On the Road with our Executive Director

As you know, our beloved Frybread Queen began her reign at Montana Rep last weekend and, of course, our Artistic Director, Executive Director, and Managing Director (Randy, Jeannie, and David) all made the trip to Missoula to witness her debut. Caroline, Jenn, and I didn't want to be left out so we insisted that Jeannie send us a few pictures from the road (to the left you'll see one of the yummy lunches she made us drool over) and give us something we can share with all of you. Her entry is below. Enjoy the read!

What an opening!

First of all, Carolyn has written an extraordinary play – a love story, a ghost story, a story full of surprise twists and turns that kept the audience on the edge of their seats. The characters are deep, their relationships complex, and the secrets they keep – dark and powerful!

We’ve had such a wonderful time working with Carolyn over the past three years as she’s shaped and crafted her story (originally a novel) into this play. We’ve had numerous workshops and staged readings with exceptionally talented actresses, directors and dramaturges providing Carolyn with the opportunity to hear her words in workshops and with an audience. Getting the play up on its feet was the next step in our development process so we asked Carolyn to continue her work revising her play with Jere Hodgin as director and Robert Caisley as dramaturg. 

One of the main things we wanted to explore was the presence of the dearly departed son, father, husband and lover – Paul – who we never see on stage, but who is there from the beginning. All four of the women feel him, see him or are possessed by him. This developmental co-production would give us the opportunity to fine tune the script and, for the set, lighting, and sound designers, to create those things that would make Paul real not only for the actresses but for the audience as well.

Jere cast the play with four superb actresses. Jane Lind gave a tour de force performance as Jessie, the tough Navajo grandmother who's left to pick up the pieces of her life while trying to protect her granddaughter Lily who was played with rebellious glee by Tiffany Miewald. Lily Gladstone as Carlisle, the good Cherokee auntie with the sweet façade, tries to console the devastated Lily and keep the peace while Arigon Starr as Annalee, the stepmom and outsider, clashes with Jessie over who’s to blame for Paul’s sorrows. Possessed by her own demons and regrets, Annalee, an Oklahoma Creek lawyer who is dying of lung cancer, desperately clings to life and her claim on Lily, determined to rid the family of its ghosts. Each of the performers was pitch perfect. Their interactions with each other were honest and truthful and their reactions to Paul’s presence made him all the more real to the audience.

Scenic designer Johanna Josephian gave us a realistic set complete with a creaky screen door, a comfy old rocker, a wobbly picnic table and an old fashioned two-seater glider that moved on its own whenever Paul wanted to make his presence felt. She was aided by lighting designer Mark Dean and sound designer Jayson L. Ferguson who continued to up the ante each time Paul was “on stage” with swirling lights, a flicker, an ominous glow and the sounds of breath, wind, thunder, a slamming screen door or subtle music. It all worked and it all made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Judging by the way the audience leaned forward in their seats whenever they felt Paul’s presence - Paul was definitely in the theater and on that stage!

I’d like to thank everyone involved with this production from its earliest readings to this wonderful production. I’d also like to congratulate Montana Rep and the University of Montana for their commitment to Native theater and the Native voice. We are proud to have had the encouragement and support of UM President George M. Dennison, Provost Royce C. Engstrom, Dean Stephen Kalm, and The College of Visual and Performing Arts.  

We are especially thankful to The School of Theatre & Dance and its Director Mark Dean, and to Montana Rep and its Artistic Director Greg Johnson. We’ve had such a wonderful time collaborating with them this year and they did such a great job getting the word out and getting a Native American audience in to see the show – many of whom attended the invited preview performance and after party at the beautiful Payne Family Native American Center on campus. They had lots of help from the American Indian Student Services and its Director Fredrika Hunter, and The Department of Native American Studies. We were thrilled when a Native student commented during the talk back that this was the first play she’d ever been to and that she came because of the storyline and the chance to see four Native women on stage!  

We look forward to the next steps on our way to the world premiere of The Frybread Queen next March at The Autry. Join us on our journey when we do our final workshop and readings of The Frybread Queen on November 4th and 7th during the American Indian Arts Marketplace at the Autry. Carolyn, Jere and Rob will work with a local cast to iron out the last few issues with the text. Check out the Autry Calendar for more information on our November readings and email NativeVoices@theautry.org to make your reservations today.

In the words of Dr. Dunn...

From Dr. Carolyn Dunn's dissertation Carrying the Fire Home: Performing Nation, Performing Identity, Indigenous Diaspora, and Home in the Poems, Songs, and Performances of Arigon Starr, Joy Harjo, and Gayle Ross:

What does it mean to be an Indian living far away from the place where they emerged? How can these words connect other American Indians living far away from home, from family, from community, to not only “home”, but the adopted “home” as well?

This project started as I asked myself questions of my own work as a poet, playwright, storyteller, and musician. My American Indian blood comes from the Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, and Tunica-Biloxi tribes of the southeast, from Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama. My creative work has focused on the myths, legends, and ceremonial life of the ancestors and of the contemporary tribal life of my family, relatives, and friends. I grew up listening to the family stories and the creation stories of how we came to be, and how we traced our lineage all the way back to the Old Country: the Old Country being the old national, tribal boundaries and into the new nations after Removal.

As I began my own journey as a poet, as a playwright, as a storyteller and a singer, learning from family and friends, I knew that as a second generation Californian, the Old Country to us was not another continent but a place that was just east of our modern homeland of Los Angeles, California. The stories of “home” became a lifeline for me, a connection to my immediate past and a connection to my ancestors who survived the unimaginable so that I could live. So, I began to write about what I knew of my family stories, with the knowledge that while I was an Indian from California, I wasn’t a California Indian. I came from somewhere else.

As I write this, our favorite Ph.D. is currently nestled in Missoula, Montana rehearsing for the developmental production of her play, The Frybread Queen, which is being co-produced by Native Voices and Montana Rep. Before she left, I had the opportunity to ask her a few questions about the play as a way of whetting your appetite for the deliciousness that is frybread! And if you'd like to hear more about her exploits in her own words, feel free to journey on over to her personal blog, Tales from a Hollywood Indian.

Carlenne Lacosta: What inspired the creation of Frybread Queen?

Carolyn Dunn: Well, I wanted to write a play about four women that was about their relationships with one another. I miss the old days of feminist theater, you know, in the vein of La Mama and Maria Fornes and Spiderwoman Theater, all of those folks out of New York. I had four very strong women in mind to play these roles, and basically this was a play written for four very strong actresses as women who were afraid to let go of their secrets.

CL: For us non-Natives out there, what is frybread and what is its significance in your play? 

CD: Now that is such a loaded question, Carlenne! Frybread is not exactly the healthiest thing around but man is it yummy! It's basically bread dough that's fried in lard or grease until golden brown. You can eat it like a tostada, with beans, cheese, hamburger, mutton, deer meat, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and salsa, or as a dessert with honey or powdered sugar. Like with every recipe, there are many different ways to make frybread, usually varying by tribe or where one grew up, and I liked the idea of using frybread as a metaphor for cultural differences between families that are made up of differing tribes.

CL: How would you say the play has evolved since its first workshop with Native Voices?

CD: It has changed throughout the years, I think that it's gotten tighter and more suspenseful. It plays with the idea that secrets can destroy families and especially secrets in haunted houses. But at the basic core of the play is the idea that love and humor can heal us. And food too. Comfort food. I mean, a good piece of frybread can help you overcome anything. Except heart disease or diabetes. But I throw in a little twist, like adding whole wheat flour to the mix.

CL: What are you most looking forward to in regards to this upcoming production in Montana?

CD: I'm really looking forward to seeing how my vision of the play lines up with our director's. Jere Hodgin is so much fun to work with and this is the second piece I've worked with him on. Jere understands the generational issues that are dealt with in The Frybread Queen and he has championed the play since early on. I also am looking forward to seeing how audiences will react to humor in the face of overwhelming tragedy.

CL: If you could sum up your play in one word, what would it be?

CD: Greasy. (hey, you asked!)

CL: What would you say is your greatest achievement?

CD: Being a mom.

Check back next week for more on Frybread Queen's time in Montana. And, on a partially related note, Native Voices will be holding auditions the weekend of September 25th for our First Look Series, which Frybread Queen is a part of. Please click here or contact Caroline Chang for more information.

Till next time!