"Sovereignty" Produced by Three Bone Theatre

Sovereignty Written by Mary Kathryn Nagle Directed by Carolyn Dunn https://www.threebonetheatre.com/events/2526/sovereignty Starring Nathan Ahlgrim* is Mitch/Samuel Worcester Lance Claymore* is John Ridge Ryan Dunn* is Chorus Man Marco Fuller* is Major Ridge/Rodger Ridge Polson Mvnte July* is John Ross/Jim Ross Keely Kidwell* is Sarah Bird Northrup/Flora Ridge Billie Merritt* is Sarah Ridge Polson Josh Orsi* is Elias Boudinot/Watie Kyle Riggs* is Andrew Jackson/Ben *denotes Three Bone Theatre debut August 21-September 6, 2026 Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m.​ Performances will be held at Arts Factory 1545 W. Trade St About the Show In present-day Oklahoma, a young Cherokee lawyer, Sarah Ridge Polson, and her colleague Jim Ross defend the inherent jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation in the U.S. Supreme Court when a non-Indian defendant challenges the Nation’s authority to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence. Their collaboration is juxtaposed with scenes from 1835, when the Cherokee Nation was eight hundred miles to the east in the southern Appalachians. That year, Sarah’s and Jim’s ancestors, historic Cherokee rivals, were bitterly divided over a proposed treaty with the administration of Andrew Jackson, the Treaty of New Echota, which led to the nation’s removal to Oklahoma on the infamous Trail of Tears. A direct descendant of nineteenth-century Cherokee leaders John Ridge and Major Ridge, Mary Kathryn Nagle has penned a play that twists and turns from violent outbursts to healing monologues, illuminating a provocative double meaning for the sovereignty of both tribal territory and women’s bodies. Taking as its point of departure the story of one lawyer’s passionate defense of the rights of her people to prosecute non-natives who commit crimes on reservations, Sovereignty opens up into an expansive exploration of the circular continuity of history, human memory, and the power of human relationships. Community Partner Organizations: Safe Alliance, Museum of the Cherokee People ""One of the most necessary plays ever written." - TRIBAL COLLEGE: JOURNAL OF AMERICAN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATION “Fundamental and revelatory.” -GLORIA STEINEM “The parallels between the past and present in this play are beautiful and heart-wrenching, often at the same time. It unpacks this world of dualities—Cherokee and White, past and future, Ross and Ridge. It’s an amazing journey. ” - MARYLAND THEATER GUIDEå

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3710616-0

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3710616-2

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