Nanabozho

Our outdoor production for 2008 is NANABOZHO. It is drawn from Winnebago creation tales that describe how elements of the natural world emerged out of chaos and achieved their present form. Our unlikely hero is Nanabozho, the trickster hare, whose fearless, sometimes dimwitted impulses have unpredictable results. He emerges from the arms of his Grandmother Earth to confront hostile frog demons, amicable beavers, and a bevy of spirit women. The world we have inherited appears to have been shaped by the combined efforts of wise benefactors, evil beings and a willful, capricious buffoon.

We first adapted material for NANABOZHO in 1980, and we are glad to be re-visiting and continuing to develop this material after all these years. The production incorporates many small puppets and giant figures, including an enormous Grandmother Earth. Playwright: Clarke Jordan; directed by Ralph Lee; score composed by Neal Kirkwood; masks, puppets, giant figures and set designed by Ralph Lee; costumes designed by Casey Compton.

See the schedule for performance dates and times.