The Bird Blind: Tickets On Sale Now
Tickets are now on sale for the world premiere of The Bird Blind by Inupiaq playwright Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler of Unalakleet, Alaska.
Set in an Inupiaq village on Alaska’s Norton Sound, The Bird Blind follows a young boy and a troubled hunter as they form an unexpected bond in a makeshift hunter’s bird blind. As generations clash and addictions simmer, the play examines kinship, responsibility, and what it means to come home.
With sharp dialogue and cultural truth, Eckenweiler’s debut work offers an honest look at complex family and community dynamics without sensationalizing them.
The production runs April 22 through May 10 at 825 Arts in St. Paul. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.
All New Native Theatre tickets are pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $40.
Reserve your seats at https://www.newnativetheatre.org.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AND PRODUCTION
Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler earned her undergraduate degree in music performance from the University of Alaska Anchorage and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
After completing her graduate studies, she returned home to Unalakleet, where she served her community in multiple leadership roles. She served on the city council and as mayor, worked at the regional hospital focusing on suicide prevention, and later became the administrative director of behavioral health for the region.In 2024, she made the decision to return fully to the arts.
“In 2024, I realized that while I valued the work I was doing, I deeply missed music and creative expression. Many capable people can serve in administrative roles, but fewer have the specific training and passion I have for music and performance. With that in mind, I made the decision to step away from my hospital position and return to writing and pursuing the arts.”
Since then, she has performed in opera programs and developed her debut play, The Bird Blind, which has had its final workshop with NNT.
Artistic Director, Rhiana Yazzie, will direct the production, continuing NNT’s mission to discover and develop new Native playwrights.
WHY WE TELL THESE STORIES
New Native Theatre exists to support Native artists and to present the full range of Native storytelling. Those stories include joy and humor, and times of grief, addiction, abuse, and loss.
Artistic Director, Rhiana Yazzie says, “We don’t avoid difficult subject matter when it reflects real experiences in our communities. At the same time, we are intentional about the work we choose. We’re not interested in stories that exploit harm or use trauma for shock value. We select plays that approach complex topics with responsibility and purpose and leave our audience in a better place than when they walked into the theater.”
Recently, we hosted a community talk-back that included Native social service providers, counseling professionals, artists, and audience members. The goal was to begin building a structure for how we prepare audiences for challenging material. We discussed what types of content advisories are helpful and what tools or supports might be included in a study guide.
This conversation is guiding our approach as we continue developing thoughtful advisories and identifying relevant resources for audiences and educators.
The Bird Blind addresses difficult themes while remaining grounded in character, relationship, and accountability. We trust our artists and our audiences to engage with this work thoughtfully.
