Between Two Knees
By The 1491s
Directed by Eric Ting
The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Yale Repertory Theatre Production
An outrageously funny ride through American history written by the acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe The 1491s (Reservation Dogs and Rutherford Falls).
Coming to PAC NYC following acclaimed runs at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theater and Seattle Rep, this play centers on one family’s story of love, loss, and resilience spanning the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee, forced re-education at Indian boarding schools, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam and the American Indian Movement occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. Directed by Obie Award winner Eric Ting and infused with The 1491s’ boldly uninhibited comedy, this New York City premiere takes a hard look at the effects of systemic oppression long after our textbooks typically stop teaching Native history.
Also, it’s funny.
A “raucous remix of Native American history!” —American Theatre Read the full feature article
A PAC NYC Production.
Major Production Support for Between Two Knees is provided by the Roy Cockrum Foundation
Photo: Jeremy Daniel.
The 1491s – Authors
Eric Ting – Director
Rachel Crowl – Ensemble
Derek Garza – Young Isaiah, Eddie, Ensemble
Justin Gauthier – Larry
Irma-Estel Laguerre – Understudy for Older Irma, Ensemble
Shyla Lefner – Young Irma, Irene, Ensemble
Wotko Long – Older Isaiah, Ensemble
Jessica Ranville – Understudy for Young Irma, Irene, Ensemble
James Ryen – Ensemble
John Scott-Richardson – Understudy for Older Isaiah, Ensemble
Kholan Studi – Understudy for Young Isaiah, Eddie, Larry, Ensemble
Shaun Taylor-Corbett – William, Ensemble
Sheila Tousey – Older Irma, Ensemble
Ryan Anthony Williams – Understudy for Larry, William, Ensemble
Choreographer – Ty Defoe
Original Choreography – Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Regina García – Scenic Design
Lux Haac – Costume Design
Elizabeth Harper – Lighting Design
Jake Rodriguez – Sound Design
Shawn Duan – Projection Design
Younghawk Bautista – Wig & Hair Design
Ryan RedCorn – Original Songs
Julie Felise Dubiner – Dramaturg
Rod Kinter – Fight Director
Samantha Shoffner – Properties Supervisor
Paul Pinto – Vocal Coach
Stephanie Yankwitt, Tanis Parenteau – Additional Casting
Joy Dickson – Original Casting
Tara Rubin C.S.A. – Yale Casting
Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed – Production Stage Manager
Kevin Jinghong Zhu – Assistant Stage Manager
Amber Johnson – Assistant Stage Manager
Kholan Studi – Assistant Director
Lindsay Mummert – Assistant Scenic Designer
Sonia Alvarez – Associate Costumes Designer
Lindsey Eifert – Assistant Costumes Designer
Edward Hansen – Assistant Lighting Designer
Emily Duncan Wilson – Associate Sound Designer
Benji Arrigo – Assistant Projection Designer
Ridley Walker – Asst. Projection Designer/Programmer
Natalie Lay – Assistant Properties Supervisor
Susana Montoya Quinchia – Assistant Fight Director
Feb 16
Members of the cast and company discuss the inspiration, themes, and creative process behind Between Two Knees.
Feb 23
An illuminating discussion on responses to Between Two Knees from Indigenous perspectives led by Kianna Pete (Diné/Navajo) (previous president of the Native American Council at Columbia University), Neil Patterson Jr. (Executive Director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment at the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry), and Patricia Tarrant (Executive Director of the American Indian Community House).
Contains depictions and graphic details of violence against Native peoples including war, genocide and massacres; depictions of death and gun-related violence; depictions of Native American boarding schools; use of aggressive and stereotypical anti-Native rhetoric; pedophile priests; Nun-ja fights; country line dancing, ballet, hip hop, traditional powwow; Vaudeville; prophecies; surprise revelations; loud rapping; 31 wigs; over 300 props; Disney princesses; mime wolves; a bison; a rapture; and a really big explosion.
This production contains theatrical fog and haze, prolonged and repeated use of strobe light effects, blood, gunshots, profanity, and loud sound effects.
“Apache”
Written by Jeremiah Lordan
Songs of Universal Inc., on behalf of Primary Wave 3 Songs (BMI)
“Apache (Jump On It)”
Written by Clifton Chase, Cheryl Cook, Sylvia Robinson and Michael Wright
Songs of Universal Inc. on behalf of Primary Wave 3 Songs (BMI)
“Adagio for Strings”
Written by Samuel Barber
Wise Music on behalf of G. Schrimer Inc., (ASCAP)
“The Girl From Ipanema”
Written by Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobin, Marcus Vinicius Da Cruz de Mello Moraes and Norman Gimbel
Songs of Universal Inc., on behalf of itself and Corcovado Music Corp. (BMI)
Words West LLC on behalf of New Thunder Music Co. (BMI)
“From Here To Eternity”
Written by Fred Karger, James Jones and Robert Wells
Published by The Music Goes Round, B.V. d/b/a Barton Legacy (ASCAP), administered for the US by Austintatious Tunes.
©️1953
“S.W.A.T. – Theme”
Written by Barry De Vorzon
EMI Gold Horizon Music Corp. (BMI)
“Pal-Yat-Chee”
Written by Eddie Maxwell
Arranged by Spike Jones
Published by Spike Jones-Helen Rosen Music (ASCAP)
Administered by Wixen Music Publishing, Inc.
“TAR SEQUENCE”
By Lalo Schifrin
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
“Navajo Joe – Main Title ”
Written by Ennio Morricone
Published by BMG Platinum Songs US (BMI) obo Primary Wave Tunes (BMI)
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“I’m An Indian Too”
Written by Irving Berlin
Universal Music Corp. on behalf of Berlin Irving Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Music Clearances by Yolanda Ferraloro, MUSIC RIGHTZ, Inc.
To celebrate and honor members of the Native and Indigenous community, free tickets are available for the entire run of Between Two Knees.
Use promo code B2KPAC during checkout.
The following discounts are currently available by calling 212-266-3000:
Student Discounts
Full-time students are invited to purchase tickets at 50% off plus applicable fees for select events, subject to availability. One student ticket per valid ID. Identification is requested at the time of ticket pick up.
Under 30 Discount
Under 30s are invited to purchase $30 tickets for select events, subject to availability. Proof of age for each member of the party will be required at the time of ticket pick up. Under 30s can purchase one ticket per event, and applicable transaction fees will be applied to each purchase.
The following discount is currently available by calling 212-266-3011:
Group Discount
Groups of 10 or more receive 10% off and 20 or more receive 15% off.
Critic’s Pick!
“Audaciously sidesplitting. Directed with ingenuity and finesse by Eric Ting. The ensemble inhabits a head-spinning roster of characters with unfaltering versatility.”
—Naveen Kumar, The New York Times
“A mad romp of A show!
Achieves the remarkable feat of lampooning history while simultaneously illuminating it.”
—Charles Isherwood, The Wall Street Journal
Cast:
Rachel Crowl
Regional: Between Two Knees (Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theater, Seattle Rep); As You Like It (La Jolla Playhouse); The Swindlers (Baltimore Center Stage); As You Like It, Henry V, Love’s Labour’s Lost (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Film: And Then There Was Eve, Smiley Face Killers. TV: New Amsterdam (NBC). Voiceover: Marvel’s Wastelanders: Wolverine (Red Skull), A Simple Herstory (Susan B. Anthony). She is a portrait photographer and makes music to keep sane.
Derek Garza
Derek Garza is a Native (Wichita/Comanche)/Latino DC-based actor. Recently seen in the production of Something Moving at Ford’s Theatre. Other theaters include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Baltimore Center Stage, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, NC Stage, TFANA, Native Earth, ACT, TimeLine Theatre, Victory Gardens, Chicago Dramatist, Video Cabaret, Steppenwolf, and others. Derek can also be seen in television and films such as ABC’s Betrayal and NBC’s Chicago Fire, PowerBook II: Ghost, and Canal Street. Derekgarza.com
Justin Gauthier
Justin ‘Jud’ Gauthier is a citizen of the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin. Jud has performed in theaters across North America in the 1491s’ stage play Between Two Knees and was recently cast in FX’s Reservation Dogs.
Irma-Estel Laguerre
(Nahua/Aztec/Arawakan) actor, singer, storyteller, and writer. Broadway credits include Lady Thiang in The King and I, Mother and Ballad of Return soloist in Juan Darien. Off-Broadway credits include Black Elk Speaks, Sueños, Everyday a Visitor, Night over Taos. Recent TV credits include The Undoing (HBO), Manifest (Netflix), Ray Donovan (HBO), Law and Order: SVU (NBC). She has appeared in many films, recently as Namor’s Older Mother in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Featured recording on Indigenous Music of the Americas. She performs at museums, festivals, Pow Wows, NA Playwrights Festival, First Nations Development Institute, Sugar Hill Children’s Museum, and Drums Along the Hudson. Combining activism with art and a commitment to the community, she considers herself an ARTivist.
Shyla Lefner
Recent credits include Bulrusher (McCarter & Berkeley Rep); Between Two Knees (Yale Rep, McCarter, Seattle Rep); The Cymbeline Project, Alice in Wonderland, Henry V, Between Two Knees, The Way the Mountain Moved and Manahatta (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Door You Never Saw Before (Geffen Playhouse); Fairly Traceable, Off the Rails, The Frybread Queen (Native Voices at the Autry). Readings and workshops: Sovereignty (TFNA); Wonderland (Dramatists Guild); (w)holeness (Oregon Shakespeare Festival).
Wotko Long
Wotko Long is recognized as a song keeper of the Muskoke language. He has also appeared in the documentary This May Be the Last Time directed by Sterlin Harjo. He played a homeless native man in the film Mekko, where he and a friend tried to find their way back to the traditional ways. He was recognized as a living legend from the Muskoke nation and is now in the series Reservation Dogs directed by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, with the help of The 1491s’ comedy team.
Jessica Ranville
Jessica Ranville (Red River Métis, enrolled citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation) has developed new works at The Playwright’s Realm, The Drama League, The Lark, WP Theater, The New Ohio Theater, IRT, and LaMama. Off-Broadway: Stupid Fucking Bird, u/s (The Pearl), Regional: Where We Belong (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Where We Belong (Portland Center Stage), Men On Boats (Baltimore Center Stage). MFA: The New School for Drama. jessicaranville.com
James Ryen
Thrilled to be a part of the PAC’s Inaugural Season! Other theatre highlights include: Vietgone, Cambodian Rock Band, Peter and The Starcatcher, Beauty and The Beast, Coriolanus, Timon of Athens, Snow In Midsummer, and Shakespeare In Love. Film/TV highlights include: American Sniper, American Housewife, Evidence, Dark House, Shuttle, Mighty Med, The Young and The Restless, General Hospital, Anger Management, The Mentalist, Days of Our Lives, NCIS: Los Angeles, How I Met Your Mother, CSI: Miami, NCIS.
John Scott-Richardson
An enrolled member of the Haliwa-Saponi Nation of North Carolina (lineage: Saponi/Tuscarora), John earned a BA from Atlantic Christian College. He’s worked with the NC Department of Public Instruction, United Nations Environmental Awards, NY Children’s Museum, Raritan Community College, Lotus Music and Dance, Whitney Museum, Long Island Children’s Museum, Historic Richmond Town, NYC public schools, and more. Film/TV: Comedy Central Awards, Banshee, Vice Principals, The American West, Jamestown, The Reunion NY: The Heart Stays, The Politician. Theater: Powwow Highway, New Circle Theater, Dvorak in America, Don’t Feed the Indians, Mangled Beams, Ajijaak On Turtle Island, and The Pendleton Blanket. Board member: Amerinda NYC, Image for Inclusion. He is passionate about working with youth, sharing Native American culture, and educating the next generation. John is a member of SAG.
Kholan Studi
Credits include Eddy in They Don’t Talk Back by Frank Kaash Katasse, Edward in Bingo Hall by Dillon Chito, Anthony in Where The Summit Meets The Stars by Frank Kaash Katasse (Native Voices at the Autry), Elias Boudinot in Sovereignty by Mary Katherine Nagle (Marine Theater Company). Kholan has gone on as understudy for Isaiah/Eddie (Seatle Rep) and Pale Face/William (Yale Repertory Theatre) in Between Two Knees by The 1491s.
Shaun Taylor-Corbett
Shaun I’Pyooksisstiiko’om is proud to be a mixed-race artist of Amskapi Pikuni (Blackfeet), Scandinavian, and Black heritage as well as a member of the Kaa Nux Im mii Taaks (Blackfeet Crazy Dog Society). Original cast member of In the Heights on Broadway. Frankie Valli, 2nd National Tour of Jersey Boys. Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2017-2019. “Septimus,” Arcadia, Bedlam. Co-writer of the Indigenous musical Distant Thunder, (www.distantthunderthemusical.com). Voice of Coyote on Spirit rangers, Netflix. Instagram: @shauntc37
Sheila Tousey
Sheila Tousey is a writer, director, and actress with many film, television, and theater credits to her name. Some of the favorite theaters she has worked with include the New York Theater Workshop, The Public NYC, Lincoln Center, Classic Stage Company NYC, the Guthrie, Berkeley Rep, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Native Voices at the Autry LA , and the San Francisco Playhouse. She is happy to add the Perelman Performing Arts Center to that list.
Ryan Anthony Williams
Ryan Anthony Williams is a proud member of the United Houma Nation from South Louisiana. His previous work includes Queen Sugar, NCIS: New Orleans, and Devil All the Time, among others. His introduction to New York Theatre was through the Williams Esper Studio in Manahatta though this is Ryan’s first off-Broadway production. He couldn’t be more excited to have it be with a cast and crew this legendary for a play that is this important! He’d like to thank all of his guides here and beyond for the opportunity, ability, and faith to be a part of something so meaningful.
Creative Team:
The 1491s
The 1491s are an intertribal Indigenous sketch comedy troupe. Dallas Goldtooth (Mdewakanton Dakota-Diné), Sterlin Harjo (Seminole-Muscogee), Migizi Pensoneau (Ponca-Ojibwe), Ryan RedCorn (Osage Nation) and Bobby Wilson (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota) originally combined their talents to create comedic videos for YouTube. Their first video, a Twilight parody called New Moon Wolf Pack Auditions, went viral in 2009 as have many of their subsequent videos. The 1491s have traveled the country and the world sharing their satirical, stereotype-busting humor through live performances, panels, discussions, and appearances on major media outlets including The Daily Show on Comedy Central, Al Jazeera and National Public Radio. They have also used their talents to address social and legislative issues, such as the full inclusion of Indigenous women in the Violence Against Women Act.
Ty Defoe
Ty Defoe (he/we) is Anishinaabe and Oneida Nation citizen based in New York City. Ty is a Grammy Award®-winning interdisciplinary story artist. As a sovereign trickster, he has earned fellowships from Robert Rauschenberg, MacDowell, Sundance, and Kennedy Center’s Next 50. Ty creates work with rural communities, Broadway productions, and in the metaverse, fostering relations for Indigenous and decolonial futures. Current World Premiere for co-writing, For The People at the Guthrie Theater (w/Larissa FastHorse). Degrees from CalArts, Goddard College, NYU, Tish. Ty is a professor of practice at the ASU in The Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.
Eric Ting
Eric Ting is an Obie Award-winning director. Credits include the world premieres of The Far Country (Atlantic Theater Co); Lear (Cal Shakes, co-director); The World of Extreme Happiness (Goodman/ Manhattan Theater Club); The Great Leap (Denver Center/ Seattle Rep); Between Two Knees (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); We Are Proud to Present a Presentation… (Soho Rep); Parable of the Sower: The Opera. New York: Public Theater Under the Radar, BAM Next Wave. Regional: Long Wharf, Hartford Stage, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Cincinnati Playhouse, Goodman, CTG, ACT, Berkeley Rep. International: Singapore, France, UAE, Holland, Canada, Romania, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bali. Upcoming: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ The Comeuppance (Signature Theater).
Regina García
Regina García is a Puerto Rican scenic designer based in Chicago. She has had long standing relationships with the Latinx Theatre’s renowned Teatros including Teatro Vista and Pregones Theater among others. Upcoming projects: American Players Theatre (WI) and the Guthrie (MN). Regina is a fellow of the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers and the Princess Grace Awards, USA. She teaches at The Theatre School, DePaul University, and is a founding member of La Gente: The Latinx/é Theatre Production Network. www.garciaportfolio.com
Lux Haac
Broadway: The Thanksgiving Play. Off-Broadway/NY: Between Two Knees (PAC NYC); Manahatta, Mobile Unit: The Comedy of Errors (The Public Theater); On That Day in Amsterdam (Primary Stages); 53% Of (Second Stage Uptown); Songs About Trains (New Ohio Theatre); Eureka Day (Colt Coeur). Regional: For the People (Guthrie Theater); The Wizard of Oz (Geva Theatre); Between Two Knees (OSF, Yale Rep, McCarter, Seattle Rep); Espejos: Clean (Hartford Stage, Syracuse Stage); LEAR (Cal Shakes); I and You, Annapurna (Syracuse Stage). MFA: NYU/Tisch @luxhaac luxhaac.com
Elizabeth Harper
(She/Her/Hers) Indecent and Rattlesnake Kate (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf starring Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto (The Geffen Playhouse), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom directed by Phylicia Rashad (The Mark Taper Forum), world premieres include works by Academy Award Winner Lucy Alibar, Kemp Powers, Julia Cho, and Michael Mitnick. She has been involved in Between Two Knees at Seattle Rep, Yale Rep, Oregon Shakespeare, and McCarter and is the assistant professor of lighting design at the University of Southern California.
Jake Rodriguez
Jake Rodriguez is a sound designer and composer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His recent theatrical credits include Frankenstein Revived (Stratford Festival); Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 (American Conservatory Theater); Between Two Knees (Seattle Rep, McCarter Theater Center, Yale Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival); and Wintertime (Berkeley Repertory Theatre). Rodriguez is the recipient of a 2004 Princess Grace Award and received an honorary M.F.A. from A.C.T. in 2021. Find sounds at soundcrack.net.
Shawn Duan
New York based Projection and Media Designer. Recently in NYC: Letters of Suresh (2nd Stage. Lortel Award, OCC nom), The Chinese Lady (Ma-Yi/The Public. Lortel nom, Drama Desk nom). Broadway: Chinglish. NYC Design: MET Museum, The Public Theater, New York City Opera. Regional Design: Arena Stage, the Alliance, Berkeley Rep, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Ford’s Theatre, Goodspeed, The Guthrie, McCarter Theatre Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Seattle Repertory Theatre, South Coast Rep, Trinity Rep, Yale Rep. Tour/Concert work include numerous US/International entertainment tours. Consultant work includes corporate events, activations, music festivals and film post-production.
Younghawk Bautista
Younghawk’s approach to hair and beauty is a hybrid of classic shapes with modern styling techniques that has a timeless appeal fueled by iconic images from film, fashion, and the arts. Hair team for Motown the Musical (Tour) & Wicked on Broadway. Wig Designer for; Manahatta at New York Public Theatre, Kim’s Convenience at Westport Country Playhouse & Between Two Knees at Yale Reperatory Theatre, McCarter Theatre at Princeton, and Seattle Rep. Younghawk is a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians.
Rod Kinter
A NY-based fight director, Rod is thrilled to continue the Between Two Knees journey. Broadway credits include: The Lightning Thief and Live from Lincoln Center: Porgy and Bess (NYCO). Off-Broadway Rod was Resident Fight Director at the Pearl Theatre Company (nine seasons). Other Off-Broadway credits: The Lucille Lortell, Lynn Redgrave, Mint Theatre, Minetta Lane, Acorn, Signature, and East 13th Street Playhouse. Resident Fight Director for New York City Opera at Lincoln Center (1995–2010). Regional credits: ART, Yale Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Rep McCarter, Barter Theatre, Dorset Theatre Festival, Cape Playhouse, Shakespeare on the Sound, Glimmerglass Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and Opera Festival of NJ. Rod teaches stage combat at AMDA NYC. Rodkinter.com
Julie Felise Dubiner
Julie is Director of Artistic Initiatives at McCarter Theatre. Among her credits are premieres of Sweat by Lynn Nottage, Copper Children by Karen Zacarías, and Between Two Knees by The 1491s. She is co-author of The Process of Dramaturgy and her essays are included in Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in Contemporary Dramaturgy, Routledge Companion to Dramaturgy, Innovation in Five Acts, and more.
Stephanie Yankwitt and Tanis Parenteau
Select credits: TV/Film: In The Summers (Official 2024 Sundance Selection, Lexicon/Exile), Growing Up (Disney+). Broadway: Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Off Broadway/NYC: Public Obscenities (Soho Rep), Fairview (Soho Rep, Theatre for a New Audience). Resident casting team for Soho Rep, Tectonic Theater Project, and Long Wharf Theatre. Regional work includes ongoing work with La Jolla Playhouse, and TheaterWorks Hartford. Upcoming: Here There Are Blueberries (NYTW/Tectonic), The Fires (Soho Rep). tbdcastingco.com
Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed
Amanda Nita Luke-Sayed is a freelance, Indigenous producer/stage manager. She has worked at Primary Stages, Signature Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Seattle Rep, Long Wharf Theatre, Yale Rep, Syracuse Stage, The Old Globe, Red Bull Theater, the Houston Ballet, and many more. She has produced drag shows, festivals, and other large-scale events. Her passion is advocating for stage managers as artistic collaborators and increasing the visibility of Native Theater Artists. Yale School of Drama MFA.
Amber Johnson
Touring credits: SIX, Hamilton (Philip Tour), Waitress (1st National), Motown The Musical (1st & 2nd National), Phantom of the Opera (North American Tour), Book of Mormon (2nd National), and Jersey Boys (Chicago Tour). Amber is a proud member of the Absentee Shawnee Nation of Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a BFA in Theatre. Boomer Sooner!
Kevin Jinghong Zhu
Kevin (he/him) is a New York-based stage manager. He is thrilled to make his PAC debut. Selected Off-Broadway credits: Salesman Zhisi (Yangtze Rep); A Delicate Balance (Transport Group and NAATCO); Romeo and Juliet (NAATCO); Public Obscenities (Soho Rep and NAATCO). Selected Regional: Scrooge! (Arizona Theatre Company); Between Two Knees (Seattle Rep & McCarter); Dial M for Murder and Kim’s Convenience (Westport Country Playhouse); Today is My Birthday (Yale Rep); Dream Hou$e (Long Wharf). MFA: Yale School of Drama. bit.ly/kjzsm