Spiderwoman Theater to Make Tour Stop at USD Feb. 20-24
USD will host a series of community events leading up to two performances of “Misdemeanor Dream” on Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24. Both performances will be at 7:30 p.m. in the Knutson Theatre on USD’s campus. Purchase tickets for Spiderwoman Theater’s performances.
Residency events include a Storyweaving Workshop for USD students on Tuesday, Feb. 20, and a Fabric Workshop, which is open to the public, on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 2 p.m. at the Vermillion Public Library.
Developed through an ensemble theater practice rooted in Indigenous oral tradition, “Misdemeanor Dream” weaves stories in English and a mix of the original languages of the ensemble – spoken, danced, sung – as well as the personal and community stories – contemporary and passed down – of the artists.
Featured in the production’s holistic narrative are the participants themselves, as well as a host of otherworldly beings – including magical tricksters and shapeshifters – who reach far into our present to reestablish the connection (severed after generations of silence and elimination) between Turtle Island then and now.
“Misdemeanor Dream’s” co-creators and storyweaving team leaders are Spiderwoman Theater's 2024 United States Artists Fellow and Director Muriel Miguel; Choreographer, Co-Artistic Director of Aanmitaagzi and a 2023 Ontario Arts Council Indigenous Arts Award Recipient Penny Couchie; and Voice Choreographer Imelda Villalon.
Traveling to the Midwest – and a member of the performing ensemble – is elder Gloria Miguel, who co-founded the activist feminist company with her sisters Muriel Miguel and the late Lisa Mayo in 1976. This is the company’s 47th consecutive season.
About Spiderwoman Theater
Hailed by the Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis as “one of the most influential Native theatre companies in the history of the country,” Spiderwoman Theater continues to develop its signature storyweaving technique, while making deeply activist forays into gender roles, cultural stereotypes and family relationships. Succeeding generations of downtown theater artists like Split Britches, Bloolips, Taylor Mac and the Colorado Sisters have cited Spiderwoman as a formative influence.
Spiderwoman grew out of the urban Native community centered in Brooklyn in the 1950s. In addition to their experimental and activist focuses, they have emphasized the importance of interconnectivity among Indigenous communities across the globe.
Spiderwoman elders Muriel and Gloria Miguel are from the Kuna and Rappahannock nations. Choreographer Penny Couchie is Anishinaabe and the vocal choreographer Imelda Villalon is from the Ilokano people of the Philippines.
