1977 The beginning of the American Indian Theater Co.

 No stereotypes 

Can Be Expected In Indian Plays

by George Boosey

1977 Jan 23, The Bridgeport 

     Tulsa, Okla – Neither savages nor stoic warriors, American Indians are human beings who have something to say to the American people, according to members of the American Indian Theater Co.  

      “We are breaking away from the stereotypes,” said Shirley Elm, who works with the theater company and with the Tulsa Indian Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

      “A stereotype is not humor, whether it is a good stereotype or a bad stereotype. Hollywood is in to good stereotypes now.”

      The AITC, organized in Dec 1975, has produced one play and is planning another for March, but is careful not to move too fast – quality is important.

      “I think the Indian has something to say and I think the people want to listen,” Ms. Elm said.

      The company’s first production was “The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,” a serious play written by Peter Rygn, who grew up on an Indian reservation although not an Indian himself. The place is about an Indian girl, Rita  Joe, who has trouble making the adjustment from reservation life to city life, and her boy friend, Jaimie Paul,  an angry young man who becomes impatient change. 

1977 Jan 23, The Bridgeport