Penumbra Theatre

Background

The Penumbra Theatre was founded in the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota and received funding from a federal Comprehensive Employment and Training Act grant. In 1972, the theater moved into the Martin Luther King Community Recreation Center in the Summit–University neighborhood. In 1976, the theater hired Lou Bellamy to run a cultural arts program, and he soon formed a professional company, Penumbra, inspired by the Black Arts Movement (BAM). ^{2 2}  The theater has performed productions focused on topics of black masculinity, feminism, and relations between minority groups. ²

In 2017, Sarah Bellamy took over as the theater’s artistic director and president from her father Lou Bellamy. ¹

Activities

Mission

After the death of George Floyd in 2020, the Penumbra Theatre changed its name to the Penumbra Center for Racial Healing. As of 2021, the theater claimed to offer artistic offerings, equity training services and a wellness center. ³

The reorganization was planned since 2015, while the theater claims to have tested “programs that cultivate empathy and invite active participation with public conversations, screenings, community meals, and educational programming to engage patrons across Minnesota.” ³

2023-24 Season

During the 2023-24 Season, the Penumbra Theatre claimed to plan an expansion of its equity training initiatives along with adding a healing and wellness residency. During the season, the theater held public equity workshops to promote “racial justice” while planning venues for public discussions. ⁴

Racial Equity Training Clients

According to the Penumbra Theatre, the group’s racial equity training clients include K-12 schools, nonprofits, and businesses. Some of those clients include 3M, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Best Buy, HealthPartners, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, New Jersey Child Support, Minnesota Association of Realtors, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, National Juvenile Defender Center, Target, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Brandlab, Build Initiative, Meet Minneapolis Convention & Visitors Association, and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. ⁵

Leadership

The Penumbra Theatre’s president is Sarah Bellamy. She is the daughter of Lou Bellamy, who founded the theater in 1976. ⁶

The chief operating officer is Amy Thomas. She has roughly 20 years of nonprofit experience and she is a board member of activist group Urban Roots. ⁷

The chair of the board is Melanie Douglas. ⁸

Financials

According to the Penumbra Theatre’s 2022 tax returns, the theater had $2,944,062 in revenue, $3,695,941 in expenses, and $10,287,664 in assets. ⁹ That same year, the theater received $201,535 in government grants that year. ⁹

In 2021, the Penumbra Theatre received a $5 million grant from MacKenzie Scott and $2.5 million from the Ford Foundation. ¹