Author Archive

Laurie Arnold

Is It a Farce or Is It History? Native American Playwrights as Public Historians

23 April 2025 – Laurie Arnold

methods, theater, community engagement, Native American, Indigenous People, decolonization, inclusive history

Not long ago, I described Native playwrights as public historians because their plays speak directly to audiences, their narratives confront the past as well as illuminate it, and playwrights bring life to histories Americans have forgotten or perhaps never learned. Whether through comedy or drama, satire or farce, Native playwrights are bringing complex histories to the stage. Read More

The Presence and Persistence of Stories: An NCPH annual meeting call for proposals

08 June 2020 – Laurie Arnold and Leisl Carr Childers

social justice, sense of place, CFP, Indigenous People, Utah, 2021 annual meeting, The West

A long time ago, in fall 2019, before a global pandemic rearranged our world, we began drafting the 2021 National Council on Public History annual meeting theme and extending invitations to serve on the program committee. We were looking forward to bringing the conference back to the West, a West entirely distinct from both Las Vegas and Monterrey, and to building a conference around place and narrative. Read More

Native American Playwrights Practicing Public History: New Wave History Plays

31 March 2020 – Laurie Arnold

methods, community history, sense of place, public history, theater, Indigenous People, native americans, manhattan, cherokee, lenape, 2021 annual meeting

It’s been five years since Hamilton: An American Musical debuted at the Public Theatre in New York, a notable moment for numerous reasons, not least of which was the ensuing (and ongoing) clamor among Americans for tickets to see a musical about history. Read More