The intimate portrayal of an indigenous Lenape family forms playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle’s work “Manahatta,” running through March 10 at the Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley.
Nagle, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, draws parallels between the forced removal and taxation of Native Americans during the 2008 financial crisis and the 1626 Dutch purchase of the island of Manhattan (Manahatta in Lenape), the Lenape’s ancestral homeland.
In her story, Nagle follows Jane Snake, a young Lenape woman who works as a securities trader on Wall Street. As Snake’s career thrives, back home in Oklahoma her mother and sister grieve the loss of family and struggle to maintain their culture and language while making enough money to stay in their home.
Shannon R. Davis directs with Livia Gomes Demarchi as Jane Snake.
For tickets, call 510-269-4258 or go to auroratheatre.org.
From left, Livia Gomes Demarchi, Max Forman-Mullin, Ixtlán and Anthony Fusco perform a tense scene from Mary Kathryn Nagle’s”Manahatta,” which is playing through March 10 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. (Photo by Kevin Berne for Aurora Theatre Company)
Martinez: Everyone seems power-hungry these days. Whether it’s for political office, the larger market share of a product or, in the case of a new play, an entire kingdom. Playwright Melynda Kiring spins her own tale of power in her latest work “Nomen,” premiering March 1 and running through March 17 at the Campbell Theater in Martinez.
“It’s the story of a young princess battling a usurper who wants to take the crown,” Kiring said. “A secretary is asked…