In 2023 we planned and organized a unique community-focused Midwest tour for the Indigenous-feminist theater company Spiderwoman, based in New York. Stopping in South Dakota, Wisconsin and Minnesota in early 2024, Spiderwoman combined performances of its storyweaving ensemble production of “Misdemeanor Dream” (which premiered at La MaMa in New York in 2022) with multiple workshops and community engagement events.
During this time, the 16-member ensemble, led by artistic director Muriel Miguel and company elder Gloria Miguel, shared their unique creation process with Native theater artists, students, tribal community members and general audiences.
Not only were the fundamentals of the company’s ensemble-written, strikingly designed, mixed media production shared and explained, but Spiderwoman — the oldest Indigenous theater company in the Americas — invited members of each community to join the production’s crew and be a part of the process. Even if you had seen Native theater before, you were likely to have never seen a modern interpretation quite like this one!
