Overview
A complex, provocative historical drama shining a light on the Cherokee Nation’s deeply intertwined past and present. Performed by an ensemble of Native and non-Native regional and local actors with direction, set, costume and lighting design by Native artists.
Sarah Ridge Polson, a young Cherokee lawyer, fights to restore her Nation’s tribal jurisdiction while confronting the ever-present ghosts of her grandfathers. Stretching from 1830s Cherokee Nation (now present-day Georgia) through Andrew Jackson’s Oval office, along the fateful Trail of Tears, to the Cherokee Nation in present-day Oklahoma – Sovereignty tells an epic tale of the powerful intersections of personal and political truths, bridging our country’s distant past and imminent future.
“Fundamental and revelatory” – Gloria Steinem
Playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and a partner at Pipestem Law, a firm specializing in tribal sovereignty of Native nations and peoples. The majority of her work in court involves fighting for the inherent right of Indian Nations to protect their women and children from domestic violence and sexual assault. She served as the first executive director of the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program from 2015 to 2019.
Reminder: Our COVID Protocols no longer require proof of vaccination for entry, but masking is still required in the theater space.
Creative Team
Cast
Articles
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Press for Sovereignty
A collection of all the press for Harlequin's production of Sovereignty. This page will be updated as new articles are published!
Two fascinating interviews!
Sovereignty: Two Interviews with the Cast and Director
In the first interview, Director Esther Almazán and actors Steve Wood and Kenneth Ruthardt* unpack Sovereignty. In the second, actors Josephine Keefe, Avery Clark*, Lance Claymore and Esteban Bailon dive deeper into the Native experience.
Art in the Lobby in May
Squaxin Island Museum Exhibit
To coincide with the run of Sovereignty, a variety of pieces from the Squaxin Island Museum Library and Research Center will be on display in the State Theater lobby throughout the month of May.