George Bonga:
Black Voyageur
written by Carlyle Brown
directed by Marion McClinton
February 6–February 28, 2016
1837. Trekking for six days and six nights in a blistering cold Minnesota winter, legendary Boundary Waters voyageur George Bonga is tasked with tracking down a fugitive Ojibwe warrior accused of murdering a white man. A multilingual man of mixed blood, Bonga lived on the boundaries of Black, White, and Ojibwe. Is Bonga really tracking down a murderer, or is he chasing his own demons?
Read/Listen to features of George Bonga: Black Voyageur
- A Multicultural Hero from the Past (Star Tribune)
- Tracker, Trial and Question of Racial Identity (mpr.org)
- Review: George Bonga: Black Voyageur squanders the story (Pioneer Press)
- Review: History Theatre's "George Bonga" a low-key portrait of a Minnesota legend (Star Tribune)
- Review: Playwright created a world that feels real, story relevant (cherryandspoon.com)
- Review: Bonga broaches more complicated issues in George Bonga (talkinbroadway.com)
AFTERTHOUGHTS. Free for tickets patrons. A lively post-show talk after every Sunday matinee.
Feb. 7: Carlyle Brown, George Bonga: Black Voyageur playwright
Feb. 14: The Cast, George Bonga: Black Voyageur
Feb. 21: Peter Rachleff, Macalester College, U.S. Labor, Immigration and African American History; Mary Wingerd, Author, North Star Country - The Making of Minnesota
Feb. 28: Jameson Sweet, Managing Editor, Native American and Indigenous Studies, University of Minnesota; Katie Phillips, Diversity Doctoral Fellow, Macalester College; Travis Zimmerman, Site Manager, Mille Lacs Museum and Trading Post
