The Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP) is excited to announce the call for submissions for the Fourth Annual Misty Upham Award for Young Native Actors. This award was created in memory of the acclaimed Blackfeet actress Misty Upham and honors Native actors 25 and under.
The winner will receive $500, and transportation to and housing on Yale campus to be a part of the 2024 YIPAP New Native Play Festival at the Yale Schwarzman Center April 22-25th. They will have the opportunity to be cast in workshops of new Native plays in development, and be honored as part of an award ceremony. Native actors age 25 and under are invited to record themselves performing a monologue to be considered for submission. Video submissions are due Feb 25th 2024 and will be evaluated by a team of professional theater artists. The review panel for the award has traditionally consisted of significant Native Theater Artists and Casting Directors, creating additional exposure for all applicants.
For the purposes of the competition, we have compiled a special folder of monologues for Native actors under 25 by Native playwrights such as Marisa Carr, Carolyn Dunn, Tara Moses, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Vera Starbard, William S Yellowrobe Jr, and Vickie Ramirez, with their permission. New monologues have also been added since last year’s submissions. (We are open to additional materials, but all submissions should feature the actors performing the work of Native playwrights.)
Anyone previously named a finalist, honorable mention, or youth prize winner is eligible and encouraged to re-apply for the main award this year, using a different monologue. Our previous winners were Isabella Star Lablanc, Taya Dixon, and Sophia Madrigal.
Please email the following information to madeline.sayet@yale.edu for access to the folder of Monologue options to submit.
- Full Name
- Tribal Affiliation
- Date of Birth
- Phone Number
We will be offering an additional free online acting workshop in January to help actors prepare their contest submissions. Details for the workshop will be announced soon.