In her debut play, ‘Muyehpen,’ the state’s only Karen theater artist explores one of her culture’s most important folktales

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In her debut play, ‘Muyehpen,’ the state’s only Karen theater artist explores one of her culture’s most important folktales

Ehkhudah Zar is the only professional theater artist in the state from the Karen ethnic group — perhaps even the world — and her debut play based on a cultural folktale is premiering this month in St. Paul. The Karen people are a minority in their native Myanmar and have long faced persecution and violence from Burmese authorities, so many — Zar included — became refugees. With a Karen population in the ballpark of 10,000, St. Paul is one of the…