>> Isn't this the same institution that has the Chief Illini mascot that has
>> been a subject of discussion on this list? I wonder if the actors for the
>> Cherokee characters are native?
>
> O'siyo...
>
> Yes, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one and the
> same institution. I can answer that most assuredly the actors will not be
> Cherokee, unless they are brought here from the outside specifically for
> this performance.
>
> Nvwhtohiyada ...Brian (Agasgi)
In answer to the questions raised by my query on this list, I can verify
Brian Rainer's response that "most assuredly the actors will not be
Cherokee," or from any other nation. As a graduate student whose area of
study involves the representation of race in the American theatre, I was
aware of the implications. THE KENTUCKY CYCLE, in fact, is, in my opinion,
a strongly colonial tale, masked in layers of political correctness; the
strongest Cherokee presence in the play becomes, by the fourth play of the
nine play cycle, "the Cherokee grandmother" to the white American family,
fitting perfectly into the definitions of that type set by both Vine
Deloria, Jr., and Rayna Green. As an Associate Dramaturg on the production,
I have as yet, however, found no published criticisms of the play which
discuss this aspect of it. This is perhaps enough to say until said
department grants my degree.
Thank you to those of you who have responded to my query.
Ann Haugo
Dept. of Theatre
University of IL - Urbana-Champaign