Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light

Facebook us!

2009-03-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Are you in the loop? Stay connected with your friends at the Autry by adding us as friends or becoming fans of Native Voices and the Autry on facebook!!!

Click here for Native Voices

and here for the Autry!

DEAL OF THE DECADE!!!

2009-03-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

TICKETS! TICKETS! TICKETS!

So, if you love Native Voices (and who doesn't!) and have friends who can help support Native Voices (that would be you!) - ask them to BUY A TICKET -- just have them call 323.667.2000, ext. 354 and reserve their seats for this beautiful show! Tickets are $20 general admission and $12 for Autry members - pretty reasonable if you ask me!

Now, if your friends want to support Native Voices AND the Red Circle Project (RCP) Cultural Benefit fundraiser in recognition of National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day - there's a benefit pre-show party and performance on March 21st starting at 6pm - Performance at 8pm. Tickets for this event are $25 and can be purchased at the Red Circle Project website www.redcircleproject.org or by calling 213.201.1311

LOOKING FOR A DEAL?

DEAL OF THE DECADE! Become an Autry National Center Member and recieve two free tickets to Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morining Light! (a $40 value)
Go to http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/membership.php for more information about membership. When you join be sure to mention Native Voices for your two free tickets!Individual Memberships start at $45! / Dual Memberships $55 / Family Memberships $65
DEAL #1 Tonight and next Thursday are PAY WHAT YOU CAN nights (suggested donation $10)DEAL #2 I'm also attaching a "Buy one get one FREE" coupon you can send out -- make your reservations and pay HALF-PRICE at the door ($10 per ticket). DEAL #3 Bring a group of 10 and get 40% OFF -- Call Christi at 323.466.5830 or e-mail Christi@FLAGMarketing.com.
See! We've got lots of ways to help you help us fill the theater and show your support of Native Voices at the Autry! Won't you help us make 2009 a banner year for the nation's premiere Native American Theater Company!

See you at the theater!

Raving Reviews!!!!

2009-03-18T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Breath-taking ... Sound and music are integrated flawlessly ... Wonderfully realized ... Moments of true genius! ... Harjo is a marvel, and her voice is beautiful! ... A grammy award-winning musician with a poetic Indian story - what a combination!"

These are just a few of the responses theatre-goers wrote to us after seeing 'Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light' during its opening weekend at the Autry. If you're one of the almost 500 people who watched Joy Harjo and Larry Mitchell during the play's first week, you already know what many others will soon learn- 'Wings' is now aloft, flying high on the praises being sung both by theatre-goers and critics alike!

We are VERY proud to share with you some notable, AWESOME reviews about the show!

Read here what our critics had to say! Click on the links to access the full articles.

LA Weekly Review
Native American poet and musician Joy Harjo is a woman who communes with spirits, and in this music-embellished piece, she opines about struggle, survival and transcendence in a powerful and eloquent voice.
-- Deborah Klugman

IndyBay Review
Harjo takes her audience on a journey that begins and ends with healing. If the essence of ceremony can be put on stage, she has done it.
-- Corina Roberts

LA Times
Her painful journey from a traumatic childhood to serenity and acceptance is well-charted, an inspirational odyssey that makes "Wings" take flight.
-- F. Kathleen Foley

From now until Sunday, March 29th, Joy Harjo's unique and deeply personal blend of performance, poetry, singing, and virtuoso sax come together to weave a spell on audiences. Reserve your seats today. Tickets are $20 for general admission, with a special $12 rate for Autry members and group sales.

For a limited time only, a select number of discount tickets are available for members of Goldstar and LA Stage Alliance; theater-goers can also take advantage of two pay-what-you-can performances, on Thursday, March 19th at 8pm, and Thursday, March 26th at 8pm (for individual ticket buyers only).

I got to see Joy and Larry Friday night of opening weekend and LOVED it!!! I was so excited to see the show come together as a whole, it really gave flight. I keep hearing such great things about it, from all different types of audiences - college students, the elders, theatre people, non-theatre people- and it really can be appreciated on so many levels. Wings is therapuetic, healing for the soul. I'm hoping to see it again closing weekend as well!

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the San Diego Stage Manager

2009-03-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

ALLY ZONSIUS, a Detroit native, is a senior at San Diego State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Communications, with an emphasis in Theatre Arts. She has participated in many different positions in the theater, including house management, performance, and stage management. She thanks Randy Reinholz and the company for extending the opportunity to collaborate with such esteemed artists.

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Technical Director

2009-03-18T13:22:00.002-07:00

JEREMY LAZZARA is currently the Shop Foreman at San Diego State University. Most recently, he's worked at South Coast Repertory, La Jolla Playhouse and with Disney Entertainment Productions. For Native Voices at the Autry, Jeremy has worked on Salvage, by Diane Glancy (Cherokee), as well as this production of Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light.

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the L.A. Stage Manager

2009-03-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

DALE ALAN COOKE's credits include: at Native Voices at the Autry- Salvage, The Berlin Blues (including a tour to NYC and Washington, DC), and Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders: A Class Presentation; at Theatre West- A Very Brady Musical, directed by Lloyd Schwartz, Nunsense directed by Dan Goggin; three productions for Ray Bradbury’s Pandemonium Theatre Company; and five Storybook Theatre children’s shows. Other theaters he has worked as stage manager include: A Noise Within, Alex Theater, Avalon in Hollywood, Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Carpenter Center in Richmond, Virginia, the Colony Theatre, Hudson Mainstage Theatre, and the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel. A proud Actors’ Equity member since 1984.

Photo of the Day

2009-03-07T16:24:00.000-08:00

Since Joy is very natural in a concert-like setting, the set and lights are accordingly designed to make the stage feel right at home for Joy. This is a picture from one of Joy's songs in Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light.

Pictured (left to right): Larry Mitchell, Joy Harjo

Celebrate theatre!

2009-03-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

Just a note to all of our Native Voices friends and supporters -- The word has gone out far and wide that we're opening Joy Harjo's extraordinary one-woman show Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light next week. We'd like to thank the Autry's Marketing and Publicity Staff and Christi Crow from FLAG Marketing and Group Sales for their great work!

But Native Voices needs your help too -- we all know nothing works better than friend-to-friend and word-of-mouth to fill the theater! Especially in this economic climate. So let's all support this wonderful community of artists and help fill the house!

A flyer is attached so you can send it out to your email lists with a personal note to make sure your friends and families see the show!

Click on the KCRW banner ad below to enlarge,
SAVE and print or forward to your friends!

What's a radio tour!?

2009-03-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

While Joy has been rehearsing for Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light, she hasn't been able to keep up her usual schedule of traveling and playing her music on tour. So in the meantime, she's been keeping busy with radio interviews!

Yesterday, Joy and I were quarantined in the Autry's green room! This was unlike any interview she had done before. We were there with a gaffer (a sound professional with a boom mic). Joy was on the phone with the radio host, having a seemingly normal conversation. However, the boom microphone was also streaming Joy's audio to the radio station in Wisconsin!

Click here to track Joy's radio tour on the map on her website!

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Sound Designer

2009-03-07T11:54:00.000-08:00

JANNA R. LOPEZ RÄVEN (Taos Pueblo, Yaqui) received her theater degree with a specialization in Sound Design from the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She has sound designed for Native Voices at the Autry’s productions of Kino and Teresa, The Red Road, and The Berlin Blues; and was the Special Effects (SFX) Recorder for SUPER INDIAN and the reading SFX recorder and sound effects artist for The Further Adventures of Super Indian. She also sound-assisted and programmed the SFX computer for Michel Tyabji for Native Voices' production of Salvage. This past year, she sound mixed for Jaxxtheatrics' children's program for "Willy Wonka, Jr" (7 wireless mics) and sound mixed Jaxxtheatrics (15 wireless mics) for the West Coast musical premiere The Life at the Stella Adler Theatre. She is also the Sound Designer for Embodi and Obnoxious; the Sound Stylist for the Antaeus Theatre Company in 2006; and was a Native Radio Theater National Audio Theater Festival Participant in 2006.

I first met Janna last Saturday, and it was the first time we heard the sound effects for the show. She is very quick! I say this because you can just see the wheels turning in her head. She is very knowledgeable, and studied with a famous sound designer in Canada.

Aside from that, Janna and I share a love for Harry Potter. When she heard my cell phone ringer she said, "Um Harry Potter, duh." Awesome!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

I GOT IT!!!

...Magical. 'Nuff said.

Pictured: Larry Mitchell

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Front of House Sound Mixer

2009-03-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

MICHEL TYABJI was born in India, but has lived all over the world, thanks to his parents, who both worked for UNICEF. Because of this experience, he has no particular affiliation to any single country. Rather, he views himself as evidence of our collective and inevitable similarities and has made it his work to affect resonance for this by being a bridge and advocate for music and other artistic works across borders and cultural divides. Thus far, he has recorded music, made films, and put on festivals in Africa, Asia, and the USA. The vehicle for these activities in the USA is Limitless Sky Records and Sounds Ready. www.limitlesssky.net and www.soundsready.com

Michel is SO good at what he does! He's been working with Joy and Larry to find the perfect sound balance during songs, sound effects, and when using mics. If something doesn't work, he always suggests trying new things to make it just right; he is the ultimate problem solver!

I also told him that Joy's, Ally's, and my favorite song to dance to during breaks is Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire. When he heard the music, he came over and suggested another great movie by the same director: Taal - check it out!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

I LOVE this photo! We were sitting on the stage during a quick 5 minute break, and Joy showed us the bottom of her shoes . Our costume designer, Christina Wright, found these awesome Donal and Lisa Pliner shoes to wear for the show.

*Peace*

Pictured: Joy Harjo

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Scenic Designer

2009-03-06T21:25:00.000-08:00

SUSAN BAKER SCHARPF is a freelance set designer and the full-time Charge Scenic Artist/Propsmaster at San Diego State University (SDSU). She graduated with a BA in Drama from Texas Woman's University and an MFA in Scenic Design from SDSU. She owns her own business, designing and painting scenery and murals both privately and commercially. Her set designs include Native Voices at the Autry's Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders: A Class Presentation, Stone Heart: Everybody Loves a Journey West, The Berlin Blues and Salvage; along with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Pastorela, The Tempest, Arcadia, and A Bright Room Called Day.

Susan is a very busy woman, and yet she still manages to create such beautiful pictures on stage. Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light has inspired Susan to approach her scenic design abstractly. Working on this one-woman-show, she had a lot to consider: the size of the space, the height, the colors, the stage itself. Not only did she craft smartly, she crafted creatively! When you come see the show, definitely investigate for hidden spirits in the set!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-06T20:49:00.000-08:00

You can just barely see Larry in the background, he's nicknamed himself Joy's shadow when he's not playing music in the show. He jumps in when the script calls for scene underscoring, sound effects, or howls. He can also be very inconspicuous as Joy takes center stage, commanding attention in both her sad and comedic scenes.

Pictured (left to right): Joy Harjo, Larry Mitchell

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Dramaturg

2009-03-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

SHIRLEY FISHMAN is the Director of Play Development at La Jolla Playhouse, where she oversees projects under commission and in development. Dramaturgy credits at La Jolla Playhouse include: The Night Watcher, 33 Variations, Zorro in Hell, The Wiz, among others. Dramaturgy credits at The Public Theater include: Jessica Hagedorn's Dogeaters; Two Sisters and a Piano by Nilo Cruz; Tina Landau's Space; Arthur Miller's The Ride Down Mt. Morgan; Tony Kushner's A Dybbuk: Or Between Two Worlds; David Henry Hwang's Golden Child; and many readings and workshops as co-curator of the New Work Now! Festival. She was a Creative Advisor/Dramaturg at the Sundance Theatre Lab, which featured: I Am My Own Wife; 36 Views; and The Laramie Project. She is a member of LMDA, received her MFA from Columbia University, and is a dramaturg for University of California-San Diego's Baldwin Festival.

Shirley is fantastic!!! I am her assistant, as well as Randy's, and as soon as she stepped into rehearsal, I started taking notes. She shared some amazing stories. She told me that she was working as a dramaturg before she knew what a dramaturg was! Many people don't know what a dramaturg is, even dramaturgs find it difficult to define. Among many things, a dramaturg gathers research surrounding the play and shares it with the cast and crew; in a very similar field, literary managers read and work on new plays. For Wings, Shirley has helped shaped the structure of Joy's script by suggesting to add and cut lines, maintaining the pace, and relaying main ideas to the audience.

Not only did Shirley work on Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife, but she insisted on adding a scene. Though Doug was resistant at first, he wrote her a note on opening night thanking her for her insistence. He permanently thanked her by writing her into the scene she suggested; you can find Shirley Blacker in the second act of the play!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Proof of dance parties!!! On our breaks, our favorite song to dance to is Jai Ho, from Slumdog Millionaire.

Pictured (left to right): Joan Hurwit (me), Ally Zonsius, and Joy Harjo

Native Voices invites SDSU Alumni to come out and support an important event!

2009-03-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Are you or is someone you know a San Diego State University Alumni?
Check out this awesome event in Los Angeles March 12-29
Discounted preview performances March 10-11

Join the Greater Los Angeles Alumni Chapter in supporting the theater performance of Native Voices at the Autry's world premier of Joy Harjo's "Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light." Directed by Randy Reinholz (Choctaw), Director of the School of Theatre, Film and Television at SDSU. Featuring the talents of R. Craig Wolf (Lighting Designer, SDSU TTF Professor); Ashley Johnstone (Lighting Assistant, SDSU MFA in Lighting student); Susan Sharphf (Set Designer, SDSU MFA Graduate in Set Design); Joan Hurwit (Assistant Director/Assistant Dramaturg/Blog Manager, SDSU M.A. Graduate student), Ally Zonsius (Stage Manager, SDSU Undergraduate student), Carlenne Lacosta (Native Voices Literary Manager, SDSU M.A. candidate), and Jeremy Lazzara (SDSU Technical Director).

Music can save you, stories can heal you; in words and song, there is an answer. From the imagination of musician, poet, songwriter, and playwright Joy Harjo comes a deeply compelling journey of struggle, self-discovery, and healing. Combining timeless wisdom with a modern edge, Harjo weaves the unforgettable tale of Redbird Monahwee, who attempts to find meaning and peace in the hardscrabble of modern life.

When:
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm
Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm
March 12-29
Previews March 10-11

Where:
Autry National Center -Wells Fargo Theater

Griffith Park campus:

4700 Western Heritage Way
Los Angeles, CA, 90027-1462

Cost:
$20 General Admission / $12 Autry Members
Half Price Preview Performances on March 10-11
Pay-what-you-can Performances on March 19 & 26

SDSU ALUMNI SPECIAL ~ 2 for 1 Discount
Click the coupon to enlarge and print!

With questions, please contact alumnichapters@sdsu.edu or 619-594-2586.

Sponsored by the School of Theatre, Television and Film, SDSU Alumni Association and Autry National Center.

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Lighting Designer

2009-03-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

R. CRAIG WOLF is a professional lighting designer and educator. Credits include productions for San Diego's Old Globe Theatre, Dance Theatre Workshop in New York, Virginia Shakespeare and the Richmond Ballet Company, Theatre Artaud in San Francisco, and the Japan America Center and Odyssey Theatre Ensemble of Los Angeles. He is senior author of the lighting and sound sections of Scene Design and Stage Lighting, now in its ninth edition, and is a member of the Board of Directors of U.S.I.T.T., the national association of stage designers and technicians. He became a lighting associate member of the United Scenic Artists' Design Union in 1977. He has taught at the Universities of Michigan and Virginia and is currently Professor of Design and head of the design program at San Diego State University.

I was lucky enough to take an undergraduate lighting class directly from Craig my freshman year in college! Craig is absolutely the professional his resume describes, but he also has a great personality... and the BEST laugh! I could identify Craig by his laugh from a mile away.

Not only has Craig blessed stages all over the world with his gorgeous light plots, he has also guided SDSU MFA (and undergraduate) students into amazing careers. Tuesday Curran Anderson (undergraduate) had early success after she graduated from SDSU, and now Craig is working closely with graduate student Ashley Johnstone on Wings. Craig truly has a talent for helping students develop their lighting design skills, and Ashley (with a noteable resume already, including Randy's fall SDSU show, Desire Under the Elms) is the finest example of Craig's teachings.

Photo of the Day

2009-03-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

Here is some of the creative production team seated comfortably behind our joined tables in our rehearsal room.

This picture is officially titled: The Apple Party (sans one)

Pictured (left to right): Janna R. Lopez (Sound Designer), Shirley Fishman (Dramaturg), Me - Joan Hurwit (Assistant Director/Assistant Dramaturg/Blog Manager), Randy Reinholz (Director/Producing Artistic Director), Ally Zonsious (San Diego Stage Manager)

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Producing Executive Director

2009-03-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

JEAN BRUCE SCOTT is co-creator of Native Voices at the Autry. She has spent fifteen years developing new plays, including more than fifty by Native American playwrights. At Native Voices, she has produced eleven New Play Festivals; five Playwrights Retreats; over eighty play readings; and thirteen new plays, including Equity productions of The Baby Blues, Jump Kiss, Stone Heart, The Red Road, The Buz'Gem Blues, The Berlin Blues, Please Do Not Touch the Indians, Kino & Teresa, SUPER INDIAN, Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders, Salvage and Métis playwright Marie Clements' Now Look What You Made Me Do and Urban Tattoo, in addition to Joy Harjo's Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light. She has been instrumental in creating the Native Radio Theater Project (NRT), a collaboration between Native Voices at the Autry and the Native American Public Telecommunications, producing new radio plays including: The Best Place to Grow Pumpkins, Melba's Medicine, Why Opossum's Tail is Bare, The Peach Seed, and the pilot and ten episodes of SUPER INDIAN. Her next project for NRT is The Red Road, starring Arigon Starr (Kickapoo), and directed by the legendary Dirk Maggs.

Jeanie is basically amazing. She is so busy, and is still the sweetest woman you will ever meet. Having been around acting her whole life, she has spot-on instincts and shares insight with the cast/production team. She is eloquent and confident, such an eye for detail; she is a wonderful role model. Jeanie has a gift for balancing her two roles: a smart business woman, and a creative artist. I always enjoy when she comes to rehearsals... and not only because she brings delicious brownies!

Recently, she is also our resident photographer! Most of the "Photo of the Day" posts you see are courtesy of her. I don't know what we'd do without her!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

Tonight at rehearsal, Randy said that Larry is (and I quote), "really good at shaking that rattle." So, as you can see... he's pretty happy about that. When he knows I'm looking, Larry will take his hat, put it on sideways, and cross his eyes. It's SO funny and I have several failed attempts of photographing it... but I'll get him yet!!!

Pictured: Larry Mitchell (Musical accompaniment: guitar, drum, and of course... rattle)

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Costume and Prop Designer

2009-03-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

CHRISTINA WRIGHT has designed costumes for the world premiere of Phillip Glass and Robert Wilson's Monsters of Grace; international productions of Bill Viola's Memoria and Quintet of the Astonished; and most recently, for Native Voices' production of Diane Glancy's Salvage. Other favorites: Culture Clash's The Birds at the Getty Villa; James Joyce's The Dead at the Open Fist Theatre Company; Surfing DNA at East/West Players; Transformations, Notes: On Performance at the Wallenboyd Theatre; and The Mystery of Irma Vep and The Rocky Horror Show at the Tiffany Theatre. For the past eight years, she has loved designing and creating costumes and props for various productions with Native Voices at the Autry. Other clients include: Berkeley Rep Theatre, BRC Imagination Arts, The Getty Center, Artistry Entertainment and the Bedford Thompson Shakespeare Company. She was most recently honored by receiving the First Americans in the Arts 2007 Trustee Award for her work with Native Voices. She has also won the LA Drama Critics' Circle Award, Garland Awards, Drama-Logue Awards, an Ovation nomination, and an NAACP Award nomination for her other costume design work.

I only met Christina briefly at our rehearsal Saturday, but she is really cool, so I checked out her website: http://www.christinacostume.com/
I particularly loved her other creations! She has a store shop on Etsy.com - a website for talented artists to share and sell clothing, jewelry, stylized furniture, photographs, paintings, etc. If you visit her website, you can check it out... plus you can see photos from the shows she's costumed!

Photo of the Day

2009-03-01T18:28:00.001-08:00

I LOVE this picture! Jeanie caught Randy and Ally carefully studying the script - with a similar pose! Ally thought this was so funny!

Pictured (left to right): Randy Reinholz (Director), Ally Zonsius (San Diego Stage Manager)

Who's Who in the Crew? Spotlight on: the Director/Producing Artistic Director

2009-02-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

RANDY REINHOLZ (Choctaw) is co-creator of Native Voices at the Autry. He has directed plays across the US and Canada, including: The Rez Sisters, The Waiting Room, Hedda Gabler, The Cherry Orchard, Proof, Speed the Plow, The Glass Menagerie, Desire Under The Elms and numerous productions of Shakespeare plays. For Native Voices at the Autry, he's directed and produced Urban Tattoo and Equity productions of Jump Kiss, Stone Heart, The Red Road, The Buz'Gem Blues, The Berlin Blues, and Please Do Not Touch the Indians, and Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light; executive produced Kino & Teresa, SUPER INDIAN, Teaching Disco Square Dancing to Our Elders, and Salvage. He received a BA from William Jewell College and an MFA from Cornell University. This March, he will be honored with the Citation of Achievement from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. The citation honors alumni who have achieved distinction in their chosen spheres of endeavor and who have exhibited values of a liberal arts education and of WJC; it is the highest honor bestowed upon a WJC alumnus. He is on the Board of Directors for TYA/USA, the Advisory Committee for the Native Theater Festival at the Public Theater, and a member of The National Theatre Conference. He is a tenured professor at San Diego State University in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film and on faculty for American Indian Studies. In 2007, after ten years as Head of Acting, he was named the Director of the School of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University.

This my second time as Randy's assistant director. I love it, and learn something new at every rehearsal. Not only is Randy a great director, but he is also truly a mentor and friend. He is very conscious of leveling the playing field, treating everyone equally, and making sure that everyone feels comfortable. The rehearsal space is a very warm and safe environment.

I have loved getting to know Randy over these last four years. I thanked him last night at the end of rehearsal for sharing stories of his past; it was nice to know that he trusted me. He said to me, "Well, that's what artists do." They share. Randy is an artist in every sense of the word, and it is a pleasure to be seated next to him.

T.H.E.A.T.R.E. our definition

2009-02-26T19:25:00.000-08:00

Today, I discussed with another student, what is theatre? It's a topic we theatre grad students still grapple with daily.

At first, he argued that a play (the physical book) is not theatre.

"Arguable," I softly said. He heard me.

Several famous theatre theorists argued that the text of a play, the written word, is enough to qualify as theatre. I don't entirely agree.

To him, he argued, theatre is the performance of written word.

Well, I argued, improvisation is still theatre. Even a dance performance is theatre IF it tells a story. A dance performance without a plot is theatrical, but is not theatre. Theatre originated as a form of passing along a story. That is theatre; theatre is the performance of storytelling.

With that, he agreed.

* * *

I write this because I realized tonight, as I watched Randy work with Joy, that the telling of a story is a very delicate process. Some of the stories Joy tells, true or created, are of a very sensitive subject matter. Sometimes, they are difficult to hear in rehearsal, no matter how many times she retells them. In order to effectively retell these memories, which Joy has a natural-born talent of doing, it requires immense strength and patience. We are still in the rehearsal process, but already, it is wonderful to watch Joy get lost in her stories.

We get lost in her stories every night at rehearsal.

I hope she doesn't feel small on stage all alone, because her words speak volumes and paint beautiful pictures.

PBS Newshour with Joy Harjo

2009-02-26T18:58:00.000-08:00

For an introduction to the work of Joy Harjo, watch a 2007 PBS Newshour interview featuring her performing on alto sax with Larry Mitchell. Larry will be accompanying Joy on guitar, drums, and more during Wings of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light. Also, see a sneak peak of Joy reciting some of her unique and beautiful poems!

Click to watch on YouTube.

The Landscape of Performance

2009-02-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

Joy shared this with me. It is a short snippet from an email she wrote to playwright and friend Laura Shamas:

"Performance reminds me of going out into the ocean. No two days are ever the same. The Moon continues to move. Winds, currents, thoughts shift. They can change from one moment to the next. The trick is learning how to surf whatever is there. And if you huli, or flip out of the canoe, you have to know how to get back in. And keep moving."

Eagle Poem

2009-02-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

Sing, dance and fly along to the musical version of Joy Harjo's deservedly famous "Eagle Poem." Visit CD Baby to purchase this song, and experience the other powerful tracks that Native People's Magazine described as "brimming with soul and beauty."

Click to watch on YouTube.

Joy's Reflection

2009-02-25T14:44:00.000-08:00

Joy refelcted on transitioning from musician to actress.

A note to the actor in me:

You were there before I could speak
You were all the permutations of yes and no
You were the front door, the back door, and the place in the middle where the soul stands naked
You told the truth before it could be spoken
You spoke before there were words
You let me in when I asked you to open the door
I had to first ask
The heart stepped through first
All the rest of me followed: wind, elbows, lips, feet, a pool of sunlight before language, a sky of black peopled by stars, the awkward next to awesome grace
Here we are again
Back to the beginning of the urgent urge, to the first spark
We noticed it, spoke it, and became it.
We are.

Rehearsals AND Dance Parties!

2009-02-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Rehearsing with Joy is so much fun! She is so close to her music, and we often listen to it as we rehearse the songs in the show. It is so much a part of her, I couldn't imagine Joy without her music.

This has been quite a treat for Ally (the stage manager) and me! During breaks, when actors usually relax, Joy puts on music and we all dance! We have become fast friends. The music truly unites us. Randy smiles as all the girls have fun dancing. I am tempted to record us dancing, for fun! But, it is almost sacred.

Subconsciously, as we dance, we recreate the moments and movement in Wings. We stomp dance, we shake, we thrash, we release, we laugh, we follow, we lead, and my favorite... we fly.

Tonight, Joy shared with me that she went flying in her dream last night. I wish I could fly in my dreams as often as she does. She said that it was very similar to the dreams she talks about in the play. You'll have to come to the play to hear about the exciting dreams...!

Check out Joy Harjo's "Reality Show!"

2009-02-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

Renowned poet, writer and musician Joy Harjo shares some lyrical moments with the camera in this brief but beautiful documentary. Produced and directed by Lurline Wailana McGregor.

Click to watch on YouTube.

Tickets! Get your tickets!

2009-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

A VERY SPECIAL LIMITED RUN - 3 WEEKS ONLY! MARCH 12TH through MARCH 29TH. Previews March 10th and 11th.

Music can save you, stories can heal you; in the words and the song, there is an answer. From the imagination of musician, poet, and playwright Joy Harjo, (Mvskoke) comes a deeply compelling journey of struggle, displacement, self-discovery, and healing. Embracing life stories, sharing universal truths, and taking back a Native woman's place in the world, Harjo teases out a tale of how poetry, music, art and theater can bring a life full circle. Invoking spoken word, storytelling, and song, Harjo channels multiple voices, taking us on a wild musical ride where she tells it like it is with spirit and a mean jazz sax. Joining her for this personal tour-de-force is Grammy Award-winning producer and guitarist Larry Mitchell infusing blues, funk, rock and jazz into an allegorical work of tremendous power.

WINGS OF NIGHT SKY, WINGS OF MORNING LIGHT

By Musician, Poet and Playwright Joy Harjo (Mvskoke - Creek Nation)

With Grammy-Award Winning Producer and Collaborator, Guitarist Larry Mitchell

Executive Producers Randy Reinholz (Choctaw) and Jean Bruce Scott

Director Randy Reinholz

SHOW DATES AND TIMES:

Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 p. m. ~ Saturdays & Sundays 2:00 p. m. at The Autry in Griffith Park across from the LA Zoo where the 5 and 134 freeways meet

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

General Admission $20 / Autry Members $12 available at Autry Box Office 323-667-2000 X354 or TicketWeb 1-866-468-3399 or www.ticketweb.com

40% off for GROUPS of 10 or more. Purchase 10 or more tickets for your GROUP at only $12 per ticket! GROUP leaders: for more information, or to reserve tickets, call 323-466-5830 or e-mail christi@flagmarketing.com

** Save your ticket stub and get free admission into the 2009 Intertribal Arts Marketplace!** Museum discount and special meal price at cafe may also be available. Ask Christi for details.

Native Voices At The Autry is devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage by Native American playwrights and performers. Visit www.nativevoicesattheautry.org or www.myspace.com/nativevoices to learn more.

A Formal Introduction!

2008-12-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

From activist, musician, poet, and now playwright Joy Harjo, (Mvskoke) comes a deeply compelling personal journey of struggle, displacement, self-discovery, and ultimately healing. Invoking spoken word, storytelling, and song, Harjo reflects on personal life stories, the tales and traditions of her people, and takes a few turns blowing a mean jazz saxophone. An allegorical work of tremendous power, Wings demonstrates how theater and art can bring life full circle.

Many months in development, this play was work-shopped and performed as a staged reading at the Public Theater's 2007 Native Theater Festival in New York City, then developed further by Native Voices at the Autry over the past fifteen months, including at the most recent Native Voices Playwrights' retreat, both in San Diego, and at the Autry. We invite you and your family to experience the journey firsthand at the Autry National Center for this very limited run. Discount tickets are available for previews on Tuesday and Wednesday March 10 and 11, at 8pm, with Opening Night on March 12 at 8pm.

Performances:
Tuesday and Wednesday Previews, March 10 and 11 at 8pm
Thursdays, March 12, 19, and 26, at 8pm
Fridays, March 13, 20, and 27, at 8pm
Saturdays, March 14, 21, and 28, at both 2pm and 8pm
Sundays, March 15, 22, and 29, at 2pm

How to buy tickets:
Previews: $10
General: $20 / Autry Members: $12
Call TicketWeb for reservations at 1.866.468.3399 or visit www.ticketweb.com

Groups of 10 or more save 40%. Call 323.466.5830 or e-mail christi@flagmarketing.com

Check out their websites!

2008-12-11T15:28:00.000-08:00

In Wing of Night Sky, Wings of Morning Light, Joy Harjo will be accompanied on guitar by long time friend Larry Mitchell. You can check out both of these awesome artists on their own websites:

Joy Harjo's Website

Larry Mitchell's Website

Who is Joy Harjo?

2008-12-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

In case you don't know Joy, here are some very helpful links that start to describe her work as an artist and poet: