The Sam Houston State University theatre department will put on a kid-friendly show entitled “According to Coyote.”
There will be performances from March 18-19, with a 4 p.m. show on March 18, and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. shows on March 19. All of these will take place at the Old Town Theatre in downtown Huntsville.
“According to Coyote” is a Theatre for Young Audiences production that retells Northwest and Plains Indian myths about the character Coyote. The actors tell the story in a variety of different ways, such as physical movement, narration and shadow work to make it an exciting show for children and families to experience.
Director Victoria Lantz said this is the first time the theatre department has done a show for children in a while.
“Some years ago, the department would do plays for the local schools, and a few years ago our chapter of Alpha Psi Omega put together shows for high schoolers,” Lantz said. “In terms of reaching out into the public schools for performances and classroom exercise, we haven’t done anything like this in some time.”
However, the theatre department will not allow the hiatus in kid-friendly performances affect their focus or determination. This production of “According to Coyote” relates to a Special Topics course on Theatre for Young Audiences, which means that the actors have rehearsed for the show since the beginning of the semester.
“Limited class time makes rehearsals difficult,” Lantz said. “Most shows rehearse daily for at least three hours, and we have rehearsals twice a week. We are creating all physical movements, shadow puppets and props ourselves, which is an additional challenge.”
Despite the challenge of limited time, Lantz and her students have remembered to enjoy all aspects of rehearsals and performances.
“It is a lovely piece of stories that remind me of my home state of Oregon, and sharing stories from different cultures is always exciting,” Lantz said. “We can’t wait to get on stage in front of young people, because they always bring life to the show.”
This show promises to impress and entertain people of all ages.
“There will be a lot of different stories, a lot of movement and playfulness on stage and a lot of beautiful images of Coyote and his friends,” Lantz said.
“According to Coyote” is free admission and open to the public. Old Town Theatre is located at 1023
12 Street.