich Theater and Musical Theater students.
Sir Curtis Kirby III, Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and African American descent, is enjoying his 7th year directing the Ikidowin Youth Theater Ensemble. He has been selected as Emerging Artist for a TPT Minnesota Originals. Kirby is mentored by Dipankar Mukherjee, Artistic Director of Pangea World Theater, and has participated in the Next Generation Theater Director’s Institute for the past three years. This year, he has been awarded a 2 year Fellowship with Pangea World Theater for Directing. Kirby is the Assistant Director for “Five Weeks”, “Sabra Falling”, and “Mother Courage and Her Children”. He recently directed a one-act play in New York City, 2020 “Reflections of Native Voices” as an emerging director.
Sarah Tan is elated to be back at Pangea World Theater as the Education Lead. Sarah is an artist educator and organizer that has worked in Arkansas, Arizona, Minnesota, and Singapore, where she grew up. As an artist educator with a deep passion for building spaces of inclusivity, Sarah believes in engaging in work that builds on the strengths and stories of participants in the room, meeting each person in their full selves, and growing with them. Her past research and interests include digital creations with young people, the performance of identity, and the intersection between the performing arts and trauma. Sarah holds a BA in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Education Studies from Carleton College, and an MFA in Theatre for Youth and Community from Arizona State University.
Pangea World Theater strives to build a just world by creating multi-disciplinary theater that embodies decolonizing practices of solidarity, sustainability, and equity. Since their inception in 1995, Pangea World Theater has worked with artists from many communities locally, nationally, and internationally to create new aesthetic realities for an increasingly diverse audience.