Stand-Off at Highway #37
Written by Vickie Ramirez
Theatre Two at Theatre Row | 410 West 42nd Street in NYC.
June 18, 2026 — June 21, 2026
North American Indigenous Center of New York & Eagle Project present an unsettling story of a protest surrounding building of a new highway.
Playwright Vickie Ramirez provides a clear and honest glance of Native American life, with actors with Native American heritage to share the story. The military has been called in to stop protestors in Upstate New York, at the border of a small town and a local Haudenosaunee reservation. Aunt Bev, played by Joan Henry, is a Mohawk leader, who became known for her bravery through previous conflicts. Community leaders take action, bounding out from the audience to stop the building of a highway passage that would destroy sacred land. The writing is courageous, providing an emotional angle into the Native American experience. Aunt Bev sits proudly on the highway border, refusing to be moved, while young patrol specialists encounter a military machine that fails to vie in a system of logic built for successful peacekeeping.
New problems manifest and what unfolds is a drama of the ages. Scenic Technical Director Cathy Ho and Set Designer Kim Zhou collaborate to create a vivid portrait of indigenous life. The wide stage is covered with red and brown cloth, and a wampum belt of the Iriquois flag is hung. Projections, designed by Hao Bai, show the crowds that have been gathered by the townspeople, protesting the colonial oppression that has crossed ethnic lines. Systems change provides no excuse for the destruction of tradition, and the projected images build dimension, multiplying the numbers of angry individuals, hoping to be organized and united for a cause.
In Act Two, large signs are placed surrounding the stage, calling new action to be taken. A white tapestry is hung in a small space, providing a framing for an indoor meeting ground for the group to take action. Director Opalanietet does a fine job in allowing characters to take shape, exploding relationships to build the dramatic arc. In a small room, a strategy is set to counter the offense of the military commander. Darrin, played by Matthew C. Cross, Sandra Henhawk, played by Jolie Cloutier, speak fervently stopping the highway development. Then, in a moment designed to stir fear, a particularly impassioned Thomas Lee Doxtater, played by Ian King, is held against Captain Donald Hewitt, played by Stephen Cedars. The rising action reaches an all-time height, soaring past the plaintive start of the show.
What succeeds most, though, in Stand-Off at Highway #37 is the way that the company embraces storytelling, allowing the calm truth of the Native American experience to be felt by audience members. In that truth, we see the unveiling of a carefully knit society, determined not to be driven apart.
Review by Marcina Zaccaria.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on June 19, 2026. All rights reserved.
