Crossing Mnisose
by Mary Kathryn Nagle
About the Play:
Sacajawea’s face sits on the US dollar coin, but few know her full story as she guided the U.S. Corps of Discovery up the Mnisose (or what Europeans named the "Missouri River"). In 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted an easement to allow a pipeline to cross the very same river. Although 212 years separate these controversial crossings, both reveal the continued survival of Tribal Nations in the face of colonial conquest. Crossing Mnisose draws a line from Lewis and Clark's historic encampment at Fort Mandan to the present day, as descendants of the Dakota and Lakota Nations continue their fight to ensure that the Mnisose, and the lands that contain the burials of their ancestors, are preserved for future generations.
About the Playwright:
Mary Kathryn Nagle has successfully pursued two careers, both as a lawyer and as a nationally recognized playwright. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, she is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and an honorary member of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska. Her plays include Miss Lead (Amerinda, 59E59), Fairly Traceable (Native Voices at the Autry), Sovereignty (Arena Stage), and Manahatta (developed at The Public Theater and Premiering this summer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival). In 2019, the Rose Theater (Omaha, NE) will produce her new play Return to Niobrara, and Portland Center Stage will produce the world premiere of Crossing Mnisose after its workshop here at the Arkansas New Play Festival.
Performances
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