American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) premieres new drama about discovering your heritage and moving on past grief.
January 12 - 22, 2023 at Theater for the New City
Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) will present the New York Premiere of SOLEDAD by Carolyn Dunn. Directed by John Scott-Richardson, previews for this new play about a young woman’s journey of discovery, reconnection, intrigue, and love begin on January 12 at Theater for the New City with opening night slated for January 14.
A socially awkward high school senior, Soledad “Sunny” Sixkiller, discovers that her father was a prize-winning pow wow singer whose grief over the disappearance of his wife (and Soledad's mother) has turned him inward. Sunny finds, by accident, her father’s old pow wow tapes and vows to learn his songs in order to bring him back to life.
SOLEDAD stars Jolie Cloutier (Onondaga), Brett Hecksher (Cherokee), Bradley Lewis (Acoma), and Ria Nez (Nahuatl). The production team includes Frances Melgarejo (Production Manager), Taryn Mack (Stage Manager), Alexie Cruz (Assistant Director), and Marlene Pagan Flores (Media).
Carolyn Dunn, PhD is an indigenous poet, playwright, musician, director, and actor whose identity includes Cherokee, Muskogee Creek, Seminole, and Choctaw Freedman descent on her father’s side, and Tunica-Choctaw-Biloxi and French Creole on her mother’s. She is a founding member of The Mankillers, an all-women drum group from Northern California whose CDs All Woman Northern Drum and Coming to Getcha were released on Without Rezervation Records. In addition to the award-winning Outfoxing Coyote, her books include Through the Eye of the Deer (with Carol Zitzer-Comfort, Aunt Lute Books, 1999), Hozho: Walking in Beauty (with Paula Gunn Allen, McGraw Hill, 2002), Coyote Speaks (with Ari Berk, H.N. Abrams, 2008), Echolocation: Poems, Stories and Songs from Indian Country, L.A. (Fezziweg Press, 2013), The Stains of Burden and Dumb Luck (Mongrel Empire Press, 2017). Her plays “The Frybread Queen,” “Ghost Dance,” and “Soledad” have been developed and staged at Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. In February 2019, Dr. Dunn completed a residency at the University of Michigan’s Global Theater and Ethnic Studies Program, commissioning her play “Three Sisters,” performed by the Anishnaabe Theatre Collective at Sugar Island. Dr. Dunn is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at California State University, Los Angeles, and is Artistic Director of Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company in Oklahoma City.
John Scott-Richardson’s maternal and paternal lineage is Tutelo Saponi, Nansemond, and Tuscarora, and he is an enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Nation of North Carolina. He received his BA in Liberal Arts from Atlantic Christian College. John began theatrical arts by writing and directing youth advocacy plays while working at the NC Commission of Indian Affairs. John has a strong passion for storytelling and sharing the narrative of native people. He is a founding member of Images for Inclusion, and the Theatre Program Director and board member of AMERINDA. He is a film, television, and theater actor. He is a cultural presenter working with Lotus Music and Dance, 7 Directions Media, and Raven Wing Productions. He is a SAG union actor in the award-winning film The Reunion (NYC), The Heart Stays, The Politician (Netflix), and various other productions. He has traveled the country learning from and spending time with Native American knowledge-keepers. His passion is working with the youth and Indigenous American culture and traditions with his highest value being family.
Established in 1987, American Indian Artists Inc. (AMERINDA) is a community-based multi-arts organization that works to empower Native Americans and foster intercultural understanding of Native culture. Located in New York City, AMERINDA is the only Native American multi-arts organization of its kind in the US and has been widely recognized for its artistic and cultural integrity. AMERINDA Theater produces staged readings and full productions of new plays by Native American Playwrights. Past productions include “Powwow Highway,” “Mangled Beams,” “Miss Lead,” “Bound,” “Fear of Oatmeal,” and “Thieves.” In addition to continuing this vital work, AMERINDA launched the first-ever Native Shakespeare Ensemble in 2015 with “Macbeth.” The ensemble focuses on full productions that re-imagine the original classical texts. www.amerinda.org
SOLEDAD runs January 12 - 22, Thursday - Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. Theater for the New City is located at 155 First Avenue at 10th Street – accessible from the L train at 14th Street. Running time is 90 minutes. Tickets are $18 / $15 for seniors and students at 212-868-4444 or www.SmartTix.com.