illioo Native Theatre

06/09/2026

You can find BLUEJAY'S CANOE on New Play Exchange. Thanks for forwarding to directors, lit managers or theatre in your network.... https://newplayexchange.org/script/3319847/bluejays-canoe?fbclid=IwY2xjawSVH8xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeegj9YsDFOSXReaddTx10aaQu5-EN68qT_xeYqCblZeEYIfn6mNvKyzfzD5g_aem_udXnsaQB2MAvOgtLYX8hmQ

BlueJay’s Canoe weaves Native stories into a contemporary tale of healing, recovery and resilience. The story takes place in the Pacific Northwest during the uncertain times of 2020-21 as fifteen-year-old XAK lands an internship at KMAS radio where he meets the brash Indigenous radio host, BLUEJAY...

05/29/2026

River & wetland re-united. This photo might look like dredging. It’s not, but as my friend Nancy observed, “it’s the same tool” that reunited the Siuslaw River with its wetland along highway 126 near Cushman (just east of Florence). For about a decade, McKenzie River Trust and the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw have labored together towards this important day. Today, at roughly 7 am, the levy was breached at haich ikt'at'uu, and for the first time in 150 years! Yep, sometimes it requires use of “the same tools” – language, law, art, even backhoes – to move in the right direction. Why does this matter? Ask the River, ask the Salmon, ask Indigenous communities of the coast wet-lands – all of which you can find here:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/584cca2b55d84f749d8f09c2fc41e0c8

04/21/2026

Don Dexter Gallery welcomes illioo Native Theatre
BlueJay’s Canoe (screening)
Wednesday, April 22 ~ 6:30 pm
Don Dexter Gallery
2911 Tennyson, Sute 202, Eugene, OR
like the play, the recording is two hours with a 10 min Intermission)
SEATING IS LIMITED (30max) PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.

BlueJay’s Canoe explores the power of Indigenous stories in everyday life. Filled with humor and healing, this is an interwoven tale of three contemporary Oregon families as they navigate the challenges of recent years through renewed care for one another and the land. The play takes place right here in Willamette Valley - Kalapuya illihi, the traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people!
BlueJay’s Canoe has been developed with the support of Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights Grant. Production co-sponsors include Very Little Theatre, McKenzie River Trust and Eugene Water & Electric Board.

04/09/2026

If you missed BLUEJAY'S CANOE....Don Dexter Gallery welcomes illioo Native Theatre for a special presentation of the recorded performance of BlueJay’s Canoe! Wednesday, April 22 ~ 6:30 pm
Don Dexter Gallery ~ 2911 Tennyson, Sute 202, Eugene, OR
(like the play, the recording is two hours with a 10 min Intermission)
SEATING IS LIMITED (30 max) PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.
BlueJay’s Canoe explores the power of Indigenous stories in everyday life. Filled with humor and healing, this is an interwoven tale of three contemporary Oregon families as they navigate the challenges of recent years through renewed care for one another and the land. The play takes place right here in Willamette Valley - Kalapuya illihi, the traditional homelands of the Kalapuya people!
BlueJay’s Canoe has been developed with the support of Oregon Community Foundation’s Creative Heights Grant. Production co-sponsors include Very Little Theatre, McKenzie River Trust and Eugene Water & Electric Board.

12/08/2025

The resonance of BlueJay's Canoe, a play about an Indigenous radio station affiliate of NPR, keeps growing..... here's why that's important:

Several dozen tribal radio stations were caught in the crossfire of federal funding cuts this fall. NPR's Frank Langfitt visited one station in Colorado navigating its survival.