
On Wednesday, February 8th, the ODUS Passport to the Arts program and Natives at Princeton (NAP) sponsored a free performance and reception of Between Two Knees at the McCarter Theatre Center for all Princeton students, as well as a few members of Rutgers University's Indigenous Turtle Island Club (ITIC). A co-production with Seattle Rep in association with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Yale Repertory Theatre, written by the 1491s, and directed by Eric Ting, Between Two Knees is an outrageously funny and wickedly subversive intergenerational tale of familial love, loss, and connection. This first play by the acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe the 1491s fractures traditional narratives of the United States through the lens of the Native American experience. Smashing through where most textbooks stop teaching Native history—the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee—Between Two Knees takes us from the forced re-education at Indian boarding schools, through World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, the 1973 takeover at Wounded Knee, and maybe even breaks time itself.
The audience was immersed in simultaneously thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud irreverent scenes, with each cast member playing slews of unique characters. Following the performance, students enjoyed a reception while networking with NAP, ITIC, and members of the 1491s, chatting and exchanging thoughts with the cast and production team.
Photos from the event are available here, courtesy of Sameer Khan h21/Fotobuddy.

Students speak with members of the show's cast.

Natives at Princeton poses with members of the show's cast.