Mixed Blood Theater of Minneapolis is launching a new series called “Equitable Dinners.” The quarterly run event — inspired by a similar series produced by Out of Hand Theater in Atlanta — will encourage community members to engage in conversation surrounding complex topics with the help of fun, performances and food. “It’s been really clear that there’s a hunger for dialogue and folks just don’t have the pathways to engage,” says artistic director Mark Valdez.
The series is split into four plays written by local playwrights and focusing on the subjects of affordable housing, mental health, climate resilience and racial equity. To create a close-knit experience, Mixed Blood is looking for people to host a play in their home for an audience of 10 to 14 community members. To make the events more accessible, each in-home play will later be reproduced for larger crowds in public spaces like Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis, where the first show will launch in August (to be determined).
Valdez said that with events like the presidential election approaching, the need to bring the community together through dialogue is valuable. He says his hope is that by creating spaces to do so — especially within the intimacy of people’s homes — it will allow people to address issues together and understand new perspectives. “If we can’t find ways to talk through these things, we will never reach any kind of a solution,” Valdez said.
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