You know it’s coming. No story told about the Cherokee that purports to interpret history from the late 1700s to 1839 could escape the Trail of Tears. That may be the only predictable element in NOT ONE MORE FOOT OF LAND! , a play which bounds across half a century of the life and times of Major Ridge, one of the most controversial figures in the history of the Cherokee people.
I wondered how that kind of suffering and tragedy could be handled with any semblance of accuracy on a stage at the Secret Rose Theatre in North Hollywood.
Why Major Ridge was, and remains to this day, revered and hated, becomes immediately obvious with the opening scene. He was a strong minded man of considerable intelligence and occasional arrogance, facing challenges that would become increasingly complicated and violent throughout the course of his years.
A cast of seventeen, most of whom play multiple roles, bring a rich body of energy to the stage and allow the audience to experience the dynamics of life in a tribal environment, where the impact of one’s decisions affects many. The cultural diversity of the cast cements the storytelling in reality. When the young Cherokee women stand and talk amongst themselves, you witness a scene as organic as you will find at any place in Native America today.
The props are minimal. A front porch provides a fluid setting where Erika Stone first appears to introduce the audience to the story of Major Ridge, and where most of the interaction between Ridge (Joseph Runningfox) and his wife Sehoya (Donell Morgan) takes place. It is also the cabin of white settlers on Cherokee land. Opposite is Washington D.C. and other civilized places, their glory captured with a slightly raised floor, a white wall, and a single, imaginatively stately piece of furniture. Between them, the spirit world exists on a wooden platform.
The costume design allows the audience to quickly identify over forty characters, some of whom play both native and non native roles, with convincing presence. There is no attempt made to accurately characterize clothing of the era, but if you know what to look for, you will find surprises. BIll Neal (whose roles include Black Fox, Sequoyah and a Cherokee elder) wears not a costume but his own regalia. Ancestral spirits blend stage garments and powerful medicine.
The true genius of NOT ONE MORE FOOT OF LAND! is in its portrayal of the internal conflict tearing at the hearts and minds of Native American leaders in the southern United States, responding to the invasion of their sacred homelands by European settlers who considered themselves the discoverers, and therefore the owners, of the land. What begins as a relatively simple concept - a “just say no” campaign embraced by nearly all the Cherokee, quickly becomes complicated as Indian people form alliances with these new inhabitants, fight alongside whites against other Indian people, and embrace the idea that in order to live among Europeans, they must learn to think like them.
As Major Ridge slowly accepts the belief that only by leaving the land of his ancestors will the Cherokee Nation survive, the young, energetic, mostly European John Ross puts his faith in the hands of the United States government, and the rift between the two as lifelong allies is forever changed.
NOT ONE MORE FOOT OF LAND! allows the audience to interpret for themselves whether Major Ridge was a savior or a traitor. In a time period when the scholarly were debating if Indians had souls, and whether or not they were actually human, writer Art Shulman interprets the Cherokee experience with an impassioned understanding of the deep philosophical, moral and intellectual challenges facing them as they sought to make decisions that would ultimately determine the future of their entire nation.
As for bringing the Trail of Tears to a stage play, Writer Art Shulman and Director Kristina Lloyd do so eloquently, with a balance of acting and dialogue by a cast that no longer appear to be acting. There is nothing to intellectualize here. It is honest, raw, and extremely emotional.
Today the Cherokee Nation is the second largest Native American tribe in the United States. NOT ONE MORE FOOT OF LAND! examines a piece of America’s history that is heart-wrenching, pivotal, and controversial to this day.
NOT ONE MORE FOOT OF LAND! is in its final weeks at the Secret Rose theatre, with the last play taking place April 1, 2012.
For tickets and further information call 818-782-4254.
