STAGE
Pacific Northwest
ACCORDING
TO COYOTE
An insight into intergenerational storytelling through an Indigenous lens
A play composed of age-old stories continues to be shared with urban and rural communities across the Northwest .
BY MATTHEW KINCANON
f you were part of Seattle , Washington ’ s theater scene in the 1970s and 1980s , you might be familiar with the name John Kauffman — the prolific actor , playwright , and theatermaker from Seattle Rep . Or you might have heard of his Emmy Award-winning one-man show “ The Indian Experience .”
Kauffman , a Nez Perce Tribe citizen , was an integral part of the city ’ s theater renaissance in the 1970s . It was during that time he recognized the need to make Indigenous storytelling through the lens of Indigenous artists an integral part of the theater culture and community in Seattle . He looked to bridge his love of theater and the stories of his youth to his original works .
His play “ According to Coyote ” originally premiered in 1987 at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D . C ., and went on to tour internationally the following year . Kauffman passed away in 1990 at the age of 42 after battling AIDS . Kauffman ’ s niece Josephine Keefe continues to keep the play alive as its director , with the current role of Coyote performed by Nez Perce Tribe artist Kellen Trenal .
” According to Coyote ” is a one-person 60-minute show that follows the trials and tribulations of Coyote , the prolific trickster of Native
48 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE