Indiana Repertory Theatre

Show Information

October 15 - November 10
Upperstage
Tickets start at $25

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About the Play

And So We Walked: An Artist's Journey Along the Trail of Tears
created & performed by DeLanna Studi
directed by Corey Madden
October 15 - November 10, 2019

inspiring personal quest

Join Cherokee actor and artist DeLanna Studi as she explores her personal and cultural identity while traveling the Trail of Tears with her father—and her family spirits. This one-woman play probes the complexities and conflicts that the Cherokee Nation still wrestles with today, almost 200 years after their forced relocation. Past and present intertwine with dreams, history, and legend in this frank and moving memoir of doubt and discovery.

APPROXIMATE RUN TIME: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission

And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears is an inspiring drama that contains mild language and adult situations including references to addiction and the mass genocide of indigenous people. Recommended for patrons 7th grade and above.

Artistic Note:
"Four years ago, my father and I embarked on a journey of a lifetime—retracing our family's footsteps of their forced removal from our original homelands in North Carolina to our current home in Oklahoma. When I began writing And So We Walked, it read more like a travel log. It wasn't personal. I was terrified to confront the impact the Trail of Tears has on my family today. Only when I became more specific did the story become universal and relatable. In the end, And So We Walked is a story of trauma, loss, resilience, and most importantly, hope. Yes, it was challenging writing such a personal story that highlights all my failures and shortcomings, but it's these flaws that make us human; thus putting a human face on an often forgotten part of our shared American history." –DeLanna Studi, Creator and Performer

ACKNOWLEDGING THE LAND

READ THE PROGRAM

READ THE STUDY GUIDE

While we do not have a designated Sensory Friendly performance for this production, we do create Sensory Friendly materials for every show in our season. Below is the Sensory Friendly Guide for And So We Walked: An Artist's Journey Along the Trail of Tears (contains spoilers!)
sensory friendly guide

And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears is part of our new INclusion Series celebrating diverse storytelling. This series features work by female playwrights on the Native American, African American, and Chinese American experience. The full series consists of And So We Walked: An Artist’s Journey Along the Trail of Tears, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 and The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin.

OPENING NIGHT
Friday, October 18, 2019 | Performance at 7:30 PM
Raise a glass and cheers to the cast and crew at IRT’s Opening Night! After the show, delight in a champagne toast, hors d’oeuvres, and a one-time-only chance to explore the set with IRT Artisans.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSION WITH Felica Ahasteen-Bryant, Director of Purdue’s Native American Educational and Cultural Center
Saturday, October 19, 2019 | Following the 5 PM performance
Please join us for a post-show discussion immediately following this performance. Felica Ahasteen-Bryant, Director of Purdue University’s Native American Educational and Cultural Center, is from the Diné (Navajo) Nation and was born and raised on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico. Ahasteen-Bryant will share her personal reflections on And So We Walked and discuss her work with Native American students at Purdue University.

COOKIES & COFFEE
Thursday, October 24, 2019 | Performance at 2 PM
Before the 2 PM performance, sweeten your afternoon at the IRT with complimentary cookies, coffee and tea served in the lobby.

HAPPY HOUR
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 | Happy Hour starts at 5:30 PM | Performance at 6:30 PM
Start your evening at the Theatre with IRT’s Happy Hour! Beginning at
5:30 PM, sample appetizers and drinks from local distilleries, breweries and more before the performance. Sip, savor, and save with half-price drinks at the bar available throughout the evening.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSION WITH DeLanna Studi and MeLissa Williams, Director of the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 | Following the 6:30 PM performance
Please join us for a post-show discussion immediately following this performance. Actress DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation) and Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission Director MeLissa Williams (Eastern Band Cherokee) will discuss the Native American experience, enduring vibrancy of Native American communities, and representing Native American culture in the 21st century.

COOKIES & COFFEE
Thursday, October 31, 2019 | Performance at 2 PM
Before the 2 PM performance, sweeten your afternoon at the IRT with complimentary cookies, coffee and tea served in the lobby.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSION
Thursday, October 31, 2019 | Following the 7:30 PM performance
Join IRT staff and cast immediately after the performance for a post-show discussion that covers a variety of interesting topics related to the show. Post-show discussions typically last for 20 minutes.

NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN AFFAIRS COMMISSION LISTENING SESSION
Saturday, November 2, 2019 | IRT Cabaret | Free to public
2-3:30 PM Listening Session | 3:30-4:30 Reception | Performance at 5 PM
Join And So We Walked: An Artists Journey Along the Trail of Tears creator and performer DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation) and Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission Director MeLissa Williams (Eastern Band Cherokee) with the following panelists: DeLanna Studi (Cherokee Nation); Larkin Fourkiller (Cherokee Nation/Eastern Band Cherokee); Matt Clay (Pokagon Band of Patowatomi): Jefferson Ballew (Pokagon Band of Potawatomi); and Dorene Red Cloud (Oglala Sioux) as they discuss their different communities and the representation of Native American culture in the 21st century. All educators can earn PDE credits. Come learn about Native American issues. This event is free to the public and will be in the IRT Cabaret. Let’s hear your voice.

BACKSTAGE TOUR
Wednesday, November 6, 2019 | Following with 7:30 PM performance
Immediately following this performance, join IRT staff for an explorative and informative backstage tour. Tours typically last 30 minutes.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSION with Dr. Courtney Elkin Mohler, Assistant Professor of Theatre at Butler University
Saturday, November 9, 2019 | Following the 4 PM performance
Please join us for a post-show discussion immediately following this performance. Dr. Courtney Elkin Mohler (Santa Barbara Chumash) serves as an Assistant Professor of Theatre at Butler University where she directs for the department and teaches classes in Theatre History and Performance Studies. She works as a director and dramaturg regularly with Native Voices at the Autry, the only equity theatre company in the US exclusively dedicated to producing new works by Native American artists. She is the co-author of Critical Companion to Native American and First Nations Theatre and Performance: Indigenous Spaces with Jaye T. Darby and Christy Stanlake, forthcoming in February 2020.

IRTEA TALK
Sunday, November 10, 2019 | Performance at 2 PM
Stay after the performance to take part in a post-show discussion led by actors, staff and special guests. Learn behind-the-scenes details and additional information about the show and its themes while enjoying tea and cookies courtesy of the IRT.

ASL/AD PERFORMANCE
Sunday, November 10, 2019 | Performance at 2 PM
The IRT offers ASL/AD services to our patrons with vision and hearing needs. Patrons with hearing needs are encouraged to sit in the interpretation zone and meet with the interpreter before the show. We also offer Assisted Listening Devices free of charge at each performance.

To learn more visit irtlive.com/accessibility