ARTIST INFORMATION

NAME: Muriel Miguel  
NATION: Kuna/Rappahannock  
ADDRESS 333 DeGraw Street BK NY 11231  
TELEPHONE:  
EMAIL:  
WEBSITE: spiderwomantheater.org  
DISCIPLINE: Director / Choreographer / Actor / Playwright / Educator  
     
     

ARTIST BIO

Muriel Miguel is from the Kuna and Rappahannock Nations and a founding member and Artistic Director of Spiderwoman Theater, the longest running Native American women's theater company in North America. She has directed all of Spiderwoman's shows since their debut with Women in Violence in 1976. Since that time, they have written and produced over twenty original works for the theatre.

She grew up performing with her family and at the tender age of twelve was the co-founder, with Louis Mofsie, of the Little Eagles, a group that is still active in New York City and is now known as the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers.

Muriel studied modern dance with Alwin Nickolai, Erick Hawkins and Jean Erdman. She was an original member of Joseph Chaikin's Open Theater where she performed in the groundbreaking works: Terminal, The Serpent, Mere Ubu and Viet Rock.

She is a choreographer, director and actor. She has choreographed Throw Away Kids and She Knew She Was She for the Banff Centre for the Arts. She was the director of The Scrubbing Project with Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble in Toronto and Evening in Paris with Raven Spirit Dance Company in Vancouver. She has worked with Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto as an actor and dramaturge for their annual Weesageechak Begins to Dance Play Reading Festival. As an actor, she created the role of Philomena Moosetail in The Rez Sisters, written by Tomson Highway. This play was a seminal work in the development of a First Nations play repertory in Canada. She played Aunt Shadie in The Unnatural and Accidental Women by Marie Clements; Martha in Buz'Gem Blues by Drew Hayden Taylor and Spirit Woman in BONES: An Aboriginal Dance Opera. She most recently performed in the off-Broadway hit, The Lily's Revenge at Here! Arts Center. She has created one woman shows Hot' N' Soft, Trail of the Otter and most recently Red Mother which is being produced at La MaMa E.T.C. in May 2010.

As an educator, Muriel has been an Assistant Professor of Drama at Bard College. She is an instructor of Indigenous Performance at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT) full time program in Toronto. This school is dedicated to training Indigenous acting students using a culture based methodology. She is also Program Director for CIT's three week summer intensive at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta. She was a Program Director for the Aboriginal Dance Program and an instructor of Indigenous performance at The Banff Centre for the Arts for seven years. She has developed four shows for The Minnesota Native American AIDS Task Force working with inner city native youth on HIV/AIDS issues.

She and her work have been profiled in numerous articles and essays. The most notable of these are Women in Love: Portraits of Lesbian Mothers and their Families by Barbara Seyda and Diana Herrera and most recently in American Women Stage Directors of the 20th Century by Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow. There have been numerous publications of Spiderwoman Theater plays, including PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY in Performing Worlds into Being: Native American Women's Miami University Press; WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY in Keepers of the Morning Star: An Anthology of Native Women's Theater -UCLA American Indian Studies Centre and REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS in Staging Coyote's Dream: An Anthology of First Nations Drama in English -Playwright's Canada Press.

She has received many awards and honors as part of Spiderwoman Theater and as an individual artist. In 1997, she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Miami University in Oxford, OH. At this time, Spiderwoman Theater's notes, photographs and posters were the inaugural collection received for the opening of the Native Women Playwrights Archives, also at Miami University. That same year, she was selected for the Native and Hawaiian Women of Hope poster by Bread and Roses International Union's Bread and Roses Center. In 2003, she was the recipient of the first Lipinsky Residency (feminist in residence) for San Diego State University Women's Studies Department for the initial development of Red Mother. This year she received the Urban Artist Initiative Grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2005, The Smithsonian Institution's Museum of the American Indian presented a retrospective exhibit, New Tribe, New York, honoring Spiderwoman Theater's years of work. In 2009, Spiderwoman Theatre received the first Honoring the Spirit Award for Arts and Entertainment from the American Indian Community House and in 2010 have been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for Art.


CURRICULUM VITAE


HONORS, AWARDS AND GRANTS
2010
Spiderwoman Theater recipients of Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Caucus for Art
2009
Spiderwoman theater recipients of Honoring the Spirit Award from American Indian Community House
2009
Recipient of Urban Artist Initiative Fellowship from New York Foundation for the Arts
2007
Spiderwoman Theater contributors to exhibit at Museum of Contemporary Art WACK! ART AND THE FEMINIST REVOLUTION
2005
Spiderwoman Theater exhibit at National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institution NEW TRIBE NEW YORK honoring 30 years of pioneering work in theatre
2003
Recipient of 1st Lipinsky Residency for San Diego State University Women's Studies Department's Bread and Roses Center
2002
Recipient of Paul D. Fleck Fellowship in the Arts from the Banff Centre for the Arts
2000
Recipient of Rockerfeller Multi Arts Production Fund for development of PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY
2000
Honored as an elder and role model for two spirit women of color by the Brothers of the Sisters of ASTRAEA
1997
Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts awarded by Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in recognition of life's work in theater
1997
Selected for Native and Hawaiian Women of Hope poster by Bread and Roses International Union
1996
Awarded a grant from the ASTRAEA Foundation for development of TRAIL OF THE OTTER
1996
Awarded a residency from The Banff Centre for the Arts for development of TRAIL OF THE OTTER
1995
Awarded a Jerome Foundation grant for Spiderwoman Theater for artistic development
1992
Mayor's Office and Law Department Civic Award
1991
1991 Black Maria Award - Jury Citation from The Edison Media Consortium Film Tour for the film SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1989
USA Film Festival - Jury Prize for SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1989
American Indian Film Festival - Best Live Short Subject for SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1987
Indian of the Year, NYC awarded by The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
1985
New York State Council of the Arts grant for development of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER film
1985
American Film Institute grant for development of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER film

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1976-present
Artistic Director & Director / Actor / Playwright Spiderwoman Theater NYC
2010
Director RED ROMANCE: A TWO STEP PROGRAM - Centre for Indigenous Theatre Toronto, ON
2009
Director WHITE RABBIT, BEAR AND EAGLE Centre for Indigenous Theatre Toronto, ON
2009
Mary Deity #2 in TAYLOR MAC'S THE LILY'S REVENGE - HERE! Arts Centre, NYC
2008
Choreographer YOU CAN'T BEAT A DEAD HORSE from Red Mother 5th Aboriginal Choreographers Workshop with Earth in Motion World Indigenous Dance Toronto, ON
2008
Director PAWAAJIGUN, Kenora, ON
2008
Tour of RED MOTHER to Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian Washington, DC
2007
Director EVENING IN PARIS with Raven Spirit Dance Society Vancouver, BC
2007
Tour of RED MOTHER with Indigenous Performance Initiatives and Two Spirit Productions Trent University Peterborough, ON
2007
Tour of PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY to Honoring Spiderwoman Theater / Celebrating Native American Theatre Conference Oxford, OH
2006
Creator and performer in Workshop Production RED MOTHER with urban ink productions Vancouver, BC
2006
Co-creator and Director EVENING IN PARIS with Raven Spirit Dance Society and Indigenous Performance Initiatives Trent University Peterborough,ON
2005
Director: THE SCRUBBING PROJECT Touring Production Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble Toronto, ON
2005
Director of workshop production MY BABY YOU'LL BE: ANKEWI:RA ENKENHAKE… Native Earth Performing Arts Toronto,ON
2004
Aunt Shadie in THE UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL WOMEN Native Earth Performing Arts Toronto,ON
2004
Spiderwoman Theater PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY at the Gala Opening of NOZHEM: First People's Performance Space Trent University Peterborough, ON
2004
Director of staged reading CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAD for Aboriginal Australian Theatre Initiative at the United Nations NYC
2004
Creator and performer in Workshop Production RED MOTHER Indian Summer Festival American Indian Community House NYC
2004
Martha in BUZ' GEM BLUES Firehall Arts Centre Vancouver, BC
2004
Developmental choreographic work on dance piece AN EVENING IN PARIS Raven Spirit Dance Company Vancouver, BC
2003
Staged Reading of RED MOTHER Native Earth Performing Arts Toronto, ON
2003
Wrote and workshopped theatre piece for Native youth The Native American AIDS Task Force Minneapolis MN
2003
Program Director for Aboriginal Dance Program at the Banff Centre
2003
Development and 1st Workshop of one woman show RED MOTHER San Diego State University San Diego, CA
2002
Director THE SCRUBBING PROJECT Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble, Native Earth Performing Arts, Factory Theatre Toronto, ON
2002
Assistant Director MIINIGOOWEZIWIN…THE GIFT Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival
2002
Spiderwoman Theater development of PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, their 25th Anniversary show, at The Banff Centre Aboriginal Arts Program
2001
Director: Production Workshops THE SCRUBBING PROJECT Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble Toronto, ON
2001
Originated role of Spirit Woman in BONES: AN ABORIGINAL DANCE OPERA Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival
2000
Director: Production Workshops THE SCRUBBING PROJECT Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble Toronto, ON
2000
Originated role of Aunt Shadie in THE UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL WOMEN at Firehall Arts Centre Vancouver, BC
1999
Creation of new Spiderwoman show FEAR INTO SACRED at Mending The Sacred Hoop Domestic Violence Conference, Flagstaff AZ
1999
Choreographer: THROW AWAY KIDS Banff Centre Summer Arts Festival
1999
Actor for the Banff Centre playRites Colony
1999
Tour of REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS to New Zealand
1998
Performer in workshops of THE UNNATURAL AND ACCIDENTAL WOMEN at Playwright's Workshop in Montreal
1998
Actor for the Banff Centre playRites Colony
1998
Directed and developed theatre piece for minority youth The Native American AIDS Task Force in Minnesota
1998
Tour of REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS to Sweden for Indigenous Women's Theatre Festival
1998
Lulu in LOVE MEDICINE at Lifeline Theatre, Chicago
1997
Developed and directed a residency performance with the Native American communities of Gila River and Ak-Chin in Tempe, AZ
1997
SUN, MOON AND FEATHER at the First New York Fringe Festival
1996
Tour of WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY, SUN, MOON AND FEATHER and HOT'N'SOFT
1996
Developed and performed TRAIL OF THE OTTER at Banff Centre for the Arts
1996
HOT'N'SOFT Out on the Edge Festival, Boston
1996
Spiderwoman performance ATLATL Conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma
1996
Founding of SHY WOMAN SINGERS AND DANCERS, a traditional women's drum and dance troupe
1995
Tour of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1995
Performer in STOLEN LANDS in Toronto and Ontario tour
1995
Featured performer in IT CAN'T RAIN ALL THE TIME, a short film
1994
Tour of WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY and REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS
1994
Director: MORE THAN FEATHERS AND BEADS, New World Theatre, Mass.
1994
REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS at The 3rd International Womens' Playwrights Conference, Adelaide, Australia
1994
HOT'N'SOFT I and II at WOW Café, NYC
1993
Tours of WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY, REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS, HOT'N'SOFT
1993
Development and co-director INDIAN GIVERS by Native American Youth Council,NYC
1993
Director of THE REZ SISTERS, New York Theatre Workshop, NYC
1993
Development and performance of HOT'N'SOFT II Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto ON
1992
Director: 1992 BLOOD SPEAKS by Coatlicue Theatre , NYC
1992
HOT"N"SOFT at Indigenous HIV/AIDS Conference, Auckland, NZ
1992
U.S. Tour of POWER PIPES, most notably at Brooklyn Academy of Music
1992
Spiderwoman performance at the 1st Native American Writer's Conference RETURNING THE GIFT in Norman, Oklahoma
1992
Spiderwoman performance at The United Nations International Year of the World's Indigenous People, NYC
1991
Spiderwoman Theater development of POWER PIPES at Randolph Street Gallery, Chicago
1991
Developed, directed, performed one woman show HOT'N'SOFT Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, Toronto ON
1991
Keynote Speaker at International Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival Seattle WA
1991
Director SKY WOMAN FALLING at Theatre for the New City, NYC
1991
Developed and directed YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S LOVE with Native American inner city youth at The Minnesota American Indian AIDS Task Force
1990
Director of PRINCESS POCAHONTAS AND THE BLUE SPOTS at Nightwood Theatre Toronto, ON
1990
Western U.S. Tour of WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY
1990
Spiderwoman Theater production of REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS at Theatre for the New City, NYC
1989
SUN, MOON AND FEATHER at The 1st International Indigenous Women's Festival, Adelaide, Australia
1989
U.S. Tour of WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY
1989
Director COYOLXAUHTUI at Coatlicue Theater, NYC
1989
Philomena Moosetail in THE REZ SISTERS, Centaur Theatre, Montreal
1988
Philomena Moosetail in THE REZ SISTERS, Edinburgh Festival, Scotland
1987
Spiderwoman Theater development WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY, Amsterdam, Holland
1987
Originated role Philomena Moosetail in THE REZ SISTERS at Native Earth Performing Arts, Toronto & Canadian National Tour of THE REZ SISTERS
1986
Northeastern U.S. Tour of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1986
Featured performer in film SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1986
Director DOUBLE TAKE A SECOND LOOK at Native Earth Performing Arts, Toronto
1986
Founder and director Off The Beaten Path Theater Company
1985
Two month residency at Foot of the Mountain Theatre in Minneapolis, developing and directing an original theatre production with women of colour
1985
Spiderwoman Theater 10 year Anniversary Benefit at Theater for the New City
1985
Director GIVE 'EM A CARROT (FOR AS LONG AS THE SUN IS GREEN) at Native Earth Performing Arts Toronto, ON
1985
Featured Performer in SEED, a short film by Amnon Bookbinder
1984
Northeastern U.S. Tour of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1983
Western U.S. Tour of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER
1982
SUN, MOON AND FEATHER at Dramatist Guild's "Third World Women in American Theatre" at The American Place Theatre; at Indigenous Theatre Celebration in Peterborough, ON; at Harbourfront In Toronto,ON
1982
Three month European Tour of SUN, MOON AND FEATHER: Germany, Denmark, Finland Sweden.
1981
Western U.S. Tour SUN, MOON AND FEATHER to Germany, Holland, Austria
1980
Spiderwoman Tour of AN EVENING OF DISGUSTING SONGS AND PUKEY IMAGES to Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden
1979
Founder and Director of Italian Women's Theatre Company
1979
Spiderwoman Tour of AN EVENING OF DISGUSTING SONGS AND PUKEY IMAGES to Wales and Edinburgh Festival
1978
European Tour of WOMEN IN VIOLENCE to London, Italy, Germany, Switzerland
1977
European Tour of WOMEN IN VIOLENCE to Le Festival Mondiale du Theatre in Nancy, The Fool's Festival in Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Florence ,Lausanne
1976
Performance and tour of first Spiderwoman show WOMEN IN VIOLENCE
1976
Founder and artistic director of Spiderwoman Theater
1975
Performer in PRADO at Washington Square Methodist Church
1973
Womanspace Feminist Theater Tour, Northeastern United States
1972
Actor in Arabel's THEY PUT HANDCUFFS ON THE FLOWERS at the Mercer Arts Center, NYC
1972
Founding member of Native American Theatre Ensemble at LaMama
1972
Founding member Womanspace Feminist Theater
1970
Actor in Sam Shepard's SIDEWINDER at Lincoln Center, NYC
1969
Mere Ubu in MERE UBU with Open Theater
1969
Open Theatre Residency at the Public Theatre, NYC
1969
European Tour of MERE UBU to Paris, Lausanne, Berlin, Amsterdam
1968
Performer in Michaelangelo Antonioni's film ZABRISKIE POINT
1967
Performer in Open Theatre U.S. college tour
1966
Performer in Megan Terry's VIET ROCK at LaMama, NYC
1966
Performer in VIET ROCK off-Broadway, Martinique Theatre, NYC
1965
Performer in Jean Claude Van Itallie'S PAVANNE
1964
Founding member and co-director of The Thunderbird American Indian Dancers
1963
Company member of Open Theatre at LaMama, NYC
1962
Founding member Open Theatre
1961
Choreographer for Dance Performance at Cooper Union. A collaboration with jazz musician Archie Shepp and avant garde musicians Phillip Korner and Malcolm Goldstein
1960
Modern dance with Jean Erdman, Erick Hawkins, Alwin Nickolais and Murray Louis

TEACHING
2008-present
Program Director Centre for Indigenous Theatre Summer Program University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB
2006-present
Full time Instructor in Indigenous Performance at Centre for Indigenous Theatre Toronto, ON
2004 - 2008
Program Director Centre for Indigenous Theatre Summer Program Trent University Peterborough, ON
2004
Choreography workshop Raven Spirit Dance Company Vancouver, BC
1997 - 2003
Instructor in Drama for The Aboriginal Dance Program at The Banff Centre for the Arts. Continued work in developing a methodology for Native theatre and Native traditional dance.
1998 - 2006
Part time Instructor in Drama for Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Continued work in developing a methodology for contemporary indigenous theatre .
1999
Instructor in Drama for the Working Classroom Albuquerque, NM
1976 - 1980
Associate Professor of Drama at Bard College

PUBLICATIONS
Published Plays
2009
TRAIL OF THE OTTER in Staging Coyote's Dream 2 …Edited by Monique Mojica and Ric Knowles Playwright's Canada Press
2008
PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY in Performing Worlds into Being: Native American Women's Theater Edited by William A. Wortman Miami University Press
2008
WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY in Footpaths and Bridges: Voices from the Native American Women's Playwrights Archive Edited by Shirley A. Huston-Findley and Rebecca Howard University of Michigan Press
2003
WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY in Keepers of the Morning Star: An Anthology of Native Women's Theater Edited by Jaye T. Darby and Stephanie Fitzgerald UCLA American Indian Studies Centre
2003
REVERB-BER-BER-RATIONS in Staging Coyote's Dream: An Anthology of First Nations Drama in English Edited by Monique Mojica and Ric Knowles Playwright's Canada Press
1999
SUN, MOON AND FEATHER in Stories of our Way: An Anthology of American Indian Plays Edited by Hanay Geiogamah and Jaye T. Darby UCLA American Indian Studies Centre
1999
POWER PIPES in An Anthology of Native American Plays Edited by Mimi Gisolfi D'Aponte, Seventh Generation
1996
SUN, MOON AND FEATHER in Contemporary Plays by Women of Color Edited by Kathy Perkins and Roberto Uno, Routledge Press
1992
LESBIAN LOVE in Getting Wet: Tales of Lesbian Seduction by Carol Allain & Rosamund Elwin, Women's Press
1991
WINNETOU'S SNAKE OIL SHOW FROM WIGWAM CITY in Canadian Theatre Review 68
Articles and Interviews
2002
The Color of Theater: Race, Culture and Contemporary Performance by Roberta Uno & Lucy Mae San Pablo Burns
2005
An Appreciation of Spiderwoman Theater Indian Country Today
1996
Spiderwoman Theatre and the Tapestry of Story by Larry Abbott Canadian Journal of Native Studies 16
1994
Storyweaving: Spiderwoman Theatre, This is Our Theatre by Muriel Miguel, Inside Arts Magazine
Literary Essays
1996
Spiderwoman Theater: A Stage Managers' Notes by Sandy Crimmins , American Writing Magazine
1993
Acting Out: Feminist Performances Edited by Lynda Hart and Peggy Phelan, University of Michigan Press
Books
2008
American Women Stage Directors of the Twentieth Century by Anne Fliotsos and Wendy Vierow
1998
Women in Love: Portraits of Lesbian Mothers and their Families by Barbara Seyda and Diana Herrera, Bulfinch Press
1991
I'm A Vital Woman and There's Beauty in That by Muriel Miguel from Lesbians at Midlife: The Creative Transition Edited by Barbara Sang, Joyce Warshow & Adrienne J. Smith, Spinster's Book Company

WEBSITE
spiderwomantheater.org
Archive at King Library, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio