TITLE OF SHOW: Coyote's World

LENGTH OF SHOW: 90-minutes, plus intermission

INTERMISSION 15-minutes

THEME [one sentence description]: COYOTE’S WORLD is an exploration of the wit, humour and wisdom of the North American Native Peoples.

CONTENT [brief description]: This show is a compilation of stories and legends from the Blackfoot, the Plains Indians, the Woodland Cree, the Pima, the Lakota and others which create vivid pictures of the humour and the wisdom of the indigenous peoples of North America. Most of the stories are about animal characters that take on human traits and expose them for what they are: funny, fickle, foolish and firm, wise, wonderful and wicked.

GOAL [the purpose of this show]: To witness the depth and richness of North American Native Peoples’ culture and shows its similarity to all other cultures.

POINT OF VIEW OF ARTISTS: Since one of the artists, Robert Greenwood, has Native ancestry, it is important to both artists that they show the wit and wisdom of the North American Native Peoples, that they show what these people have to offer all of us, that their knowledge of the earth and humour can help us all survive, but that they never make fun of them, and that when they take the stories on international tours, that they always have a home-coming for the stories. In fact, all the stories have been given with the permission of Elders or are part of the public domain and have been published with their permission.

PRESENTATION [skills used to present show]: This show is done with a minium of properties and very simple, but authentic costuming, beautiful headdresses, coup-sticks, drums, buffalo and coyote hides, simple dance forms and high-energy story-telling skills. The setting is made from Navajo, hanging rugs dating from 1900/1910 and Pendleton blankets from about the same period. If presented outdoors or in gymnasia, the show takes place in a large, pow-wow circle with the audience seated around the performance area.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Festival and Family, 6-years and up. These shows have been performed around the world for all kinds of people, and whether they spoke English or not, the stories’ truths have always rung out clearly. 50-minute version for children’s festivals and schools is also available. Family audiences have always enjoyed this show, but seniors and Native People themselves have also often made up a large part of the audience. This show has been viewed by the Native People as respectful, considerate and meaningful, and the artists have often been invited to perform on reserves and in Native Residency Schools. It has met with great interest and demand overseas as well.

CAST: Robert Greenwood (actor) and [Mr.] Dana Luebke (dancer-actor)

LANGUAGE IN WHICH SHOW IS PERFORMED: English

PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS AVAILABLE:
Poster blanks
Coloured slides
Video-clips [NTSC-VHS and PAL formats]
Black and White photos
Coloured photos
Preview articles
Reviews
Letters from children
Magazine articles
Evaluations
Letters of reference
CD Roms

WHERE SHOW HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY PERFORMED OR WORLD PREMIERE, ETC.: This show was premiered in Calgary during Sun.Ergos’ subscription seasons. It has been seen in Great Britain, across Canada [in Ottawa, at the Astrolab Theatre as part of the Capitol Commission Project for Canadian Artists], in the United States, Israel, Singapore, Indonesia, Poland, Croatia and Austria.

REFERENCES FOR SHOW:

  • Ibu Gedong Oka, CANTI DASA ASHRAM, Canti Dasa, Indonesia

  • Jasenka Ramljak, Associate Director, MEDUNARODNI DJECJI FESTIVAL SIBENIK HRVATSKA, Sibenik, Croatia

  • Eran Baniel, Director, AKKO FESTIVAL, Acre, Israel

  • Director, ASTROLAB THEATRE, Ottawa, Ontario

  • Director, EDMONTON FRINGE, Edmonton, Alberta

  • Director, HORIZON STAGE, Spruce Grove, Alberta

  • Director, EDMONTON FIRST NIGHT, Edmonton, Alberta

  • Director, FIRST NIGHT BOISE, Boise, Idaho

WORDS WHICH HAVE BEEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE SHOW:
sharp-witted, authentic, human, skillful, professional, high-energy, handsome, remarkable, feathered, meaningful, indigenous, Native Indian, lively, optimistic, cheerful, wise, warm-hearted, realistic, pow-wow, respectful, beautiful

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR MATERIALS, PLEASE CONTACT:
Administrative Assistant
Sun.Ergos, A Company of Theatre and Dance
130 Sunset Way
Priddis, Alberta, CANADA T0L 1W0

TEL 403-931-1527 TOLL FREE 1-800-743-3351
FAX 403-931-1534
e-mail: waltermoke@sunergos.com