New Native Theatre Makes a Laugh-Out-Loud Return to Florida for “A Christmas in Ochopee”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: rhiana@newnativetheatre.org  
Phone: 612-367-7639
Website: www.newnativetheatre.org

Frybread roasting on an open fire, alligators nipping at your nose. It’s your favorite season again – Christmastime in the Everglades as New Native Theatre begins a new winter tradition by remounting its wildly successful comedy, “A Christmas in Ochopee” by Miccosukee playwright, actor and filmmaker Montana Cypress.

“A Christmas in Ochopee” is a warm and hilarious holiday play, set in the 1980s. Join the Weetleys, a loving Miccosukee family as they celebrate the Yule season under the Florida sun with all the traditional holiday elements: Gator wrestling, basketball bets made in secret, competitive lawn decorating, surprise vegan fiancées and lovable family dysfunction. The play has it all: From naughty to nice!

“A Christmas in Ochopee” was written by Miccosukee playwright Montana Cypress, winner of the Von Marie Atchley Excellence in Playwriting Award and a semifinalist for the Eugene O’ Neill Playwriting Conference. The comedy is directed by Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro, with assistant director Elena Yazzie, and stars Benjamin Wilson, David Valentine, Sylvia Robertson, Keri Mabry, Mato Wayuhi, Dallas Jennings, Nathaniel TwoBears, Shinaana Secody and Jalisa Mckee.

This fast-paced holiday farce will run Dec. 3 to 21, 2025, at 825 Arts, 825 University Ave. W., St. Paul, MN 55104.

“We wanted to showcase a play that captures all the laughter, joy and loving squabbles that make a Native house a home,” said NNT artistic director and founder Rhiana Yazzie, a Navajo Nation citizen. “We hope to make this production a new winter holiday tradition in the Twin Cities. ‘A Christmas in Ochopee’ is our company’s holiday gift to the entire community, wrapped in shiny paper, ribbons and belly laughs.”

“A Christmas in Ochopee” is the second 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.

The 2025-26 season will continue in the new year with “The Bird Blind,” a world premiere by Alaska Native writer Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler. An impressive first play, this debut is an unflinching and compassionate story set in an Inupiaq village on Alaska’s Norton Sound.

Tickets 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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Rhiana Yazzie, Artistic Director
New Native Theatre
www.newnativetheatre.org

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