Tickets on sale now for world premiere of drama, “The Bird Blind,” at New Native Theatre
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhiana Yazzie |rhiana@newnativetheatre.org
Phone: 612-367-7639
Website: www.newnativetheatre.org
Continuing its mission-driven tradition of discovering and developing works by rising Native playwrights, New Native Theatre will present “The Bird Blind,” a world premiere and debut play by Alaska Native writer Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler. The play follows on a successful NNT encore production of the hilarious comedy, “A Christmas in Ochopee,” which delighted audiences during the holiday season.
“The Bird Blind,” an unflinching and compassionate story set in an Inupiaq village on Alaska’s Norton Sound, is directed by NNT artistic director and founder Rhiana Yazzie, a Navajo Nation citizen, and will run April 22 to May 10 at 825 Arts, 825 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55104.
Tickets are on sale now and available on NNT’s website at www.newnativetheatre.org.
Eckenweiler’s debut is an impressive first play. As generations clash, addictions simmer and the tundra bears silent witness, a young boy and a troubled hunter expand the meaning of kinship in a makeshift bird blind. With razor-sharp dialogue and cultural truth, Eckenweiler weaves a play that is both a gut punch and a prayer, revealing how even burdened people can find their way home.
“Playwriting is my passion, and a play like Kira’s shows how beautiful and impactful Native stories are, getting to direct it and steer it to life on the stage is a pure joy,” said Yazzie who has recently stepped deeper into her work as a director with recent credits in the last three years directing productions at The Kennedy Center, Anchorage Opera, and New Native Theatre.
Eckenweiler earned her undergraduate degree in music performance from the University of Alaska Anchorage, followed by a master of fine arts in musical theatre from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Eckenweiler then served her hometown of Unalakleet, Alaska, in many roles, including serving on the city council and as mayor. She also began working at the regional hospital, focusing on suicide prevention, and was later promoted to administrative director of behavioral health for the region.
But her love of musical performance and the dramatic arts kept calling to her.
“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,” Eckenweiler said. “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 several opera programs and has been developing her debut play, “The Bird Blind. ” Yazzie read her play through a Native playwrights lab Yazzie co-founded at NYC’s Playwrights Realm. After working with Eckenweiler as a dramaturg and mentor, Yazzie programmed this promising new play in NNT’s 16th Anniversary Season.
“The Bird Blind” is the final mainstage production in New Native Theatre’s 2025–26 season, “Growing the Tradition,” a dynamic lineup of Indigenous stories ranging from family friendly superhero adventures to deeply human dramas grounded in Native experiences and worldviews.
NNT was founded in 2009 in the Twin Cities by Yazzie, a 2025 United States Artist Fellow, a Lanford Wilson and Steinberg Award winning playwright, director and filmmaker. Now in its 16th season, NNT lives up to its reputation by presenting a year of mainstage productions, youth programming and community celebrations that reflect the complexity and diversity of Native American life today.
NNT will round out its 2025-26 programming with its Fifth Annual Reclaiming Our Identities Two Spirit Powwow in June 2026. It is the only powwow in Minnesota that specifically celebrates Two Spirit and LGBQT+ relatives. NNT’s final program of the season will be its Fourth Annual Youth Theatre Summer Camp, July through August 2026, where New Native Theatre will partner with the Division of Indian Work’s Youth Leadership Development Program. At the camp, Native youth will create a play and learn about theater in a culturally affirming, supportive and creative environment.
Tickets for “The Bird Blind” are available on NNT’s website at www.newnativetheatre.org where ticket buyers can also learn more about each event or make a donation to support NNT’s mission. All New Native Theatre tickets and events are pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $40.
Contact New Native Theatre for more details at info@newnativetheatre.org, www.newnativetheatre.org, or by phone at (612) 367-7639.
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The Bird Blind
Written by Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler
Directed by Rhiana Yazzie
Dates: April 22-May 10, 2026
Tickets: Pay-what-you-can with a suggested price of $40. Available online at www.newnativetheatre.org
Show times:
7 p.m. (Wednesdays-Saturdays)
2 p.m. (Sundays)
Venue: 825 Arts, 825 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55104
Run time: Approximately 90 minutes (No intermission)
Age recommendation: This production contains mature themes and is not recommended for children.
Accessibility: ASL-interpreted performances may be available on select dates. Contact NNT to inquire.
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Rhiana Yazzie, Artistic Director
New Native Theatre
www.newnativetheatre.org