April 23, 2025 | Uncategorized,

Meet Utopian Hotline’s Theater Mitu

Theater Mitu, the mastermind behind the revolutionary new show, Utopian Hotline, was founded in 1997 by Founding Artistic Director Rubén Polendo. Polendo works closely with Co-Artistic Director Justin Nestor. Theater Mitu has created over 20 works, including (holy) BlOOD, american (tele)vision, A Dream Play, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Company is committed to challenging the parameters of theater research and practice. Theater Mitu’s work is situated in the tension between acting and performance, theatrical design and installation, multi-media and interactive technology.

Their practice investigates trans-global performance; interdisciplinary collaborative models; the performativity of non-violence; the geopolitics of objects; contemporary mythology; artist training, ritual and the sacred. Its considerable body of work has taken on a variety of forms: developmental and production work with some of the world’s leading theatrical innovators, research and pedagogical work with renowned universities and conservatories, engagement with non-theatrical communities, and international trainings and research initiatives with leaders in the field.

It offers several educational initiatives, including production collaborations and internships. The Company also serves as incubator with its programs like The Hybrid Arts Lab, a fellowship program supporting women, trans, and non-binary artists of color pursuing work at the intersection of performance and technology, and the Artists-at-Home program that provides technical residencies for artists innovating the field of performance.

It uses its MITU580 space in Brooklyn, New York, to support risk-taking artists by providing subsidized rehearsal and performance spaces. MITU580 also hosts live performance work that connect the company with guest artists.

There are 11 company members currently with Theater Mitu, which is set to perform Utopian Hotline at the Museum of Science’s Charles Hayden Planetarium in May. While Theater Mitu has performed Utopian Hotline already, this will be first time they are performing this show in a planetarium