Mina Kinukawa
Anticipation
If the three productions referenced in this piece offer a reminder of some of what we have lost due to the pandemic, the supportive communities that have grown up around each of them demonstrate the enduring power of theatre and our bonds with one another. Thank you to the theatre communities of the Twin Cities and beyond, for giving me inspiration and a place and tools to heal, and for teaching me resilience.
How Black Mothers Say I Love You (Penumbra Theatre)
https://penumbratheatre.org/event/how-black-mothers-say-i-love-you
Atacama (Full Circle Theater Company)
Audio story Atacama by Camino Real Productions, LLC https://beta.prx.org/stories/269237
Cambodian Rock Band (Jungle Theater and Theater Mu)
Cambodian Rock Band Video Challenge by Theater Mu
About Mina
Mina Kinukawa is a scenic designer who has been freelancing in Minnesota for the last decade. Born and raised in Tokyo, she studied interior architecture in Milan before receiving a B.F.A. in Theatre Design and Production from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and her M.F.A. in Scenic Design from the University of California, San Diego. After receiving her M.F.A., she worked in film & TV productions in Los Angeles, and designed scenery for theatres such as East West Players, Echo Theatre Company, Lodestone Theatre Company, and Company of Angels. In Minnesota she has worked with the Jungle Theater, Penumbra Theatre, Park Square Theatre, Mu Performing Arts, Stages Theatre Company, Steppingstone Theatre, Pangea World Theater, and Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts.
Artistic Response from isabella star lablanc
Exploring the many ways collaborations occur and listening to the vital voices of our artists, the Jungle's SHINE A LIGHT event is pairing participating designers with area artists to create thoughtful responses to the installations. These audio commentaries will be available online throughout the event and add depth for the viewer's experience to help spark expansive conversation.
Somewhere, we will do plays again
This morning over pen and paper
I wondered if
somewhere,
we are still together in a room
and you have placed my tender reason
welcome guest by your side,
my own palms
already outstretched
to bear your questions too.
somewhere,
we still play like honest scavengers
chasing on our feet moving,
looking to them.
The ones coming.
somewhere,
we are still there,
gathered bright warm bodies
in expanse
kissing shoulders
to found familiar beat.
somewhere,
held in that transcendental
hallowed room,
still lay the plans we made.
This morning over pen and paper
I tried to save them
somewhere
About Isabella
Isabella Star LaBlanc is a Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota stage and screen actor based in Minneapolis.