Shadow Puppetry Workshop
Yurok Wellness Coalition and Arcata Playhouse
The Playhouse and Yurok Wellness have combined efforts to offer a workshop for K-12 children across the county. Pairing Yurok storytelling with Shadow Puppetry, groups gather for ten, one hour classes with students: one opening class with a Yurok story teller introducing the story and the rest with Playhouse Teaching Artist directing the creation of the play. The intensive workshop culminates with a community performance for students, staff and families.
The teacher:student ratio in the Skue-yech Shadow Puppetry workshop is high. Playhouse Arts provides teaching artist, Yurok wellness provides elders, youth teaching-assistance and story tellers, the school teachers participate, and everyone creates the shadow puppet show together.
“We’re trying to bring our communities together because my position at this point is ‘If we don’t all of us make it, none of us will make it.’ I think that the stuff that they’re learning about, how to ask for help, how to give help, and how to receive help is a really important ‘Law of the Land,’ something that we need to know.”
Judge Abby Abinanti
Yurok Tribal Court
“Skue-yech son-ee-nah is important, not only for the Yurok peoples, but for all our relations who live and struggle with Opioid addiction and it’s destructive path.”
Laura Woods, Community Outreach
Specialist with the Yurok Tribal Court
