ALAXSXA | ALASKA

2017
Theater

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)

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

Reviews And Quotes