Indigenous Playwright Rhiana Yazzie Presents New Play, The Nut, The Hermit, The Crow, and The Monk

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, UNITED STATES, April 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Playwright and filmmaker Rhiana Yazzie, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, presents her new play, The Nut, The Hermit, The Crow, and The Monk. Written and directed by her, the play marks the 15th anniversary of her theater company, New Native Theatre. The play will be presented for fifteen performances at Gremlin Theatre in Saint Paul from April 16 to May 4.

The play, The Nut, The Hermit, The Crow, and The Monk, follows a Zillennial brother and sister on a transformative self-help journey, drawing inspiration from The Odyssey and Alice in Wonderland. Their quest is both physical and emotional, as they confront and begin to heal the intergenerational trauma rooted in their boarding school experiences.

This marks Yazzie’s first project since writing and directing The Other Children of the Sun at The Kennedy Center earlier this winter which received critical acclaim. With The Other Children of the Sun, Yazzie became the first Native American playwright and director to premiere a play at the Kennedy Center.

"Through my multi-disciplined dramatic work, I’ve realized that art can reform relationships, mirror reciprocity, demonstrate responsibility, and recover the meaning of respect," said Yazzie. "These ‘Four Rs’ guide my writing and filmmaking, ensuring that Indigenous perspectives take center stage where they rightfully belong."

As the founder and Artistic Director of New Native Theatre, the largest Native American theater company in the Midwest, Yazzie is uplifting Indigenous performers, playwrights, and directors. Her company actively creates opportunities for Native talent, ensuring authentic representation on and off the stage.

"For too long, Indigenous artists have had to fight for visibility in an industry that wasn’t built for us," Yazzie added. "This award is not just a personal milestone, but a recognition of the incredible work being done by Native creatives across the country."

Earlier this year, Rhiana Yazzie received the prestigious 2025 United States Artists Fellowship, joining a select group of 50 artists honored for their outstanding contributions to American culture.

She is currently writing for major theater institutions, including Solas Nua (Washington, D.C.), Fishamble (Ireland), Long Wharf Theatre (New Haven), Rattlestick Theater (New York), and the University of New Mexico.

In TV and film, she served as a writer on AMC’s ‘Dark Winds’ (Seasons 2 and 3) and is working on her second feature film. In 2023, she directed the U.S. premiere of ‘Missing’ at the Anchorage Opera and is now crafting her first opera libretto, ‘Little Ones,’ in collaboration with Anishinaabe composer Danielle Jagelski. Her past accolades include the Lanford Wilson Award (2021), the Steinberg Award (2020), the Sally Ordway Award for Vision (2017), and a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship (2018).

The tickets for The Nut, The Hermit, The Crow, and The Monk, can be purchased here.


About Rhiana Yazzie:
Rhiana Yazzie is an award-winning Navajo playwright, director, and filmmaker. She is the Artistic Director of New Native Theatre, which she founded in 2009 to create professional opportunities for Native artists. A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Master of Professional Writing program, Yazzie where she produced events featuring legends like Stephen Hawking, Herbie Hancock, and Spalding Gray.

About New Native Theatre:
New Native Theatre is a new way of thinking about, looking at, and creating authentic Native American stories for the stage. Based in the Twin Cities, it is the most frequently producing and largest professional Native American theatre company in the Midwest focusing exclusively on Native American playwrights, actors, directors, and all audiences.

Rhiana Yazzie
New Native Theatre
+1 612-367-7639
info@newnativetheatre.org
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