"Muntu" is a Kikongo word that means both 'tree' and 'person.'

Natalie Marlena Goodnow's one-woman show of the same name is a reflection on the relationships that exist between trees and people, between old Austin and its changing cultural landscape, and between the author and her many selves. It is an invitation to reflect.

The piece is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the playwright and musicians Travis Jeffords and Josh Casiano, with artistic direction from Cliff Miller, and additional direction from Teatro Vivo's Rupert Reyes, San Antonio's Marisela Barrera, and Performance Encounters' Leticia Rodriguez.

Natalie Marlena Goodnow has previously performed Muntu in San Antonio at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center as part of Teatro Fest (October 2008), and in Austin in Teatro Vivo's collection of new works, Voces de Vivo, and in Hyde Park Theater's Frontera Fest (February 2008). She is currently touring Muntu to diverse community settings in Austin.

At each performance, actress Natalie Marlena Goodnow 'harvests' written and drawn responses to the piece. The Austin tour of Muntu will culminate in an installation that showcases these responses, Muntu: Reflections in East Austin.