As Heard on Morning Line: ALAXSXA | ALASKA - Cross-Cultural Theater

With assistance from the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and cultural advisors like Ethan Petticrew, theatre company Ping Chong + Company presents a huge cross-cultural and multimedia stage performance called ALAXSXA | ALASKA 
 
Directors Ping Chong and Ryan Conarro, who also performs in the show talked about the roots of the production.  
 
Using puppets, Yup'ik dancing, music and motion, the show's content is focused on collisions of culture between "insider" and "outsider" roles. 
 
Conarro says he lived in Alaska, teaching theater for years, including Kasigluk, where he met Upa'yaq Gary Beaver who is making his theatrical debut.
 
Beaver has travelled with the show, and credits an elder from home, Wassily Berlin Sr. with some of the music and Yup'ik dancing. 
 
Beaver says the response from back home has been largely positive, with praise and encouragement outweighing the negativity that comes from a small community when doing something different.  
 
The show's world premiere in here in Anchorage August 31st - at 8pm at the Harper Studio Theater at UAA's Fine Arts Building.  The show continues through Sunday the 3rd, with a matinee at 5pm. 
 
The show will travel to Bethel, Sept 7th, Kasigluk, Sept 9th, Nome Sept 12th and Homer, Sept 15th & 16th and premiers in New York at the LaMaMa ETC theatre October 12-29th.  
 
More information, including ticket availability: http://www.artsuaa.com/event/2a57360735f662c7e8251fe795f7fe17