If you've been reading Cherry and Spoon for a while, you might know that
Nature, the outdoor walking play about the life, work, and friendship of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, is one of my favorite theater experiences of all time. But what you may not know, and what I didn't know either, is that
Nature was not TigerLion Arts' first foray into ambulatory theater. Back in the early aughts,
Nature co-creators Markell Kiefer and Tyson Forbes (along with Samuel Elmore) developed
The Buddha Prince with Tibetan-American artist Tenzin Ngawang. After performing multiple times around the country, the piece was shelved while
Nature was developed and toured for the next decade. Now they're bringing it back for the first time in 14 years. I said on the
Twin Cities Theater Bloggers' podcast Twin Cities Theater Chat that if
The Buddha Prince was half as good as
Nature, it would be a wonderful experience. I'm happy to report that it is as lovely and unique an experience as
Nature, with many of the same themes and even structure, just with a different focus. A co-production with the
Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota,
The Buddha Prince is a celebration of the life and work of
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, as well as Tibetan culture, music, history, and dance.
