Harlequin opens ‘Sovereignty,’ written and directed by Indigenous artists

Harlequin Productions’ “Sovereignty,” opening Friday, May 5, interweaves past and present, personal and political, to tell a little-known story about the Cherokee Nation’s long struggle for the right to govern itself.

Mary Kathryn Nagle of the Cherokee Nation wrote the play — whose characters include Andrew Jackson — based on her family history and her work as a lawyer; the Harlequin production, directed by Esther Almazán of the Yaqui/Yoeme Tribe, features a mostly Indigenous cast and design team.

It’s the first time that Harlequin has produced a play written and directed by Indigenous artists.

“We want to make sure we’re telling stories about all of us, not some of us,” said Aaron Lamb, the company’s artistic director. “This will be a surprising (show) for most people, because it’s a story they haven’t heard before. It’s the real story.”

“Sovereignty” flows from past to present, with actors shifting from one role to another and dialogue echoing across time.

In the 1830s, Cherokee leaders John Ridge (Steve Wood) and Major Ridge (Kenneth Ruthardt), the playwright’s ancestors, went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in their fight to have the Cherokee Nation recognized as a sovereign government. They were victorious, but Jackson (Avery Clark) refused to enforce the ruling.

In contemporary Oklahoma, young lawyer Sarah Ridge Polson (Josephine Keefe)— a fictional character who has much in common with Nagle — works to restore the Cherokees’ jurisdiction over crimes committed on the nation’s land and to defend the sovereignty of women’s bodies.

“It’s dense subject matter, but the energy and the tone and the pace of the play are such that you’re going to be flying through the scenes,” said Keefe, a member of the Nez Perce Tribe.

“There are these fun, provocative, at times funny, challenging scenes when you get these (historical) characters together and you see how they might have interacted,” she said. “You see the confluence of past and present — how the past dictates the present.”

Harlequin is far from alone in being new to producing Indigenous theater: When it premiered in 2018 in Washington, D.C., “Sovereignty” became one of the few Native-written plays to be produced by a professional non-Native theater company.

“This was a rare opportunity,” Keefe of Spokane told The Olympian. “In the shows I’ve seen where an Indigenous character is portrayed, that character is often silent, subservient and the focus of a traumatic event that they need to overcome — silently. The audience is viewing the action through the lens of predominantly white characters.”

The only exception: “According to Coyote,” a one-man show created by her late uncle John Kauffman. That show, which she’s watched on film many times, inspired Keefe to pursue theater arts.

She’s explored that show in acting classes and is helming a new production, but how many times has she played a character written by an Indigenous playwright on stage?

“Zero,” she said. “I’m so thrilled that Harlequin Productions is doing this story. … It’s incredibly exciting, and I hope to see more of that from Harlequin as well as from other production companies in the region.”

‘Sovereignty’

• What: This historical drama, written by lawyer Mary Kathryn Nagle, a member of the Cherokee Nation, explores the sovereignty of both women’s bodies and Indigenous governments.
• When: May 6-28 with evening performances at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m.
• Where: State Theater, 202 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia
• Tickets: $35, $32 for seniors and military, $20 for students and youth
• More information: 360-786-0151, https://harlequinproductions.org
• Preview: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5; $20
• COVID precautions: Harlequin Productions no longer requires proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test to enter the State Theater. However, all patrons are required to remain masked while in the theater space.