“Ghost Dance” Sweeps the Tony Nominations, Brings Glory To IAIA

Santa Fe – The Institute of American Indian Arts has received many laurels over the years; from great artists to prolific writers, the Institute has held bragging rights in many categories. Today, it can add a new star to its jacket: acting. On May 6, the American Theater Wing announced its nominations for the 2004 Tony Awards, listing Terry Gomez’s directing debut of “Ghost Dance” in eight categories: Best Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play, Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design and Best Direction of a Play.

“I am honored to have this play recognized by the American Theater Wing,” said Gomez, “It really goes to show that people out there are paying attention, and that we can make a difference if we all work together no matter what goes wrong.”

According to members of the “Cool Side of Hell”, the theater troupe that put on the production, “Ghost Dance” got off to a rocky start.

“For a while we didn’t know who was going to play Ben Bison,” said an anonymous member who will be referred to as Gerbil, “I was real confused for a while, I didn’t know if we could go on, but Terry flogged us with lines like ‘The show must go on’ and that sort of thing. I don’t know if that really worked. All I know is I have to pass the class.”

Carnage and Drama At AIHEC

Gerbil is one of the troupe’s members that witnessed firsthand the carnage and drama that resulted from Ghost Dance’s first unveiling at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium competition in Billings, Mont. in March.

“I just remember I was minding my own business, enjoying a Pepsi and keeping an eye on those Wranglers all them Rocky Boys were wearing, and all of a sudden all hell breaks loose! The actor who was supposed to play Ben Bison is missing in action, the actors are about to kill each other over artistic interpretations and I had managed to spill my pop all over my right pant leg.”

Gerbil is not the only one to have suffered trauma as a result of the AIHEC confusion. There were others as well. Another member, who will be known as “Deep Fried,” had a similar experience. “I had just finished eating a piece of fry bread and was slicking my hair back with the leftover grease when the fighting started. It was too much for me to handle so I just went to the back of the van, leaned my head up against the window and went to sleep.”

What actually happened most people will probably never know. The stories vary as to why Ben Bison didn’t make it from allegations of traffic and Denver March Powwow to insensitivity in regards to a particular actor’s methods in understanding their character to attacks by pirates from a local bar. Regardless of what happened, by the end of the ensuing tizzy, Ben Bison seems to have undergone a sex change and serious brown nosing had begun as Bernice Dahl took on Ben’s role and the original Ben began trying to make up for being late.

But this was only the first problem “Ghost Dance” encountered.

The Wolves Sent to Cotillion Boot Camp

“The wolves couldn’t dance,” Gomez says, “I tried teaching them the jitterbug, the foxtrot and even showed them my booty dance, but it didn’t work.” According to Gerbil, Gomez also wanted the wolves fully naked. And she began trying to have practice just for the wolves at her house on some nights. In the play, the wolves were required to dance with the character “Standing Woman” in her court scene monologue, a move that was not originally in the script but was later added by Gomez.

“It was crucial that they knew exactly what to do. It was one of the most important scenes in the play, and we couldn’t have two wolves on stage that didn’t know how to dance.” With only one week to opening night the wolves were eventually sent to cotillion boot camp where they not only learned how to dance, but were instructed on the proper use of silverware at dinner as well.

“This was our one chance to make a name for ourselves,” states Deep Fried, “Cotillion was one of the best things that could have happened to those two. Now I can actually sit and have a pleasant dinner conversation with them in the cafeteria. They even taught me a few dance moves, too.”

This was not the only problem with the wolves though, there was the director’s interpretation of what would be the right music for the scene. “I originally wanted them to dance to Duran Duran’s ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, but because they couldn’t dance we had to settle for something slower.”

There was also the issue of what would make good graffiti art for the narrator’s scenes. Gerbil explains, “The graffiti artist was a real prima-donna. First he wanted frescoes, then he said he’d settle for a roman-style mosaic. But I remember Terry said, ‘You’re a graffiti artist for god’s sake, not a mosaic artist! If you were a mosaic artist, it would say mosaic artist in the script.’ We eventually went with some traditional designs from the people of Turtle Falls: a chick-fil-a symbol, Kokopelli and a turtle.”

The Show Must Go On

By show time, Gomez was at the end of her rope, “I hadn’t showered in two days, my hair was a mess, and I noticed that there were a large number of cats living in my house all of a sudden. But I knew we had to go on regardless of the cats,” says Gomez.

But her hard work paid off, and on opening night a representative from the American Theatre Wing sat in the audience, catapulting IAIA to national fame and stardom.

“I think that Tony guy had something to do with it, but we had been chanting ‘Money, Glamour, Power’ for quite a while, so I think that really had the most impact,” says Gerbil.

Ghost Dance now stands to sweep the Tony’s for such obvious categories as Best Director and Best Play, but what makes it stand out above the rest in Best Costume Design, Best Lighting Design?

“Well the lighting guy fell asleep a few times, or was busy drinking coffee,” says Gerbil, “and I think that really added to the play. A few times he would turn on the projector and lights at the wrong time and the effect was really eerie. Money well spent is all I can say.”

Goodwill—Where the Artists Shop

And Best Costume Design? Deep Fried explains: “Well there was a big problem at first with the costumes. Terry wanted some very extravagant items that would have really spiced the play up but we didn’t have the money. Besides we go to an art school, and if you’re an artist you can only shop at Goodwill. No matter how successful you become you have to shop there and tell everyone about it. It’s the rules. Then people will call you eccentric, and that’s one of the highest compliments you can get as an artist.”

The cast of “Ghost Dance” eventually ended up at Goodwill for most of their clothing choices. However, many costumes were created by “Mongoose” (not her real name).

“A lot of people said Nee’s character looked like Pocahontas, but I disagree,” says Mongoose. “I think they’re just jealous of my creativity. And what if he did look like Pocahontas anyway? I think it would be kind of sexy.”

Mongoose acknowledges the contrast created by her traditional costumes and those worn by the modern characters. “Locust would have been that much better if he just wore some shoes. And those jeans! He should have at least put a sock in those Wranglers or something. I’m just glad such a sharp difference was created by the two different types of costumes. I guess, it really gives a sense of history and destiny, sock or no sock!”

Through the hardships and tears though, “Ghost Dance” has achieved what many believed was impossible: it has put IAIA on the map. The play’s detractors have stated that the acting and play production classes are worthless to the school unless they can bring in money or give the school notoriety, which is exactly what it has done. At the beginning of the semester the play production class made the front page of the “New Mexican,” and the play brought in nearly $500 in donations.

“They’re just jealous,” says Deep Fried, “But don’t worry, when it really begins to take off they’ll come around.”

Currently, there is a plan for another play next semester, but what it is hasn’t been decided yet. Gomez has said she’s ready to move on from “Ghost Dance,” and the students from the Cool Side of Hell are ready to try something new as well.

“I think we should do Hair,” says Gerbil, “or maybe Macbeth.”

Regardless of what is chosen, it’s safe to say that we haven’t heard the last of the IAIA theater program.

Disclaimer: This is a spoof, Terry Gomez did not say any of this, the Tony's did not nominate "Ghost Dance", the characters, informants, and events in this story may be based on true events and people but have nonetheless been twisted and distorted so much that it's probably not a good idea to believe any of it.