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With a brilliant blend of environmental and natural history, Dan Flores’ Coyote America traces the five-million-year-long biological story of an animal that has become the "wolf" in our backyards. The journey of the coyote to the American West and beyond isn’t just the story of an animal’s survival—it is one of the great epics of our time. Illuminating this legendary creature, Flores will be joined on stage for a conversation with playwright and chronicler of urban wildlife Melissa Cooper, who will also perform an excerpt from her play, New York City Coyote Existential.
Dan Flores is the A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of Western History at the University of Montana and the author of ten books on aspects of western US history. Flores lives just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Melissa Cooper’s award-winning plays have been produced at theaters around the country, including Dallas Theater Center, Cincinnati Playhouse, Coterie Theatre, Asolo Rep, and San Diego Rep. Melissa lives in NYC, where she really did meet a coyote in Central Park. She writes about urban wildlife on her blog, Out Walking the Dog, which The New York Times called “poetic…part ecological journal, part personal meditation.” She is currently writing a play for an ensemble of formerly incarcerated men, exploring the challenges of reentering society after years of imprisonment.
Inger Tudor is a graduate of Harvard (college and law school) and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Recent credits include Honky (Ovation nomination–Best Production), Antigone, Going to St. Ives (LA Stage Scene Award, Stage Raw and NAACP nominations for Best Lead Actress), and Romeo and Juliet (NAACP nomination–Best Supporting Actress). Television and film credits include Goliath, On Time (on HBO February 2017) Doubt, Aquarius, Hand of God, Elizabeth Blue, Lemon, The Social Network, and The Making of “Grits” (Mockumentary Festival–Best Actress Award).
