Little Ones
Digital Program
Marigold
Canadian, Indigenous Mezzo-Soprano Michelle Lafferty (Tłichó Nation NorthWest Territories) now resides in Calgary Alberta. Dora award winner is Known for her ‘Powerful presence vocally and physically on stage’(Barczablog, 2023). Her continuing work with The Banff Centre for the Performing Arts program for Indigenous Classical Musicians Gathering and the continued work on Indigenous Musical Sovereignty. Also working with Calgary Opera on a new opera called “Namwayut.” An opera about Indigenous resilience. Her latest work is with Sound streams production of Two Odysseys Pimooteewin/Gállábártnit in 2020. In 2021 she has been part of project on improvisation lead by Parmela Attariwala, Germaine Liua and Nicole Ramperaud called Understory. Understory is a web-based, inter-provincial series dedicated to showcasing improvising artists working across Canada, and to building a network between the artists and their audiences. The piece performed and created between Understory, Viviane Houle, Danielle Jakubiak and Michelle called “We were children” came from around the time the 215 graves were found in Kamloops British Columbia and was taken from this project and shared Nationally on Truth and Reconciliation Day September 30th 2022. A Bandcamp was created for people to be able to purchase and all proceeds continue to go to residential school survivors. In 2022 she was a performer in “Kisaageetin” a concert of Tomson Highway’s with the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. “The Indigidivas” is her newest venture alongside Allegra Chamber Orchestra with Director Janna Sailor who provides production and financial support. The Indigidivas include Melody Courage, Rebecca Cuddy and Michelle Lafferty with performances starting in 2024. In 2023 she had her American debut in “Missing” performing the role of Native Mother with Anchorage Opera Alaska. Composed by Brian Current and libretti by Marie Clements. Currently working with Manitoba Opera in “Li Keur.” Libretto by Dr. Suzanne Steele and composition by Neil Weisensel/Alex Kusturok.
Lily
Taya Dixon (Siletz) received her B.F.A in Performance from Southern Oregon University. She was also the 2022 winner of the Yale Young Native Actors Award in memory of Misty Upham. You may have seen her recently inDiné nishłį́ (as Rosie) at the Native Theater Project; Convergence (as Dee) at Oregon Origins Project; Tartuffe (as Marianne); Our Utopia (as Columbia)at Bag&Baggage. Other roles include: Midsummer Night's Dream (as Demetrius); King Henry IV pt. 1-2 and Henry V (as Westmerland);and Two Gentlemen of Verona (as Lucetta) at Original Practice Shakespeare; The Muskrat (as Bee); 12 Angry Indians (as Juror 12); and Butterfly (as Ket) for the Yale Indigenous Playwright Festival. Also Hedda Gabler (as Aunt Julia); Love's Labour's Lost (as Berowne); Silkworms (Teresa); and Into the Woods (as Jack’s Mother) all at the Oregon Center for the Arts. Taya is currently a substitute teacher in Hillsboro, and absolutely loves it. Taya loves singing, photography, making people laugh, and telling meaningful stories. She would like to thank her family for always telling her to reach for her dreams (even if it means watching her talk to herself all day long, and quote movies and TV shows that she deems “the peak of comedy”).
Mrs. Ross
“Tiny powerful soprano”, Madeline Ross was most recently seen as The Girl/Luna in David Hertzberg's The Rose Elf with OrpheusPDX and was awarded the Anne Marie Gerts Prize at the National Finals of the NATS Artist Awards. Praised for her “brilliant coloratura voice,” “world class” stage presence, and thrilling versatility, Ms. Ross has performed all over the US, most often performing in the NW. In 2023 Ms. Ross made her Portland Opera debut as the First Woodsprite in Dvorak’s Rusalka, made her Music of Remembrance (Seattle, WA) Debut as the Daughter in the world premiere of Qaqnus by Sahba Aminikia, and gave “a supreme performance” of Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre that was “simultaneously intense, dramatic, and humorous” with Cascadia Composers. Ms. Ross’s 2023 season also included role debuts as Tamiri in Il Re Pastore by Mozart and Lucinda in Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly with OrpheusPDX. She was hailed for “effortlessly nailing” her performance as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and has performed with Portland Opera, The Oregon Symphony, Fear No Music, Resonance Ensemble, 45th Parallel, All Classical RadioOpera Theater Oregon, Shaking the Tree Theatre, and Music of Remembrance. She won first prize at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Classical Voice Competition in 2020 and was honored to take part in a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. premiering Damian Geter’s An African American Requiem with Resonance Ensemble and NEWorks Philharmonic Orchestra. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2019 as a jazz soloist where she “scatt[ed] to beat the band” (NY Concert Review). Ms. Ross is a founder and Executive Director of Renegade Opera, Portland, Oregon’s unconventional and accessible opera company! www.madelinelross.com | www.renegadeopera.org
Ms. Ruby/Lunch Lady & Assistant Director
Born in Portland, Oregon, Amber Kay Ball (Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians) is a theatre maker, visual artist, and community-based advocate. As a contemporary Native multi-practice artist, Amber uses theatre, multimedia, and beadwork as mediums for sharing stories, truths, laughter and joy. These mediums allow them to critically explore, honor, and weave Native pasts, presents, and futures in a just and liberated format. Amber studied theater arts and Native American Studies at the University of Oregon where they were able to study theatrical arts abroad in London, England.
Most recently Amber’s play, Finding BigFoot, was selected for the Fertile Ground PDX New Play festival and premiered as a staged reading at Barbies Village. Amber has previously directed with Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre as well as a workshop production of, Tipi Tales From the Stoop, at New York Theatre Workshop. Amber was a recipient of the Indigenous Place Keeping Artist Fellowship through the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and received the Community Mentor Award from Southern Oregon University’s Native American Studies Department.
Amber Kay Ball joined NACF in 2022 and supports the executive office planning and implementation as well as the program department. Amber is a passionate advocate, programmer and coordinator committed to serving and creating community through the arts. She has worked locally and regionally with arts organizations such as Safe Harbors NYC, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon Contemporary Theater and In the Margin. Amber studied Theatre Arts and Native American Studies at the University of Oregon. She is a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz.
Victor
Tristan Cameron joined NACF in the summer of 2024. They are responsible for assisting with building systems, maintenance, and the coordination of events and incoming artistic endeavours. Along with being a working actor with a BFA in Performance from Southern Oregon University, Tristan has a lot of passion for community building, advocacy through the arts, and Arts Administration. Just before joining the NACF team, Tristan completed a 2-year Arts Administration fellowship with Perseverance Theatre on Tlingit Aani (colonially known as Juneau, Alaska), and was a Coordinator for the Consortium of Asian American Theatre’s and Artists (CAATA) 2024 ConFest.
Jackson
Robert Franklin (Diné - Navajo Nation) is an associate producer at NACF since 2022 and supports the Public Affairs team with a range of experience in storytelling, graphic design, photography, videography, podcasting, streaming, branding, advertising, and marketing. Previously, Robert served as the Manager of the Native American Student and Community Center at Portland State University. He earned his BFA in Visual Communications, cum laude, with an emphasis in Graphic Design and a minor in Advertising from Northern Arizona University. He is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation (Hashk’aa Hadzohí | Táchii’nii).
Mr. Ross/Pianist
Jesse Preis is a tenor, pianist, and composer, originally from Emblem, Wyoming. Jesse graduated from the University of Montana in 2016 with a BM in Piano Performance & Pedagogy and a BA in Vocal Performance and studied voice abroad in Graz, Austria (The American Institute of Musical Studies) during the summers of 2016. In 2019, Jesse completed an M.M. Vocal Performance at West Virginia University. After relocating to Portland, Jesse has worked as a piano teacher at Hoffman Academy and Lydian Music Studios, the Director of Music Ministry at Prince of Life Lutheran Church and Spirit of Life Lutheran Church, and as a freelance accompanist. They have collaborated with Renegade Opera as a pianist on works such as La clemenza di Tito (2022) and She Loves You Back (2023), they performed with the Lutheran Chorale Association during their 2023 Summer Season, and have collaborated with other church and community choirs in Oregon, West Virginia, and Montana. As a tenor, Jesse has appeared as Perry in Orfeo in Underland (Renegade Opera), Parpignol in La boheme Warhola (Pittsburgh Festival Opera), the First Priest and Armored Guard in The Magic Flute (WVU), and roles in numerous opera scenes productions. In addition to their performing career, Jesse's compositions have been performed by the Northwest Civic Orchestra (Powell, WY), Portland Symphonic Choir, and Renegade Opera.
Composer/Music Director
Danielle Jagelski (Oneida/Ojibweis) a composer, conductor, and creative producer. At home in both theatrical and orchestral realms, she is the Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Renegade Opera, Producer for First Nations Performing Arts, Associate Conductor of PROTESTRA, and Faculty at Manhattan School of Music Precollege. Her performances have been described: “At once timeless and of its time, it expands your heart and mind with every note, telling a story of grief and love that is as honest as it is hopeful.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) Danielle is an avid writer of song, opera, choral, musical theatre, and narrative stories of all kinds. Her most recent premieres have been by Voices of Ascension|Voices of the New, New Native Theatre, MUSE Cincinnati Women’s Choir, Hear Us Hear Them Ensemble, American Patriots Project, and Artemis Singers. She is the orchestrator for The Carlisle Project by Ronee Penoi and Annalisa Dias and works as music copyist for Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate. Her music has been performed throughout North America and Germany at notable venues such as Roulette Intermedium, Performance Space New York, The Green Room 42, and Shaking the Tree Theater. Equally at home on the podium, Danielle is sought out for her execution of new and contemporary works. Recent conducting engagements include Scalia/Ginsberg at Opera Ithaca, Tlingit Opera at Perseverance Theatre, Guest Conductor at Manhattan School of Music Symphony, Adam’s Run at Renegade Opera, Missing by Brian Current at Anchorage Opera, Dark Sisters by Nico Muhly at Temple University Opera Theater, National Music & Global Culture Society gala concert at Lincoln Center, Garden of Alice by Elizabeth Raum with City Lyric Opera (NYC), served as assistant conductor for Le nozze di Figaro at the Estates Theater (Prague, CZ), and conducted and arranged Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice for Renegade Opera (Portland, OR) Past engagements include working with ensembles such as the Opera Theatre Saint Louis, Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Rhymes with Opera, Manhattan School of Music Orchestra, and Norwalk Youth Symphony. A fierce advocate for equity in artistic spaces and enrolled citizen of the Oneida Nation/Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe, Danielle is especially passionate about Decolonization through collective creation and performance. She has presented her research in mixed-race studies and contemporary Indigenous music throughout the US and Canada. Danielle began her musical studies in classical composition at Hamline University with Jannika Vandervelde, conducting studies at Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Jos Vermunt, with further studies at Manhattan School of Music. Her mentors also include Timothy Long, George Manahan, and Reiko Fueting. Danielle is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Indigenous Media Guild, Girls Who Conduct, and has been the recipient of grants from Opera America (2024), Oregon Community Foundation (2024), The Plimpton Foundation (2022), Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2020), and Native Arts and Cultures (2020). She was granted 2nd place in the 2023 National Opera Association Awards for her work on Dark Sisters and was resident artist at Berkeley Repertory Theatre for the Ground Floor Summer Residency in 2024.
Librettist/Director
Rhiana Yazzie (Diné - Navajo Nation) is a 2021 Lanford Wilson and 2020 Steinberg award winning, playwright, director, a filmmaker, and the Artistic Director of New Native Theatre, which she started in 2009 as a response to the lack of connection and professional opportunities between Twin Cities theaters and the Native community. She is a 2018 Bush Foundation Leadership Fellow and was recognized with a 2017 Sally Ordway Award for Vision and has been a Playwrights’ Center fellow multiple times (McKnight 2016/17 & Jerome 2006 & 2010) and Core Member. A Navajo Nation citizen (Ta’neeszahnii bashishchiin dóó Táchii’nii dashinalí), she’s seen her plays on stages from Alaska to Mexico including in Carnegie Hall’s collaboration with American Indian Community House & Eagle Project. She has a new co-commissioned play in the works with Long Wharf Theatre and Rattlestick Theater. She is developing her play Nancy, about Nancy Reagan and her intersection with Indian Country in the 80s, astrology, and her little known about Native heritage. It is the sequel to Queen Cleopatre and Princess Pocahontas, a joint commission from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Public Theater for American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle. Her first feature film, A WINTER LOVE (writer/dir/prod/actor) will premiere at festivals in 2021/22. Her non-profit company, New Native Theatre, based in the Twin Cities is a new way of looking at, thinking about, and staging Native American stories. Notable recent productions include the 2020 global indigenous online festival, Good Medicine, Native Man the Musical which was praised by the Twin Cities’ local Native American newspaper, The Circle News, “The paradigm of Native American manhood shifted with New Native Theatre’s production.” It was followed up by Native Woman the Musical. When New Native Theatre celebrated its Tenth Anniversary Season they premiered six mainstage plays, five of which were world premieres. Rhiana’s work in film includes being story editor for Babe Nation Films’ upcoming feature, The Way Out. She production coordinated for Dolly Well’s Good Posture (Tribeca 2019) and Musa Syeed’s, A Stray (SXSW 2016; MSP Int’l Film Festival “Best MN-Made Narrative Feature 2016”). Rhiana is a graduate of the Masters of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California where she had the pleasure to produce events that included lectures and concerts by Madeleine Albright, Herbie Hancock, Spaulding Grey, Paula Vogel, and Stephen Hawking. She has been passionate about working with the Barbara Schneider Foundation, an organization dedicated to training law enforcement and health care professionals about the process of recognizing and de-escalating people in a mental health crisis. She was a playwright in residence at the William Inge Center in Independence, Kansas, and has been in residence at the MacDowell Colony where she worked on new screenplays. Rhiana has written for young audiences; her play Chile Pod, about a Mixtec girl, commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse, toured to 18,000 youth in Southern California schools and communities. She has been a resident at the biennial Bonderman National Theatre for Youth Symposium and The Kennedy Center’s New Visions/New Voices. She is the three time winner of the Native Radio Theatre annual new play contest; her radio play The Best Place To Grow Pumpkins received an Honorable Mention at the ImagiNative Film Festival in Toronto for Best Radio. A few of Rhiana’s plays are published online in university libraries across the country through Alexander Street Press. A few of her other plays include Asdzani Shash: The Woman Who Turned into a Bear (finalist in the 2005 Bay Area Playwrights Festival; 1st annual Two Worlds Festival Native American Theatre, 2008); The Long Flight (translated into Spanish and pres the 30th World Congress of the International Theatre Institute – UNESCO in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico; and a 2002 finalist for the Princess Grace Playwriting Award); This Land Had Seen War Before was published in a 2008 anthology, BIRTHED FROM SCORCHED HEARTS: WOMEN RESPOND TO WAR, edited by MariJo Moore that includes contributions from Amy Goodman, Paula Gunn Allen, and Matilde Urrutia.
Additional Poetry
Charli Fool Bear-Vetter (Yanktonai Dakota) (she/they) is a Two-Spirit and Yanktonai Dakota poet, storyteller, auntie, songwriter, multi- instrumentalist and vocalist from Cannon Ball & Porcupine, North Dakota on the Standing Rock Reservation. She was raised on the reservation by her relatives in a multi-generational home, which provided the foundation for her artistic philosophy of nurturing and strengthening community through the healing practice of storytelling. Her play, The Crickets Ate the Moon, was the runner-up of Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program’s inaugural playwriting contest; it later received a staged reading at Dartmouth College. Charli won Dartmouth’s Susan Debevoise Wright award for her work on the play. She continues to write plays in collaboration with theatre companies like TruNorth Theatre and Sleepy Hollow Theatre in Bismarck, ND; and zAmya Theatre Project in Minneapolis, MN.
Charli is currently living her dream of bringing theatre and arts to Native community as Senior Artistic Producer for New Native Theatre. Outside of theatre, Charli has been independently studying, writing, and recording music for over 15 years. You can find her original solo music on SoundCloud under @charlialexandr, and her band Disco Lessons on all social media platforms under @discolessons.
Stage Manager
Emily Trimble is excited to be working with Renegade Opera for the first time. Originally from Texas, she graduated from UT Dallas and worked in Dallas for a few years at companies such as Undermain Theatre, WaterTower Theatre, and Dallas Children’s Theatre. She moved to Portland in 2012 and has since Stage Managed for Bag&Baggage Productions, Corrib Theatre, Broadway Rose, OPS Fest, and Oregon Children's Theatre. Some of her favorite shows she has stage managed have been In This Corner: Cassius Clay; A Year with Frog and Toad; Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed; and The Great Gatsby. When at home she can be found watching bad action movies with her husband, playing with her two cats, or doing a variety of fiber arts.
Collaborative Partners
Special Thanks to…
Amber K. Ball
Tristan Cameron
Grace Dawald
Sam McGee
Graham and Sharon Ross
Beckett Royce
Emily Way
Lake Grove Presbyterian Church