Rhiana Yazzie is a

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

playwright, actor, and filmmaker. She is based in the Twin Cities where she founded New Native Theater in 2009.

Early life

An enrolled member of the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

, Yazzie grew up in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. According to her mother, she's been telling stories since she was a child.

Education and career

Yazzie attended the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...

from 1995 to 1999, earning a bachelor's degree in theater. From 2000 to 2002 she attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

and earned a master's degree in professional writing. She moved to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

for Playwrights' Center Fellowship, calling the city a "Mecca for Native arts, writing, ndculture. She was awarded the Playwrights' Center Jerome Fellowship two times, in 2006/2007 and in 2010/2011. In 2009, Yazzie created New Native Theater which "produces, commissions, and devises authentic Native American stories for the stage." Yazzie started NNT to connect the 100+ theaters in town and the large urban native community. As the head of one of the few Native theater companies in the United States, Yazzie has expressed that her work can be isolating. However, she recognizes the importance of the NNT company in helping herself and other Natives creatively find their place in the world through classes and shows. The company has an open door policy, so Natives of all ages can work with the company.

Work

Plays

* ''2012: The Musical'' is a music comedy about Natives living in Minneapolis who are expecting the return of Indian Alien ancestors because the end of the Mayan calendar is approaching. * ''Ady'' is a play about a Navajo woman who finds a vintage photograph of a woman in 1937 who is her doppelganger. The photograph sends her into a vortex of history to explore the surrealist movement and her mother's suicide on her reservation. * ''Asdzani Shash, The Woman Who Turned into a Bear'' is a play that reimagines a Navajo legend about a woman who turns into a bear. This woman must make a choice to remain human or become an animal when he life is complicated by the return of an abusive ex. * ''Las Madres'' is a one act play is from the perspective of the grandchildren of families in Argentina affected by the government removal of native children from their families. * ''The Long Flight'' is a one-act play is about the redemption of a Navajo man.

Audio theater

* ''Little Apple, Big Apple'' is a podcast that follows two sisters in the Twin Cities who start a mental-health acting troupe. They navigate their own complicated lives while they attempt to make a difference in their community. * ''The Best Place to Grow Pumpkins'' is a twenty-six minute play is about a young girl living on a Navajo reservation who wants a magical pumpkin patch.

Filmography

* ''A Stray'' (2016) is about a Muslim in Minneapolis who crosses paths with a stray dog. * ''Homecoming'' (2015) is about a marine whose partner dies in combat. * ''Injunuity'' (2013) is an animated film which explores Nativeness. * ''A Winter Love'' (2021) a modern day inter-tribal love story

Awards

* In 2017, Yazzie won a Sally award, which celebrates Minnesotan's commitment to the arts. * In March 2018, Yazzie was one of twenty-four to win St. Paul's Bush Foundation fellowship. Yazzie plans to use this opportunity to connect with aboriginal theatre companies around the world. * In 2020 she was one of the winners of the Steinberg Playwright Awards

References

External links

* *
Native American and Latino Voices 2: Rhiana Yazzie and Teresa Ortiz
on YouTube
New Native Theater Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yazzie, Rhiana Living people Navajo writers Native American actresses University of New Mexico alumni University of Southern California alumni Actresses from Albuquerque, New Mexico Artists from Albuquerque, New Mexico Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American women writers American women dramatists and playwrights Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico 21st-century Native American writers 21st-century Native American women 21st-century American women