April 27, 2016 - MPR’s Marianne Combs visits musician Gaelynn Lea. The Duluth fiddler recently won National Public Radio's Tiny Desk Contest, and as a result is performing in cities across the country. Lea is using the exposure both to build her career and to raise awareness about issues for people with disabilities.
February 29, 2016 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on Penumbra Theatre’s opening run of "The Dutchman" and "The Owl Answers" - two surreal one-act plays that explore race relations, sexual politics and biracial identity.
January 8, 2016 - A discussion about the future of theater with Guthrie Theater's Joe Haj, Jungle Theater's Sarah Rasmussen, Penumbra Theatre's Sarah Bellamy, and Mu Performing Arts' Randy Reyes.
December 15, 2015 - MPR’s Marriane Combs speaks with playwright Jessica Huang about her play on mixed race, titled “Purple Cloud.” Well... here's a question. "What are you?" It's a question that people of mixed race get all the time. A new play produced by Mu Performing Arts explores what it means to be mixed race... and how it leads one family on a journey of self-discovery.
November 6, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles a group of six Black women Minnesota writers Carolyn Holbrook, Lori Young-Williams, Andrea Jenkins, Shannon Gibney, Tish Jones, and Mary Moore Easter. They gathered at the The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis for a reading series called “More Than a Single Story.” Series was created by Carolyn Holbrook.
September 30, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Comb interviews writer and performer Roger Guenveur Smith about his play “Rodney King.” The one-man show, "Rodney King," is performed at Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul.
August 21, 2015 - The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis celebrates its 40th anniversary with an unusual event. It's called “40 for 40” and features 40 different activities across the Twin Cities over the course of 40 hours. MPR’s Arts reporter Marianne Combs discusses the event with All Thing’s Considered host Tom Crann.
August 4, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on Penumbra’s Summer Institute which focuses on social justice and activism.
June 26, 2015 - In the coming week several major arts organizations in the Twin Cities are saying goodbye to longtime directors, notably among them the Guthrie Theater. The end of June marks the end of the fiscal year for many organizations, making it a convenient time for leadership to change hands. But rarely have we seen such a confluence of major transitions.
June 10, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles One Voice Mixed Chorus of Unity Church Unitarian in St. Paul. The chorus bills itself as the largest LGBT and Allies chorus in the nation, with more than 125 singers and an additional 50 volunteers. For years the chorus has explored issues surrounding gender.