About the productions & the process
Website Story Archive
This story box website showcases community stories from interviews and story circles in Juneau and Wrangell, Alaska, and in numerous British Columbia communities including Telegraph Creek, Iskut, Dease Lake, Terrace, Smithers, and Hazelton. Each engagement was facilitated by a collaborative team of artists, organizers, and culture bearers. The creation of the website is led by Sarah Campen and Ryan Conarro, along with Lillian Petershoare.
The Productions
Aan Yátx'u Sáani: Noble People of the Land (2018, Juneau) is a theater production, part of the Undesirable Elements series of documentary theatrical works by Ping Chong + Company. The production features five Tlingit and Haida community members illuminating their deep connections with Juneau's Indian Village and the downtown Áakʼw Village District. With music and video projections, they weave their memories with little-known histories revealing massive changes that have marked the heart of the Capital City. Aan Yátx'u Sáani: Noble People of the Land lifts up enduring community and cultural values towards a more inclusive and just future for Juneau. Led by Ping Chong + Company in association with the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council, Sealaska Heritage Institute, and the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. Written and directed by Ryan Conarro and Frank Henry Kaash Katasse (Tlingit), in collaboration with the performers: Ernestine Hayes, Ḵinkaduneek Paul Marks, Lillian Petershoare, Marcelo Quinto, and Walter A. Soboleff, Jr. Produced by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council in association with Ping Chong + Company. Visit Ping Chong + Company's page for more about the project.
The Juneau Voices Audio Walk (2021, Juneau) is a series of sound installations around downtown Juneau featuring diverse community voices sharing place-based stories and memories. A project of the City & Borough of Juneau with Ping Chong + Company, created by Lillian Petershoare and Ryan Conarro, this project amplifies little-known histories in the very places where they occurred. Music by Juneau musician George Kuhar, and sound editing by Juneau editor Mike Sakarias, with Ryan Conarro.
When the Salmon Spoke (2020, Wrangell, Iskut, Telegraph Creek, and online) is another production in the Undesirable Elements series of documentary theatrical works by Ping Chong + Company… reimagined as a digital experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project features 5 Alaska Native and 5 First Nations storytellers, all of whom share deep connections to the Stikine River and other transboundary rivers of the region. Presented by Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission and Ping Chong + Company, in collaboration with SkeenaWild Conservation Trust and Salmon Beyond Borders. Led by Tis Peterman (Tlingit/Tahltan, U.S.), Annita McPhee (Tahltan/Tlingit, Canada), Kirby Muldoe (Gitxsan/Tsimsian), Heather Hardcastle, & Ryan Conarro. Storytellers are Tis Peterman; Annita McPhee; Trixie Kalkins-Bennett (Tlingit/Tahltan, U.S.); Rhoda Quock (Tahltan, Canada); Lovey Brock (Haida, U.S.); Bill McPhee (Tahltan, Canada); Frank Young, Jr. (Haida, U.S.); Allen Edzerza (Tahltan, Canada); and narrators Erin Tripp (Tlingit, U.S.) and Peter Morin (Tahltan, Canada). Ryan Conarro serves as creative director and producer. Music by Juneau musician George Kuhar. Visual art by Alano Edzerza (Tahltan). Music by Katherine George-Byrd and Ethel Lane (Tlingit). Animation by Sarah Conarro and Julian Bozeman. Sound editing by Juneau editor Mike Sakarias and video editing by British Columbia editor Dan Mesec, both with Ryan Conarro.
Methodology for this website
Community members for each of the above projects engaged in recorded interviews, conversations, and story circles.
A web page was created here in these story boxes for each interested storyteller, including photos, quotations, and audio excerpts.
Background noises and sounds of typing are due to field locations and/or live transcriptions during the interview processes.
The story box editors have selected these curated moments from the the recorded interviews and conversations to feature on this site. The transcribed text excerpts sometimes include minor edits for clarity. All community members reviewed their story pages; they suggested changes, then approved the final pages you see here.
We hope you will listen, read, and enjoy.