Sydney Reviews

Photo – Jamie Williams

Tomboy Survival Guide is a charming mix of poignant story telling and music that enlightens perceptions and gracefully educates. Ivan Coyote shares their heart, path and knowledge in this stage performance based on their most recent book by the same name. Coyote is an award-winning author whose poetic and powerful way with words draws you into the story. 

While sharing Coyote's tales and of those who have written letters, Coyote makes hearts weep with a gentle sorrow and compassion while in the same moment leaves lips carved in a genuine smile. Coyote serves humour and heart-ache simultaneously and the effect is an unguarded and sincere revealing of a strong and passionate human.

The topic is gender, but the dialogue goes well beyond the limits of either/or. It delves deeper than simply starting off as a girl and becoming a boy or vice versa. It sinks into the myriad of layers that is gender and with a firm yet gentle hand reveals depths to the conversation that are oh so important to all the diverse and assorted people that inhabit this earth. It doesn’t matter what gender you identify as or whether you identify as any, Coyote's words are for you. 

The performance is a graft of spoken word and music; the two grow as one as the narrative of Coyote unfolds. The rhythm at times carries Coyote's words and at other times the melodies seem to linger in the air waiting for a prose to finish and applauded with the audience. Sally Zori, Pebbles Willekes and Alison Gorman are the band and their talents do not go unnoticed.

Tomboy Survival Guide is beautiful story telling with a bold and important message and Coyote’s performance is a powerful one.


2017 Sydney Festival
Tomboy Survival Guide

Venue: Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent | Meriton Festival Village, Hyde Park North NSW
Dates: 25 – 29 January 2017
Tickets: Priority $56 | General Admission $46 – $41
Bookings: 1300 856 876