American Indian Theatre Company presents the Mahenwahdose production of Will Hill’s Native American Christmas comedy, “A Song of Winter” this weekend.
TULSA, Okla. – The American Indian Theatre Company is announcing the fourth performance season of “A Song of Winter,” written by Will Hill, Native American playwright and storyteller. Like many of Hill’s performances, the play is filled with humor and highlights Christmas time in Oklahoma’s Indian Country. The performance will top off a year of success for Hill and AITCO, following the funny, spooky comedy “The Fearless Honkah Hunters,” written by Hill and Winona Henderson, which was performed at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in October.
The play, which takes place during the season of “Thluhfoh Yuh Hay Gee Dah,” the season of the popping trees, is filled with the comedic humor and antics of Hill. His professional training mixes beautifully with the history, language, music, folklore and dance of his Muscogee-Creek traditional upbringing. A highlight in this performance is an “Ode to Commodity Cheese,” as well as the memorable song of the same name written by Hill’s performance partner, Jehnean Washington.
Hill and Washington, an accomplished singer and music composer, have been stage partners for the past nine years. The two actors, dubbed “The Dynamic Duo” by Native American Times, brought national recognition to the state of Oklahoma by being the first American Indians to perform at the Smithsonian’s then new National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.. Later, in Nov. 2007, they were chosen to represent Oklahoma’s Centennial Celebration at Disney’s EPCOT Center in Orlando, Fla. where they put on 31 performances.
The acting ensemble of Mahenwahdose will fill the cast of this enjoyable holiday play. Cast members include talented actor Michael Buckendorf, Jr., who is in his fourth year with Mahenwahdose; Winona Henderson, Cherokee, who has appeared in every production and is co-founder of Mahenwahdose; Butch McIntosh, traditional Elder and dancer; and newcomer Mike McEver, Cherokee, a University of Tulsa Law graduate, successful Coweta attorney and Administrative Law Judge for the Cherokee Tribe, as well as undergraduate of Arts, Drama, Speech and Journalism from Northeastern State University.
The play is being funded by the American Indian Theatre Company, The Oklahoma Arts Council, National Indian Monument Institute, Tulsa Indian Art Festival, Tulsa Performing Arts Trust and Prescor, Inc. Opening night will be Friday, Dec. 18, 2009 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center at 8:00 p.m.. There will be two performances on Dec. 19 - a 2:00 p.m. matinee and an 8:00 p.m. evening performance. Tickets are now on sale at the PAC ticket office in the Tulsa area at 918-596-7111 or toll free, 1-800-364-7111.