Groundbreaking Indigenous Theater Company, Spiderwoman Theater, Tours the Midwest
Spiderwoman Theater, a trailblazing Indigenous theater organization set up in New York City during the mid-1970s, is presently touring the Midwest and exhibiting its distinctive ‘story-weaving’ style of production. This concept does not only elevate theater but also provides a platform for Indigenous voices and their unique storytelling traditions.
Spiderwoman Theater’s Connection to Indigenous Tradition
While on a stopover in Cloquet, Minnesota, Francesca Pedersen, an ensemble member of Spiderwoman Theater, emphasized the synergy between their storytelling methods and the Indigenous community’s traditional narratives. This style of storytelling preserves Indigenous culture, while translating it into a modern-day theater-produced, story-weaving masterstroke.
Current Production: ‘Misdemeanor Dream’
The theater company’s most recent creation, ‘Misdemeanor Dream,’ is an elegant blend of personal and traditional narratives told through an array of art forms including, but not limited to, dance, song, and moving pictures. Despite loosely drawing inspiration from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ a play by Shakespeare, it instead centres more on the ascendancy of personal narratives over a straight-line plot, incorporating multiple Indigenous dialects.
Pioneering Women of Spiderwoman Theater
Spiderwoman Theater was originally founded by Muriel and Gloria Miguel along with Lisa Mayo as a reaction to the prevailing sidelining of Indigenous women in those times. Over four decades later, their founding vision continues to provoke thought among mainstream audiences with its fresh, and often challenging, approach to theater.
Tour’s Objective and Impact
The ongoing tour comprises workshops and performances intended to engage and educate not just the Indigenous community but the wider public as well. This is with a keen interest in storytelling for it’s potential to preserve cultural, societal identity and norms. This is groundbreaking in its contribution to pushing the boundaries of theater while also creating connections and conversations about the less-talked-about and often sidelined Indigenous cultures.
