Oogie tells her story more or less chronologically, beginning with what sounds like an idyllic childhood growing up in the Meskwaki Nation, playing in the Iowa River with her twin sister and many cousins. Cultural touchstones like MTV and Madonna feel familiar and place us squarely in the '80s and '90s. Oogie's adventures begin when she travels the Pow Wow circuit with her sister, competing and meeting Native people from all over North America. It's at Haskell Indian Nations University that she discovers her love of theater, which takes her to Western Washington, and eventually Alaska. In all of these places she connects with the Native people, and always, the water. She learns to sing to it, to respect it, to honor it. She's horrified by oil spills, and by the damage done to it by cruise ships (in which she partakes). She goes through personal tragedies, and her community, her ancestors, and her connection to nature get her through.
Oogie has been writing this play for five years, and it's gone through several iterations, including a workshop this summer. She joked at a post-show discussion that she changed it from a solo piece so a five-actor piece because she didn't want to talk for that long, and to create some cool shadow effects. But having five actors play Oogie, taking turns telling the story, is a clever idea that shows us different dimensions of the character, and makes the story more universal, as if we all could be Oogie. The play is beautifully constructed and directed (by Sara Pillatzki-Warzeha), with stories flowing from one to the other, separate yet connected. The ensemble members (Antoñe Rios-Luna, Caidance Kue, Silvestrey P'orantes, and Samuel Osborne-Huerta) all have a similar look (long beautiful brown hair and super cute overalls with colorful ribbons on the pant legs, designed by Jorie Ann Kosel), and each brings their own unique spirit to the character(s).
This show works so much better on the Andy Boss stage than it would on the large proscenium stage upstairs. It feels intimate, close up and personal, the stage open with a few large crates for set pieces, with softly flowing blue fabric representing water at times (scenic design by Niffer Pflager). The show features almost constant projections (designed by Peter Morrow), of nature scenes, or photos of the people or places in the story, and even video from moments in Oogie's life, all of which make the story feel more real and tangible. The use of shadows behind the projection screen, as well as movement and physical theater (choreography by Sandy Agustin) also help with the storytelling. The script, acting, direction, and design come together thoughtfully and cohesively to really tell this story in the most affecting way possible.
I didn't know what to expect from The Adventures of a Traveling Meskwaki, I just knew that a Full Circle production is always worth seeing. I found it to be a really moving and engaging experience, using the device of water to remind us that as all water is connected, we are all connected. But we can't take the water for granted, we have to care for the water, for nature, and for each other. Now more than ever. I'm vising my favorite body of water this week, Gichi-gami (aka Lake Superior), and while I might not sing to it out loud, I will definitely greet it with even more respect and reverance than I usually do.
Watch a preview of the show below, and click here for info and tickets.