Bag&Baggage Productions Announces Cast For First Production Of The Native Theater Project

Bag&Baggage (B&B) kicks off its “Expanded Canon” series with the world premiere of Diné Nishłį (i am a sacred being) Or, A Boarding School Play by Blossom Johnson, performing 9/18 - 10/13 in various locations in the Portland metro area, including 10 performances in Bag&Baggage's home, The Vault Theater. The production stars six actors with deep ties to Oregon and marks the first full production for the Native Theater Project.

“A recent study by IllumiNative found that 68% of Americans want to hear Native stories that are led by Native writers, Native, directors, Native producers. I'm deeply honored to partner with Bag&Baggage to make that happen,” says Native Theater Project creative director Jeanette Harrison, who will direct the production. Harrison was associate director of the Broadway premiere of The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse last year. “I think what's really neat at this moment in time is people are realizing they get a much fuller picture of who Native people are when we get to tell our own stories. I can't wait for audiences to meet the four girls at the center of Blossom's fun and exuberant tale.”

Diné Nishłį tells the story of four teenage girls in a modern-day boarding school whose traditional song and dance group is invited to perform the Navajo National Anthem at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Starring as Rosie, the Miss Navajo Nation beauty pageant winner, is Taya Dixon, a lifelong Hillsboro resident and graduate of Southern Oregon University (SOU) who has performed numerous times on the B&B stage and is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Oregon. This past summer, Taya played Mariane in Tartuffe, B&B's outdoor production in the Plaza to rave reviews. “This project is exciting to me because there are not enough programs in place, especially in already established theaters, to uplift and support Indigenous stories,” Dixon said. “I feel like Native people have to build their own companies or build their own programs from the ground up and we don't get the same opportunities and resources to do it. So to have a theater like Bag&Baggage be so willing to uplift Native voices and share space and collaborate is really beautiful, and more theaters should be open to doing the same!”

Joining Taya and making their B&B debuts are: fellow SOU alum Dominique Knight, University of Portland graduate Aurora Hernandez, and local high school student Gia Fisher, who made her Broadway debut as a middle school punk rocker in The Thanksgiving Play. Both Fisher and Dixon have previously won the Misty Upham Award in Acting from Yale University's Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP). The cast is rounded out by Lori Tapahonso, a renowned Navajo filmmaker and former head of Lake Community College's Native Student Center in Eugene, and Laura John, who grew up in Portland and served as the city's first Tribal Relations Director from 2017-2023.

“What a gift it is to bring this piece to life with such a stellar cast that reflects not only the richness of the Indigenous artists across the nation but the incredible local artists we have here in Hillsboro and the Portland area,” says B&B producing artistic director Nik Whitcomb. “We are also welcoming back artists on the technical side that have not been with us in a while like Blanca Forzan and Tyler Buswell; this project has all the right ingredients. Can't wait to enjoy what this team makes of Blossom's beautifully crafted play.”

Diné Nishłį (i am a sacred being) Or A Boarding School Play will run September 18th to September 29th at The Vault Theater in Hillsboro, Oregon, and then will tour to community spaces in Portland, including four performances at Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) from October 4th - Oct 6th. For ticket information and more details on the production visit www.bagnbaggage.org or you can reach the Bag&Baggage box office directly at boxoffice@bagnbaggage.org or by calling (503) 345-9590x1. Diné Nishłį is included in the “Expanded” & “Premium” membership levels at Bag&Baggage.

Bag&Baggage (B&B) will present its 20th season “Expand the Canon” this year, the second season under  Artistic Director Nik Whitcomb. The season features a number of area and world premieres beginning with Birds of North America by Anna Ouyang Moench and directed by B&B Resident Artist Kymberli Colbourne on August 16th.

The Native Theater Project (NTP) is national in scope, focused on leadership development for Native creatives, new play development by Native writers, and bringing those stories to wider audiences. Established in 2024, NTP seeks to improve outcomes for Native people by actively supporting storytelling sovereignty.

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