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[Patricia Joyce]

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Muriel Miguel - Prominent Native Actor & Director Visits Toronto

January 16, 2002, Toronto, Ontario - The Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT)
will be hosting a two-week visit  by actor/director Muriel Miguel, from
Spiderwoman Theatre based in New York City.  During her Toronto residency,
Muriel will be working with the students at the Indigenous Theatre
School, directing a student workshop production on February 1st  and a
public "Story-weaving" workshop on January 27th.

"Story Weaving" workshop $20, Students & Equity Members $10.
To reserve a space, please call the CIT office at 416-506-9436 or e-mail:
cit at interlog.com

In addition Muriel Miguel : A Retrospective will be presented by CIT at
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre on Friday, January 25, 2002 at 8 p.m.   Muriel
will share stories of her career,  from an Italian neighbourhood in Brooklyn
to the wilds of Canada.   Tickets can be reserved by contacting CIT at
416-506-9436.

Muriel Miguel, from the Kuna/Rappahannock nations) is a founding member and
Artistic Director of Spiderwoman Theatre, the longest running Native
American feminist theatre group in North America ,which has toured
internationally for 25 years.  She has been the director of all of
Spiderwoman's shows, which are all original scripts.  She has directed for
Native Earth Performing Arts and Nightwood. Theatre in Toronto  and  for
Coatlicue and at New York Theatre Workshop in New York City. In the summer
of 1999, she choreographed Throw Away Kids as the guest choreographer for
the Chinook Winds Aboriginal Dance Program at The Banff Centre for the Arts.

 As an actress, Muriel was an original member of Joseph Chaikan's Open
Theatre, one of the leading alternative theatre groups in New York in the
1960's.  She originated the role of Philomena Moosetail in the Rez Sisters
for Native Earth Performing Arts. She recently originated the role of Aunt
Shadie in The Unnatural and Accidental Women  for The Firehall Theatre in
Vancouver.

Muriel has been the creator of two one woman shows, Hot'N'Soft and Trail of
the Otter which premiered at the Banff Centre in the winter of 1996. She is
the co-founder of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers in New York City.
She has studied with Alwin Nickolai at the Henry Street Playhouse and
 Eric Hawkins and Jean Erdman. She teaches classes in Laban technique. She
is also a founding member of Shy Woman Singers and Dancers, a traditional
women's drum and dance troupe.

She teaches extensively in a variety of settings including as an assistant
professor of drama at Bard College for four years. She teaches on an ongoing
basis at The Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto and the Aboriginal
Arts Program at The Banff Centre for the Arts where she has been
instrumental in training Native youth in theatre and dance.  She has
developed three shows for The Minnesota Native American AIDS Task Force in
Minneapolis working with inner city native youth on HIV/AIDS and its impact
on their lives.

 In 1998, Muriel was selected for the Bread and Roses International Native
Women of Hope poster.  She has also been awarded an honorary Doctorate in
Fine Arts from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, the site of the Native
Women's Playwrights' Archives. She was recently honoured by the Brothers of
the Sisters of ASTRAEA as an elder and role model for two spirited women of
colour.

The Centre for Indigenous Theatre was established in 1994 to expand the
activities of the summer Native Theatre School, founded in 1974 by Jim
Buller.

In 1998 the full-time post-secondary Indigenous Theatre School was started
with students from across Canada and abroad.

This residency  by Muriel  Miguel was arranged by CIT's Artistic Director
and Principal, Jani Lauzon, who is a noted actor, singer and puppeteer.
The public "Story-weaving" workshop will be held on Sunday,  January 27 from
11 am to 4:30 pm at The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto.   It has been
 planned in order to share Muriel's knowledge with the Aboriginal and
theatre communities.   There are special rates for students and Equity
members.

The student workshop production From Dark-ness Light is Heard  will be
performed by the three Second Year students (Emil Starlight, Dano Underwood
and Candace Wilde) currently attending Indigenous Theatre School.  The
presentation will be at The Space at 489 Dupont Street on Friday, February
1, 2002 at 8 pm.
Admission is by donation.  Reservations for both of these
events can be made by calling CIT at 416-506-9436.