LibGuides: Indigenous Theatre Resource Guide: Finding Theatre Criticism and History

Finding Theatre Criticism and History

As you conduct your research, you may find it helpful to read about the cultural, historical, and socio-political context of Indigenous theatre and theatermaking. The collections of history and theatre criticism listed in the next box are an excellent place to start delving into Indigenous critical and dramaturgical frameworks. The titles listed here are just a sampling of MPAL's holdings, so make sure to check out the Library Catalog for more material.

To find additional Indigenous theatre criticism and history materials in the Library Catalog, we've compiled some suggested keywords to help structure your search:

Indian theater / Native theater
Indigenous / First Nations / Indian AND Drama, History and criticism, or Criticism and interpretation

You can also use the "Advanced Search" feature to search by subject for the following subject headings:

American drama -- Indian authors -- History and criticism
Canadian drama -- Native authors -- History and criticism

Key Collections

Critical Companion to Native American and First Nations Theatre and Performance by Jaye T. Darby; Courtney Elkin Mohler; Christy Stanlake; Kevin J. Wetmore (Series edited by); Patrick Lonergan (Series edited by)
Call Number: Online Resource
This foundational study offers an accessible introduction to Native American and First Nations theatre by drawing on critical Indigenous and dramaturgical frameworks. It is the first major survey book to introduce Native artists, plays, and theatres within their cultural, aesthetic, spiritual, and socio-political contexts.
Indigenous North American Drama by Birgit Däwes (Editor)
Call Number: Online Resource
This collection traces the historical dimensions of Native North American drama through overviews of major developments, individual playwrights' perspectives, and in-depth critical analyses bringing together writers and scholars from the United States, Canada, and Europe.
Performing Indigeneity by Yvette Nolan (Editor); Ric Knowles (Editor, Series edited by)
Call Number: PR9188.2.I54 P476 2016 [MPAL]
This volume of newly commissioned essays about Indigenous performance is the first in which all of the contributors are Indigenous artists or academics. Contributors include Tara Beagan, Jill Carter, David Geary, Carol Greyeyes, Michael Greyeyes, Falen Johnson, Michelle La Flamme, Jani Lauzon, Andréa Ledding, Daniel David Moses, Marrie Mumford, Starr Muranko, Yvette Nolan, Michelle Olson, Dylan Robinson, June Scudeler, Jason Woodman Simmonds, and Drew Hayden Taylor.
American Indian Performing Arts: Critical Directions by Hanay Geiogamah (Editor); Jaye T. Darby (Editor)
Call Number: 792.08997 Am354 [Main Stacks]
This collection of essays analyzes Native theater, dance, and music performances through indigenous critical lenses. Contributors to this volume include both recent and established scholars who offer provocative studies of the ways in which Native performing artists "re-present" American Indian history, culture, art forms, spiritual traditions, and/or contemporary issues in their works.
Native American Performance and Representation by S. E. Wilmer (Editor)
Call Number: 791.08997 N213 [Oak St Library]
Native American Performance and Representation provides a wider and more comprehensive study of Native performance, not only its past but also its present and future. This collection presents diverse viewpoints from both scholars and performers in this field, both Natives and non-Natives. This volume examines Native performance using a variety of lenses, such as feminism, literary and film theory, and postcolonial discourse.
Ceremony, Spirituality, and Ritual in Native American Performance: A Creative Notebook by Hanay Geiogamah
Call Number: PN2270.I53 G45 2011 [MPAL]
Approaching Native American theater as ceremonial performance comprised of centuries-old tribal traditions and aesthetic concepts, Hanay Geiogamah combines his thirty-five years of creative and experimental work and research in Native theater to illuminate the elements of myth, spirituality, and ceremony and their integration into dramatic performances.
Medicine Shows by Yvette Nolan
Call Number: PN56.3.I6 N65 2015 [MPAL]
Medicine Shows: Indigenous Performance Culture traces the work of a host of Indigenous Canadian artists over the past three decades, illuminating the connections, the artistic genealogy, and the development of a contemporary Indigenous theatre practice. Neither a history nor a chronicle,Medicine Shows examines how theatre has been used to make medicine, reconnecting individuals and communities, giving voice to the silenced and disappeared, staging ceremony, and honouring the ancestors.