Eleven years ago Jean Bruce Scott and Randy Reinholz they gave up their acting careers to pursue something they both are passionate about and that no one else was doing. They created a unique theatrical niche: the world’s only Equity theatre company dedicated exclusively to developing and presenting works by Native American playwrights.
Many thought their venture foolhardy. How could such a thing fly? But the naysayers were mistaken.
Today the duo’s brainchild is thriving as Native Voices, the resident theater company at the Autry National Center for Western Heritage, serving a vital role in the Autry’s mission to tell the story of the West from the perspective not just of cowboys but also of Native peoples. The company maintains successful long-term relationships with New York's The Public Theater, Washington's Kennedy Center and La Jolla Playhouse.
Since storytelling has always been at the core of Native American culture, Scott and Reinholz, himself Choctaw, built their theatre companyto provide an all too rare opportunity to nurture contemporary stories with a uniquely Native American point of view. Through Native Voices' support, works by Native playwrights evolve with guidance from dramaturgs and directors. Then these works are presented on stage in front of Native and non-Native audiences around the globe.
Few theatre companies anywhere are able to devote these kinds of resources to play development.
Native Voices Producing Executive Director Scott is an accomplished director whose name and face are remarkably familiar from her acting work in many 1980s and 1990s television series. She had ongoing roles in many favorite programs ranging from Days of Our Lives to Magnum P.I., Airwolf and St. Elsewhere and guest-starred on a multitude of other series and television movies.
Scott has spent 16 years developing new plays, including more than 50 by Native American playwrights. At Native Voices, she has produced New Play Festivals, Playwrights Retreats, play readings and new plays.
Producing Artistic Director Reinholz played a leading role on Days of Our Lives and made guest appearances on shows ranging fromChinaBeach to Tour of Duty. He has directed over 50 plays in the US, Australiaand Canada, has co-sponsored showcases and diversity workshops for ABC and NBC and is an annual guest artist for the FOX American Indian Summer Institute. He is director of the Schoolof Theatre, Television, and Film at San DiegoStateUniversity.
Perfectly illustrating Native Voice’s mission is The Frybread Queen, a new play by Muskogee Creektribe member Carolyn Dunn,which is being premiered in March by Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. From page to stage, Native Voices has been instrumental at every step of the play’s journey.
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