Children's Theatre Company Opens ACCORDING TO COYOTE

Part superhero, part comic - Coyote, a legendary trickster from Native American lore - gives great gifts to the human race, but along the way encounters misadventures and sticky situations he must use his wiles to maneuver through. The center of legendary oral stories of the Nez Perce tribe, Coyote becomes the subject of According to Coyote, the latest production to open at Children's Theatre Company (CTC).

Opening February 12, According to Coyote is a mesmerizing production, written by the late John Kauffman, former artistic director for Honolulu Theatre for Youth, and originally commissioned by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Kauffman, the son of a German father and full-blood Nez Perce mother, was raised on a tribal reservation in Idaho and grew up hearing stories of Coyote, the trickster character known in some tribal cultures for his role in creation of the natural world: bringing into existence the stars, moon and living creatures.

Starring Twin Cities actress George Keller, According to Coyote is a one-act production that brings coyote's mischievous adventures to life. Sheila Daniels, who served as associate director of Seattle's Intiman Theatre, brings her experience directing According to Coyote at the Seattle Children's Theatre to the Twin Cities' production. Daniels' directing credits also include A Streetcar Named Desire, at Intiman Theatre; Electra, Pericles at Seattle Shakespeare Company; Crime and Punishment, Waiting for Lefty, God's Country and Arcadia at Capitol Hill Arts Center, where she previously served as associate artistic director.

According to Coyote marks Keller's third appearance at CTC. In addition to roles in Average Family and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (CTC), her other noted performances include roles at Mixed Blood (Messy Utopia, Red Ink), Penumbra Theater (Grandchildren of the Buffalo Soldiers) and Pillsbury House (Other). She also worked for ten years at Hey City Theater in Tony and Tina's Wedding.

Keller performs her storytelling vignettes poised within a simple, yet mystical set design, created by Don Yanik. Yanik's recent design credits include Things Being What They Are and A Delicate Balance at the Seattle Repertory Theatre; and scenic design for the Empty Space Theatre, Seattle Children's Theatre, Village Theatre, Civic Light Opera, Honolulu Theatre for Youth and Burt Reynolds Theatre. Yanik serves as the restoration designer for the home of C.S. Lewis in Oxford, England, and as department chair at Seattle Pacific University. Costume design is by Lee B. Dombroski, with lighting design and sound design created by Paul Whitaker and Chris R. Walker.

According to Coyote opens Fri., Feb. 12 (previews begin Tues., Feb. 9) and runs through March 21. Ticket prices range from $32 - $40 for adults and $20 - $25 for children (17 & under), students and seniors. Tickets are available by calling (612) 874-0400 or by visiting www.childrenstheatre.org.

Also upcoming in the 2009-2010 season are: The Iron Ring, featuring Ragamala Dance, Disney's Mulan, Jr., and The Biggest Little House in the Forest.

Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the first theatre for young people to win the Coveted Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater (2003). Founded in 1965, CTC serves more than 300,000 people annually and is one of the 20 largest theater companies in the nation. CTC is noted for defining worldwide standards for youth theatre with an innovative mix of classic tales, celebrated international productions and challenging new work.

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