The Maskery: Hamumu


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The Hamumu Theatre Collective The Cooperative was founded in 2008 by George Melas Taylor who has been the director and lead singer of the ‘Lelala Dance Society’, a family of traditional singers and dancers of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) Nation. Taylor invited Craig Jacobrown a noted wood carver, puppeteer, mask performer and artistic director of /the Maskery / to help assemble a team of theatre professionals. The Collective was formed to integrate strong traditional NW Native story, song, dance, sculptural and two dimensional forms with the aesthetic and technical production values of modern mask and puppet theater. Together they are producing ‘ECHO’ as their inaugural touring show.	Echo Watch a promo of ECHO here. The story focuses upon a young man’s deep desire to find his path in life. He embarks on a spiritual quest with a frog in which he rides on Raven’s back and gains guidance from the Mouse Woman through acts of compassion. Arriving at the Bighouse ceremony of all the animals, he witnesses their dances. He also learns their secret- that when animals take off their skins they are human inside. Like the Kwakwaka’wakw ancestors and people today, it is our goal to promote presenting this story in an educational and magical performance. The story includes messages for environmental sensitivity, seeking advice from elders, finding your direction in life and persevering against life’s challenges. The production promotes the Kwakwaka’wakw arts of painting, sculpture and dance, features ceremonial dance, stylized carved wooden sculptural forms of masks, headdresses and wooden puppets that come to life on the heads of the dancer/performers. The set features two ‘totemic’ house posts and a scrim where animated shadows enlarged 500-1000% their original size reflect the two dimensional form-line design stylistically unique to Northwest Coast. ECHO will be on tour after it premiers in March 2010. Contact us if you are interested in having our show come your way.

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The Hamumu Theatre Collective

The Cooperative was founded in 2008 by George Melas Taylor who has been the director and lead singer of the ‘Lelala Dance Society’, a family of traditional singers and dancers of the Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) Nation. Taylor invited Craig Jacobrown a noted wood carver, puppeteer, mask performer and artistic director of /the Maskery / to help assemble a team of theatre professionals. The Collective was formed to integrate strong traditional NW Native story, song, dance, sculptural and two dimensional forms with the aesthetic and technical production values of modern mask and puppet theater. Together they are producing ‘ECHO’ as their inaugural touring show.

Echo

Watch a promo of ECHO here.

The story focuses upon a young man’s deep desire to find his path in life. He embarks on a spiritual quest with a frog in which he rides on Raven’s back and gains guidance from the Mouse Woman through acts of compassion. Arriving at the Bighouse ceremony of all the animals, he witnesses their dances. He also learns their secret- that when animals take off their skins they are human inside.

Like the Kwakwaka’wakw ancestors and people today, it is our goal to promote presenting this story in an educational and magical performance. The story includes messages for environmental sensitivity, seeking advice from elders, finding your direction in life and persevering against life’s challenges. The production promotes the Kwakwaka’wakw arts of painting, sculpture and dance, features ceremonial dance, stylized carved wooden sculptural forms of masks, headdresses and wooden puppets that come to life on the heads of the dancer/performers. The set features two ‘totemic’ house posts and a scrim where animated shadows enlarged 500-1000% their original size reflect the two dimensional form-line design stylistically unique to Northwest Coast.

ECHO