William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. (1962-2021)
playwright

 
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February 3, 1962 – July 19, 2021
Place of Birth: Poplar, MT
Place of Death: Bangor, ME

HONOR AND AWARDS

•Flora Roberts Award from the Dramatists Guild of America
•Native American Achiever’s Award from the Smithsonian Institute
•Helen Merrill Award- New York Community Trust
•Lifetime Achievement Award-Native Writers Circle of the Americas
•National Playwright in Residence-Trinity Repertory Company
•First Book Award for Drama from the Gathering of Nations
•National Endowment for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship


ASSOCIATIONS:

Dramatists Guild of America
American Indian Playwrights Guild,
National American Indian Theater and Performing Arts Alliance

No Borders Indigenous Inter-Tribal Theater Company
The Eagle Project Company,
Penumbra Theater Company
Ensemble Studio Theater
AmerInda
Red Eagle Soaring Theater Company

 
 
 

w illiam S. Yellow Robe, Jr (Assiniboine/Sioux) was a playwright, actor, director & teacher. He was born on February 3, 1960, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Poplar, Montana. While in school on the reservation, he was encouraged by a teacher of his to become a writer. In his own words, "I had a bad truancy problem. I couldn't stay in school. I hated school. But I had a teacher, a white woman, named Dorothy Grow. One day I was cutting class, and I went to my grandma's house to hide out. As soon as I went in, there drinking tea was Mrs. Grow. Mrs. Grow took me back to school and said I should try something different. She offered me the chance to write a play, and that's how I got started." (3)

This early start turned into a calling which Yellow Robe followed to the University of Montana in Missoula. There he studied writing and performing arts. Over his lifetime, Yellow Robe wrote over 70 plays, poems, and monologues. He was produced all over the United States and Europe.

To Yellow Robe, writing was a responsibility and a means of education and communication. As he one said, “the reason I do theatre, especially playwriting,” is that it was “the most peaceful form of communication; and it’s also the most peaceful means of change without bloodshed.” Though his work Yellow Robe continues to make accessible the truths of racism and inequality, while also presenting moments of pure comedy and love.

Arguably, his most significant impact was on his students. Yellow Robe encouraged young artists to be themselves, write from the heart and reflect Native American culture. As stated by his student Rhiana Yazzie, "He imparted a love for the craft and art of theatre while embodying Indigenous values of relationship and community." (4) Yellow Robe Jr. taught Native American studies, literature, history, politics, and culture, in addition to playwriting, theater, poetry, and environmental science at tribal colleges, Ivy League schools, and universities all over the US, including the Institute of American Indian Arts , University of New Mexico, University of Montana, and University of Maine. William S. Yellow Robe, Jr. died in Bangor, Maine, on July 19, 2021, at 59.

 
 
 
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We are so grateful to Joey Stocks and the Dramatist Magazine for commissioning this incredible portrait by the great artist Charles Her Many Horses. This work appeared in the Legacy issue of the Dramatist Magazine and was presented alongside a roundtable discussion on Yellow Robe’s work.

 
 
 

Spam Rants was a series of recorded entries Yellow Robe loved creating. He made new entries nearly every day in his later years.

Articles & Research:

 

  • “Art Talk with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr..” Art Talk with William S. Yellow Robe, Jr., https://www.arts.gov/stories/blog/2014/art-talk-william-s-yellow-robe-jr.

  • Murg, Wilhelm. “Playwright William S. Yellowrobe Discusses ‘Thieves.’” Indian Country Today, Indian Country Today, 9 Aug. 2011, https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/playwright-william-s-yellowrobe-discusses-thieves.

  • Yazzi, Riana. “Bill Yellow Robe Spoke Native Truth to White Power.” American Theatre, https://www.americantheatre.org/2021/08/09/bill-yellow-robe-spoke-native-truth-to-white-power/.

  • Morgan-Hubbard, Sage. “Interview with Bill Yellow Robe.” Brown University Library, https://library.brown.edu/htmlfiles/1126055137923702.html.

  • Hurg, Wilhelm. “Playwright William S. Yellowrobe Discusses ‘Thieves.’” Indian Country Today, Indian Country Today, 9 Aug. 2011, https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/playwright-william-s-yellowrobe-discusses-thieves.

  • Pillatzki-Warzeha, Sara. Review of Restless Spirits, by William S. Yellow Robe. Native American and Indigenous Studies, vol. 9 no. 1, 2022, p. 170-171. Project MUSE muse.jhu.edu/article/847056.

  • Fisher, J. "Native American performance and representation." CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, vol. 47, no. 4, Dec. 2009, p. 681. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A266564107/AONE?u=nysl_me_nypl_whb&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=812f83f5. Accessed 1 Mar. 2022.

  • “On the Other Side of the Rainbow,” Lopez, Tiffany Ana. “On the Other side of the Rainbow.” American Theatre, New York Vol. 18, Iss. 2, (Feb 2001): 70-73.

  • Weinert-Kendt, Rob. “The Story Is His Audience.” AMERICAN THEATRE, 25 July 2021, https://www.americantheatre.org/2010/05/13/in-the-trenches-william-yellow-robe/.

  • Preston, Rohan. “William Yellow Robe, the August Wilson of Native American Playwrights, Dies at 61.” Star Tribune, Star Tribune, 28 July 2021, https://www.startribune.com/william-yellow-robe-the-august-wilson-of-native-american-playwrights-dies-at-61/600082480/.

  • Emily Burnham. “Acclaimed Native Playwright and UMaine Lecturer William Yellow Robe Dies at 61 .” Bangor Daily News, 22 July 2021, https://bangordailynews.com/2021/07/21/news/bangor/acclaimed-native-playwright-and-umaine-lecturer-william-yellow-robe-dies-at-61/.

  • “Award-Winning Playwright, Umaine Lecturer Remembered - Umaine News - University of Maine.” UMaine News, 3 Aug. 2021, https://umaine.edu/news/blog/2021/08/03/award-winning-playwright-umaine-lecturer-remembered/.