Press Release: September 11, 2023

The Autry Museum of the American West Presents Native Voices and the Premiere of Where the Summit Meets the Stars by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse

banner image for native voices 2023

(September 8, 2023 - Los Angeles, CA)—The Autry Museum of the American West presents the only Equity theatre company dedicated exclusively to developing and producing new work by Native artists, Native Voices and its premiere of Where the Summit Meets the Stars by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse.

When a near-death experience derails her flight through Southeast Alaska, Rose awakens to find herself in the care of the kind stranger who pulled her to safety. As they journey by boat through the darkness and fog, Rose untangles the mysteries of her past, questions the world around her and comes to an inescapable crossroads. Where the Summit Meets the Stars is an ethereal Alaska Native story driven by music, dance and the culture of the Tlingit people.

Artistic Director DeLanna Studi knows the immense value of Native Voices thanks to the theater company, Southern Californians are offered an intimate audience experience with the exciting voices and rich stories of Native artists, stories which are often complex and layered. "Native stories are often not linear," Studi says, "containing multiple planes, multiple beginnings and endings, multiple ancestral, environmental or cosmological characters, all existing, interweaving and overlapping simultaneously." 

Where the Summit Meets the Stars places the audience as passengers aboard a spiritual vessel on a journey in which one Alaskan woman must decide the fates of herself and her family. An open and honest exploration of love and autonomy, Where the Summit Meets the Stars asks us to consider: would we make one choice that could determine everything, or would we risk it all for the opportunity to make a thousand more choices? 

For reservations and more information, please visit TheAutry.org/NativeVoices. 


Your support is vital to the success of Native Voices, allowing us to create, develop and produce Native theatre for a national audience. We would like to acknowledge our generous supporters: 

ACTORS EQUITY FOUNDATION • LAURA AND DEAN BERESFORD • RAFAEL BRUNO AND CRISTIAN HAMILTON • TONANTZÍN CARMELO • DAVID CARTWRIGHT • PETER CHALK AND DANIEL NEAL • DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, CITY OF LOS ANGELES • DORIS DUKE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION • EDISON INTERNATIONAL • ELENA FINNEY ENDLICH • JOYCE AND DAVID EVANS • FIRST PEOPLES FUND NATIVE ARTS ECOLOGY BUILDING GRANT • CAROLE GOLDBERG AND DUANE CHAMPAGNE • GREENBERG FOUNDATION • KIMBERLY GUERRERO • SHAWN IMITATES DOG • HELENE JACOBS • JUDY JACOBS • SHELBY JIGGETSTIVONY • DIANE LEVINE • HEIDI LEVINE-GONZALEZ • LOS ANGELES COUNTRY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE • THE MAX AND VICTORIA DREYFUS FOUNDATION, INC. • MELLON FOUNDATION • NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS • NISSAN FOUNDATION • PETER GLENVILLE FOUNDATION • BRENDA AND GARY RUTTENBERG • SEELEY W. MUDD FOUNDATION • THE SHERI AND LES BILLER FAMILY FOUNDATION • SHUBERT FOUNDATION • SOCALGAS • SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT • THEATRE COMMUNICATION GROUP • US BANK • LYNN AND STEPHEN VALBUENA • VENTUROUS THEATER FUND OF THE TIDES FOUNDATION • WALT DISNEY IMAGINEERING

 

Download press release as PDF (449.43 KB)

Press Inquiries

Sarah Crispi 
Communications Specialist 
323.495.4266 
scrispi@theautry.org

Land Acknowledgment

The Autry Museum of the American West acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of Tovaangar (the Los Angeles basin and So. Channel Islands). We recognize that the Autry Museum and its campuses are located on the traditional lands of Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and we pay our respects to the Honuukvetam (Ancestors), ‘Ahiihirom (Elders) and ‘Eyoohiinkem (our relatives/relations) past, present and emerging.

The Autry Museum in Griffith Park

4700 Western Heritage Way

Los Angeles, CA 90027-1462
Located northeast of downtown, across from the Los Angeles Zoo.
Map and Directions

Free parking for Autry visitors.


MUSEUM AND STORE HOURS
Tuesday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

DINING
Food Trucks are available on select days, contact us for details at 323.495.4252.
The cafe is temporarily closed until further notice.