4^th Annual Winter Lodge Rendezvous

A live show featuring Native American Performers

7:00 p.m. on December 6 & 7, 2024

Helena Avenue Theatre, 1319 Helena Avenue; in Helena, MT

Produced by the Montana Playwrights Network, this event is supported in part by grants from the Montana Arts Council, an agency of state government, the National Endowment for the Arts, Montana Community Foundation’s William B. Pratt Endowment Fund, and Slate Architecture.

Admission: $25

For thousands of years members of the Montana tribal nations gathered in their lodges during the winter months to share ceremonies, songs and stories. The Montana Playwrights Network (MPN), in collaboration with Native American performance artists, hosts a unique and exciting event that features songs and stories that entertain and educate at the same time; traditional ‘edutainment’: the Winter Lodge Rendezvous.

The ^4th Winter Lodge Rendezvous features outstanding Native American performers. Featured are Chris La Tray, Storyteller and Montana’s Poet Laureate; co-host and scholar, Shane Doyle, Northern Plains singer and historian; co-host and scholar, Mike Jetty, Northern Plains singer and humorist; Métis musician, Sapphire Ferguson-Jetty, Traditional fiddle music; and Cary Youpee and the Magpie Singers, a traditional Drum & Song group.

Native Artist Bios (In alphabetical order):

Shane Doyle: Shane is a Crow tribal member and educator who grew up in Crow Agency. A singer of Northern Plains tribal style of music for over 32 years, Shane also holds a Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction and completed a post-doctoral appointment in genetics with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark in 2016. With over 20 years of teaching experience, Dr. Doyle is a full-time educational and cultural consultant, designing American Indian curriculum, and speaks throughout the region about northern Plains Tribal culture and the importance of public lands in Montana. Shane has been a featured keynote at numerous conferences and continues to provide engaging educational workshops for educators across the US.

Sapphire Ferguson-Jetty: Sapphire is descendant of the Spirit Lake Dakota and Turtle Mountain Chippewa, and she is very passionate about fiddle music. Performance credits include the All-Nations Tipi Village during the 150th anniversary celebration of Yellowstone Park, at the Myrna Loy Theatre in Helena as part of a Metis cultural celebration and in the first and second MPN Winter Lodge Rendezvous. An award-winning musician, Sapphire often plays at community gatherings and is a jingle dress dancer participating in regional powwows.

Mike Jetty: Mike is an enrolled member of the Spirit Lake Dakota Nation and a Turtle Mountain Chippewa descendant. He is an Indian Education Specialist at the Montana Office of Public Instruction and has been working with Indian Education issues for the past 34 years. He is an active member of the American Indian and Minority Achievement Council for the Montana University System.

Chris La Tray: Chris is a Métis storyteller, a descendent of the Pembina Band of the mighty Red River of the North and an enrolled member of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. His third book, Becoming Little Shell, was published by Milkweed Editions in 2024. His first book, One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large won the 2018 Montana Book Award and a 2019 High Plains Book Award. His book of haiku and haibun poetry, Descended from a Travel-worn Satchel, was published in 2021 by Foothills Publishing. Chris writes the weekly newsletter "An Irritable Métis" and lives near Frenchtown, Montana. He is the Montana Poet Laureate for 2023–2025.

Cary Youpee: Cary is the drum keeper and lead singer of the Magpie Singers, a traditional drum group based in Helena. The Magpie Singers participate in sacred ceremonies, commemorations, public gatherings, and also present educational outreach in schools, libraries and other institutions. Cary is the primary organizer for the annual Last Chance Community Powwow in Helena.

A 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization incorporated in Montana in 2016, Montana Playwrights Network (MPN) was formed to provide a forum focusing on Story as expressed through playwriting, storytelling, poetry, history, non-fiction, essays, etc. MPN connects with writers, storytellers, teachers, performers, theatre companies, libraries and businesses interested in storytelling to build communities across Montana. The Helena Avenue Theatre (HAT), home to MPN, is available to individuals, businesses, and organizations to present their own performances, recitals, and other special events.  www.montanaplaywrights.org. Contact: montanaplaywrights@gmail.com.