Reflections of Native Voices 2019
Presented by La MaMa’s Indigenous Initiative, Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective,
in Partnership with First Nations Dialogues, and Global First Nations Performance Network
Curated by Murielle Borst-Tarrant (Kuna, Rappahanock)
An informal reading of plays by First Nations artists, including the legendary Spiderwoman Theater, led by Muriel Miguel and Gloria Miguel of the Kuna and Rappahannock Nations; poet, playwright, and scholar Carolyn Dunn, who is of Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Seminole, Cajun, French Creole, and Tunica-Biloxi descent; Ed Bourgeois, who is French and Mohawk, managing director of PA’I Foundation, a Honolulu-based hālau hula and co-creator of Raven’s Radio Hour and Alaska Native Playwrights Project; Kuna/Rappahannock, Hopi/HoChunk artist, actor, singer and songwriter Henu Josephine Tarrant; Australian actor, narrator and director Rachael Maza, Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Yidinji from North Queensland and Meriam from the Torres Strait Island of Mer; and Choctaw/Creek/Delaware playwright Nicholson Billey.
Photo from Material Witness at La MaMa
ABOUT SAFE HARBORS INDIGENOUS COLLECTIVE
Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective is a Arts Initiative that focuses on the development and production of Native Indigenous Theater and Performing Arts in New York City. Within the broader American theater we combat stereotypes and support vibrant Native communities. We develop ongoing dialogue with policymakers about how cultural and socioeconomic issues can be approached through Theatrical performances, Performing Arts, Native Cultural Consultancy, panel discussions, and Cultural Events
ABOUT FIRST NATIONS DIALOGUES
The First Nations Dialogues Lenapehoking New York, is a series of Indigenous led performances, discussions, workshops and ceremony. First Nations Dialogues 2019 kick-starts the development of the groundbreaking Global First Nations Performance Network (GFNPN). The GFNPN is a pilot initiative focused on cultural change through commissioning, touring and presenting Indigenous performance, building demand and capacity for the presenting sector.
Running January 5 – 12, First Nations Dialogues is in partnership with The Lenape Center, Amerinda, American Indian Community House, Abrons Arts Center, American Realness, Danspace Project, Gibney Dance, La MaMa, Performance Space New York, Safe Harbors Indigenous Collective, Under the Radar, the Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP), and the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA).
The First Nations Dialogues has been initiated and led by Indigenous artists and organisers from the US, Canada and Australia in order to support Indigenous performance work. It is designed to create new opportunities for production and dissemination of work internationally, to overcome the historic under-representation of such work in the US and a dearth of support for artistic exchange between Indigenous communities globally.
La MaMa Indigenous Initiative
The La MaMa Indigenous Initiative aims to provide a platform for Indigenous arts and culture, both nationally and worldwide. La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is committed to supporting ethnic diversity, cultural pluralism, and marginalized identities in the arts. The Initiative curates original Indigenous programming, including workshops, markets, and theatrical productions, to elevate the voices and artistic works of Native communities both nationally and internationally.