ABOUT MIXED BLOOD
Mixed Blood uses theater to disrupt injustice. We are a social justice organization catalyzing action and change through art. Our work is guided by deep community engagement and rooted in radical hospitality.
Instead of finding and sharing stories we deem topical, our guiding principle is ‘We want to be part of your story. Through theater, we connect people and organizations to advance dialogue on an issue, inspiring civic discourse and a sustained call to action.
Located in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis since its inception, Mixed Blood aspires to be a point of assembly for residents and organizations of the most diverse zip code between Chicago and the West Coast.
Mixed Blood is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG) and the National New Play Network (NNPN).
Radical Hospitality
Radical Hospitality is core to all Mixed Blood does. We model reciprocity, inclusion, and genuine welcoming to build relationships. We seek to make theater beneficial by engaging with individuals and communities for whom theatre and the arts have not been available due to lack of resources, racism, physical accessibility, gender discrimination, or other barriers. We strive to ensure that the nature, content, and practices embedded in our work are founded in integrity and equity, and engage the breadth and depth of our many communities.
MIXED BLOOD’S ANTI-RACISM/ANTI-BIAS 2021 STATEMENT
Successful pluralism, universal access, and equity have been Mixed Blood’s purpose since its 1976 inception. Founded and led by a heterosexual, white, cis-gendered male, Mixed Blood has operated within a structure of systemic racism and culture of white supremacy and privilege that impacts our entire society. We acknowledge benefiting from the perpetuation of this structure in spite of our dedication to promoting the work of BIPOC, trans, and disabled artists.
Our commitments:
By steadfastly listening to differing perspectives, Mixed Blood commits to evolving and growing our competency in recognizing and resolving issues of systemic racism and oppression for all peoples.
We are committed to giving voice to the unheard. Through programming, services, facility, and staff, the decades-long ambition of radical hospitality to be a welcoming, inviting, and affirming organization for everybody – for all who are maligned, marginalized, and discriminated against by the systems intentionally designed to oppress – will expand and mature.
Individual identity, determined by self-identity, is paramount. Mixed Blood commits to categorically becoming a theatre of color and a destination, place of assembly, and artistic home for persons with disabilities, people of mixed race, and non-binary and trans individuals.
Mixed Blood commits that decision-making positions – staff and board leadership, directors, musical directors, choreographers, writers, designers, organizers, and more – will increasingly be composed of BIPOC, trans, and disabled individuals. Mixed Blood commits to continually improving that composition. First offers of employment for the majority of positions will go to BIPOC, trans, and disabled candidates.
Believing that capitalism is at the root of most isms, Mixed Blood commits to prioritizing its flow of dollars and other resources to vendors, contractors, and businesses that are BIPOC-owned or have anti-racist/anti-bias policies and practices.
These commitments are founded on long-held values. Equity at Mixed Blood requires constant advocacy for an inclusive society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. For Mixed Blood, equity is just treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people so that they may thrive regardless of cultural, racial, or socioeconomic status. Fairness, as implied by “just,” may require divergent strategies responding to changing contexts to reach universal goals.