In December of 2007, as part of its Native Theater Festival, the Public Theater brought Native theater professionals from around the U.S. and Canada to New York City for a series of readings and discussions. The five-day festival included play readings, post-performance discussions, concerts, roundtables, and the performance of Darrell Dennis' 'Tales of and Urban Indian.' This video documents an interview with Randy Reinholz, conducted by Yvette Nolan as a part of a supplementary Native Theater Festival interview series.
Randy Reinholz, an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is co-creator and artistic director of Native Voices. He has directed close to fifty plays across the US and Canada. Reinholz was the director and executive producer of Urban Tattoo and the critically acclaimed Equity productions of 'Jump Kiss,' 'The Buz'Gem Blues,' and 'Please Do Not Touch the Indians' and was the executive producer of the 2005 world premiere of 'Kino & Teresa.' In 2006, Reinholz produced and directed the world premieres and tours of 'Stone Heart' and 'The Red Road,' and the staged reading of 'Wild Horses' at The Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices. In 2007 his production of 'The Berlin Blues' premiered in Los Angeles. The last three Native Voices productions have been remounted at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York and Washington, D.C. Beyond directing and producing he has co-sponsored showcases and Native American diversity workshops for ABC and NBC and is an annual guest artist for the FOX American Indian Summer Institute. He received his MFA from Cornell University and is a tenured professor of Theatre, Television, and Film at San Diego State University in addition to being on faculty in the Program of American Indian Studies.
Yvette Nolan (Algonquin from Kitiganzibi) is a playwright, dramaturg, and director. Her plays include 'Annie Mae's Movement,' 'BLADE,' 'Job's Wife,' 'Video,' the libretto 'Hilda Blake' and the radio play 'Owen.' As a dramaturg, she works across Canada, most recently as the Festival Dramaturg for Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre Spring Festival. She was the president of the Playwrights Union of Canada 1998-2001, and of Playwrights Canada Press 2003-2005. She is currently the Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto.