A PRODUCTION OF NAY AH SHING SUMMER SESSION THEATER PRODUCTION AT ABI
Photos and story by Vivian LaMoore, Inaajimowin Editor
The students of the Nay Ah Shing Summer Session participated in a creative presentation of 'Grandmother's Pigeon' by Louise Erdich on July 17, 2024. The students chose to have a reader tell the story as though she was reading a bedtime story while the actors enacted the storyline.
The actors were Laryah Bellanger, Kofi Cash, and Terrance Stillday. The helpers have included Rayna Skipintheday, Chasity Nickaboine-Kegg, Mariah Gomez, Amiyah Provo, Fia Garbow, Ciara Oswaldson, Leighnah Garbow, Chance Nickaboine-Kegg, Mina Bouvette, Michael Whiteeagle, Donovan Johnson, Carter Anderson, Nadirah Beaulieu, and Justice Drumbeater. The reading was performed by Amanda Nickaboine-Meyer. Special thanks goes out to Scott Logi, Ashley Heise, Clayton Benjamin, the kitchen staff for making a delicious lunch, and to the families and friends for their support.
The story and production were simply magical from beginning to end. It was told through the words of a curious grandchild about the grandmother's peculiar and sudden departure after she hitched a ride on a passing porpoise and headed for Greenland. The whimsical story unfolds with wonder as the family discovers a just-hatched nest of birds in Grandmother's bedroom. The windows were shut and the door closed, so where did the hatchlings come from? Could the stuffed pigeon on Grandmother's shelf have had anything to do with this?
The actors were charming and appeared to be having a great time. Students helped to create the set with things they found around the school and designed to give students the idea to let their imagination sore to create sets and perform their own theater productions at home.
About the author (Source: Wikipedia)
Karen Louise Erdrich is a Native American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American char- acters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota, a fed- erally recognized tribe of Ojibwe people. Her awards include but are not limited to: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, National Book Award for Fiction, National Book Critics Circle Award for Fic- tion, American Book Award, and more.
