Milwaukee Public Theatre’s Vivid, Colorful ‘Medicine Wheel’

Milwaukee Public Theatre’s Stories from the Medicine Wheel is an original one-hour program of stories drawn from the rich diversity of regional Native American traditions. Vivid, larger-than-life puppetry and costuming adds an impressive visual impact to four stories drawn around the four seasons and the Four Directions on the Medicine Wheel.

The program starts with iconic visual puppetry as the Spring story relates the Ho-Chunk/Winnebago creation story with immense, resplendently colorful Wakaja “thunderbird” puppets. The Summer Story relates the Menominee story of the creation of day and night in a dance-off between Owl and Rabbit. The rabbit is played by Shayne Steliga, who also lends a cohesive feel to the program as the Storyteller. Night and day define themselves in a fun, little excursion leading to the haunting Autumn story: an Oneida tale of a beautiful corn husk doll so enamored with its own beauty that it was punished by literally losing its face. Marla Mahkimetas has a casually understated sweetness about her as the doll. Young performer Ellette Connors makes a memorably exuberant appearance as a curious, little duck named Shingabiss in an Ojibwe Winter story that’s used to close out the show. The story of cooperation and self-reliance in the face of winter’s impending harshness comes together with bright and striking visually artistic visions for every character including a rather large, ornately-rendered puppet representing the winds of winter. Heather Henson of Flordia’s Ibex Puppetry and award-winning designer Mark Ruffin designed the show’s puppetry.

It doesn’t have a traditional run at any single venue, but Milwaukee Public Theatre’s Stories from the Medicine Wheel continues to tour to schools and public venues. For more information, visit milwaukeepublictheatre.org.