Native Voices at the Autry, America's leading Native American theater company, continues its 10th Anniversary Season with the West Coast premiere of the critically applauded one-man show Tales of an Urban Indian by noted Canadian playwright/actor Darrell Dennis (Shuswap*). Dennis, a veteran of the noted comedy school Second City, stars in the dark comedy directed by Herbie Barnes (Ojibway*), which opens Saturday, March 13 and plays through Sunday, March 28, 2010 (previews begin Thursday, March 11).
Two special post-performance "Talk Back" programs, featuring an opportunity for the audience to talk with the playwright, are slated for Sunday, March 14 and Sunday, March 21. On March 14, Dennis will be joined by special guests Micah Ian Wright (Muscogee Creek*) and Jason Gavin (Blackfeet*), members of the American Indian Writers Committee for the Writers Guild of America, West.
Tales of an Urban Indian is produced by Native Voices at the Autry in association with New York's The Public Theater, which premiered the play last spring. The play is also the basis of a hit Canadian television show of the same name. Of the New York production, a New York Post critic proclaimed, "This semi-autobiographical tale of a young man's transition from reservation to the city amusingly counters our stereotypical notions of Indian life." Village Voice's critic wrote, "Dennis has a lovely theatrical presence - charming, high-spirited, a little dorky, and a little anguished." Backstage called Tales of an Urban Indian, "a searing blend of anger, pride, and resolution."
Dennis' extensive credits include roles on such popular Canadian television shows as The Rez and Northwood.
Tales of an Urban Indian portrays a life observed through the lens of a contemporary urban Indian making his way from the reservation to the city and experiencing his own unique (and often devastatingly hilarious) brand of culture shock. Dennis creates a sad, funny and always entertaining world where overcoming the odds is just the beginning.
Native Voices at the Autry, celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season, is led by Founder/Producing Artistic Director Randy Reinholz (Choctaw*) and Founder/Producing Executive Director Jean Bruce Scott and is the country's only Equity theater company dedicated exclusively to producing new works by Native American playwrights and performed by Native actors. It maintains successful long-term relationships with New York's The Public Theater, Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT), Washington's Kennedy Center and La Jolla Playhouse.
Single tickets are $20 for general admission, $12 for Autry members and half price for previews. Groups (10 or more), save 40%.
NATIVE VOICES is located at the Autry National Center of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462. To purchase tickets, call (866) 468-3399 or visit www.NativeVoicesattheAutry.org
Native Voices at the Autry, celebrating its 10th Anniversary Season, is led by Founder/Producing Artistic Director Randy Reinholz (Choctaw*) and Founder/Producing Executive Director Jean Bruce Scott and maintains successful long-term relationships with New York's The Public Theater, Native American Public Telecommunications (NAPT), Washington's Kennedy Center and La Jolla Playhouse. It is the country's only Equity theater company dedicated exclusively to producing new works by Native American playwrights and performed by Native actors. The company has been hailed by critics as "a virtual who's who of American Indian theater artists," "a hot bed for contemporary Native theater," "an established presence in Los Angeles and a growing influence elsewhere," "deeply compelling" and "a powerful and eloquent voice." Native Voices, which provides a supportive, collaborative setting for Native theater artists from across North America, was established as a resident company at the Autry National Center of the American West in 1999. It is widely respected in both the Native American and theater communities for its breakthrough plays and diverse programming showcasing unique points of view within the more than 500 Native American nations in North America. Deeply committed to developing new works by beginning, emerging and established Native playwrights from across North America and seeing them fully realized, Native Voices also presents three signature projects in addition to its two headline productions. They include the First Look Series, the Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays and the Young Native Voices Theatre Education Project. To date, the company has presented fully staged productions of 18 critically acclaimed new plays, including 13 world premieres, 6 Playwrights Retreats and 12 New Play Festivals, and more than 80 workshops and public staged readings of new plays.
The Autry National Center of the American West is an intercultural history center that includes the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage), and the Institute for the Study of the American West. Each institution maintains its individual identity; however, the convergence of resources allows the center to expand the understanding of the diverse peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inform our shared future. The Autry National Center's executive offices are located in Griffith Park.
Playwright and actor DARRELL DENNIS has extensive film and stage acting experience for such titles as Northwood, Leaving Normal, Planet Zoo, Brothers Of The Frontier and The Rez and has guest starred on F/X: The series, Comics and Keeping The Promise. He trained at Gastown Actors Studio and Second City, and has appeared in such stage productions as Shapeshifter, Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth, A Town Twice Remembered and Toronto At Dreamers Rock. Dennis currently hosts Bingo and A Movie on APTN. His first play, Trickster at Third Avenue East was workshopped at Weesageechak Begins to Dance XI and then produced as part of the 1999-2000 Mainstage Season at Native Earth Performing Arts.
Director HERBIE BARNES blames television for his short attention span, and why he works in so many fields of entertainment. As an actor Barnes has worked on stages across Canada in plays such as Toronto At Dreamers Rock, The Gap, and The Hobbit, in films such as Hidden in America, Dance Me Outside, and in television series such as Due South and The Rez. As a director, Barnes has worked on plays such as Toronto At Dreamers Rock, and The Boy in the Treehouse, and the film Reprezenting in Fort Chip. He also writes for APTN's Buffalo Tracks, Painting the Town Red and Arts AlterNative. Barnes also teaches in universities, for theatre groups and in communities, and with Second City and Theatresports. He spends his free time writing songs and doing improvisation.
"TALK BACK" special guests MICAH IAN WRIGHT (Muscogee Creek*) and JASON GAVIN (Blackfeet*) are members of the American Indian Writers Committee for the Writers Guild of America, West. Wright worked at Nickelodeon Animation Studios, where he was a staff writer on Angry Beavers. He then created, wrote and produced Nickelodeon's first action-adventure show, Constant Payne. Since leaving Nickelodeon, Wright has written 28 videogames and published 3 books of political commentary. He is currently the chair of the WGA's Videogame Writers Caucus and the chair of the WGA's American Indian Writers Committee. Gavin has been a writer on Royal Pains (USA Network), the acclaimed NBC series Friday Night Lights and the ABC comedy According to Jim. A graduate of Harvard University, he served as a lobbyist for American Indian colleges in underserved tribal communities, then worked for American Indian Science & Engineering Society to create opportunities for Native Americans to excel in contemporary professions. He has traveled to over 50 Indian reservations in his work.
WHERE:
Wells Fargo Theater,
Autry National Center of the American West
4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
TICKET PRICES:
$20; ($12 for Autry members)
Previews: half price
Groups (10 or more), save 40%
TICKETS & INFO:
(866) 468-3399
www.NativeVoicesattheAutry.org
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