Arts Learning Project for Native Youth (ALP4NY)
During the pandemic, Teresa Melendez (Potawatomi) and I began a virtual performing arts education program with Native youth in partnership with Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone. Designed to help tribes meet their students’ and families’ needs during COVID, ALP4NY has since expanded into a sleep away summer camp, held on a college campus, in-school CTE training with NAYA's Many Nations Academy, and more. Designed, led, and implemented by an all-Native team, the program helps Native students build resiliency and self-advocacy skills, and also nurtures relationships among professional working artists and 7th-12th grade Native students. This growing program now serves Native youth across the country.
National Day of Theater Readings for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR)
Theaters across the country join together to produce staged readings of new plays by Native writers that tackle the crisis of violence facing Indigenous people. I curated a list of 15 plays about MMIWR through New Play Exchange, and have gathered theaters across the country to join in action on May 5th, 2026, the National Day of Awareness for MMIWR.
New Plays: Award-winning AlterLab
Director & architect of award-winning AlterLab new play development & production program
AlterLab Playwright Residency:
Support 3-5 writers in yearlong residency as each writer creates a new play, takes a creative risk, and supports their fellow writers. Created for diversity—including intergenerational (ages 20-93), socioeconomic, aesthetic and experiential—AlterLab writers have been 85% women, 2/3 writers of color.
AlterLab Production:
Produce first look and world premiere productions, all of which won regional and/or national awards, were included on “Best of the Year” critics’ lists, or were honorable mentions/finalists/semi-finalists for national awards. AlterTheater produces on average 75% of AlterLab developed plays. Began (with The Parsnip Ship & Bishop Arts Theatre Center) BITOC touring audio play network.
AlterLab Plays include (among others):
* BR’ER PEACH by Andrew Saito, Rella Lossy Award (audio play)
* GHOSTS OF BOGOTÁ by Diana Burbano, Rella Lossy Award
* COW PIE BINGO by Larissa FastHorse+, Theatre Bay Area Award, best featured actor (Gwen Loeb)
* BONDAGE by Star Finch, Princess Grace Award finalist; honorable mention, Relentless Award; multiple Best of 2017 lists
* BABA by Denmo Ibrahim, winner, Best New Play from Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards; finalist, multiple Best Performance awards
* ROSE IN AMERICA by Michelle Carter, USA Pen Literary Award in Drama; Best Featured Actor (Charles Dean) nominee, BATCC
* THE RIVER BRIDE by Marisela Treviño Orta+, picked up by Oregon Shakespeare for their 2016 season; script chosen for publication in Theatre Bay Area Magazine
* LANDLESS by Larissa FastHorse+, USA Pen Literary Award in Drama; nominated, multiple awards, including Best New Script from Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle
*A MAN, HIS WIFE, AND HIS HAT (published as THE HATMAKER'S WIFE) by Lauren Yee#, USA Pen Literary Award in Drama finalist
+ plays I directed (usually 1/season)
# plays I acted in (about 1/3 of AlterTheater plays)
Grants/Awards include: NEA, California Arts Council, Novo Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, Horizons Foundation, Fleishhacker, Zellerbach, Theatre Bay Area New Works Fund, 23 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle nominations, 9 Theatre Bay Area Awards finalists