Sovereignty at Three Bone Theatre

SovereigntyWritten by Mary Kathryn NagleDirected by Caroline Dunnhttps://www.threebonetheatre.com/events/2526/sovereigntyStarringNathan Ahlgrim* is Mitch/Samuel WorcesterLance Claymore* is John RidgeRyan Dunn* is Chorus ManMarco Fuller* is Major Ridge/Rodger Ridge PolsonMvnte July* is John Ross/Jim RossKeely Kidwell* is Sarah Bird Northrup/Flora RidgeBillie Merritt* is Sarah Ridge PolsonJosh Orsi* is Elias Boudinot/WatieKyle Riggs* is Andrew Jackson/Ben*denotes Three Bone Theatre debutAugust 21-September 6, 2026Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.Sundays at 2 p.m.Performances will be held atArts Factory 1545 W. Trade StAbout the Show In present-day Oklahoma, a young Cherokee lawyer, Sarah Ridge Polson, and her colleague Jim Ross defend the inherent jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation in the U.S. Supreme Court when a non-Indian defendant challenges the Nations authority to prosecute non-Indian perpetrators of domestic violence. Their collaboration is juxtaposed with scenes from 1835, when the Cherokee Nation was eight hundred miles to the east in the southern Appalachians. That year, Sarahs and Jims ancestors, historic Cherokee rivals, were bitterly divided over a proposed treaty with the administration of Andrew Jackson, the Treaty of New Echota, which led to the nations removal to Oklahoma on the infamous Trail of Tears.A direct descendant of nineteenth-century Cherokee leaders John Ridge and Major Ridge, Mary Kathryn Nagle has penned a play that twists and turns from violent outbursts to healing monologues, illuminating a provocative double meaning for the sovereignty of both tribal territory and womens bodies. Taking as its point of departure the story of one lawyers passionate defense of the rights of her people to prosecute non-natives who commit crimes on reservations, Sovereignty opens up into an expansive exploration of the circular continuity of history, human memory, and the power of human relationships.Community Partner Organizations: Safe Alliance, Museum of the Cherokee People""One of the most necessary plays ever written." - TRIBAL COLLEGE: JOURNAL OF AMERICAN INDIAN HIGHER EDUCATIONFundamental and revelatory. -GLORIA STEINEMThe parallels between the past and present in this play are beautiful and heart-wrenching, often at the same time. It unpacks this world of dualitiesCherokee and White, past and future, Ross and Ridge. Its an amazing journey. - MARYLAND THEATER GUIDE