We talk with playwright and attorney, Mary Kathryn Nagle, about what led her to the New York premiere of her play, Manahatta, at the Public Theater, which starts showing on November 16, 2023. Nagle, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, shares insights from her work on the play beginning with her time in the Public Theater Emerging Writers Program in 2013. Nagle's play, Manahatta, follows the story of Jane Snake, a Lenape woman who reconnects with her ancestral homeland, Manahatta, after she comes to New York to pursue a career in finances at the brink of the Great Recession hitting in 2008. Nagle emphasizes the significance of understanding Jane's journey as well as those of the Delaware Nation and their ancestors who survived violence and expulsion, which Manahatta illuminates. As we learn about Manahatta, we come to better understand how and why recognizing Indigenous peoples and their connections to their homeland matter.
Learn more about Mary Kathryn Nagle and Manahatta through these resources:
Mary Kathryn Nagle Bio
Mary Kathryn Nagle, National Indigenous Women's Resource Center
Mary Kathryn Nagle, Humans and Nature Bio
"Mary Kathryn Nagle changes the story in court and onstage," The New Yorker (April 2021)
Manahatta Press Releases
Order tickets to Manahatta showings at the Public Theater, Anspacher Theater, November 16 - December 23, 2023