OKLAHOMA CITY – A story set in a tribal foster home is at the heart of the Native American New Play Festival, the annual two-week event of Native culture and theater arts in Oklahoma City.
Chalk in the Rain, a play by Bret Jones, anchors the festival hosted by Oklahoma City Theatre Company. It runs April 11-21 in the CitySpace Theatre of Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N. Walker Ave., Oklahoma City.
Last year’s festival was such a success that organizers this year sought to add even more offerings to audiences this year, said Rachel Irick, OKC Theatre Company artistic director.
“Our goal is always to build bridges,” she said. “Since I’ve been doing this festival, I’ve been learning and learning, but we’ve always wanted it to do more. We hope to continue to give it over to as many Native American people as possible.”
The festival’s first weekend includes performances at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (April 11-13) and at 2 p.m. Sunday (April 14) of Chalk in the Rain.
Inspired by a newspaper article he read about his tribe’s foster home facing the threat of closure, Jones, Muskogee-Creek, said he set his play around a foster in the same circumstances.
In the play, a woman working for a radio station returns to the institution where she grew up when the station holds a fundraiser to benefit the home. As she remembers back to her time at the home, she thinks back to her roommate and a man there with whom she had a relationship and considers the choices she made as a resident and those made on her behalf.
The drama is recommended for viewers teen and up.
Originally from Lindsey, Okla., Jones is the program director for theater at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kans. He has written plays for more than 20 years - good stories in contemporary settings and dealing with Native identity.
Chalk in the Rain was one of three plays presented at the 2012 festival as staged readings. Of those readings, Jones’ work was chosen as this year’s main stage production.
“It’s certainly an honor,” Jones said. “I think it’s great that there’s a place in the middle of Indian Country down there that’s giving playwrights a chance to share their work. There aren’t a lot of places that really look at Native American theater. There aren’t a lot of theaters around willing to invest in theater like that.”
Irick said the OKC Theatre Company’s goal is to make the Native American New Play Festival a known success across the country and a must-see event special to Oklahoma.
“It’s meant a lot to me personally to learn a lot about Native American history in the time working on the festival, and I want others to have the same experience and appreciate what we have,” Irick said.
Several additions have been made to this year’s festival. Vickie Lynn Moodie will perform her one-woman monologue piece Sparrow at 8 p.m. April 18-20 prior to the performance of Chalk in the Rain. The piece commemorates the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 from Native American perspective.
The festival’s second weekend also features Caddo and Comanche singing as well as the staged readings of three plays being considered for full-stage treatment at next year’s festival. There will also be storytelling, a welcome reception and opportunities to meet the playwrights.
Tickets are $10 for Thursday’s opening night performance. They are $17-$20 for the remainder of the run. For a complete festival schedule or to purchase tickets, visit www.myticketoffice.com.
PHOTO COURTESY OKC THEATRE
Actors begin rehearsals for the staged readings at this year’s Native American New Play Festival, which opens Thursday at the Oklahoma City Civic Center Music Hall.