Caroline Russell-King offers her Postcard Review of the current Lunchbox Theatre production Snowblind.
Show: Snowblind.
Playwright/composer: Written by Zach Running Coyote, the play was inspired from the ancient Blackfoot story called Napi and the Compassionate Woman, as told to Percy Bullchild in his book The Sun Came Down.
Theatre: Lunchbox Theatre in partnership with Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society.
Length: One act (70 mins.).
Genre(s): Drama (with songs).
Premise: This is a smash up of an old trickster story with the modern story of a man whose journey intersects with a woman who takes him in after he is released from jail for crimes that were committed in his youth, due to his struggle with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Why this play? Why now?: “This story is pulled out of the very land we are gathered on and it takes place one block from here.”
Curiosities: Given the recent augments against non-Indigenous theatre critics and reviewers who aren’t people of colour, I wondered a lot about issues that drive us apart and the times when theatre pulls us together. I wondered about mission drift and if this was more of a Sage show than a Lunchbox show? I thought about while it’s not politically correct to comment on actor’s looks, would I write that Zach Running Coyote is distractingly beautiful?
Notable moment: The symbolism and the wrapping of the blanket was lovely.
Notable writing: Through a disordered lens we see a circular narrative of story lines that weave and dance through time and multiple points of view.
Notable performance: Coyote is a triple-threat talent and has a singing voice that is rich and sweet like maple syrup.
Notable design: Lighting designer (as well as TD for Lunchbox Theatre and Board Secretary for Making Treaty 7) Neil Fleming gives us a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis on that tiny stage.
Notable direction: Justin Many Fingers, who is also the co-choreographer, supports the story with his rich knowledge and “gives us a glimpse of what’s to come in the future of Calgary Indigenous arts.”
One reason to see this show: Zach Running Coyote is mesmerizing.
Snowblind runs until March 7 at Lunchbox Theatre. For tickets go to lunchboxtheatre.com.
(Photo by Benjamin Laird.)
CarCaroline Russell-King is a playwright, dramaturg, and instructor. She is a member of The Playwrights Guild of Canada, the Dramatist Guild of America and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You can find her work here at www.carolinerussellking.com.
