Trickster: the musical

Kindred spirits

An arts project bringing together indigenous traditions from Australia and the U.S. finds common ground in dealing with trauma, writes Tim Lloyd.North American Indians, South Australian Aborigines, a Minneapolis director, an Adelaide composer and a famed U.S. storyteller. If these aren't enough ingredients for an ensemble that goes by the name Tutti, what is? Right now, they are all at Brighton putting the finishing touches to a new musical extravaganza, Northern Lights, Southern Cross.

[Playwright Kevin Kling] has written a tale about a guy who has a motorbike accident and becomes a "heyoke". The definition of heyoke is written on the wall of the rehearsal room: "Heyoke: contrary, wrong, trickiest of spirits, who does everything backwards." The heyoke is a character out of North American Indian traditions. "They are considered healers, and oftentimes they will be someone with a disability or someone who reflects society in a shocking or hilarious way," Kling says.