Affiliated Writer opens Native American play development center

Affiliated Writer William YellowRobe has opened the nation's first play development center for Native American playwrights in Arlee, Montana. The Inter-Tribal Playwright Center at the Bearhead Swaney Inter-Tribal Theatre Company kicked off in August with a workshop of YellowRobe's Frog's Dance. An article in the Missoula Independent explains,

Script development is what a playwrights' center is all about, and that makes it one-of-a-kind. According to YellowRobe, the center will be the first organization in the nation with the specific mission to workshop and develop new works by Native American writers...YellowRobe's dream of a national playwright center dedicated to Native American writers intends not only to introduce writing and theater disciplines into tribal communities, but also to create residency opportunities for contemporary Native American playwrights to hone their craft.

YellowRobe is a former Jerome Fellow with the Playwrights' Center.