University of Montana Presents THE FRYBREAD QUEEN, 9/17

Native Voices at the Autry, The University of Montana School of Theatre & Dance, and
the Montana Repertory Theatre present the premiere production of a new play about
the Navajo experience, THE FRYBREAD QUEEN, September 17-19 at Masquer Theatre, PARTV Center, UM-Missoula.

THE FRYBREAD QUEEN will present a special preview for invited guests in September 16, 2010, at 7:30 PM, with a gala.

Celebration to follow at the newly opened Payne Family Native American Center.

Performances for the public are September 17-18 and 21-25 at 7:30 PM and September 18-19 and 25-26 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are available at the Performing Arts and Radio/Television building box office or online at www.umtheatredance.org.

The Autry National Center, the School of Theatre & Dance, and the Montana Repertory Theatre are proud to present the newest production from Native Voices at the Autry on the UM-Missoula campus. Native Voices at the Autry is America's leading Native American theater company.

THE FRYBREAD QUEEN, by Carolyn Dunn (Muskogee Creek), is the winner of the nationwide Native Voices development competition held each year at the Autry and is the first to be mounted in collaboration with The University of Montana and Montana Rep. It is the spirited story of three generations of Navajo women bound by marriage and family ties. They come together to Lake Powell for the funeral of a beloved son, and in their grief, they confront long-simmering tensions and family secrets that threaten to tear them apart.

THE FRYBREAD QUEEN will be mounted in the Masquer Theater on The University of Montana campus September 16-19, and 23-26, starring professional stage actors Jane Lind and Arigon Starr, The University of Montana and Montana Rep alumnus Lily Gladstone, and current UM
student Tiffany Meiwald.

Native Voices at the Autry, a component of the Autry, is devoted to the development and production of new works for the stage by Native American writers. Each year, seven to twelve new plays are developed through Native Voices. In addition, two to three plays are produced under an Equity contract, and at least one play a year is commissioned by Native Voices. UM Associate Professor Jere Hodgin was Chair of the 2009-2010 panel that selected these plays.

Native Voices hosts an annual Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays, bringing four to five established and emerging Native American Playwrights to the Autry in Los Angeles for a weeklong residency and new-play development process. Playwrights attend a variety of workshops and are mentored by Los Angeles-based theater professionals. The writers engage in work sessions on their plays with professional directors, dramaturges, and actors, plus have ample writing time to incorporate revisions or generate new ideas. The week culminates in a public presentation of each of the plays at the Wells Fargo Theatre for an audience comprised of past retreat participants, supporters of Native Voices, Native community members, and the Los Angeles theater community.

With this initiative, Montana Repertory Theatre continues its mission to "tell the great stories of our world to enlighten, develop and celebrate the human spirit in an ever- expanding community." Under the leadership of Artistic Director Greg Johnson, MRT hopes to take a significant step forward with commitment in the fall of 2010 by presenting a full production of The Frybread Queen by Carolyn Dunn, one of the most celebrated new Native American theatre pieces in the country. By producing this wonderful play, MRT is reaching out to a culture rich in storytelling tradition with a contemporary play that reflects both Native heritage and contemporary Native struggles.

In the past, MRT has developed and produced many Native playwrights from Montana and around the country. In 1992, Barren Child, Scott Bear Don't Walk's adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, won second place in the annual national Native American playwriting competition. Barren Child was developed and produced by MRT.

In addition, staged readings of plays by Native American Playwrights and plays with Native American themes, such James Welch's Winter in the Blood, are examples of what has become an integral part of the Missoula Colony, MRT's annual summer gathering of writers for stage and screen.

For more information, please visit:
www.montanarep.org
www.nativevoicesattheautry.org
www.umt.edu/theatredance

 

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