Concord Theatricals Acquires Licensing and Publishing Rights for the Catalog of William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.

Concord Theatricals and DG Copyright Management have announced that Concord's Samuel French imprint will represent the legendary William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.'s full dramatic catalog for licensing and publishing.

The rollout of Yellow Robe's works has launched with his titles Rez Politics, Sneaky, The Body Guards, The Council and The Star Quilter; it will continue throughout 2023. For more information, visit concordsho.ws/PerformWilliamYellowRobe.

"Concord is honored to finally make the powerful plays of William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. available to theatres around the world," said Amy Rose Marsh, Vice President of Acquisitions & Artistic Development at Concord Theatricals. "Bill's body of work lives as an example of masterful storytelling. His beautifully complex characters and poetic language deserve to be recognized as an essential part of the canon of American dramatists. These stories need to be staged and seen."

"Managing the dramatic works of William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. on behalf of the Dramatists Guild and his widow, Jeanne Domeck, is both a huge honor and responsibility. It is wonderful that Concord has teamed up with us to release his over 50 plays into the world," said Deborah Murad, Executive Director of DG Copyright Management. "His legacy as an artist, educator and advocate for Native voices in the theater endures through these plays, and we're thrilled for the next generation of artists to read and perform his work."

William Stanley Yellow Robe, Jr. (Assiniboine/Sioux, 1960-2021) was a playwright, actor, director and teacher. He was a staunch advocate for Native and Indigenous playwrights, beloved by his students and revered by his audiences. His work has been produced around the United States and in Europe, including AMERINDA (NY), The Public Theater (NY), Trinity Repertory Company (RI), Penumbra Theatre Company (MN), the Mark Taper Forum (CA) and Arena Stage (DC). A prolific author of over 50 titles, Yellow Robe was the recipient of a Foundation Residency, the Native American Achiever's Award from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, the New England Excellence Award in Theater, and the First Book Award for Drama from the Gathering of Nations. He received a Princess Grace Fellowship, a Jerome Fellowship and the Robert Rauschenberg Award, and was the 2021 recipient of the Dramatist Guild's Flora Roberts Award. The literary estate of William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. is managed by DG Copyright Management, Inc.

Concord Theatricals

is the world's most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French, Tams-Witmark and The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, plus dozens of new signings each year. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Ken Ludwig, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. Concord is the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production. Follow Concord Theatricals @concordshows. concordtheatricals.com

DG Copyright Management, Inc.

(DG©M) is an estate planning consultancy and copyright management organization established by the Dramatists Guild of America whose aim is to help dramatists devise plans for the long-term care of their copyrights. DG©M manages the intellectual property bequeathed to the Dramatists Guild with guidance from the Dramatists Guild Council. thedgcm.org

Dramatists Guild of America

Since its inception in 1919, the Dramatists Guild of America has been the professional trade association for playwrights, librettists, lyricists, and composers writing for the American stage. With over 10,000 members around the world, The Guild is guided by a governing council of writers who each give their time, interest, and support to advance the rights of dramatists everywhere, including the right for dramatists to own and control their own copyrighted work. The Guild's advocacy, programs, events, publications, and other services provide dramatists with the resources, the community and the support they require to protect their property, their livelihoods, and their unique voices in the American theatre. dramatistsguild.com

Sneaky

The only way Frank, Eldon, and Kermit know how to honor the memory of their late mother is to give her a proper Assiniboine burial. The only thing standing in their way? Her body is about to be prepared at the local funeral home.

The Star Quilter

When Luanne asks Mona, a member of the Assiniboine tribe, to make a star quilt for a senator, Mona agrees. But the gift's meaning is lost on its buyer. The Star Quilter explores the effect of consumerism on indigenous populations, asking whether integrity is more valuable than money.

Rez Politics

In a field in Montana, two ten-year-old boys are fighting over their perception of one another's mixed-race heritage. Gerald comes from Black American Indian heritage, and Curtis comes from white American Indian heritage. As the boys fight, they reveal more about their family's lives. Rez Politics wrestles with internalized racism and cost of social division on young people.

The Body Guards

Benny and Skin are charged with watching over the body of their "Uncle" Clarence until the hearse and sheriff can arrive. As Benny gets a little too close to the body and probes a little too much about what Skin knows, the two hear a voice from beyond the door. A short play about who will care about what happens to the dead.

The Council

The story of how Man was able to evolve with the help of the nations of animals that lived in harmony with one another. However, as Man and his nation grow, their harmony with animals quickly diminishes. A fable that inspects humanity's relationship to nature.

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