T Y D E F O E
Ojibwe + Oneida Nations
Writer | Actor | Interdisciplinary Artist
Milwaukee Public Theater Presents:
"Stories From the Medicine Wheel"
A stage adaptation of traditional aboriginal stories from the last cultures to inhabit this area of the continent, Stories from the Medicine Wheel tells traditional tales from the Potowatomi, Oneida, Ojibwa, Menominee, and Ho-Chunk Nations.
Story content, music and movement overseen by Ty Defoe to ensure that it is true to the cultural traditions it is looking to render. Defoe will also be present for one week as movement, dance and movement coach for the production.
Directed by Ron Fry (Optomist Theater)
Puppet design by Heather Henson and Mark Ruffin of Ibex Puppetry.
Live at the MET: Meet the Civilians
"The Way They Live"
"The Metropolitan Museum is turning a theater company loose in its collections," the Wall Street Journal wrote on the day of the announcement. And, just before their first performance at the Met, September's Let Me Ascertain You, Time Out New York's theater critic wrote a piece with the headline: "Downtown docutheater darlings The Civilians get institutionalized at the Metropolitan Museum." How does priceless art and an already iconic space get reimagined by an investigative theater troupe?"
With the ability to find the theatrical elements in almost any subject, the Met's curatorial departments have provided exciting inspiration for The Civilians.
They will further their mission when they premiere a new work, The Way They Live, on May 15 and 16. Still very much a work in progress, The Way They Live is a commission that asks The Civilians to explore The American Wing and poses the question of "What does it mean to be an American?" As the final program of their yearlong residency, it will be a fabulous opportunity to see just how intimate The Civilians were able to get with the Met.
Ty Defoe is a contributing writer for the Civilian's program, The Way They Live.
ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop with Stephen Schwartz
"Clouds Are Pillows for the Moon"
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to present selections from original works in progress for professional critique. Each session will feature prominent guests from all aspects of musical theatre, including producers, directors, critics, performers and composers.
Clouds: Two outsiders—17-year-old Ella, from the Ojibwe reservation in Wisconsin, and P., an exchange student from Thailand—embark on a rite-of-passage road trip that will leave their childhoods behind forever. Clouds Are Pillows for the Moon features a haunting score that mixes contemporary American sounds with music from the Ojibwe and Thai cultures.