Spiderwoman Theatre Group. image copyright Spiderwoman Theater Group

Spiderwoman Theater (USA, founded 1975)

The Spider Woman Theater Company was founded by sisters Lisa Mayo, Gloria Miguel and Muriel Migue as a group which mostly worked with performers from a Native American background. The company's name is derived from a Hopi goddess. Their productions interweave dialogue, movement and music to connect different narrative strands, often adding slapstick comedy. For its method, the group has coined the term 'storyweaving'. 'Women in Violence', the first Spiderwoman production, was premiered in New York in 1976 to great success, which also brought the group to Europe. In its productions Spiderwoman continues to examine the current situation and the history of Native Americans, resistance and survival.

The film "The Spiderwoman Theater Group from New York" (1979) was produced during the company's "Lysistrata Numbah' tour. In their performance "Lysistrata Numbah', premiered in 1977, Spiderwoman Theater created a revue of likeable and less likeable characters, satirizing female gender stereotypes.