Some Stars of Native Comedy

Join us for an evening of Native American comedy storytelling-Some Stars of Native American Comedy–The Rez Car Broke Down- presented by the Washington Center of the Performing Arts in partnership with Indigenous Performances Productions, a non-profit organization connecting the community through education and awareness of Native arts and artists.

Some Stars of Native American Comedy (aka Some Stars) features four Native American Comedy Storytellers carrying on the Native American Trickster tradition sharing their comedic take on life as filmmakers, script writers, directors, and comedians. They make up part of a growing group of Native storytellers creating a new wave of Native comedy productions across Turtle Island. Storytellers include Jim Ruel (Ojibwe), Taietsarón:sere “Tai” ((Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Mi’kmaq from the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke)), Gilbert Brown (Modoc, Klamath, Paiute and Warm Springs tribe) and Sheila Chalakee (Muscogee Creek Nation). Their distinctive approaches of transforming issues facing Native people today into witty characters, crafted anecdotes and delightful asides makes them the trickster heroes of their own stories.

Comedic Storytellers include: Jim Ruel, professional comedian whose work can be seen on Goin Native: No Reservations Needed, hosted by Native legendary comic Charlie Hill, combines sharp wit and mathematical absurdity in a vignette style with added quips to cut through cultural stereotypes like a warm knife through a stick of Land O’ Lakes butter. Taietsarón:sere, writer and actor of Peacock’s hit TV show Rutherford Falls, whose characters and observations turn issues of sociopolitical gravity into quirky, fun back-to-back laugh romps in the park. Gilbert Brown, wild horse rodeo cowboy, Pow Wow MC, crafts charming, heartwarming yarns with prank-like twists of living on the Rez, rodeos and just dealing with people. Sheila Chalakee, a comedian/director/writer seen on Amazon Prime and PBS combines impressive intellect and dark humor to make her instantly cool.

Together they create a heart-strings pulling, playing and fraying evening that will have you rolling in your seats asking, “how did Gilbert Brown, aka short-bird, get his middle finger bit off by a horse?”

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