Description
The Berlin Blues is a play by Ojibwe playwright Drew Hayden Taylor that captures his characteristic satirical voice. In this play, the setting is a small Ojibwe reserve community facing the dilemma of sacrificing their traditional values for the exploitative economic development proposed by a German-based company. The business proposal drops into the lap of the band office's economic development officer who deals with a German couple who plan a theme-park called Ojibway World. The entrepreneurs envision the Ojibwe reserve becoming an oasis for German tourists flocking to this small community to enjoy a 44-metre laser-beam dreamcatcher; a live buffalo stampede; and the musical revue of Dances With Wolves. Life on the reserve begins to change as the theme park develops and everyone is having second thoughts. In the end the people of the community have a change of heart and a small blockade as a buffalo stampede erupts and damages installations and people's possessions. The drama is witty and satirizes the fascination of generations of Germans who grew up reading the Karl May books about Indians of North America. Mature language.