Red Mother is the story of Belle, an old Native woman who travels across the continent with her horse and companion Blue Fred. Her journey bears witness to the wars and conflicts that have changed the very core of Indigenous life in this country. Red Mother weaves Native stories of genocide with humor, music and dance; Brechtian themes with Kuna ghost stories; the pain of dehumanized native peoples with limitless hope for generations to come. The piece runs 65 minutes and requires minimal set. The major set element is a multilayered backdrop displaying the Spiderwoman Theater quilt, which has been used in every Spiderwoman production since 1976.
PRODUCTION DETAILS
| Title | Red Mother |
| Running Time | 70 minutes |
| Characters | Belle, an old native woman in her 70’s |
| Production History | Ms. Miguel began to develop Red Mother in 2003, working with members of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. In following years, workshops at the American Indian Community House and urban ink productions/fathom labs New Works division, helped to more clearly integrate dance, movement and text and develop elements of light, sound, and visual design. In November 2007, Red Mother was presented as a production workshop by Indigenous Performance Initiatives and Two Spirit Productions at Nozhem, the First Peoples Performance Space at Trent University in Ontario. Red Mother went on to be presented by the Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC as part of their Native Expressions Series in 2008. |
| Creative Team | Muriel Miguel (Kuna/Rappahannock) – Creator, Writer and Performer, Murielle Borst-Tarrant (Kuna/Rappahannock) – Director, Christine Plunkett — Set and Costume Designer, Don White — Lighting Designer, Russell Wallace(Stla’limx) — Composer and Sound Designer, Bear Thomas(Onondaga) — Projection Designer |
| Performance Space | Intimate |
| Personnel | Stage Manager Sound and Lighting Operator |