Mu Performing Arts is a Minneapolis based theater group formed in 1992 by Rick Shiomi, Dong-il Lee, Diane Espaldon, and Martha Johnson. It is composed of Theater Mu, which features stage performances and Mu Daiko, a taiko drumming ensemble. Currently the third largest Asian-American theater company in the United States, the company is known for its fusion of Asian history and ideas with western. Many productions go beyond a static staged presentation and add elements of music, dance and dynamic storytelling; their shows are an artistic blending of various Asian cultures.
"Mu is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese character Mu for the shaman-artist-warrior who connects the heavens and the earth through the tree of life."
New Eyes is an annual playwriting festival which was started by Theater Mu in 1993. The goal was to find and encourage new Asian-American writers.