First Storyteller’s Festival: Pink Man or the Only Indian in the Room

Where: Dairy Arts Center

“I’ve been stuck in the middle my entire life. I’m afraid to be red. But, I’m not just white, either. I guess I’m…pink. Pink Man.” Pink Man: or The Only Indian in the Room follows a young Ojibwe on a semi-autobiographical, semi-realistic journey of self-discovery as he battles tradition, stereotypes, and himself. Mixed-blood and white-presenting, Pink Man deals with internal and external struggles over identity and heritage, always worried about how others see him. Guided by the Anishinaabe trickster Nanabozhoo, he grapples with expectations, self-doubt, and acceptance from other Native Americans in Marty Strenczewilk’s comedic hero’s journey. Pink Man utilizes Ojibwe storytelling traditions in a modern setting while humorously exposing the various ways Native culture has been distorted, erased, and rediscovered over time.