Vanessa Brooke Agnes

Vanessa Brooke Agnes, Founding Artistic Director, Dark Muse; Performing Arts Education Program Manager, Guthrie Theater. Photo credit: Martha Juarez.

Vanessa Brooke Agnes is the education program manager for Guthrie Theater and the founding artistic director of Dark Muse Performing Arts. In 2020, Vanessa founded Dark Muse Performing Arts, a Black woman-owned arts organization whose mission is to unapologetically amplify BIPOC & Queer voices and heal through bold storytelling.

On February 23, 2022, Lyric Arts welcomed Vanessa to the director’s table. “As someone who grew up in a suburban neighborhood north of the Twin Cities metro, I am overjoyed to make my Lyric Arts debut directing Smokey Joe’s Cafe! Music can be healing, and these are such fun and iconic tunes to dig into,” said Vanessa. Although Vanessa is a new face to Lyric Arts, she is not new to the Twin Cities Theater Scene.

See all featured leaders for LGBTQIA+ History on Hennepin.