Indigenous Performance Productions

Indigenous Performance Productions is a cultural institution located in Olympia, Washington, dedicated to sharing stories by Indigenous culture leaders that confront, shape, and align our world towards a more inclusive and thoughtful future. For centuries, stories about Native people have been told from a colonial perspective, but Indigenous Performance Productions is committed to creating opportunities for Indigenous artists to tell their own stories to audiences and learners across Turtle Island.

Through their four programs, Indigenous Performance Productions works with allies, partners, and community members to create equity and opportunity in the performing arts. They ensure that artists have the necessary support to share Indigenous stories with intercultural audiences while carrying on important pathways for Indigenous knowledge for future generations.

The institution creates all-original, Indigenous-led productions that honor issues facing Indigenous communities and provide opportunities for Indigenous artists to amplify their stories in the performing arts. They also connect Native Culture Bearers and Performing Artists to the community through youth outreach and provide free career guidance to emerging and mid-career Indigenous performing artists.

Since their inception in 2016, Indigenous Performance Productions has supported over 100 dance, music, theater, and multi-disciplinary artists. They have also supported or led the creation of five original productions in the last two years and are set to premiere five more within the next two years.

Through their community engagements and partnerships with performing arts centers and universities, Indigenous Performance Productions reaches between 800 and 1000 youth annually through youth virtual offerings, workshops, lecture/demonstrations, and classes. They have raised and disbursed over $1.8 million in grants and donations for Indigenous artists over the last six years.

Indigenous Performance Productions is supported in part by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support general operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit them at 1614 Division Street Southwest, Olympia, Washington, to experience the power of Indigenous storytelling in the performing arts.