The All Souls River Procession is both a performance art piece and a community ritual with many characters within its framework.
Acting experience is not necessary. We are looking for enthusiasm and the willingness to embody the energy of a particular being. Most major characters will need to attend one or two rehearsal sessions, most likely the Sunday afternoon the weekend before the procession, and the Saturday morning the day of the procession.
Positions that are available this year include links to our Performer Info Form. Or if you have previously submitted your information you can email Moni directly with the name of the role you are interested in.
We hope you will feel called to join us!
2024 Cast of Characters
Greeter at the Gate
The threshold guardian at the gate between Green Anchors and Cathedral Park. The Greeter invites visitors and guests into the gardens and points them to the correct path. A playful character with an original style and demeanor (i.e. costume and concept is up to the volunteer). A general familiarity of the event would be ideal as you will likely need to field people’s questions. No rehearsal required. This role can be held by one or two people.
2024 position/s available.
Tender of the Book of Souls
The Tender collects the names of the departed before the procession begins, and writes them in the Book. At the river ceremony, the Tender will read the names aloud.
2024 position filled.
The Ritual Leader
Embodying a different form each year, the Ritual Leader might appear as a Water Dragon or a Spider at the center of the web. But regardless of her guise, she is the one who guides the ritual and holds the space at its center. This position is held by our Ritual Director.
The Willow Dancers
The Willow Dancers embody the Spirit of Willow, and guide the front of the procession with large sculpted willow lanterns. They are familiar with the route and make sure the rest of the procession follows it, while also setting the pace and steering the procession away from low hanging branches and other obstacles.
Willow is important to our region where it holds the river banks together and provides habitat, and it is also important to our procession where it is a major material used for our lantern making. It also has connections to death and the other-world, through the historic (and reviving) creation of wicker coffins for the dead, and by being a tree or shrub that prefers to grow from liminal sites between water and earth.
The 2024 Willow Dancers will be led by sacred dance group Bulla! who invite community members to join them. Please bring a lantern to carry and plan to arrive for the pre-procession orientation at 4:30pm on procession day so you can learn the steps of the dance. Costume ideas: White, tan and brown, flowing. If you would like any additional information ahead of time, please fill out the performer info form and select “Willow Dancers”.
The Reliquary Keepers
The Reliquary contains a bowl filled with messages to our beloved dead. The Reliquary Keepers collect paper messages from participants during procession line-up, and then they carry the Reliquary on a litter to the river’s edge. Additional Reliquary Keepers walk through the crowd when the procession reaches the river, then the final messages are added to the bowl before it is placed into the river and the messages set alight. Costume ideas: Formal, robed, priest/priestess/priestex-ly. Rehearsal attendance required.
2024 positions available.
Salmon / Guardian of Water
Calm and flowing. Carries the salmon lantern and represents the element of water, the season of Spring, and the direction of East (where our headwaters flow from) in our opening and closing circles. Salmon also helps lead the new Procession of the Species section, representing those beings who dwell (or once dwelt) in our planet’s bodies of water from the smallest creek to the widest ocean.
Costume ideas: Blues, teals and greys, flowy fabrics. Rehearsal attendance required.
2024 position available.
Coyote / Guardian of Fire & South
Sparky trickster who carries the coyote lantern and represents the element of fire, the season of Summer, and the direction of South in our opening and closing circles. Coyote also helps lead the new Procession of the Species section, representing those beings who bask (or once basked) in the warmth of the sun.
Costume ideas: Fiery colors, furry textures. Rehearsal attendance required.
2024 position available.
Mushroom / Guardian of Earth
Grounded energy. Carries the mushroom lantern and represents the element of earth, the season of Fall, and the direction of West in our opening and closing circles. Mushroom also helps lead the new Procession of the Species section, representing those beings who dig and tunnel (or once did tunnel) beneath the surface of our planet, or stretch their roots, mycelial or bacterial networks deep underground.
Costume ideas: Earth tones. Rehearsal attendance required.
2024 position available.
Owl / Guardian of Air & North
Quiet intensity. Carries the owl lantern and represents the element of air, the season of Winter, and the direction of North in our opening and closing circles. Owl also helps lead the new Procession of the Species section, representing those beings who travel (or once traveled) the currents of the winds.
Costume ideas: White and beige colors, feathery textures. Rehearsal attendance required.
2024 position available.
The Bone Mother
A towering skeleton queen. She guides the recently departed Souls to the river where the threshold between the realms of the living and the dead awaits their passage through. She also leads the Our Glorious Bones section of the procession.
We are planning to redesign her as a trike float for 2024, but she will still require five people to operate her. (1) Front guard to guide low hanging branches out of her way. (2) Trike operator. (3) Jaw and head control. (4) Left hand. (5) Right hand. Costume suggestions: Black with brown accents. Skull mask or skeletal make-up. Rehearsals required. Puppetry experience not necessary.
2024 positions available.
Grandmother Moon
The Old One who watches over all, and leads the Celestials section of the procession. The moon herself is an easily carried illuminated paper mache face mounted on a pole. Costume suggestions: Black and/or dark blue with bright sparkles. No rehearsal required.
2024 position available.
Characters of the Past
The Autumn King
The main character of our 2022 procession. Carried on a litter to the river’s edge, he then transformed into the Winter King, symbolizing the shift from the bright colors and abundance of the harvest season to the darkness and decomposition that comes after.
The Ghost Salmon
The main character of our 2021 procession. A large, illuminated willow-frame lantern, it was carried through the procession to the river’s edge where a tandem kayak awaited to spirit it away downstream.
Spirit of Oak & Spirit of Maple
In the 2021-2023 processions, these two characters represented the deciduous trees in our region whose falling leaves capture the essence of the season of Autumn. Both characters dressed in earth tone colors and carried fabric banners printed with oak or maple leaves. These are no longer official “Character Roles” but the Spirits of all leafy beings are invited to join in with the Procession of the Species section of the procession.