Later, the theater created a Native Advisory Council to consult on decisions being made about the shows they would program for future seasons. For the Dakhóta Oyáte, it's huge here.”Ĭourtesy of The Guthrie Theater and Jaida Grey Eagle The future of Native storiesĪccording to the Guthrie, “For the People” is its first mainstage production written “by Native playwrights, featuring Native voices.” The theater’s commitment to Native stories found its recent momentum in the 2016-2017 season, when Defoe and FastHorse’s consulting company Indigenous Direction, was brought on to create a show in the Guthrie’s Dowling studio. It is a huge thing for Native people here in the Twin Cities. “To have a story like this, especially when you're right here on Native land. She points to other Native stories being told to a wider audience, like “Reservation Dogs” and “Rutherford Falls,” as part of a large, empowering Native storytelling renaissance.Īs a Lakota woman, “For the People” has a special place for her. She reminds me of a lot of strong female women in my head that I've had in my life, most particularly my aunt,” Zimiga-January said. Local connectionsĪside from nationally known actors, like Wes Studi of “Dances with Wolves” and “The Last of the Mohicans,” “For the People” includes notable local actors, including Ernest Briggs, artistic director of the Minnesota-based Turtle Theater Collective, which focuses on Native storytelling.Īnother local actor, Adrienne Zimiga-January, plays a commissioner. “There was a journey about how to figure out how to belong and what belonging meant as like a modern-day Indigenous person,” Defoe said. now, I call myself a bridge.”ĭefoe grew up with lots of connections to his Anishinaabe heritage and grew up speaking Anishinaabe. “I had to go through a kind of a reclaiming of culture. “ the Sicangu Lakota Nation in South Dakota and I grew up being adopted out very young, to a white family,” FastHorse said. Although FastHorse and Defoe had different upbringings, they both relate to April's journey to understand her Native identity. “For the People” follows April Dakota, a Native woman who returns to Minneapolis after time spent away seeing the world, intending to open a Wellness Center.Īpril quickly becomes entangled in the avenue's politics, navigating challenges like grant funding, gentrification and questions about her “Native” authenticity. “We even went to powwows that were a little bit off of Franklin Avenue.”īy 2021, the show started to take form. They visited people up and down Franklin Avenue. “We talked to so many different people, just asking questions in a gathering-like phase,” Defoe recalled. Franklin Avenue was the birthplace of the American Indian Movement and remains a hub of Native American arts, culture and activism.įastHorse, who hails from the Sicangu Lakota Nation, and Defoe, with both Oneida and Ojibwe heritage, decided to crowdsource the story directly from the community they intended to portray in their show.ĭefoe recalls hosting events during the harsh Minnesota winter of 2019 to gather stories and feedback for the writing. “We ended up centering on Franklin Avenue, which is a very well-known, well-beloved avenue,” FastHorse said. The show first began as an idea in 2019, when the Guthrie approached FastHorse and Defoe to create a show. “For the People” was written by Larissa FastHorse and Ty Defoe. “I think it kind of gives non-Natives maybe just a little peek into our communities,” Cook said, praising the show for showcasing the diversity of Minnesota’s Indigenous community.
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