ReMembering: Singing Wateris an original choral film that explores Minnesota as a place of both home and exile for Indigenous people, LGBTQ people, and immigrants. Interconnected stories are brought to life through choral music, spoken word, animation, and life-size puppets.
ReMembering is a collaboration with water protector Sharon Day; puppeteer Sandy Spieler; singer-songwriter Sara Thomsen; and features performances by Kymani Kahlil, Tara TanaǧidaŋToWiŋ, and theIkidowin Youth Acting Ensemble. Thank you to filmmaker Will Hommeyer and Blue Moon Productions for their work on this project.
Watch ReMembering: Singing Water
You may watch ReMembering at no cost at any time. If you would like to support One Voice your donation is appreciated. After you register, your viewing link will be emailed to you.
Sharon Day is a theater director, poet, water-protector, Ojibwe water-protector and serves as Executive Director of the Indigenous People’s Task Force. She is enrolled in the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and is a second degree M’dewin.
In 2003, when Grandmother Josephine Mandamin walked Lake Superior, Sharon walked two days on the eastern shore near Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario. Since then, she has led 20 water walks, leading several each year.
She is an editor of the anthology, Sing! Whisper! Shout! Pray! Feminist Visions for a Just World; Edgework Books, 2000. She has written several plays for Ikidowin Acting Ensemble and Pangea World Theater. Some of her music is recorded on the CD Nibi Walk River Songs.
Sandy Spieler is a sculptor, painter, graphic artist, performer, theatre director, teacher and perpetual student. Her work includes tiny puppet shows performed in a suitcase, community collaborative performances, performance installations, main stage theater productions, permanent public art commissions, and streetscape designs, teacher of countless residencies in community settings and universities. She is one of the founders of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre and served as its Artistic Director for 47 years. Find additional information at www.sandyspieler.com.
Sara Thomsen performs as a solo artist, as well as artistic director of Three Altos and director of the Echoes of Peace Choir. Thomsen is an award-winning songwriter and has been the recipient of various community honors including the YWCA Women of Distinction Leadership Award, Men as Peacemaker’s Community Peacemaker Award, St. Louis County Arts Excellence Award, and City of Duluth's Distinguished Artists Award for her various efforts to build community through music. Thomsen is the producer of five solo albums, two Three Altos albums, and a duet album with her partner and fellow alto, Paula. Learn about Sara on her website, www.sarathomsen.com.
Kymani Kahlil (She/Theirs/Viewers Choice) is a Twin-Cities based generative theater artist, singer, dancer and musician. She has spent over a decade honing her skills as a generative artist through her work with Regional Twin Cities Theaters, as well as public schools and programs for young artists, as a director, music director, composer, and choreographer. is currently developing their one person show “Peaches & Pickles: Perspective Is Suspect”, which explores the intersections of Race, Gender & Sexuality, Spirituality and Racial Profiling.
Tara Perron (Tana?ida?ToWi?) is a Dakota and Ojibwe mother. She grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She studied Dakota language and culture at Metro State University. She is the author of Takoza: Walks With the Blue Moon Girl. Tara is inspired by the loving hearts of her sons: she is a creator and has always loved to write. She believes in the healing power of art and storytelling. She spends her days dancing in her garden and singing to the moon. Visit www.bluehummingbirdwoman.com for more information.
Incorporating the educational piece on healthy relationships, sexual health, and consent through theater, allows the youth to present this information to their peers in an innovative way. Theater or story telling is an age-old method of knowledge transfer in the Indigenous community and today is an outlet for youth to express themselves creatively while also spreading awareness and education on important topics. They cover many different topics that are important for all youth to know. These experiences help our ensemble members develop leadership skills, oral communication skills, creative problem-solving abilities while encouraging responsibility, motivation and commitment. More information is available at the Indigenous Peoples Task Forced web site.
As producer, Will ensures that the production runs smoothly and stays on budget. His extensive media background includes producing a wide range of projects, including corporate communications, media campaigns, documentaries and television spots.
Will is a gifted director of photography with an artful, cinematic eye. He is a versatile and talented video editor whose style is grounded in the classic form but continues to evolve with a contemporary edge. Will brings his passion to every project he works on and is especially drawn to stories that tap into the extraordinary resilience of the human spirit.
Besides being a passionate filmmaker and photographer, Will enjoys canoeing on the myriad of Minnesotan and Canadian lakes and tributaries.
Visit www.bluemoonpro.com for more information on Will and Blue Moon Productions.
Funders
A special thank you to the funders who made ReMembering possible:
The Lee Family Foundation and also the following
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Accessibility
All performances are accessible. Braille programs available.
The Friday performance will be ASL interpreted by Tracy Villinsky
Both venues offer accessible seating and restrooms are located inside each building.
Accessible parking in the Springboard parking lot is available upon request.
At the East Side Freedom Library, the movie will be shown in the backyard. The best wheelchair entrance is via the alley to the south of the library between Magnolia and Jessamine Streets. Accessible parking will be designated on Jessamine St.
Please e-mail Mitch Fantin if you have any accessibility requests or concerns. We will also have an Accessibility Coordinator on-site to assist.
• All rides are $1 in September and October! • Masks are required on all Metro transit buses and trains, even if vaccinated. • For great directions from a real live person, call 612-373-3333.
Springboard for the Arts (Sept 24): From either downtown take the Green Line to University and Western. Walk three blocks East to Springboard for the Arts on the South side of University.
East Side Freedom Library (Sept 25): From Downtown St Paul take bus number 64, any letter going East on 5th. (5 & Minnesota is good). Get off at Payne and Magnolia. Walk one block North to Jessamine. Turn right and walk one block to the Library on your right.
ReMembering in the Community
We are excited that many community groups have shown ReMembering: Singing Water. If you would like to host a viewing, fill out afilm request.
2022 Screenings
Oct 10 &11, 2022 Streamed in honor of National Coming Out Day & Indigenous Peoples' Day
May 10, 2022 MN UU Social Justice Alliance
Apr 21, 2022 Minneapolis College - UNITE/Three Legged Frog
Mar 18, 2022 MN Valley Unitarian Universalist
Mar 1, 2022 United Theological Seminaries
Jan 26 Unity Church Unitarian, St. Paul
Jan 6 One Voice YouTube Premiere
2021 Screenings
Nov 16 Minnesota Peace Building
Oct 17 GALA Choruses
Oct 14 GALA Choruses
Sept 25 Eastside Freedom Library (Premiere)
Sept 24 Springboard for the Arts (Premiere)
2022-2023 Season
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