We are excited to share the news of the publication of a new anthology of plays co-edited by Assistant Professor Dr. Lindsay Lachance. The collection, Staging Coyote’s Dream Volume 3, showcases innovative dramaturgical practices that are rooted in Indigenous values, aesthetics, and narrative structures and is a result of Lindsay’s passion and expertise in Indigenous theatre. Lindsay and her co-editor Monique Mojica have carefully selected works by Indigenous artists who are reimagining the development and production of new play development. This anthology is a significant addition to the field, offering fresh perspectives and insights that will inspire academics and theatre practitioners alike.
We caught up with Lindsay to delve deeper into the creation of this anthology:
Can you tell us about the process of selecting the plays?
Can you tell us about the process of selecting the plays?The artists selected for this anthology are not chosen to represent regionality but to highlight their innovation in creating embodied, land-based, or culturally specific dramaturgical practices. Monique and I curated these pieces because we have mentored or collaborated with these artists recently and wanted to exemplify Indigenous relationality in practice. Each contributing author invited a collaborator to write the introduction to their work, creating space for a multiplicity of voices.
Were there any challenges or surprises that came about during the process of editing the anthology?
The biggest challenge we faced was working through the pandemic! We worked remotely as Monique is based in Toronto and our contributors are based across Canada, with some folks in New York and one contributor in New Zealand.
Something that surprised us was how we ended up curating a libretto and a dance piece (links provided in the book) alongside 5 new playscripts. These two pieces have very interesting creation processes and we wanted to include their Indigenous dramaturgical models in the collection. The volume also took longer to compile than we anticipated, but it is launching on the 20th anniversary of Staging Coyote’s Dream Vol 1 which feels exciting and special.
What do you hope readers/theatre practitioners will take away from the collection?
We are so excited for folks to read the pieces, but also to read about how the pieces were created. As dramaturges ourselves, Monique and I worked to identify four theoretical frameworks that we believe to be recurring aspects of Indigenous dramaturgies—Sacred Geometries, Non-linear Space/Time Continuum, the Co-existence of the Spiritual and Unseen Worlds, and Indigenous Languages/Language of the Body as Text. In the introduction, we used these four landmark characteristics to speak about each, or multiple pieces in the collection and give examples of how to access and interpret each work from a dramaturgical analysis.
Staging Coyote’s Dream Volume 3 is a celebration of Indigenous performance and a valuable resource for those looking to deepen their understanding of Indigenous dramaturgy. Congratulations Lindsay!
