River Lane and Frank Katasse Photo by Rhianna Yazzie

But that's far from the only reason to see the world premiere of The Bird Blind. This play, by Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler, is a solid drama, staged with acute attention to the uniqueness of each of its five characters, and brought to life by strong performances. Eckenweiler is a member of the Iñupiaq, a group of Alaska's Native people whose communities sweep from Norton Sound, off the Bering Sea, in the west to the northernmost point of the Alaska-Yukon border. The Bird Blind is mostly set in and around an isolated village in this region, with several scenes set in urban Anchorage.

The play draws on the lives of Native Alaskans. While that locates the play in a specific context, and Eckenweiler gives it a distinctive sense of place, the themes she weaves into the fabric of her play run through many communities, giving The Bird Blind broad appeal. Those themes include the effect of generational trauma, lack of personal care resources in isolated settings, the importance of education in opening up opportunities, and, coming across most profoundly, a child's need for a safe and secure home nurtured by love.

The first person we see is Spruce, a middle-aged man roosting in his bird blind, a shelter set up for hunting geese and other fowl. Spruce is rip-roaring drunk, which doesn't do anything for his prowess with the rifle, but he attributes his lack of success today–and one surmises, on many other days–to bad luck. Not just in the moment, but bad luck that has followed him his whole life. He appeals to God to take pity on him – to allow him a life cushy enough to pay for a plane ticket to Anchorage where he could shop at Walmart–though he has already decided that God just doesn't love him.

A younger man, Jason, appears. Jason is from the village but attends college in Anchorage, placing him on a life track far apart from Spruce's. He is home on a break and cares a lot less about hunting than Spruce does, which makes his good fortune at hitting his marks all the more maddening to Spruce. Jason, being good-natured and sensitive, tries to avoid making Spruce feel any worse than he already does.

The scene shifts to a shabby home where a young couple, Ellen and Nak, are in the midst of a fierce quarrel brought on by Ellen discovering that Nak has had sex with another woman. Nak is also drunk, as drunk as Spruce, but Nak is a mean drunk and though Ellen seems able to hold her own, we fear for her safety. The fifth character, their son Tim, who is "11 and a half-ish" appears but soon leaves, saying he is off to his friend Boo.

The fight continues, even more heated, and Ellen says she is leaving, going to Anchorage to stay with a cousin and get a job. Nak doesn't believe her, but states that if she goes, Tim stays with him. Meanwhile, Tim, who only wanted to get away from the acrimony at home, wanders out to the frozen tundra and winds up at Spruce's bird blind. Spruce tries to straighten up a bit for Tim's sake, and the two seem to find some grace in each other's company.

From this point, over two acts, each of the characters has encounters with the others. Their tenors range from degrading to jovial to threatening to uplifting. Eckenweiler parcels out the dreams, fears, insights, and demons that haunt the character gradually, so while each encounter advances the plot it also creates a deeper sense of the humanity beneath even each of them. The final resolution feels like it is built upon the foundation of everything the playwright has laid out to reach that point.

The cast is impeccable. I must begin with River Lane, a young actor in her first professional role, who plays Tim with remarkable depth, conveying awareness of the emotional pain this boy is suffering, and his need for love and approval. Tim is clearly a very bright child, and Lane conveys to us how Tim uses his wit and articulate language as armor against his troubles. She also demonstrates a penchant for silliness in line with her character's age. What an impressive professional acting debut!

Frank Katasse is marvelous as Spruce, totally capturing the self-pitying alcoholic we first meet, and then authentically changing his outlook, finding strength in the realization that he does matter to someone. Katasse gives a performance laced with both humor and humanity, and makes Spruce utterly endearing. A scene where he draws on a memory of Native dance to fight off the tremors is stunning.

Mato Wayuhi, as Nak, also totally convinces as an alcoholic, but unlike Spruce, he channels the venom of self-loathing toward his wife, son, and everyone else donning a mask of arrogance that fools no one. His slouch and expletive-laden commentary while Nak watches basketball on TV could not be any truer. When Nak does, at last, redeem himself, Wayuhi's genuine performance prepares us to appreciate this last saving grace.

Susanna Lowndes is terrific as Ellen, a woman who has never believed in herself, but finally decides she must protect herself, even if it means putting her son in jeopardy. Like the safety message we hear on airplanes, "put your own air mask on before assisting others," she recognizes that she must build up her own strength and resources if she is to effectively protect and nurture Tim. Lowndes makes Ellen's torment and also her cautious delight in discovering new possibilities wholly believable.

Nathaniel Twobears is a fine actor (this is the fourth New Native show I have seen him in), and his characterization of Jason is homed in to convey the steadiness of a young man who has been able to avoid the pitfalls that have afflicted so many in his community. Unlike the other characters, Jason does not experience a major change in the course of the play, but he provides an important touchpoint for the narrative.

The ingenious set design by Evan Crain features four panels that display the beautiful, stark Alaskan landscape on one side, and can be reversed to reveal the decaying bird blind and the living room and kitchen of the characters' homes–Nak and Ellen's home, Spruce's home, and Jason's apartment in Anchorage all use the same setting. Lucia Callender has designed apt costumes for the characters, with a hilarious last-ditch garment Spruce dons when he has an unexpected visitor. Juleana Enright's sound design enhances the production, including the sound of geese in flight and of gunfire aimed at them. Dylan Zeilinger-Johnson's lighting design provides the shifting rays of day and night in the Arctic climes.

The Bird Blind includes some key conversations. One is about the damage done to the Indigenous people by the white power structure, told with drunken hostility by Nak to his naïve son, but still containing some historic truth. Another between Jason and Ellen offers self-help strategies to support personal change. These valuable elements are woven with great ease into the flow of the play, without seeming to be inserted to make a point, and for that, being all the more trenchant.

New Native Theatre ends their 16th season with a winner, a strongly written play that takes us to new terrain, while revisiting truths common to all humanity. The Bird Blind is very much worth your time and attention, and builds our anticipation for New Native's 17th season.

The Bird Blind runs through May 10, 2026, at New Native Theatre, 825 Arts, 825 University Avenue, Saint Paul MN. For tickets and information, please visit www.newnativetheatre.org or call 612- 367-7639.

Playwright: Kira Apaachuaq Eckenweiler; Director: Rhianna Yazzie; Set Designer: Evan Crain; Costume Designer: Lucia Callender; Lighting Designer: Dylan Zeilinger-Johnson; Sound Designer: Juleana Enright; Props Master: Vicky Erickson; Figh/Intimacy Choreographer: Annie Enneking; Technical Director: Austin Stiers; Assistant Director: Larreina LaPlante; Stage Manager: Alan Donahue. Company Elder: Mike Forcia.

Cast: Frank Katasse (Spruce), River Lane (Tim), Susanna Lowndes (Ellen), Nathaniel Twobears (Jason), Mato Wayuhi (Nak).