The Fredericton Playhouse was graced by a splash of stardom this week. Accompanied by a trio of tomboy musicians, renowned spoken word poet Ivan Coyote performed Tomboy Survival Guide, an enrapturing performance based on Coyote’s novel of the same name.
Part story, part concert, and no parts binary, Coyote invites audiences on a journey through the soul of a transgender individual. The award-winning author/poet effortlessly cracked jokes, tugged at heartstrings, and proudly displayed their wordplay talent with unwavering levels of spunk and personability.
Beginning with a recollection of their childhood in the Yukon, Coyote gives us an image of a tomboy doing everything they can to be who they want to be, stomping on gender norms the whole way through. Who says all girls want to play ringette, anyway?
Coyote continued the story with a voice that rang far and wide, especially to the trans individuals in the room, touching on subjects like how we can feel in our bodies and being perceived by society. They were also not afraid to mention harsh, sometimes dangerous realities faced by the community.
After following that up with accounts of their family-life and continuing to stomp on gender norms, the group rounded off the night with a hymn for tomboys. The word “muscles” does not sound like a real word anymore.
Throughout the performance, the four artists showed time and time again that their talents were as fluid as their genders. Approximately halfway through the show, they lined up, with nothing but a shaker and a woodblock between the four of them, and perfectly coordinated a percussion session that made the act of slapping ones thighs look and sound mesmerizing. Coyote showed their masterclass in keeping a beat as well, as they shared some of their story alongside a drumbeat while keeping every syllable audibly pleasing and tempo-sensitive.
The group also didn’t shy away from utilizing recognizable rhythms in their performance, with a section of the performance spoken on top of a drumset, electric bass, and trumpet rendition of Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”
With years of acclaim already under their belt, Ivan Coyote’s Tomboy Survival Guide deserves all the praise it gets and more. Listening to Coyote’s inspiring messages about gender, sexuality, and identity are absolutely captivating, and as a trans individual myself, I would even be encouraged to attach words like “important” to this show.
Ivan Coyote will continue their tour of the east coast in Saint John (April 6th, 7:30pm @ Imperial Theatre), Riverview, NB (April 7th, 7:30pm @ Royal Theatre), Charlottetown (April 10th, 7:30pm @ Confederation Centre), and the Annapolis Valley (April 13th, 7:30pm @ King’s Theatre).