Global Indigenous Theatre Festival Honors Spiderwoman Theater at 50-Year Mark

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The festival will feature KŌPŪ, INVISIBLE SHADOWS, MAAYUMA LI MUBIRR, and ALL MY R(EL)ATIONS at La MaMa's theaters in Manhattan.

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La MaMa, in association with Spiderwoman Theater, will present the Global Indigenous Theatre Festival, a nine-day festival, produced in collaboration with Loose Change Productions, that celebrates the 50 years of Spiderwoman Theater. Artists from all over the world are coming to New York to celebrate Spiderwoman Theater, showcasing work ranging from an irreverent look at Maori feminism to the self-healing journey of First Nations people. Running October 30 - November 7, 2026, the Global Indigenous Theatre Festival honors the transformative excellence of Indigenous cultures by showcasing an eclectic range of Indigenous artists from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Minneapolis. Performances take place at both The Ellen Stewart Theatre and The Downstairs Theatre at La MaMa.

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The Global Indigenous Theatre Festival opens with Kōpū (Oct 30–Nov 1) from the Aotearoa – New Zealand-based company Te Pou Theatre. The wāhine of Kōpū weave live music, performance, poetry, and poi through a hilariously honest, no-holds-barred account of their femininity on their own terms. Kōpū invites audiences into a cheeky ballad of a show, sharing the songs of these young wāhine Māori as they navigate this world – hairy nipples first.

Over the same weekend, the Minneapolis-based Ikidowin Theater Ensemble performs Invisible Shadows (Oct 30–Nov 1), which reflects the real-life struggles of urban Indigenous youth finding their culture amidst an opioid epidemic. Written by Sharon Day and directed by Sir Curtis Kirby, the production centers on the poignant collision between the youths' aspirations and the heavy realities of addiction in their homes.

From Australia, Moogahlin Performing Arts brings Maayuma li Mubirr (Healing Scars) (Nov 4–6), a powerful performance experience by Yuwalaaraay composer and performer Warren Mason, tracing the intergenerational journey lines of First Peoples healing from injustice. An unmissable work that honours matriarchy, survival, strength and the power of First Peoples storytelling.

Aanmitaagzi, based in Nipissing First Nation, Ontario, Canada, presents All My R(el)ations (Nov 4–6), an intergenerational multi-disciplinary dance theater project built on years of storytelling luncheons with elders to celebrate a profound return to community. This collaborative performance and visual art installation culminates six years of continuous workshops, youth intensives, and community inventories designed to bring the project's title to life.

The Global Indigenous Theatre Festival closes on November 7 with a 50th Anniversary Gala celebrating the legacy of Spiderwoman Theater. Curated by Murielle Borst -Tarrant , the event will feature retrospective performance excerpts while paying tribute to the next generation of legacy-bearing artists.

General admission tickets are $30 and $25 for students or seniors, with Support the Artists tickets at $50. Ten tickets to every performance are $10 each. Two show ticket packages start at $40 and a Full Festival Pass, which includes access to all 5 events, is $100.

Details on the Global Indigenous Theatre Festival

Te Pou Theatre Aotearoa – New Zealand October 30, 31 at 7:00 PM; November 1 at 2:00 PM

The wāhine of Kōpū weave live music, performance, poetry, and poi through a hilariously honest, no-holds-barred account of their femininity on their own terms. Kōpū invites you into a cheeky ballad of a show, sharing the songs of our young wāhine Māori as they navigate this world – hairy nipples first – following in the footsteps of our naughty nannies from the marae (traditional houses) Multi-talented performers weave live music, performance, poetry, and poi through a hilariously honest and no-holds-barred account of their experiences of wāhinetanga womanhood now; the day-and-night duality of being fiercely everything at once.

Te Pou Theatre is a kaupapa Māori performing arts company and venue for all that supports the presentation and development of contemporary and community performing arts locally, nationally and internationally from its home in Waitākere, Tāmaki Makaurau. Te Pou Theatre was named in 2015 in a collective national process where Māori artists from around the motu put forward name options which were decided on by kaumātua in the industry. Te Pou stands as a support post for Māori performing arts in Aotearoa. www.tepoutheatre.nz

Ikidowin Theater Ensemble Minneapolis, MN October 30, 31 at 8:30 PM; November 1 at 4:00 PM

An authentic and honest story of growing up in the urban Indigenous community amidst an opioid epidemic. Written by Sharon Day and directed by Sir Curtis Kirby, Invisible Shadows centers on youth who participate in community prevention programs and struggle with addiction issues in their homes and communities. Their hopes and dreams collide with learning their cultures and family and community misuse of alcohol and drugs. A reoccurring question is – Can one spirit tell another what to do?

The Ikidowin Theater Ensemble is composed of Indigenous actors who tell the stories of their lives. Some of the actors came into the ensemble as young as 11 years old. They learn the craft of acting and learn to tell the stories through song and with an Indigenous lens. Originated in May of 1990, their teachers include Spiderwoman Theater, Pangea World Theater, Illusion Theater, dancers and Indigenous story tellers from various tribes.

Moogahlin Performing Arts Australia

November 4, 5, 6 at 7:00 PM

Maayuma li Mubirr (Healing Scars) is a powerful performance experience by Yuwalaaraay composer and performer Warren Mason, tracing the intergenerational journey lines of First Peoples healing from injustice. An unmissable work that honours matriarchy, survival, strength and the power of First Peoples storytelling.

Warren Mason blends the natural sounds of his Yuwaalaraay homeland, the haunting tones of his guitar, the spoken word of multiple languages and singing styles of his old people. Creating an intricate tapestry of sound interwoven with movement choreographed collaboratively by performers Jo Clancy (Wiradjuri), Lily Shearer (Murrawarri/Ngemba), Kiarn Doyle (Dunghutti) and Warren. For an experience that is raw, moving and deeply human. Maayuma-li Mubirr invites audiences to reflect in a shared catharsis of truth, healing and resilience – tracing lines from the past through ceremony, performance, and visual art.

First developed through Moogahlin Performing Arts' Yellamundie Festival at Carriageworks in 2023. Maayuma-li Mubirr had its acclaimed premiere season at Carriageworks in Sydney July 2026. www.moogahlin.org

Aanmitaagzi

Nipissing First Nation, Ontario, Canada November 4, 5, 6 at 8:30 PM

Celebrating a return to community. Aanmitaagzi's multi-disciplinary dance theatre project looks at who we are in the face of adversity and who we hope to be. Over the past six years we've inventoried what we have, what we've always had and the capacity we have to share with others. With community, this project seeks to make the E and the L no longer silent, so we can return to All My Relations!

All My R(el)ations performance and installation include both professional artists and community. It is built on a foundation of over three hundred story-telling luncheons with our elders, four summer intensives with our community's youth and numerous other weekly. workshops and intensives. Our traditional Indigenous artmaking is. multi-year, intergenerational in process and aim.

Aanmitaagzi is a professional Indigenous multi-disciplinary arts company from Nipissing First Nation, Ontario. We carry forward our legacy of land and community based intergenerational art making. In community, Aanmitaagzi gathers, eats, dreams and makes. Their multi-year projects contribute to thriving communities connected to international conversations. www.aanmitaagzi.net

November 7 at 6:00 PM

A celebration of fifty Years of Indigenous Feminist theatre. Curated and directed by Safe Harbors' Murielle Borst -Tarrant , Spiderwoman will look back at their history, with excerpts from some of their shows and a look at some of the Artists who kept them company along the way. It will also pay tribute to the artists who are carrying their legacy forward in new and exciting ways.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/GLOBAL-INDIGENOUS-THEATRE-FESTIVAL-to-Celebrate-Spiderwoman-Theaters-50-Years-20261001)._