LOS ANGELES – Native Voices at the Autry kicked off its 10th Anniversary Season with the world premiere of “Carbon Black,” a suspenseful psychological drama by Terry Gomez, Comanche. Native Voices, established in 1999, is a Native Theater Company housed at the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles. It is the country’s only Equity theater company dedicated to producing new works by Native American playwrights.

In November, Native Voices launched the 2009 – 2010 Play Series with “Carbon Black,” directed by Native Voices Founder/Producing Artistic Director Randy Reinholz, Choctaw. The play tells the story of a mother-son relationship held hostage by agoraphobia and media-inspired fear. The play ran through Nov. 22.

Gomez is a playwright, writer, director, actor, educator and painter, and member of the Advisory Committee for the Native Theater Festival at The Public Theater in New York City, where her play “Inter-Tribal” was produced. She has been a director for the Two Worlds Native Theater Festival and the Cool Side of Hell Theater Troupe at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, N.M.

“I wanted to write a play about the ongoing problem of women and children being attacked around the world,” Gomez said. “I wanted to address it and I wanted to say that it needs to stop.”

The cast of “Carbon Black” included award-winning actress Tonantzín Carmelo, Tongva, Kumeyaay; Sheila Tousey, Menominee, Stockbridge Munsee; Stephan Wolfert and Michael Drummond.

In March, Native Voices will present “Tales of an Urban Indian,” a one-man show by Canadian playwright-actor Darrell Dennis, Shuswap. The play, directed by Herbie Barnes, Ojibway, tells the tale of the often hilarious situations and challenges faced by the urban Indian. The show, which is being presented in association with The Public Theater in New York, runs March 13 – 28.

Native Voices at the Autry is led by Reinholz and Founder/Producing Executive Director Jean Bruce Scott. Native Voices has maintained successful long-term relationships with New York’s The Public Theater, Native American Public Telecommunications, Washington’s Kennedy Center and La Jolla Playhouse near San Diego.

“This is our 10th anniversary,” Reinholz said. “We have developed about 70 scripts and produced a dozen shows here at the Autry. Native Voices produces plays about the Native experience told by Native writers for both Native and non-Native audiences.”

Throughout the year, Native Voices also hosts several developmental projects in addition to its main-stage productions. The “First Look Series” provides opportunities for Los Angeles audiences to see readings of Native American plays directed by professional directors and featuring Native actors.

Native Voices’ “Playwrights Retreat and Festival of New Plays” provides the opportunity during a week-long retreat for beginning, emerging and established Native playwrights to develop new works with professional directors, dramaturgs, designers and actors at San Diego State University, the La Jolla Playhouse and the Autry National Center. Many plays developed during the Playwright Retreat, including “Carbon Black,” have gone on to enjoy successful runs on the Autry main stage, and elsewhere.

“It was about 10 years ago that I started submitting my work to Native Voices,” Gomez said. “‘Carbon Black’ was accepted into the Playwrights’ Retreat and we started to develop the script. I trusted the people I was working with and the changes really made the play better.”

“Terry Gomez was very tenacious about developing ‘Carbon Black,’” Reinholz said. “It was fascinating to see the play come together and we had two stunning Native actresses (Carmelo and Tousey) to build the show on.”

Carmelo was involved in Native Voices’ first production “Jump Kiss,” and returned to work in “Carbon Black.” “What Native Voices does is very unique,” she said. “They develop Native plays and playwrights as well as create professional opportunities for Native actors.”

Native Voices also sponsors the Young Native Voices Theater Education Project, which is designed specifically to train the next generation of theater artists and provide opportunities for young writers to explore their culture through theater. The project pairs Native youth with professional mentors for intensive playwriting and theater workshops, culminating in a public reading of their plays. The project has produced dozens of new plays written by Native youth.

“Natives are not very visible in theater, film or television,” Gomez said. “The stories that are told are often not told from our point of view. I realized early on that we have to write our own stories. We have a lot to share with the world. Our stories need to be told and it needs to come from us. We need to represent ourselves”