It’s quite remarkable to think, now 10 years into the program, what an incredible impact the Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program (YIPAP) continues to have on our communities.
Executive Director, Madeline Sayet (Mohegan), has been involved with the program since its founding in 2015, when she directed Mary Kathryn Nagle’s (Cherokee) Sliver of a Full Moon at the Yale Law School. In the time since then, both her and Nagle’s careers have soared to national artistic profiles with major works such as Sayet’s Where We Belong and Nagle’s Manahatta being performed on stage at significant venues such as The Public Theater (NYC). As Sayet completes her sixth year as the program’s leader, Sayet reflects that, “It has been such an honor to watch this program launch a new generation of Native playwrights into the field. So many of my favorite artists had their first workshop or reading through this program, and are now so embedded in the Native Theater community that it’s impossible to imagine the field without them.”
Amanda Luke-Sayed (Choctaw), a stage manager and producer, who graduated from the Yale School of Drama in ‘22 and has gone on to stage manage significant Native Theater productions such as Manahatta at the Public Theater, and Between Two Knees at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in NYC, has been taking on increasing responsibility for the new play festival and now assists as both line producer and stage manager. Luke-Sayed noted enthusiastically, “I look forward to YIPAP as a yearly ritual, where we get to gather with community to lift up the next generation of young Native artists.”
This year’s festival, was hosted by the Yale Cabaret, and featured three incredible new play readings:
Tourniquet by Honokee Dunn (Mississippi Choctaw), directed by Daniel Leeman Smith (Choctaw), dramaturged by Dillon Yruegas (Coahuiltecan), and featuring performances by: Madison Moore (Cherokee/Navajo), Trevor McChristian (Diné), Carolyn Dunn (Cherokee/Muskogee Creek), and Elishia McCallister (YDS ‘26).
From Above by Drew Woodson (Western Shoshone), directed by Madeline Sayet (Mohegan), dramaturged by Carolyn Dunn (Cherokee/Muskogee Creek) , featuring performances by: Bradley Lewis (Acoma Pueblo), Kaili Turner (Nipmuc), Madeleine Hutchins (Mohegan, YDS ‘23), Mara Guiterrez (Diné, Yale ‘25), Joshua Ching ( Native Hawaiian, Yale ‘26), Trevor McChristian (Diné), Dillon Yruegas (Coahuiltecan), Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone), and Michael Langlois.
Feast For the Dead by Maddie Easley (Wyandotte), directed by Madeline Sayet (Mohegan), dramaturged by Carolyn Dunn (Cherokee/Muskogee Creek), featuring performances by: Madison Moore (Cherokee/Navajo), Trevor McChristian (Diné), Dillon Yruegas (Coahuiltecan), Kaili Turner (Nipmuc), Bradley Lewis (Acoma Pueblo), Cass Meehan-Marinich (Mohegan), Liz Daingerfield, Chris Martin, and Alexander Kydd.
It was particularly fantastic to finally welcome Drew Woodson onto campus after his play “Your friend, Jay Silverheels,” had won the annual Young Native Playwright’s contest in 2021, when we were unable to gather in person. Everyone was also wowed, by Madison Moore, the recipient of this year’s Misty Upham Award for young Native actors, who gave stellar performances in both Tourniquet and Feast for the Dead. One artist commented, “We’re so excited to know Madison and be able to include her in other projects now because of this.” Other highlights this year, included Yale alumni Madeleine Hutchins noting this was her 10th YIPAP Festival, having participated in all of them since the program started during her first year of undergrad, and of course Professor Ned Blackhawk finally making his acting debut this year.
