''Manahatta'' is a dramatic play written by

Mary Kathryn Nagle Mary Kathryn Nagle is a playwright and an attorney specializing in tribal sovereignty of Native nations and peoples. She was born in Oklahoma City, OK, and is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She previously served as the ex ...

. The play takes place in present day Oklahoma, as well as present day and 17th century Manahatta (popularly known as

Manhattan Island Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

). The show follows Jane Snake as she rises the ranks of a

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

investment firm An investment company is a financial institution principally engaged in holding, managing and investing securities. These companies in the United States are regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and must be registered under the ...

, meanwhile, her family, specifically her mother, Bobbie, faces financial ruin following the death of her husband. The show also mirrors its characters in early 17th century Manahatta, depicting the arrival of Dutch settlers representing the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

, who subsequently take the land of and massacre the Delaware Lenape people, beginning the process of driving them out of Manahatta and

Lenapehoking Lenapehoking (Unami: ''Lënapehòkink'') is widely translated as ' homelands of the Lenape', which in the 16th and 17th centuries, ranged along the Eastern seaboard from western Connecticut to Delaware, and encompassed the territory adjacent to th ...

. The show seeks to draw parallels between the original process of

colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

and

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Latin ...

towards Native Americans during the colonial era in what would become the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to the continued colonial process and removal/denial of culture, perpetuated in part by the system of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

. ''Manahatta'' features usage of traditional

Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...

language throughout the show. Many of its sequences in the 17th century closely on history, portraying the invasion of the Dutch into Manahatta, and the "purchasing" of Manhattan from the Delaware Lenape by the

Peter Minuit Peter Minuit (between 1580 and 1585 – August 5, 1638) was a Wallonian merchant from Tournai, in present-day Belgium. He was the 3rd Director of the Dutch North American colony of New Netherland from 1626 until 1631, and 3rd Governor of New N ...

, who performed the "purchase", is a featured character in the show. The name Se-ket-tu-may-qua (translated to

Black Beaver Black Beaver or ''Se-ket-tu-may-qua'' (1806–1880, Lenape, or ''Delaware'') was a trapper and interpreter who worked for the American Fur Company. He served as a scout and guide as he was fluent in English, as well as several European and Native ...

in English), which is the name of Luke's mirrored character, is the name of a 19th-century

leader who led

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

soldiers hundreds of miles during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

Jonas Michaelius Jonas Michaëlius (1577 - after 1638) was the first clergyman to lead a congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in America. Biography He was probably born ''Jonas Joannis Michielsz'' in Hoorn. He studied at the University of Leyden from 1600-160 ...

, Michael's mirrored character, is the name of a Dutch clergyman who was involved with colonizing Manahatta.

Productions

Public Studio (pre-premiere)

As one of the first two plays to be put on by Public Studio (a program by

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

), ''Manahatta'' was featured in a "pared-down" production of the show at the Shiva Theater in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from May 15 to May 25, 2014. Directed by

Kate Whoriskey Kate Whoriskey (born 1970)
by Misha Berson, Seattle Times, September 4, 2010 is a freelance thea ...

, its cast featured Tanis Parenteau (Jane/Le-Le-Wa-You),

Kimberly Guerrero Kimberly Norris Guerrero (née Norris; born 1967), is an American actress in film, TV, and stage; and a screenwriter. She has over two dozen screen appearances, generally playing roles of Indigenous women. Norris played Gen. Custer's American I ...

(Debra/Toosh-Ki-Pa-Kwis-I), Neal Huff (Assistant/Joe), Brandon Oakes (Soldier/Se-Ket-Tu-May-Qua), Andrew Weems (

), and Albert Ybarra (Robert/

Tamanend Tamanend (historically also known as Taminent, Tammany, Saint Tammany or King Tammany, "the Affable," ) (–) was the Chief of Chiefs and Chief of the Turtle Clan of the Lenni-Lenape nation in the Delaware Valley signing the Peace Treaty with ...

). Before the first performance on May 15, 2014, a prayer was given in

by Curtis Zunigha, (at the time) the Operations Manager and former Chief of the

Delaware Tribe The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory inclu ...

. The show was changed before its subsequent premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2018.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

''Manahatta'' premiered as part of the

Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) is a regional repertory theatre in Ashland, Oregon, United States, founded in 1935 by Angus L. Bowmer. The Festival now offers matinee and evening performances of a wide range of classic and contemporary pla ...

at the Thomas Theater on March 28, 2018. It was directed by

Laurie Woolery Laurie Woolery is a Latinx playwright, director, and educator based in New York City. She is the director of Public Works at The Public Theater and founding member of The Sol Project. In 2014 she was awarded a Fuller Road Artist Residency for W ...

, with the only cast member returning from the pre-premiere production being Tanis Parenteau (Jane Snake/Le-le-wa'-you), and a premiering cast of

Sheila Tousey Sheila May Tousey (born June 4, 1959) is a Native American actress. Biography Born in Keshena, Wisconsin in 1959, Tousey is a stage and film actress of Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee descent. She was raised on both Menominee and Stockbridge ...

(Bobbie/Mother), Rainbow Dickerson (Debra/Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i), Steven Flores (Luke/Se-ket-tu-may-qua), Danforth Comins (Joe/Jakob), Jeffrey King (Dick Fuld/Peter Minuit), and David Kelly (Michael/

). The show was met with critical success, and ran until October 27, 2018.

Yale Repertory Theater

The east coat premiere of the show, ''Manahatta'' ran at the

Yale Repertory Theater Yale Repertory Theatre at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut was founded by Robert Brustein, dean of Yale School of Drama, in 1966, with the goal of facilitating a meaningful collaboration between theatre professionals and talented student ...

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, from January 24 to February 15, 2020. This production was once again directed by Laurie Woolery, with Steven Flores (Luke/Se-ket-tu-may-qua), Danforth Comins (Joe/Jakob), and Jeffrey King (Dick Fuld/Peter Minuit) returning to the cast, with new cast members Carla-Rae (Bobbie/Mother),

Lily Gladstone Lily Gladstone (born August 2, 1986) is an American actress. Biography Raised in Browning, Montana, Gladstone is of Blackfeet and Nimíipuu heritage. Gladstone is also a distant relative of British Prime Minister William Gladstone. After gradu ...

(Jane Snake/Le-le-wa'-you), Shyla Lefner (Debra/Toosh-ki-pa-kwis-i), and T. Ryder Smith (Michael/

) joining. It was the first play to be produced at the Yale Repertory Theater by a Native American playwright or to have a majority Native cast. At the request of one of his descendants, the set of the show featured a large image of Se-ket-tu-may-qua. This production was also met with critical success.

University of Pennsylvania

As a production of the student-run theater company, the Front Row Theatre Company, ''Manahatta'' ran at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

at the Heyer Sky Lounge in Harrison College House from February 20 to February 22, 2020. Directed by Connor Beard, this was the first student production of the show, featuring the cast of Duval Courteau (Jane Snake/Le-le-wa'-you), Mika Graviet (Bobbie/Mother), and David Hernandez (Luke/Se-ket-tu-may-qua) (the remainder of the cast is unlisted).{{Cite web, url=https://frontrowtheatre.co/past-seasons/2019-2020/, title=2019-2020, date=2020-03-20, website=Front Row Theatre Co., language=en, access-date=2020-04-26

External links

Playbill from Yale Repertory Theater production

References

2018 plays Native American art Indigenous theatre Plays set in Oklahoma Plays set in New York City