CREATORS
Ty Defoe (Giizhig) (Writer & Original Co-Director), is from the Oneida and Ojibwe Nations. He is a Grammy award-winning composer, a librettist, interdisciplinary artist, actor, Broadway choreographer, eagle dancer, and hoop dancer. Ty interweaves artistic projects with social justice, indigeneity, trans rights, Indigi-Queering, and environmentalism. Awards, residencies, and fellowships: 2022 The Kennedy Center's Next 50, 2021 Helen Merrill Award-winner, TransLab Fellow, Robert Rauschenberg Artist in Residence, Jonathan Larson Award, Cordillera International Film Festival Finalist, 2021 Cultural Capital Fellow, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center finalist, and the ASCAP Musical Theater Workshop. Ty’s songs have been featured at: Lincoln Center, Joe’s Pub, Ars Nova, 54 Below, The Met, and The Kennedy Center. Ty’s theatrical work has been presented at: Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Institute of Musical Theater, La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Native Voices at the Autry, The New Victory Theater, First Stage, The Millennium celebration in Cairo, Egypt; International Music Festival in Ankara, Turkey; and Festival of World Cultures in Dubai, and coming soon: Syracuse Stage. Works: TransWorld, Red Pine, The Way They Lived, Ajijaak on Turtle Island, Hear Me Say My Name, Hart Island Requiem, Clouds are Pillows for the Moon, Wind Changes Direction, Before the Land Eroded, BasketBall Is 'War, Minus the Shooting' In Sectarian Lebanon, River of Stone, Firebird Tattoo, Trial and Tears (with Dawn Avery), and The Lesson (with Nolan Doran and Avi Amon). Ty is a core member of All My Relations Collective, recent piece: GIZHIBAA GIIZHIG | Revolving Sky
Heather Henson (Creator & Original Co-Director) is a second-generation puppet artist whose work promotes healing for the planet. After studying at the Rhode Island School of Design and the California Institute of the Arts, Henson has focused her efforts on supporting other independent puppet artists, producing her own award-winning environmental spectacles, and bringing people and nature into reciprocal harmony through hands-on educational experiences. By supporting Indigenous knowledge keepers who are reviving traditional practices, Henson strives to support a sustainable and healthy world for generations to come. Henson sits on the Board of Directors for The Jim Henson Company, is President of the Jane Henson Foundation and a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy. She is also Board Member Emeritus of the International Crane Foundation and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
Dawn Avery (Music and Lyrics) Grammy and NAMA nominated, Avery has worked with musical luminaries from Pavarotti to Sting, Cage to Nakai; composing for Indigenous films (Smithsonian’s NMAI, Rich/Heape); touring with her own multimedia projects including 50 Shades of Red and mentoring future generations in the Native Composer’s Project. Avery holds a PhD in ethnomusicology (Indigenous theory, Native Classical music). Of Mohawk descent, her longhouse name is Ieriho:kwats and she wears the turtle clan. Some of the music from this performance may be heard on the Global Award-Winning CD, Crane on Earth, in Sky: A Journey, available for sale.
Larry Mitchell (Music) is a Grammy award-winning producer, engineer and performer who has toured the world playing guitar with well-known artists including Tracy Chapman, Billy Squier, Ric Ocasek, and Miguel Bosé. In his original compositions, Larry skillfully weaves guitar textures that showcase his virtuosity as a solo artist and ensemble player. As an artist, he has released 8 solo records and won a San Diego Music Award for best pop jazz artist. Larry is currently touring promoting his 2016 release "The Traveler." As a producer-engineer, Larry has won 26 New Mexico Music Awards in various categories from pop, adult contemporary, rap, rock, country, World music, and Native American. He won a Grammy Award for producing, engineering, and performing on "Totemic Flute Chants" by Native American artist Johnny Whitehorse, who is better known as Robert Mirabal of Taos Pueblo. Larry is currently touring with his own trio as well as solo shows in support of "The Traveler.”
Kevin Tarrant (Music) was Hųųczii Zi, Bear Clan of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Taal'wip'hoya, Sky Clan of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona. He was brought up in the traditional way and began singing at age 9. A singer, arts manager, and community activist, he was a leader in the Native American community of New York City, serving as Board Chairman and Executive Director of the American Indian Community House. He was a founder and head singer of The SilverCloud Singers, an internationally known Native drum group. They are featured on the album Music for the Native Americans with Robbie Robertson and the Red Road Ensemble and performed at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, The Ritz, Roseland, La MaMa, Lincoln Center, The Public Theater and The Apollo Theater. SilverCloud also traveled to Brazil where they took part in the international percussion festival PERCPAN VI. As a solo performer, he performed with acapella First Nations group, Ulali, composer David Amram, choreographer Savion Glover, and Award-winning percussionist, Alessandra Belloni, and for the off-Broadway productions of Winterman and New York Theatre Workshop's The Rez Sisters.In 2016, he founded, along with playwright and director, Murielle Borst-Tarrant, Safe Harbors NYC, an arts initiative that focuses on the development and production of Native Indigenous Theater and Performing Arts in New York City. Most recently he was the musical director and performed in the Safe Harbors production of Don't Feed the Indians - A Divine Comedy Pageant! at La MaMa. In 2019,
He was the composer and percussionist for the Broadway production and national tour of Ajijaak on Turtle Island. Kevin passed away from Covid-19 in 2020.
Creatives
Jen Olivares (Director/Choreographer) is a director, actor, dancer/choreographer and commissioned playwright with Celebration Theater in Los Angeles. Jen is a member of the Acjachemen Nation, a Southern California tribe who's unceded land is also known as Orange County, CA. Favorite Directing/Choreography Credits: The Thanksgiving Play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Winter’s Tale, SHIFT Dance Company (NYC). Favorite acting credits: Off-Broadway: The Pirate La Dee Da (Atlantic Theatre Company) Regional: Between Two Knees, Manahatta (Yale Repertory Theatre), Oklahoma!, The Way The Mountain Moved, Off The Rails (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) National Tours: Rock of Ages Television: Bull (CBS), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video). @jenolivares_ www.jenolivares.com
Daniel Leeman Smith (Associate Director) (Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma) is a director and playwright. Recent credits: Where We Belong (The Public Theater), Flying Bird's Diary (Long Wharf Theatre), Poyvfekcv and Built On Bones (Yale's New Native Play Festival), and Perhaps the World Ends Here (Local Classic Repertory). Associate Member SDC, Member DGA.
Doug Oberhamer (Music Director) Music Directing credits include: Top of the World, The James Cagney Musical, Swing!, Hamlet the Rock Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Saturday Night Fever, We Will Rock You, Rocky, Crazy For You, The Man of La Mancha, Errol and Fidel, Frankenstein, Nunsense, What Do Critics Know?, Dracula, Reel to Real, My Vaudeville Man, Wanda’s World, Flight of the Lawnchair Man, I Got Fired, Women on the Verge, Seeing Stars, Rings, and Gemini. Best Orchestration Bistro Award winner for Little Death, Best Orchestration winner for Errol and Fidel at the New York Musical Festival and nominated for a Jeff Award for his work on Swing! in Chicago. Featured on the Grammy nominated album Swing! Smooth Jazz recording artist - Founding member and featured artist with KnightHammer: Kickin’ It and The Oberhamer Brothers: Together Again. His music can be heard on radio stations around the world. Love to his wife Christine and daughters Scarlett and Natalie for their love and support.
Designers
Christopher & Justin Swader (Scenic Designers): Previous designs with: Dallas Theater Center, Two River Theatre, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Everyman Theatre, Miami New Drama, Resident Ensemble Players, Tectonic Theater Project, Dorset Theatre Festival, The New Victory Theater, Classical Theatre of Harlem, Lincoln Center Education, Trusty Sidekick, A$AP Rocky, Sotheby’s, Big Apple Circus, National Geographic. www.cjswaderdesign.com
Lux Haac (Costume Design) Credits include: Between Two Knees (OSF, Yale Rep, McCarter Theatre Center), Espejos: Clean (Hartford Stage), LEAR (Cal Shakes), On That Day in Amsterdam (Primary Stages), 53% Of (2ST), Yoga Play, Ragtime (PlayMakers Rep), I and You, Annapurna, Native Gardens (Syracuse Stage). Core Collaborator with All My Relations Collective. MFA: NYU/Tisch. luxhaac.com
Marika Kent (Lighting Designer) (she/her) is a Brooklyn based lighting designer. Recent/upcoming design: Amani (National Black Theater), Bernarda’s Daughters (The New Group / NBT), Ulysses; Seagull (Elevator Repair Service), Catch as Catch Can (Playwrights Horizons), Measure for Measure (Shakespeare & Company), Choir Boy; Gem of the Ocean; School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play (Portland Center Stage), Get Your Ass in the Water and Swim Like Me (The Wooster Group), Generation Rise; Generation NYZ (Ping Chong + Co, The New Victory), Jazz Singer (Abrons Arts Center), Chimpanzee; Fly Away (Nick Lehane). Marika teaches design at Playwrights Horizons Theater School and is a member of USA Local 829. www.marikakent.com
Katherine Freer (Projection Design) is a multimedia designer working in theater, installation, and film. Frequent collaborators include Liz Lerman, Ping Chong, Ty Defoe, Tim Bond, Kamilah Forbes, Talvin Wilks, and Tamilla Woodard. Recent designs include: Peculiar Patriot (ArtsEmerson, dir. Talvin Wilks), Antigone (Richard Rodgers Amphitheater, dir. Carl Cofield), Cellular Songs (BAM Harvey, created by Meredith Monk), Undesirable Elements: Generation NYZ (The Duke on 42nd Street, dir. Sara Zatz and Kirya Traber), The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (Syracuse Stage and Indiana Repertory Theater, dir. Risa Brainin). Katherine is a proud member of United Scenic Artists Local USA 829 and Wingspace Theatrical Design.
Emma Wilk (Sound Design) is a New York based sound designer and collaborator. Her designs have been heard at numerous New York theaters, including The Public, New World Stages, La MaMa, 59E59, and HERE. Some of her favorite designs were A Clockwork Orange, Bright Half Life, Machinal, The King Stag, The Crucible, andGorey: The Secret Lives of Edward Gorey. She has worked regionally in Connecticut, New Jersey, Upstate NY and Idaho. Associate/Assistant Designer highlights include, on Broadway: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Heisenberg,and The Lyons, and Off-Broadway: Hamlet, Pass Over, What’s It All About, and Fun Home. She is a graduate of Vassar College. Emmamwilk.com.
Management +
BRIERPATCH PRODUCTIONS (General Management): Representative productions: Dan Howell: We’re All Doomed Tour; Cagney the Musical; for Rockefeller Productions (New York/Touring): Sesame Street the Musical, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Winnie The Pooh, Paddington Saves Christmas; Harry Townsend’s Last Stand (with Len Cariou/Craig Bierko); The Other Josh Cohen; The Stone Witch (with Dan Lauria); Dan and Phil: Interactive Introverts 2018 Tour; Fuerza Bruta (New York/Las Vegas); Cagney the Musical (NY/London); Party Face (with Hayley Mills); Spamilton (New York/National Tour); Church & State; Forbidden Broadway – The Next Generation; One Funny Mother; Dan and Phil: The Amazing Tour Is Not On Fire; Phoenix; Handle With Care; Grounded; The Two-Character Play (with Amanda Plummer, Brad Dourif); Triassic Parq; Wallenberg; Frog Kiss; Seventh Monarch; Alita -The Immersive Experience;; and the ASDS Repertory Season (2011–current).
KEITH SHERMAN & ASSOCIATES (Press Representative) is the communications firm for a diverse range of entertainment, arts, lifestyles and international brands. KSA has represented hundreds of Broadway, Off Broadway and touring productions, films, television broadcasts, music projects and major events globally. The firm represented The New York Times for a decade and the Tony Awards for 18 years. Ksa-pr.com
Think Big Picture, LLC (Digital Marketing) is a full-service, strategic partner for creative entities: offering digital advertising & marketing, project management, graphic design, strategic planning & business development. TBP uses a global network and extensive research to reach realistic goals and enhance authentic engagement. Using innovative techniques in mixed media design and guerrilla marketing strategies, Think Big Picture is committed to serving clients in a unique, collaborative way.
MUNGIOLI THEATRICALS, INC. (Casting): Arnold J. Mungioli, C.S.A., along with Tess Myers and Frankie Manuel Morán, is delighted to be working with the Green Feather Foundation on this extraordinary undertaking. Credits include The current Ragtime Reunion Concert (as well as the original Ragtime), Sugar Hill: The Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker, Fela!, The Wanderer, Disney’s High School Musical, The Lion King, and Aladdin; Having cast and maintained over ten Broadway hit shows and an equal number of National and International First Class Tours, it has been our pleasure to cast for Bill T. Jones, Hal Prince, Susan Stroman, Rob Marshall & John Deluca, Michael Greif, Josh Bergasse, Robert Wilson, John Tartaglia, and a host of fabulous luminaries. Regional favorites include: Trinity Rep, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Playhouse. Two Artios Awards; CSA Media Access Award. www.mungiolitheatricals.com
STEWERT PRODUCTIONS (Production Manager). Recent: Titanique, Hyprov, Between the Lines, What the Constitution Means to Me (Broadway and National Tour), Tinsel, Is There Still Sex in the City?, The King's Speech, Torch Song, Lobby Hero and Straight White Men. Upcoming: The Apology, Between the Lines, Titanique. Founded by Bethany Stewert. The Ajijak on Turtle Island team is Bethany Stewert, Brad Sievers, and Hannah Osborne. www.stewertproductions.com
Tech+
Lila Mullins* (Stage Manager) is honored to join the beautiful North American touring production of Ajijaak on Turtle Island. Selected theater credits include: Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, the first national tour of Hamilton, and the San Francisco Bay Area tour of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) with the African-American Shakespeare Company. Education: Master’s Degree, Columbia University. Many thanks to the Ajijaak team for inviting me on this journey. Much love to Mimi and Alex.
Becky Carlen Abramowitz* (Assistant Stage Manager) is a NYC-based storyteller. Broadway: CHICAGO, Waitress. Off-Broadway highlights: Emojiland, Theatre Row, Drunk Shakespeare, Trainspotting Live, HERE Arts Center, TFANA, Soho Rep, Sleep No More. Regional: Tuacahn, Shakespeare Theatre of NJ, Barrington Stage, Berkshire Theatre Group, Endstation Theatre. Co-Founder of Invoke Director's Lab. B.A. Theatre, FSU.
From GREEN FEATHER FOUNDATION
Green Feather Foundation is a newly-formed non-profit umbrella for the works previously done by IBEX Puppetry, Handmade Puppet Dreams, and Puppet Slam Network as well as to further support the philanthropic works of Heather Henson. Originally founded by Henson as IBEX Puppetry in 2000, Green Feather is an arts and education organization promoting health and healing of the planet through artistic spectacle, puppetry, and the reconnection of individuals with the land through immersive cultural, environmental and arts education. Learn more at www.greenfeather.org.
Heather Henson is a second-generation puppet artist whose work promotes healing for the planet. After studying at the Rhode Island School of Design and the California Institute of the Arts, Henson has focused her efforts on supporting other independent puppet artists, producing her own award-winning environmental spectacles, and bringing people and nature into reciprocal harmony through hands-on educational experiences. By supporting Indigenous knowledge keepers who are reviving traditional practices, Henson strives to support a sustainable and healthy world for generations to come. Henson sits on the Board of Directors for The Jim Henson Company, is President of the Jane Henson Foundation and a trustee of the Jim Henson Legacy. She is also Board Member Emeritus of the International Crane Foundation and the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.
Brenna Ross is a Brooklyn-based Producer and General Manager with Green Feather Foundation. Her goal is to create more just, equitable, sustainable, and joyous spaces for audiences and artists alike by facilitating wondrous arts experiences and utilizing creative approaches to traditional management practices. She’s previously worked with The 24 Hour Plays, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, and SPACE on Ryder Farm. A proud Midwesterner, Brenna holds degrees in Physics and Theater from Grinnell College and a certificate in Arts & Culture Strategy from University of Pennsylvania.
Tecumseh Ceaser (Educational Outreach) is an Indigenous artist and cultural consultant. He is of Matinecock Turkey clan, Montaukett, and Unkechaug descent. He works in the traditional practice of Wampum carving. He frequently collaborates with organizations to bring cultural programming to local tribes and their communities. Tecumseh currently serves as an advisor for the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus at the United Nations and is the Educational Program Coordinator for Niamuck Land Trust. Visit www.nativetec.biz.
Ajijaak on Turtle Island is a professional production employing members of Actors' Equity Association.
* Denotes a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, a national theatrical labor union.
Actors' Equity Association (“Equity"), founded in 1913, is the U.S. labor union that represents more than 51,000 professional Actors and Stage Managers. Equity fosters the art of live theatre as an essential component of society and advances the careers of its members by negotiating wages, improving working conditions and providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. Actors' Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. #EquityWorks