The Legacy of William S. Yellow Robe, Jr.

Jan 01, 2023

Portrait for The Dramatist by Charles Her Many Horses

On October 19, 2022, a group of distinguished panelists was assembled by Dramatists Guild Copyright Management (DG©M) to honor the life and work of playwright William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (Assiniboine). What follows is a transcript of that discussion edited with the knowledge of panelists.

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Diane Fraher

(Osage/Cherokee) is a narrative filmmaker, and one of the seminal artists who formed the New York Movement in Contemporary Native American Art. Diane founded AMERINDA, a Native community-based multi-arts organization that is the only Native arts organization of its kind in the United States.

Bob Jaffe

is an actor/director based in NYC, and worked with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. on many productions and readings of his works. Theatre: Under the Radar/Public Theater; Ensemble Studio Theatre; Queens Theater; Ars Nova; Berkshire Theatre Festival; the cell; HERE; FringeNYC; Trinity Rep; Providence Black Rep; Perishable Theatre; others. www.bobjaffe.com

Vickie Ramirez

(Tuscarora) is a playwright, director, and theatremaker based in New York City. A founding member of Chukalokoli Native Theatre Ensemble and resident playwright at New Dramatists, her plays include, Yuchéwahkenh, Smoke, Ashes, Pure Native, Standoff at Highway #37, Snooky is A Terrorist, and Glenburn 12 WP.

Madeline Sayet

(Mohegan) is a theatre maker whose work is shaped by the idea of Story Medicine—the belief that every story we put into this world has the power to do real world harm or healing. What story do you wish you had heard growing up? How can theatre be used to transcend the world we are in and build a better future? Known first for her work as a stage director, and more recently as a playwright, and performer, she’s performed her solo play Where We Belong at Shakespeare’s Globe, Goodman Theatre, and The Public Theater off-Broadway, to name a few. www.madelinesayet.com

Deborah Murad, Esq.

is an entertainment attorney who served as the Director of Business Affairs at the Guild and Executive Director of DG Copyright Management. She continues to serve dramatists as the founding attorney of EmpowerART Legal and Consulting Solutions.

Margo Lukens

is professor of English at the University of Maine. Her interests include Wabanaki literatures, Indigenous drama, and literature of American colonization. She edited Grandchildren of the Buffalo Soldiers and other untold stories: five plays by William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (UCLA, 2009) and published with William Yellow Robe “Two Worlds on One Stage,” on creating theatre with Native American communities. She has produced and directed plays by Indigenous playwrights on campus and in the region.

Related Dramatist(s)

Deborah Murad, Esq.,

Vickie Ramirez,

William Yellow Robe

Related Organization(s)

DG Copyright Management (DGCM),

Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST),

Amerinda Inc.,

Trinity Repertory Company