For nearly five decades, Penumbra has built deep trust and community by using theater as a tool for racial healing, truth telling, and cultural affirmation. This legacy grounds our youth work today and shapes how we engage young people, families, and educators in creative spaces that center identity, belonging, and collective responsibility.
“You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
—Angela Davis, Activist, professor, and author
“We tend to think of healing as something binary. But healing and growth take place on a continuum, with innumerable points between utter brokenness and total health.”
—Dr. Resmaa Menakem, Therapist, author, and trauma specialist
“I believe that one of the most beautiful things about theater is that no one artist can do it alone.”
—Harrison David Rivers, Playwright and Penumbra company member
“You cannot use someone else’s fire. You can only use your own. And in order to do that, you must first be willing to believe that you have it.”
—Audre Lorde, Black feminist, lesbian, poet, mother, warrior
“You cannot give energy if you’re not on fire on the inside.”
—Rev. Jesse Jackson, American civil rights leader, Baptist minister, and political activist
“Within Penumbra's walls, a genuine spirit of care breathes and thrives, weaving a rich and tender atmosphere where creative courage is not just invited, but deeply embraced.”
—Lester Purry, Actor and Penumbra company member