INTERVIEW: Prepare for a Category 5 at Native Voices
Image: Courtesy of Native Voices / Provided with permission.
Montana Cypress, an up-and-coming playwright, will premiere his new play Saturday, Oct. 6 in a staged reading at The Autry museum in Los Angeles. The “First Look” production comes courtesy of Native Voices, a theatrical initiative run by Randy Reinholz (Choctaw), founder and producing artistic director, and Jean Bruce Scott, founder and producing executive producer.
Native Voices seeks to empower and give voice to Native American playwrights, actors and artists.
Cypress’ Hurricane Savage involves a Category 5 hurricane and a family drama involving an estranged son who attempts to go home to confront his past, once and for all. Mother Nature becomes a metaphor for the struggles this central character must overcome deep in the land of the Everglades of Florida. Jason Grasl (Blackfeet) directs the reading.
Cypress, whose heritage is Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, recently spoke with Hollywood Soapbox about the play-in-development, and here’s what he had to say:
On what audience members can expect …
“What can you expect? A good time, let me just put it that way, a good time. Humor, a lot of lyrical experimentation … almost like a Shakespearean play — you know, how entities come in and out, a different language. There is some trials and tribulations, but it’s also balanced out with some humor, much like a Neil Simon play sometimes. But overall I think it would be a unique, different, entertaining experience, at least that’s what I want it to be.”
On how long the development of the play has taken …
“I wrote it last year during Hurricane Irma. It took about a month and a half to write, and I didn’t touch it until I had the first notes [come] back in July. So I’ve been working on it for about a month and a half now. I rewrote the whole thing, same characters, same sort of premise, but just a lot of things have changed. And I think for the better.”
On whether the reading will feature any theatrical staging …
“I believe you’ll be able to feel the vibe because I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a stage directions reader, and the way I wrote the stage direction is much like a radio play because I know what’s to be expected of a staged reading. I have been to many, and I know where they can lag. And I know where they can have strengths, so the way I kind of wrote this one is almost like a radio play, but definitely for the stage as well. But I wanted to make it audibly entertaining, and I believe they’re going to bring some elements into it like sound effects. They’re going to act physically with certain things like that, and that should bring it to life really.”
On his thoughts of having the world premiere in Los Angeles …
“[I’m] a little nervous, but I feel like I’ve given the actors enough things to play with. And I think that’s going to be really helpful, but we start rehearsals on Tuesday and go to Thursday, so about three days of getting familiar with the script and maybe take out a couple things if I feel like I need to. And then Saturday it goes up, so that will be like a world premiere of people hearing it.”
On how he connected with Native Voices …
“I was going to a film academy around here, and I believe someone mentioned to me that there was a Native American acting company. And I looked it up, and then they had some auditions. I believe that’s how I heard about it. I went and auditioned, introduced myself to Jean and the artistic directors, and I didn’t get that job. But I kept going back for auditions and then finally landed one after about, I would say, a good year and a half of auditioning for them off and on, and finally got through.”
On the importance of Native Voices for native artists …
“I can’t speak for anyone else, but definitely for me, yeah, it was a world I had never knew of because I came out here to pursue acting, which I think me and other people have done. And I never thought I’d be writing, but I took a playwrighting course. … I was only used to two tribes in Florida … and I came out here. And I learned there were hundreds of tribes all going through the same things and all expressing themselves in different ways. …
“I learned through their stories, which is what they write and put on the stage, so I am very grateful for that. And what it did for me was open up my own heritage because I didn’t know much about my own heritage, tet when I wanted to write about it, I had to go back and dig into the past. And there’s something very essential about history. It empowers you somewhat to let you know where you came from, why you are situated in a part of the geography of America where you are, and, yeah, it’s definitely an eye opener.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A staged reading of Hurricane Savage by Montana Cypress will take place Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. at Native Voices at The Autry in Los Angeles. Click here for more information and tickets. Tickets are free, but reservations are recommended.
