Indigenous Artist

Biography-Leland Faulkner

With a vision dedicated to the necessity of make-believe and the ability of theatre to be a universal art, Leland continually searches for entertaining and meaningful theatre. He is a touring artist, mime and acting coach, film and theater director, and a deviser of unique productions. Leland is the founder, and former owner/artistic director of Celebration Barn Theater in S. Paris, Maine, and trained at the feet of the great mime artist Tony Montanaro. Creative performance has been the foundation of his career. Today, Leland tours educational productions for young audiences, and family concerts for theater and festival venues. He also teaches public workshops, and privately coaches and directs performing artists.

Leland holds a degree in Motion Picture Studies, and his broad experience includes film, media and television. His films and video productions have won many awards. During the pandemic of 2020 Leland used his skills to create, direct, and edit virtual programs, as well as teach workshops on theater and virtual performance, empowering other artists to create in this new reality.

Leland has travelled the path of theatre for over thirty years and is a citizen of the world. First and foremost he is a Native American. His mother was from the Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians in Odenah, Wisconsin and his father was a Shoshone Bannock from Fort Hall, Idaho. His father worked in the Foreign Service and Leland grew up with an international background. He has lived in Afghanistan, Iran, and Africa, and when Leland stepped onto the path of the creative artist his performances took him to festivals and on tours all over the U.S., Canada, Russia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Spain, and Turkey. Experiencing life in multiple cultures has inspired his family oriented programs World of Wonder, Visions of Peace, and Walker between Worlds.

INDIGENOUS ANCESTRY

First Nations

SELF-IDENTIFICATION

Tribal Member-Bad River Band of Chippewa Indians