IKIDOWIN presents
EVERYTHING IS A CIRCLE

INDIGENOUS YOUTH AND ELDERS COLLABORATE TO PERFORM
A REMARKABLE PLAY AIMED AT PREVENTING SEXUAL ABUSE

Illusion Theater, in partnership with the Iikidowin Acting Ensemble, the
Indigenous People’s Task Force and the Ogitchidakwe Council, present EVERYTHING IS A CIRCLE, performed by ten Ikidowin teens and three Native grandmothers, for one public performance at Illusion Theater. 

Everything is a Circle is an adaptation of Illusion’s award-winning sexual abuse prevention play, Touch.

Bonnie Morris  from Illusion and Sharon Day of the Indigenous Peoples' Task Force spoke about working together, which led to Bonnie, Karen Gundlach and Kathy Anlauf partnering  with the Ikidowin Youth Theater Troupe, under the direction of  Curtis Kirby, to create the an adaptation. 

The Ikidowin invited members of the Grandmothers of the Ogitchidakwe Council  to share  their stories and experiences with us. As we heard their stories, the play  grew to include the legacy of historical  trauma. Friday, April 6th 2018, ten young Teens and three Elders performed Everything is  a Circle  and were warmly received by the  Minnesota Indian Woman Sexual  Assault Coalition Conference  at the Grand Casino in Onamia.

Under the direction of Curtis Kirby III and Illusion Theater staff, the youth in the Ikidowin Acting Ensemble program were trained in the issues surrounding sexual abuse, rehearsed scenes from the original play and began to create improvisations.

Native Grandmothers from the Ogitchidakwe Council of Elders, whose mission is to help victims of physical and sexual violence in the Native community visited the group to share their stories with the Ikidowin youth.
The teens developed improvisations based on the stories told by the grandmothers and some from their own experiences. All the scenes in the play were inspired by actual events.

As the youth began to rehearse the play, Kirby and Morris wanted to include the Ogitchidakwe Grandmothers in the piece to tell their truths on the stage as the youth performed their scenes. The Grandmothers’ stories recount what happened in the Boarding schools –where their language, their clothes, their names were taken away, and where they were physically and sexually abused leading to the inter-generational historical trauma that the Native community continues to struggle with.

Everything is a Circle was performed at the Minnesota Indian Women Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC) at their conference at the Grand Casino in Onamia in early April. The response was a standing ovation with many invitations to perform the piece in other Native communities. Many attendees remarked how important it was to have the youth break the silence about physical and sexual abuse and about the abuse that occurred in the Boarding Schools.

Upcoming Performances:

• Wednesday August 1, 2018, 11AM at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (2101 14th Street in Cloquet, Minnesota) 
   
• Wednesday August 8, 2018, 1:45PM at Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bloomington*
  *This  performance is  a part of the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Native Connections Regional Grantee Meeting of the Great Lakes and Northern Plains Site.
   
• Thursday August 23, 3018 at Indigenous Roots (788 E 7th Street  St Paul, MN 55106)
   

Past Performances:

From the Governor’s  Press Release:
On Friday, July 27, 2018, Governor Mark Dayton will host the 2018 Minnesota Tribal Youth Gathering at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul Campus. The first-in-the-nation state gathering will bring together Native American youth ages 14 to 24, tribal and state leaders, civic and business leaders, and educational organizations to focus on challenges facing Native American youth. The gathering will also recognize and amplify the positive work that Native youth in Minnesota are doing to improve their communities. The gathering will address topics including culture and language revitalization, health, education, history, self-sufficiency and sovereignty, and youth engagement and public leadership development. 

The Ikidowin Native  American Youth Ensemble performed  a section of their play  Everything is a Circle twice at this gathering.

* Illusion Theater: May, 2018
* Minnesota Indian Women Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC) Conference at the Grand Casino in Onamia: April, 2018
 

Illusion and  Ikidowin are planning  more performances of Everything is a  Circle. Details to  follow.

Read more about The Ikidowin Peer Education Program