A collaboration with

The Name Jar

MARCH 22 - APRIL 14, 2024
Based on the book by Yangsook Choi
Adapted for the stage by Susan H. Pak
Directed by Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan

 

CAST | CREATIVE TEAM

 

RECOMMENDED FOR: Ages 5+
LOCATION: Jaycees Studio Theatre
SHOW RUN TIME: Approx 60 Minutes with no intermission.
RESOURCE GUIDE: CLICK HERE!

Celebrate the meaning behind your name!

Unhei has moved from Korea to America with her family and has started a new school. When the kids struggle with her name, she wonders if she should choose a new one to fit in. Her classmates decide to help out by filling a glass jar with names for her to pick from, but will any of them fit? The Name Jar is a celebration of culture, family and what’s in a name.

ALL TICKETS ON SALE NOW

 

About Theater Mu

Theater Mu (pronounced MOO) is the premier Asian American theater company in the Midwest and one of the largest in the nation. Founded in 1992, Mu’s continuing goal to celebrate and empower the Asian American community through theater is achieved through mainstage productions, emerging artist support, and educational outreach programs. Theater Mu is a member of the Consortium of Asian American Theaters & Artists, as well as a member of the Twin Cities Theatres of Color Coalition, proudly standing alongside New Native Theatre, Pangea World Theater, Penumbra Theatre, and Teatro Del Pueblo.

SPECIAL EVENT!

MEET THE AUTHOR AND PLAYWRIGHT OF THE NAME JAR

Sunday, April 14, 2024 • 1pm performance
All ticket holders of the Sunday, 4/14/24, 1pm performance are invited to attend a post-show talkback with Yangsook Choi, the author of The Name Jar, and playwright Susan H. Pak. Arrive before the show to meet author Yangsook Choi and have your copy of The Name Jar autographed. Books will be available for purchase at the box office, while supplies last.

 

PHOTOS

Photos by Amy Rondeau Photography

The Cast


The Creative Team + Crew




ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, STC - Sandy Boren-Barrett
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THEATER MU - Lily Tung Crystal
DIRECTOR - Jake Sung-Guk Sullivan
Dialect Coach - Patrick Chew
Language & Cultural Consultant - Aerin Park
SET DESIGNER - Sarah Brandner
LIGHTING DESIGNER - Alice Endo
COSTUME & MAKE-UP DESIGNER - Samantha Fromm Haddow
BIPOC YOUTH MENTEE, COSTUMES - Angelina Huynh
SOUND DESIGNER - Gretchen Katt
PROPS DESIGNER - Kenji Shoemaker
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - Jim Hibbeler
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR - Christa Ludwig
PRODUCTION MANAGER - Melanie Salmon-Peterson
STAGE MANAGER - Emily Carey
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Melanie Salmon-Peterson
SOUND BOARD OPERATOR - Mari Bogucki
LIGHT BOARD OPERATORS - Lilly Nobrega, Ayla Danger Regan
SCENIC ARTIST - Cinde Ashley, Yvonne Ring
CARPENTERS - Justin Anderson, Yvonne Ring
ELECTRICIANS - Justin Dekker, Alice Endo, Justin Sharbono
VOLUNTEERS - Jeff Aune, Jenny Brown, Scott Brown, Warren Glidden, Ron Kline, Donna Meyer, Michael Remucal, Mariann Wolf

THEATER MU STAFF

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - Lily Tung Crystal
MANAGING DIRECTOR - Anh Thư T. Phạm
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - Wesley Mouri
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR - Lianna McLernon
PROGRAMS MANAGER - Morgen Chang
Office & Literary Manager - Jane Peña
MELLON FOUNDATION PLAYWRIGHT-IN-RESIDENCE - Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay


Creative Team Bios


JAKE SUNG-GUK SULLIVAN (Director) is a director, actor, and educator from the Twin Cities metro area. Recent directing credits: The Wedding Singer (Lyric Arts), A Different Pond (Theater Mu/Stages Theatre Company), Cambodian Rock Band - associate director (Theater Mu/The Jungle Theatre), Disney's The Little Mermaid (Lakeshore Players Theatre), title of show (Lyric Arts). He also serves as the theatre teacher at Breck School.






YANGSOOK CHOI (Author) grew up in Korea. She started drawing at age four and loved telling her grandma scary stories. Since moving to New York to pursue her art, she has written and illustrated many books for young readers. Her books have been acclaimed as a New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year, an American Library Association Notable Book, and with an International Reading Association's Children's Book Award. When she is not creating, she loves to spend time with children in her community and around the world. The local children in a shelter, the mountain children in the Himalayas, the Bedouin children in the Arabian desert, the orphans in flooded Cambodia, and the North Korean defector children are among her greatest teachers.





SUSAN H. PAK (Playwright) has taught playwriting, screenwriting, television writing, and webseries writing at the university-level for over a decade. Productions and readings of her work include: Masks Off and Election at the Goodman Theater, Miguk Saram at Local Lab 2021, The Fixer at the Steppenwolf Theater, Marabar at Chicago Dramatists, Ghost Girl at the Workshop Theater, T.A.B. at New York’s Downtown Urban Theater Festival and the Manhattan Repertory Theater Festival, Haters at New York’s Midtown International Theater Festival, Baby Shower at New York’s Network One Act Festival, Incredible Invisible at Chicago’s Bailiwick Director’s Fest, and The Writers at Theater Unleashed in LA. Susan’s plays have been finalists at the 2020 and 2021 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference. Susan was also a member of the 2021/22 Goodman Playwrights Unit and is the 2023/24 BIPOC resident playwright at Strawdog Theatre Company in Chicago.




Our 40th Anniversary Season

This season celebrates some of our favorite titles from past seasons and introduces audiences to regional and world premieres.

Through it all we continue to celebrate the collaborations with our amazing artistic partners - some new, some old - all working to center young people in what we do and how we do it.

Current & Upcoming Shows