Native Youth Storytelling Workshop

The Native Storytelling Youth Theater Workshop is a program for teen-aged Native youth. The Workshop is an opportunity for youth to build their connections to traditional Native culture and storytelling, to meet other Native youth in a positive environment, and to become involved in the effort to preserve and revitalize the Native languages of the Inland Northwest. The Workshop is being presented as part of the Celebrating Salish 2012 Conference.

We are inviting a limited number of chaperoned groups with 3 to 10 youth from local Native communities to participate in the Native Storytelling Youth Theater Workshop. In order to participate, groups will choose a traditional story from their community that they would like to work with at the workshop. The story must include at least some words in a Native language, and might be ALL in a Native language. There will be some stage props available for your performance but each group in encouraged to bring any special props/costumes needed in their story performance. Don McLaughlin, retired Lecturer, was a member of the Theatre Faculty at EWU for fifteen years. In that time, he established Stage Door to the Future, a year round Theatre School for Youth for students aged 7-17. Five years ago, he began to assist with the Kalispel Ambassador's Program at Cusick High School with the goal of helping them develop native language skills through productions of live theatre.

The workshop will focus upon developing the skills of storytelling through the use of the performer’s body, voice, and mind. Students will learn the importance of warming up for performance-stretching, breathing, interacting and energizing. Second, they will learn the jargon of the theatre-upstage, downstage, stage left and stage right. Third, they will play theatre games, using Native words to aid in communication and to find the “fun” in performance and aiding in the creation of characters. Fourth, they will work on using their voice in an appropriate way-projection, enunciation and microphone utilization. Fifth, they will rehearse with their group for the performance at the end of the close of the Celebrating Salish 2012 Conference.

All youth and chaperones participating in the Native Storytelling Youth Theater Workshop must be registered for the Celebrating Salish 2012 Conference. In addition to attending the workshop, each participant will receive entrance to all of the 2012 Celebrating Salish events, including general sessions and meals.

If you are interested in sending a group of youth from your community please contact the following.