Native Voices Presents Annual Short Play Festival: FOOD!

Continuing its role as the only Equity theatre company dedicated exclusively to developing new work by Native American artists, Native Voices at the Autry presents its eighth annual Short Play Festival: Food! Held during the Autry Museum of the American West's American Indian Arts Marketplace on Sunday, November 11, 2018, the event features new short plays by Native American Playwrights that pose the question: What's on the table in Indian Country?

The playwrights consider food an important cultural expression not unlike music or dance. Their theatrical works explore food themes as simple as what's served for dinner, as complicated as the legacy of frybread, or as devastating as water shortages and climate change on subsistence hunting. The scripts, which were selected by a national panel, will be workshopped and read by the Native Voices Artists Ensemble. The plays are then considered for the Von Marie Atchley Excellence in Playwriting Award, a $1,000 cash prize based on the creative use of the competition theme, originality, theatricality, execution, and audience response.

"Native Voices Annual Short Play Festival is always a joyful event and this year's offerings promise to conjure up lots of memories and a little bit of an appetite," says Jean Bruce Scott, Producing Executive Director of Native Voices. "The theme, FOOD!, has made us all hungry for family traditions, recipes, and favorite dishes. Red chile stew, fresh crab and salmon, frybread and chumuth, tamales, and three sisters salad figure prominently in these short plays. The plays also explore racism, overcoming addiction and adversity, the loss of loved ones, the maturation of college students, and the love of parents and grandparents. It's a recipe for an exceptional afternoon of theatre featuring more than forty Native Theatre artists on stage and behind the scenes."

The Short Play Festival is included with admission to the Marketplace (free for Autry members; $14 adults; free for active military personnel and military; $10 students and seniors; $6 children ages 3-12). Seating for the Short Play Festival is limited, and early arrival is suggested.