Fancy Dancer

In This Program

• From the Artistic Directors
• About the Show
• For Our Patrons
• Cast
• Creative Team
• An Interview with Lara and Lara
• Print Edition
• More About Seattle Rep & Seattle Children’s Theatre

Dear Friends,

We are excited to welcome you to Seattle Rep and Seattle Children’s Theatre’s co-produced world premiere of Larissa FastHorse’s Fancy Dancer, a work that has been more than a decade in the making.

FastHorse has become a groundbreaking force in American theater—an award-winning playwright, choreographer, and performer who has spent her career reimagining the stories we tell and who gets to tell them. Her modern classic The Thanksgiving Play has had more than 300 productions around the world (including a Broadway run) since its 2018 premiere, and her plays Fake it Until You Make It, What Would Crazy Horse Do?, and a new adaptation of the musical Peter Pan have been seen at leading theaters around the country. Her distinct writing voice is often funny, highly theatrical, provocative, and urgently necessary, always ensuring that Indigenous characters are centered and celebrated.

With Fancy Dancer, FastHorse brings us something deeply personal: a universal story drawn from her own life, layered with culture, resilience, vulnerability, and profound humanity. Larissa takes center stage as the younger version of herself*, Lara, to share her Lakota heritage, struggles, and triumphs. What began as an idea for Larissa to tell her story has matured into a powerful, genre-defying play that merges multi-media storytelling, dance, and activism. Written for a wide and diverse audience of all ages, Lara’s story of finding community and pursuing her dream to become a professional ballet dancer will hopefully resonate with young people, parents, grandparents, educators, and artists alike. There is something for everyone in learning and reconnecting with one's sense of belonging. And so, our two theaters teamed up to ensure that more multi-generational audiences, including school groups across Seattle, will experience Fancy Dancer than if either of our theaters had gone about it alone. 

This co-production you are about to experience is therefore not just a performance—it’s a moment of connection. Between generations. Between cultures. Between truth and imagination. It’s a moment we are proud to create together—between Seattle Rep and SCT—in the spirit of collaboration, community, and resilience.

To the young people in the audience: this play is for you. We hope it reminds you that identity is something we grow into, that heritage is a strength, and that the stories we tell have the power to reclaim, rebuild, and inspire.

And this is just the beginning. Our 2025/26 Seasons are among the most thrilling and expansive yet for both Seattle Rep and SCT. The arcs of our seasons are filled with joy, discovery, and transformation, and we can’t wait to share more theater experiences with you. Whether you're a lifelong theatergoer or stepping into the audience for the very first time, there’s something for everyone—and something unforgettable—that will speak to you.

Thank you for joining us and being part of this long-awaited, deeply joyful coming-of-age story that will echo for generations to come—within the young people here today, or the young person that lives inside you.

With deep gratitude,

Dámaso Rodríguez
Artistic Director, Seattle Rep

Johamy Morales
Artistic Director, Seattle Children's Theatre

*In alternating performances, including 17 student matinees, the role of Lara will be played by actor-dancer Burgandi Trejo Phoenix.

SEATTLE REP

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Dámaso Rodríguez
MANAGING DIRECTOR Jeffrey Herrmann

and

SEATTLE CHILDREN’S THEATRE

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Johamy Morales
MANAGING DIRECTOR Kevin Malgesini

present

the WORLD PREMIERE of

by Larissa FastHorse

Directed by Chay Yew

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
Jayna Shoda Meyer

STARRING

Larissa FastHorse
and
Burgandi Trejo Phoenix*
as Lara
in alternating performances‡

‡ Reference our up-to-date Fancy Dancer actor performance schedule or check the lobby for signage. Performance schedule subject to change.

Producing Partner

Joanne R. Euster 

Seattle Rep Season Sponsor

Leslie Lackey

Seattle Rep & SCT Season Sponsor

SCT Season Sponsors

September 18 – November 2, 2025 | Leo K. Theater at Seattle Rep

Meet our fancy dancer community pop-up partner

Eighth Generation

Proudly owned by the Snoqualmie Tribe, Eighth Generation is a Seattle-based lifestyle brand and the first Native-owned company to offer wool blankets that are authentically Native-designed by Native artists. Eighth Generation is dedicated to shifting the narrative around Native art and culture by doing things the right way: supporting Inspired Natives®, not “Native-Inspired.” Partnering with Native artists, they create beautiful and authentic Native-designed blankets, home goods, and accessories that carry stories, tradition, and warmth into everyday life. 

Eighth Generation blends traditional art with contemporary design, offering high-quality items for anyone and everyone to enjoy, Native and non-Native alike. When you support Eighth Generation, you’re not just buying beautiful products, you’re investing in a future where Native artists thrive. From bold to subtle, they have made it easy to incorporate authentic Native art into your home, no matter your style. Find Eighth Generation’s flagship retail store at Pike Place Market on 1st Ave in Seattle.

Meet the Eighth Generation team in Seattle Rep’s lobby before Fancy Dancer performances on Sept. 28 and Oct. 12

Learn more

We welcome you to take pictures of the set before and after the show.

Share Your Photos 

#FancyDancer
@seattlerep
@sct_seattle

Photography, recording, and use of cell phones are strictly prohibited during the performance. 

About Seattle Rep

Mission 

Seattle Rep collaborates with extraordinary artists to create productions and programs that reflect and elevate the diverse cultures, perspectives, and life experiences of our region. 

Vision 

Theater at the heart of public life.  

Values 

Artistic Vitality
Sustainability
Generous and Inclusive Practices 

About Seattle Children’s Theatre

Mission 

SCT provides children of all ages access to professional theater, with a focus on new works, and theater education.

Vision 

To transform the lives of young audiences, creating a more empathetic, hopeful, and resilient world.

Values 

RESPECT ALL: Treat others with respect. Our differences are what make us beautiful. Celebrate each individual’s unique identity and show this with your words and actions.

LEAD WITH CURIOSITY: Approach individuals, interactions, and stories with a curious mind and listening ear. Challenge yourself to be a learner, not a knower.  

MODEL POSITIVE BEHAVIOR: Assume good intentions and understand mistakes happen, with others and ourselves. We all learn through failing, listening, and trying again. 

CLAP HARD, CRY HARD: All feelings are welcome here. We invite you to be vulnerable. We are in the business of inspiring, educating, and entertaining; all of which can cause a number of feelings, from triumph to anguish.   

BE AN UPSTANDER: Stand up for others, and use your voice to make our community stronger. Bullying will not be tolerated. If you see something, say something.

Code of Conduct 

Seattle Rep is committed to being a racially, culturally, and socially just organization. We promote equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of the work we do, and uphold a safe environment wherein all people are welcome to our space and are treated with respect and dignity. 

It is our expectation that all patrons and those affiliated with Seattle Rep will align with this code of conduct and we reserve the right to relocate or remove any person from our theater who disregards this expectation.

Land Acknowledgment 

Seattle Rep and Seattle Children's Theatre acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of the Coast Salish people. We honor with gratitude the land itself and its innumerable stewards, past and present. We recognize Washington’s tribal nations, all of the Tribal signatories of the Treaty of Point Elliott, and the urban Native communities who continue to live and thrive in this space. This acknowledgment does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, but serves as a first step in honoring the land we are on and the people and cultures it has nurtured.

Learn more about how Seattle Rep is working to support and build relationships with Native communities.

Emergencies 

In an evacuation, wait for an announcement for further instructions. Ushers will be available for assistance. Familiarize yourself with the exit route nearest your seat.

Accessibility 

Seattle Rep is committed to accessibility for all and will work with patrons to accommodate requests. We offer a variety of options to help make our performances accessible.

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES: We offer select English and Spanish Open Captioned, Audio Described, ASL-Interpreted, Sensory-Friendly, and mask-required  performances. Find dates here or contact the Box Office for more information.

HEARING LOOP: Seattle Rep is equipped with hearing loops that transmit sound directly to t-coil enabled hearing devices. There are also receivers and headphones available to borrow at Coat Check. Look for the Hearing Loop signs which indicate coverage at performances, ticket windows, concierge, and concessions.  

WHEELCHAIR SPACES, WIDER SEATS (BAGLEY), TRANSFER SEATS, AND ADDITIONAL SEATING OPTIONS: Please see an Usher or House Manager to see what accessible seating options are available for your performance.  

SENSORY GUIDES & KITS: Scene-by-scene guides of the sensory impact of this show and kits containing headphones, fidgets, sunglasses, and communication cards are available at Coat Check.  

LARGE PRINT & BRAILLE PROGRAMS: Available at Coat Check. 

ALL GENDER RESTROOMS are located on the second floor of the Leo K. Theater and a single-stall restroom is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.  

WELLNESS ROOM is located near the Bagley Wright Theater restrooms on the first floor.  

Contact Seattle Rep 

BOX OFFICE 
Call 206.443.2222
Text 206.565.2996 

ADMINISTRATIVE
206.443.2210 

Larissa FastHorse

Lara

Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota Nation) is a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, 2020 MacArthur Fellow, professor of practice (literature) at Arizona State University, and co-founder of Indigenous Direction. She was the first known female, Native American playwright on Broadway with The Thanksgiving Play. Additional plays include Peter Pan (revised book, National Tour), Fake It Until You Make It, Native Nation Project Trilogy, and For The People. She is currently under commission with The Public Theater, Second Stage Theater, and Yale Repertory Theatre. Larissa dedicates this production to her parents, who always believed in her.

Burgandi Trejo Phoenix

Lara

Burgandi Trejo Phoenix is an accomplished storyteller of Yaqui (Yoeme) heritage, with a deep commitment to advancing authentic representation of BIPOC women in entertainment. Her work spans across stage, film, television, voice over, and video games. Notable credits: Stage: Fake It Until You Make It (Arena Stage); TV: “NCIS” top-of-show guest star, Emmy-nominated series “Spirit Rangers” (Netflix), “The Loud House” (Nickelodeon); Video games: “Cookie Run: Kingdom,” “Merlin” (Devsisters). She has dubbed many shows for Netflix and Disney+, is a member of the Television Academy, and the brand ambassador for talentboom.

Larissa FastHorse

Playwright

See bio above.

Chay Yew

Director

New York credits include The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature, City Center Encores!, The Flea, Audible Theatre, Rattlestick, etc. Regional credits include Goodman Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, South Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, Center Theatre Group, Hartford Stage, The Kennedy Center, Humana Festival, Victory Gardens, Empty Space, Singapore Repertory Theatre, etc. He is the recipient of the 2024 Doris Duke Artist Award and the OBIE. chayyew.com

Junghyun Georgia Lee

Scenic Designer

New York: New York Theatre Workshop, Audible Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, The Public Theater, Soho Rep, Ma-Yi, Mint Theater Company, National Asian American Theatre Co. and PlayCo. Regional: Huntington Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, Alley Theatre, McCarter Theatre, Syracuse Stage, Indiana Rep, PlayMakers Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, and ACT. Nominations: Henry Hewes, Connecticut Critics Circle, and Drama Desk Awards for Set Design, and Elliot Norton Awards for Set and Costume Design. M.F.A. Yale School of Drama. Faculty at Amherst College, MA. @jgldesigncompany, junghyungeorgialeedesign.com

Mary Kelsay

Costume Designer

MEKA is a Seattle-based slow fashion designer with over 20 years of experience creating intentional, inclusive, and sustainable garments. She specializes in custom, small-lot collections and one-of-a-kind women’s wear, and also produces fashion shows. An advocate for her Indigenous community, MEKA co-leads “For Our Sisters”—a project honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit Relatives—in collaboration with The One Woman Symphony. Recent partnerships include Seattle Rep, Tacoma Art Museum, and Arctic Encounter Symposium. mekaclothing.com

Geoff Korf

Lighting Designer

Geoff Korf (they/them) has lived in Seattle since 2002. Geoff has designed lighting for more than one hundred world premieres including August Wilson’s Two Trains Running, Sarah Ruhl’s The Clean House, and Larissa FastHorse’s Urban Rez for Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles, where Geoff is also an ensemble member. Geoff is a professor of lighting at the University of Washington School of Drama, and is a graduate of California State University, Chico, and the Yale School of Drama.

Robertson Witmer

Sound Designer

Robertson is a Seattle-based sound designer and composer. Previously at Seattle Rep: I Am My Own Wife, Boeing Boeing, Of Mice and Men. Other recent productions include Kevin Kling: Unraveled (Contemporary American Theater Festival); The Color Purple, Once on This Island (Village Theatre); Fuselage (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); Twelfth Night (Seattle Shakespeare Company); Peril in the Alps (Laguna Playhouse). His work has also been heard at Seattle Opera, ACT, and Spectrum Dance Theater. Rob is a member of United Scenic Artists and the Theatrical Sound Designers and Composers Association.

Caite Hevner

Co-Projection Designer

Previously at Seattle Rep: Fat Ham (scenic design). Broadway: Trisha Paytas’ Big Broadway Dream; Derren Brown: Secret; In Transit; Harry Connick Jr.: A Celebration of Cole Porter. Select New York: Rolling Thunder (current), Between the Lines (Drama Desk Award nomination), Sweatshop Overlord (Lortel Award nomination), Metropolitan Opera, Manhattan Theatre Club, MCC Theater, Primary Stages, Roundabout Theatre Company. Hundreds of productions in New York, regionally, and internationally. @caitehevner, caitedesign.com

Ann Slote 

Co-Projection Designer 

Ann Slote is a San Francisco and Berlin-based video designer. She has worked as an associate on Duke and Roya (Lucille Lortel, design by Caite Hevner), A Knock on the Roof (New York Theatre Workshop), and Mahabharata (Barbican). Recent design credits include Mummy, Daddy & Other Issues (Neue Bühne Friedrichshain), Songs of Absence (Festival Art Fest Munich), and Best Funeral Ever (Ballhaus Ost).  

Price Suddarth 

Choreographer

Price Suddarth is an award-winning American choreographer and former Soloist with Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB). As a dancer, he was nominated for a Princess Grace Award and performed leading roles across a wide range of repertoire. He has since created works for major U.S. companies and earned acclaim in Seattle for his choreography at PNB. Recognized as an arts innovator for his pioneering work in film, he and his wife Emma co-founded JUMPKUT Contemporary Ballet—a launchpad for bold stage and screen projects. jumpkut.org

Maxine Alex

Fancy Dance Choreographer & Dancer

Maxine Alex is an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation (Diné) and a champion powwow dancer. She started choreographing for the Stanford American Indian Organization student dance troupe at Stanford University and has since competed across the U.S. and Canada. Maxine currently dances in the Ojibwe women’s jingle dress style. She also serves as the Tribal Consultation Program Supervisor for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State and is a certified History and Social Science Teacher.

Gin Hammond 

Local Vocal Consultant 

Gin is an award-winning Harvard University/Moscow Art Theatre graduate, most recently seen in POTUS at ACT and Blithe Spirit at Seattle Rep. Gin has been awarded National Endowment for the Arts grants for multiple plays, and her book, Returning the Bones, is a National Indie Excellence Award finalist and a Gold-winning INDIES Book of the Year winner. Gin’s recent solo show, Living IncogNegro, will be released as a feature-length film in 2025. gin-hammond.com 

Cristine Anne Reynolds

Stage Manager

Select work at Seattle Rep (over the last 25 seasons) includes Two Trains Running, Dry Powder, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Clybourne Park, The Great Gatsby, and Jitney. Locally, she stage manages at Seattle Children’s Theatre (23 seasons) and Seattle Opera (33 seasons – including assistant stage managing Seattle Opera’s Ring Cycle from 1995–2013). Thank you to the parents, grandparents, caregivers, guardians, and teachers for giving the gift of live theater to the young theater attendee sitting next to you.

We sat down with playwright Larissa FastHorse and actor Burgandi Trejo Phoenix—who alternate starring in the role of Lara in Fancy Dancer—to talk about working on world premieres, telling your own story, and the importance of community and intergenerational experiences.

Seattle Rep: What inspired you to write this play?

Larissa FastHorse: My very first play as a playwright (Average Family) was commissioned and directed by Peter Brosius at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. On opening night, he asked me what my journey was to become a ballet dancer. As soon as I finished my story, he said, “I am commissioning that play”—and he did.

Many, many years later, we are here at Seattle Rep. The play has gone through so many versions—from a huge 50-person piece down to what we have now, a one-person show honed by Chay Yew, who has spent about half of his directing career working on one-person shows. So not only is Chay a good friend that I’m thrilled to work with, but he’s someone who really knows that genre incredibly well. 

SR: You didn't originally plan to perform this show yourself. What made you want to take the stage as a performer in this autobiographical piece?

LF: It’s so scary to do this piece in front of people. It's really not something I planned to do at all! I very intentionally wrote the piece for other actors, and I had other actors that I knew in mind for it. However, after we did our last workshop almost a year ago here in Seattle, I realized—with encouragement from Chay and the teams at Seattle Children’s Theatre [SCT] and Seattle Rep—that I might regret not performing this piece myself for its world premiere. I realized that I needed to really live the piece so I know it’s as strong as it can be.

I also personally went through a really difficult time during COVID being a caretaker for several family members, not all of whom made it. My family has been incredibly supportive and said, look, you need to go do something selfish for a while and just take care of you. So it’s really a weird joy for me to be here in Seattle and just worry about things like warming up and cooling down and making a salad and not worry about the real life-and-death struggles that so many of us faced during these past few years.

SR: As a multi-hyphenate artist—playwright, choreographer, actor, professor at Arizona State University (ASU), and more—how has your dance background informed your many artistic roles and professions?

LF: I always tell people that you can see in my writing that I’m a dancer. I mean, it's obvious when you’re performing or choreographing, but if you look at my plays, they all rely on large scenes of movement often without any text at all. For instance, if you look at The Thanksgiving Play (first developed and produced by [Seattle Rep Artistic Director] Dámaso Rodríguez at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland), there are whole scenes that depend on movement and physical pictures on stage—that's my dance background. I have a scene like that, large and small, in every play I've ever written.

It is also a big part of how I approach working with young people at ASU and how I work as a playwright with people in the room. I’m very involved in the physicality of space, and how we relate to each other and how bodies exist in space and define space. I think I really see that as a full stage picture from a dancer’s point of view, as opposed to a more internal picture from an actor’s point of view.

SR: With Fancy Dancer being a co-produced world premiere between Seattle Rep and SCT, we will be welcoming multigenerational audiences of all ages to this show. How do you think this story will resonate across generations?

LF: I come from a multi-generational culture. The Lakota people, we believe that families mean many generations and many ages all together in one space. There’s no separation between immediate family and extended family. It’s just not how we think. So to me, it’s 100% natural to create a piece that allows that full family to come together.

I really hope that grandparents can come and see this show with their grandchildren to understand what they're going through in their lives. That parents can come and remember their past and what it took for them to get where they are now. That teenagers and young adults can really resonate with a journey they’re probably still on of discovering themselves and figuring out where they fit in the world. And young people can look ahead to see what's to come for them and see (and perhaps appreciate) what the elders before them have gone through.

Creating spaces where multi-generational families can come together in one unit is, in my opinion, the most sacred space we can create. It’s such a huge honor to be a part of this first co-production between Seattle Rep and SCT to bring these theater lovers of all ages together like this. It’s really a dream come true! What’s being done here is something brave and exciting.

SR: Performing in repertory with Larissa in her autobiographical story is a unique experience. Burgandi, how have you approached this role as an actor?

Burgandi Trejo Phoenix: Lara’s story mirrors my own in many ways. I spent the majority of my childhood and much of my life until now feeling like I wasn’t enough. I was bullied, and I was disconnected from my Indigenous heritage. And I am a classically trained ballet dancer who, much like Lara, had my own physical ailments. As my teachers would say, I “didn’t have good feet" and have double jointed hips, which makes it incredibly difficult to train the muscle needed to hold my legs in the air for more than a few seconds at a time.

Larissa has this beautiful way of capturing each moment so vividly, and her writing always seems to immediately immerse me in the story she’s telling from page one. This allows me the freedom to create characters and find their unique voices, especially within a deep and meaningful story like this. It is both exciting and challenging and by no means easy, but it feels more like being a kid at play than it does grueling work. I am incredibly honored that Larissa has trusted me with her story and am grateful to have the opportunity to share the role of Lara with her. 

SR: What is special or different about working on a new, world premiere play versus an existing piece of art?

BTP: Working on a world premiere is so much more exciting to me. Working on a new play, where you’re collaborating with so many talented creatives and crafting something in a world that has never existed on stage before, is exhilarating! And because it’s the first time the public is seeing it, there is a fresh perspective not only from the writer, director, cast, and crew but from the audience who truly has no idea what to expect. There are endless possibilities in all aspects because the work is not being boxed in by the way(s) it’s been done in the past. It’s extremely fulfilling as a creative.  

SR: What do you hope audiences take away from Fancy Dancer? Is there anything else you want audiences to know?

LF: I hope audiences come to this show and just enjoy being together. To me, that is the most exciting part of theater, just being in one space and sharing breath. Fancy Dancer is very much a storytelling piece, and storytelling doesn't happen alone. Storytelling is meant to happen between us—that's what I love about live theater.

I work in film and TV, but honestly, live theater is my favorite. I love it so much because it’s that space between the stage and the audience that we both have to fill, and it's this breath and energy that’s passing from human to human. Down the aisle and down the rows where you’re thinking, why am I laughing at this and they're not? Why is that person crying and I’m not? Or why are we all crying or all laughing? Having that visceral, emotional human experience together, that’s just not something that happens alone on your couch or walking down the street looking at your phone. Theater’s the only place we get that. I love that more than anything. 

Whatever you take from the story is great, and I hope you take a lot and learn a lot. I think it’s a very specific story to me, but it's all universal to the journey we all go through, growing up and figuring out who we are in the world. But most important to me is having that experience of theater where we get to come together and see each other.

BTP: I hope that everyone, but especially the little kids, understand that it’s ok to be different and weird and quirky and that it’s ok to not fit in—stand out instead! Never let anyone convince you that you are not enough. No one has the right to tell you who you are, except for you. Your identity and how you identify within your specific heritage and culture(s), or don’t, is for you to decide—there is not only one way to identify and everyone has a different journey. And anyone who tries to shame you for not being what they consider to be “right” or traditional, aren’t the kind people that you want in your life. Forge your own path, like Lara did. And although it may not be as easy, you will be better for it. Trust me.

Print Edition

More About Seattle Rep & Seattle Children’s Theatre

• Join both Seattle Rep and Seattle Children’s Theatre for their 2025/26 Season lineups.
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• Join Seattle Rep at the start of a moment worth celebrating as the beloved musical Come From Away returns to the Bagley Wright stage November 28–December 28.
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