Right now they are showing Return to Niobrara. It's for ages 8 and up or 4th grade to 10th grande. Perfect for my 10 and 13 year olds.
The set design was fairly simple, yet the symbol changed throughout the play.
About Return to Niobrara:
There was two stories that went on in one play. The two stories came together at times.
140 years ago, Steven's great-great grandfather Chief Standing Bear stood up in court and demanded that a federal Judge recognize that Indians are "persons" under the law.
Today, following an altercation where Steven is bullied at school on account of his long hair, Steven must follow in his grandfather's footsteps and speak out against his school's attempt to force him to cut his hair, and ultimately, to erase his identity.
Steven has dreams about his Grandfather. His dreams made him understand who he really is.
When Steven stands up for himself, it was difficult to know what part of the constitution the school was violating. His hair was a part of his culture. The school wanted him to cut his hair. Was the school breaking freedom of speech, or were they breaking freedom of religion? Steven was a Christian, but being a Native American is more than being a Christian. It was interesting to see how everything worked its way out.
In the end the school realized they were wrong. Steven learned so much about himself.
Our family loves Native American culture, so we of course got into this play a lot. The whole message was so important!
The show is at The Rose Theater in Omaha, Nebraska from January 25 - February 10, 2019.
February 8 at 7 | February 9 at 2 and 5 | February 10 at 2
Members can receive 4 free tickets, non members pay $20 per ticket.
Call: 402.345.4849 for tickets.
Lobby doors open 45 minutes prior to the show starting. I certainly would get there early to get a seat.
Cast and Crew:
Steven/Bear Shield – Kenneth Ramos
Betsy/Prairie Flower/Bright Eyes – Nathalie Standingcloud
Tom/Thomas Henry Tibbles – Dan Chevalier
Principal McGovern/General Crook – Nils Haaland
Mom/Susette Primeau – Allison Hicks*
Dad/Chief Standing Bear – Albert (Abby) Ybarra*
Jack/A.J. Poppleton – Kevin Ehrhart
Bob/Genio Lambertson – Christopher Violett
Chorus 1 – Zach Kloppenborg
Chorus 2 – Kyle Summers
Musician – Michael Murphy
* The Actor appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Artistic/Production Credits
Playwright – Mary Kathryn Nagle
Director – Roxanne Wach
Assistant Director – Meganne Horrocks
Scenic Designer – Kathy Voecks
Projection Designer – Brittany Merenda
Lighting & Sound Designer – Craig S. Moxon
Costume Designer – Sherri Geerdes
Hair & Makeup Designer – Erin Bragg
Production Stage Manager – Lisa Krabbenhoft
Director of Production – Erin M. Solemsaas
Technical Director – Greg Rishoi
Props Mistress – Devon Denn-Young
Assistant Projection Designer – Alex Pinchin
Scenic Charge Artist – Savannah Savick
Master Carpenter – Jackson Curtright
Lighting Apprentice – Elton Bradley
Scenic Apprentice/Run Crew – Austin Watson
Stage Management Apprentice – Kali Coates
Assistant Sound Designer – Christy Hernandez
Stitchers – Sherri Geerdes, Erin Bragg, Audio Helkuik, Jill Maenner
Ponca Consultants – Louis Headman and Randy Ross
Ponca Language Translation – Louis Headman
Fight Choreographer – Kevin Barratt
Special thanks to Allyson Currin, Louis Headman, Dwight Howe, Deirdre Lavrakas, Kim Peter Kovac, Randy Ross, Barbara Salvatore, Laurie Smith Camp, Steve Tamayo, Diana Vallier
The End of the Show:
They had a question and answer session. I liked that one of the main stars was there to answer questions. Then there was an autograph signing as well.
I'm really glad we were able to go! Everyone enjoyed it!
Disclaimer: I got tickets from The Rose Theater to help write this review. The Rose Theater did not tell me what to write. All opinions are my own.
3 comments:
It's fun you got to go. My ex is Native American. It still seems weird to call him my 'ex' although he's getting married in July. Seems crazy to me. I've never even had one date with anyone since our divorce, and I doubt that I will. I can't imagine having that close of a relationship with anyone again. I'm off topic now though, lol, definitely! Glad you got to see the show, and just wanted to come over and say hi. :)
What a cool play. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I love how you take your boys to so many live shows. That's nice that this one fell within their age range and had an important message weaved in.
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