Theater Mu fires artistic director following complaints about his conduct

Twin Cities theater leader Randy Reyes is out at Theater Mu following an investigation into his conduct.

In a letter to the community posted to the Theater Mu website Thursday afternoon, the nonprofit's board of directors said it received unspecified complaints about Reyes a few months ago.

"While our investigation into the matter did not find that any unlawful conduct occurred, we discovered conduct that did not reflect the culture we strive to achieve at Mu and did not reflect the high standards to which we hold Mu leadership," the letter said.

"The board has concluded that Mu must end his employment with the organization. We are grateful for all that he has brought to Mu over the years, and are disappointed that it has come to this conclusion."

Reached by phone, board chairman Reggie Reyes (no relation to Randy Reyes) declined to discuss the specific allegations. However, he spoke about the board's move to strengthen certain policies in the past year.

"We looked at our policies in the era of #MeToo to make sure we have the language to protect the people we work with and that work for us," he said. "We would hope that every organization would make sure they have robust policies."

Trained at Juilliard and widely regarded as a master of the stage, Randy Reyes has acted and directed all over the Twin Cities. He serves on the board of Theatre Communications Group, a New York-based organization that advocates for professional nonprofit theaters nationwide.

Randy Reyes was named artistic director at Theater Mu in 2013, succeeding co-founder Rick Shiomi, who spent 25 years building the organization into one of the nation's premier companies focused on the emergent Asian-American canon. As artistic director, Reyes directed most of Mu's shows. Just last month, he directed and appeared in the theater's annual "A Very Asian Xmas: The Not-Cracker." He also was slated to helm a coproduction of "The Brothers Paranormal" with Penumbra Theatre in the spring.

"Moving forward, our season is still in place," said Theater Mu managing director Shannon Fitzgerald. "Randy will not direct the shows. All the productions will move forward with new directors in place."

Fitzgerald added that the theater will soon launch a national search for a new artistic director. She declined to discuss the complaints against Randy Reyes.

Randy Reyes didn't immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

Rohan Preston • 612-673-4390 @rohanpreston