Guest Reviewer Ema and According to Coyote

Behind the Curtain is pleased to introduce our newest guest reviewer. Ema M was referred to us by the fine folks at Hugo House, and was kind enough to review our production of According to Coyote.

Maybe there is a moral intended in these Native American stories, but that is not the primary purpose intended in telling them; the purpose is to transfer these old stories and customs to the next generation. With this aim in mind, According to Coyote succeeds from the first story. Gene Tagaban and Sheila Daniels, director, present these stories in a fresh way that is undeniably sassy and engaging.


The play uses language that kids can relate to; it probably wasn’t used in lodges generations ago, but the language used then was contemporary for its time. The use of modern language made the stories more accessible, along with the clever costuming. The costume change is a great reflection of the entire play's progression; Tagaban enters in jeans and a black t-shirt with more traditional items scattered around the stage. As the play progresses he puts this traditional grab on as part of the story until by the end he’s in full costume. That’s how we’re reeled in - one piece at a time, in a way that makes these stories familiar, even if they aren’t.


The play is a playful interpretation of the legends of Coyote, updating but never forgetting the roots these stories came from. It’s a performance that will coax kids into a deeper cultural experience and equally importantly, make them laugh. One of the things that works best about According to Coyote’s approach is the fact that the kids got the jokes - the constant giggling was testament enough.

According to Coyote runs through May 11 in the Eve Alvord Theatre at Seattle Children's Theatre.

A few minutes with Gene Tagaban - Part II

As promised, the second installment of our interview with storyteller Gene Tagaban from SCT's production of According to Coyote.



Many thanks to Gene for spending some time with us.

A few minutes with Gene Tagaban

Native American storyteller Gene Tagaban stars in our remount of John Kauffman's collection of trickster stories, According to Coyote, opening Friday March 14th and running through May 11th.

Behind the Curtain caught up with Gene last week, and he was kind enough to spend a few minutes talking with us before rehearsal.



Gene had so much to share with us that we decided to break the video into two parts. Tomorrow we'll post Part II. Check back to hear Gene's thoughts on the role and power stories have in teaching us and some of the other projects he's working on.

Welcome Gene Tagaban!

It is a bit tardy, as he's been knocking around the rehearsal rooms for a couple of weeks now, but we wanted to take a moment to welcome and introduce Gene Tagaban, soon to appear on our stage in According to Coyote.

According to Coyote is a collection of Native American trickster lore written by John Kauffman. John, a Nez Perce and the then-Artistic Director of Honolulu Theater for Youth, first brought According to Coyote to SCT in 1989. He passed away the next year.

SCT is proud to have teamed with storyteller Gene Tagaban for this season's remount of According to Coyote. Gene is a gifted storyteller and engaging motivational speaker and educator. You can find out more about Tagaban at his website. And check back here later this week with for a video interview with Gene (if you have a question you'd like Gene to answer, post it in the comments before Wednesday morning).

According to Coyote opens March 14 and runs through May 11 in the Eve Alvord Theatre at Seattle Children's Theatre.