Mission
Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company ignites the hearts and minds of people of all cultural backgrounds by producing theater of the highest artistic standards. Rooted in Jewish content, our work explores differences, illuminates commonalities, and fosters greater understanding among all people.
History
Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company (MJTC) was born in July 1994, shortly after Founder and Producing Artistic Director Barbara Brooks gave birth to her son. Through his infancy, she thought about her identity and how she could continue her Jewish heritage into the next generation. Beyond that, she wondered how her son and his future friends — Jew and non-Jew alike — would learn to share and find richness in each other’s diversity.
A native New Yorker, Barbara came to Minnesota to pursue a graduate degree in music therapy at the University of Minnesota after receiving a B.A. in Music from Vassar College. Schooling was followed by appearances in musicals and plays in the east and Midwest, and teaching in the St. Paul Public Schools. As she got to know the Twin Cities, she sensed that there were fewer opportunities here for people of every heritage to learn about each others' culture than there were in New York, and that many Jewish people felt as disengaged from their roots as she did. Barbara decided that if other major cities had theaters devoted to Jewish culture, Minnesota should have one, too. She gathered together a diverse group of like-minded community leaders and formed the non-profit, professional MJTC.
