Arena Stage Will Present Free Readings for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Arena Stage will participate in the National Day of Theater Readings for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, joining theaters across the country for a day of storytelling, remembrance, and action.

The event will take place from 6–9 PM at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater, 1101 6th Street SW, Washington, DC. Admission is free.

May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR). As part of a nationwide initiative led by the Native Performing Arts Network, theaters across the country will host readings of plays by Native writers that address the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous communities.

Arena Stage will partner with Mosaic Theater Company, Theater Alliance, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company for the event, bringing together members of the Washington, D.C. theater community to amplify Indigenous voices and support awareness efforts.

EVENT SCHEDULE

6 PM: Community Conversation and Indigenous Marketplace

7:30 PM: Reading of Quantum by Tara Moses in the Kogod Cradle

Quantum follows Ivy Johnson, who was adopted in 1998 and raised without knowledge of her Indigenous heritage. As she uncovers new information about her identity, she confronts questions surrounding culture, belonging, and the meaning of Native identity in contemporary America. The play is inspired by the story of Moses’s maternal grandfather.

The reading includes content related to violence against Native women, including references to physical and sexual violence, boarding schools, and racist language.

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