ALAXSXA | ALASKA
About the Production
ALAXSXA | ALASKA is a theatrical collage of multimedia, puppetry, and Central Yup’ik drum and dance, illuminating striking moments of cross-cultural encounters in the epic, changing landscapes of Alaska. The three performers use movement and puppetry to reveal a series of little-known historical narratives of collisions between people and cultures in Alaska. These histories — at times humorous, at times tragic — juxtaposed against Beaver and Conarro’s own personal memories as "insider" and "outsider" in the Last Frontier
Check out www.encountersalaska.com, our web archive of real stories from contemporary Alaskans
Production Team And Cast
Conceived and Directed by
Ping Chong and Ryan Conarro
Written by
Ping Chong, Ryan Conarro, Justin Perkins & Gary Upay'aq Beaver (Central Yup'ik)
Puppet & Object Design
Justin Perkins
Sound Design
Lucy Peckham
Video and Projection Design
Kate Freer
Lighting Design
Marika Kent
Screen Design
Seth Kirby
Costume Design
Stefani Mar
Songs, Music, & Dance
Gary Upay'aq Beaver and Wassilie Berlin, Sr. (Central Yup'ik)
Mask Design
Philip Charette (Central Yup'ik and French Canadian), Alaska Native Heritage Center
Qaspeq Costume Collaborator
Loni Hoover (Central Yup'ik)
Stage Manager
Courtney Golden
Cast
Gary Upay'aq Beaver (Central Yup'ik); Ryan Conarro Justin; Perkins
Performance History
Workshop
The Orchard Project, a program of The Exchange (Summer 2016)
Lincoln Center Education Workshop (May 2017)
Alaska Workshops and Engagement (August 2017)
Anchorage Museum (August 2017)
University of Alaska Anchorage, Bethel Tundra Women’s Coalition's Teens Acting Against Violence (August 2017)
Lower Kuskokwim School District (August 2017)
Nome Elementary School (September 2017)
Katirvik Cultural Center (September 2017)
Homer's Fireweed Academy (September 2017)
Bunnell Street Arts Center (September 2017)
Premiere
University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK (September 2017)
Tours
Bethel, AK (September 2017)
Kasigluk, AK (September 2017)
Nome, AK (September 2017)
Homer, AK (September 2017)
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, New York, NY (October 2017)
Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (October 2018)
Nanwalek School (October 2018)
Mariner Theater (October 2018)
The First Alaskans Institute Elders & Youth Conference at Denaina Center (October 2018)
Unalakleet School (October 2018)
Anthony A. Andrews School (October 2018)
Tukurngailnguq School (October 2018)
Press
Alaxsxa | Alaska review, Time Out New York, October 15, 2017
“Alaxsxa / Alaska” Weaves a Spellbinding History of the 49th State, Village Voice, October 24, 2017
How Much Do You Know About Alaska?, TDF, October 13, 2017
From Kasigluk to NYC and Back - A Path To Wellness Through Storytelling, KYUK, September 7, 2017
“What Happens When Two People Meet Each Other”, Knom Radio Mission. October 17, 2017
Partners
National Performance Network/Visual Artists Network Creation
Development Fund Project
Bunnell Street Arts Center
Juneau Arts and Humanities Council
La MaMa ETC
National Performance Network
University of Alaska Anchorage Department of Theater & Dance
The Alaska Native Heritage Center
The Orchard Project
Lincoln Center Education
Downtown Art
Funders
New England Foundation of The Arts
The National Theater Project of NEFA
ALAXSXA ALASKA Program (2017/2018 Tour)
