The Playwrights Realm will conclude its 2024-2025 Native American Artist Lab with two readings of new works from the lab's artists, Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler and Chris Hoshnic. Both readings will be held at The Atelier at Theaterlab. 

Eckenweiler's The Bird Blind will be presented March 5 at 3 PM in a reading directed by Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro, while Hoshnic's In the Badlands will be presented March 6 at 3 PM in a reading directed by Taylor Reynolds. 

Set in a remote northwest Alaskan village, The Bird Blind follows Tim, a 10-year-old who longs or love and stability. His mother, Ellen, is trapped in a toxic relationship, too afraid to break free, while Spruce, a struggling villager hiding from his past, battles addiction. When their lives intertwine, they are forced to face their demons, discovering the strength of love, courage, and community along the way.

In the Badlands is centered around Kid, a recent Navajo graduate, who returns to the New Mexico town he was born and raised in to help his grandmother translate a deal. But Kid's Navajo is rusty, and the exercise involves much more than language, forcing him to enter a third world where tradition, culture, and the West collide. 

The Native American Artists Lab is co-facilitated by Navajo playwright and director Rhiana Yazzie, Tuscarora playwright Vickie Ramirez, and Playwrights Realm artistic director Katherine Kovner. Participating artists are provided with dramaturgical development, writers group meetings, discussion with the Realm's artistic staff, and a professional team for their culminating reading. 

Visit PlaywrightsRealm.org for more information.