STATE ARTS AGENCY
American Samoa Council on Culture, Arts, and Humanities
Pago Pago, AS

 

Artists & Communities Host Site: Samoa Arts Cooperative
Leone Village, Tutuila Island
P.O. Box 3928
Pago Pago, AS 96799

Millennium Artist:
Dan Taulapapa McMullin
Playwright/Theatre Artist
California
E-mail: taulapapa@hotmail.com

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Millennium Artist Dan Taulapapa McMullin partnered with the Samoa Arts Cooperative for his theatre-based Artists & Communities residency. McMullin's residency with the Samoa Arts Cooperative began in February 2000, and was completed in May.

The oral traditions and history of American Samoa were the focal point of activities for McMullin during his residency. Touring outlying island communities, he met with a number of elders while exploring the events leading to the ceding of the former Manu'a Islands to the U.S. Government in the early 1900's.

In addition to pursuing primary research sources and beginning to compose his new play, McMullin conducted writing and performance workshops with local Samoan artists and high school students. Participants were encouraged to experiment with writing forms, share their new work, and consider the interface between their storytelling traditions and the traditions of conventional theater.

The Samoa Arts Cooperative participated in Artists & Communities with the intent of planting seeds among a consortia of cultural, educational, and community organizations for the growth of traditional and contemporary theater arts in Samoa, and the future establishment of a Samoa Theater Festival. Toward this end, McMullin also spoke about research techniques, production, and publicity opportunities that could help promote awareness of Samoan artists both locally and abroad.

Since completing his residency, McMullin has returned to San Francisco and continued to develop his play, titled "The Shark in the Woods." The title of the play refers to an honorific bestowed on warriors; the main character is the last king of Manu'a, who traditionally held deified status among Polynesian peoples. The backdrop is crafted from the conflict between the U. S. colonial powers, rival chiefs, and the growing strength of Christianity in the islands that marked the decline of the monarch's rule.

McMullin intends to return to Ta'u Village to workshop the play, complete his research, and finalize preparation for its eventual production in American Samoa.

MILLENNIUM ARTIST BIO

San Francisco playwright Dan Taulapapa McMullin is an Emmy-nominated film/theatre artist produced by Soho Rep, Theatre Mu, and Intermedia Arts. McMullin has also been published by Cleis Press and Bamboo Ridge.