Bound by Tara Moses

Weaving through time from the 1850s to modern day, the intersection of sacred, ancestral land and tribal sovereignty as innate rights are explored in BOUND, but do these rights end where the boundary of Mexico begins? Marigold Page is a Tohono O'odham woman working to resist the construction of a wall along the southern border of the United States as it would split her Nation in half. She meets John, a...
Weaving through time from the 1850s to modern day, the intersection of sacred, ancestral land and tribal sovereignty as innate rights are explored in BOUND, but do these rights end where the boundary of Mexico begins? Marigold Page is a Tohono O'odham woman working to resist the construction of a wall along the southern border of the United States as it would split her Nation in half. She meets John, a land surveyor, and as a romance blossoms an oil company representative attempts to build a pipeline through their land following the decision at Standing Rock. Rouge border patrol agents, oil tycoons, and a hesitant tribal council are what Marigold must face in order to assure that her ancestral lands remain intact for future generations. Paralleling this fight are the events surrounding the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, the building of a transcontinental railroad through Indigenous lands, Manifest Destiny, and the redrawing of the Mexican-American border in the name of southern imperialism. Marigold is determined that history does not repeat itself.
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Bound

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Character Information

All roles are intentionally doubled (or in the case of the chorus people sextupled). Also the Native roles can be played by individuals who have a mixed Latinx ancestry, however they all must be Indigenous.

The Native chorus person was written with the pronouns they/them throughout the entire play.

  • Marigold Page/Tall Woman
    late 20s-late 30s,
    Native, native american, Indigenous
    ,
    Female
    MARIGOLD PAGE, a Tohono O’odham woman. She is an activist that is working with her tribe
    to resist building a wall across their Nation. She also plays TALL WOMAN, a Tohono O’odham woman in 1853. This actor also voices the RADIO (sound cue).
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • John Morales-Rio/White River
    30s-40s,
    Native, native american, Indigenous
    ,
    Male
    JOHN MORALES-RIO, a Tohono O’odham-Mexican man. He is a contract land surveyor for
    Arizona, New Mexico, Mexico, and the Tohono O’odham Nation. He also plays WHITE
    RIVER, an Apache man in 1853.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Lee Page/President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
    50s-70s,
    Native, Indigenous, native american
    ,
    Male
    LEE PAGE, a Tohono O’odham tribal councilman. He also plays ANTONIO LÒPEZ DE
    SANTA ANNA, the 8th president of the First Federal Republic of Mexico in 1853.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Adam Kissinger/James Gadsden
    30s-50s,
    White
    ,
    Male
    ADAM KISSINGER, a partner in the North Carolina Oil Company. He also plays JAMES
    GADSDEN, a North Carolina man who secured the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico, a nearly 30,000 square mile section of land that makes up modern day Arizona and New Mexico in 1853. This actor also voices SENATOR (sound cue).
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Native Chorus Person (6 roles in the past and present)
    20s-40s,
    Native, native american, Indigenous
    NATIVE CHORUS PERSON, a Native person of any gender who plays JORDAN
    BEAUMONT the Commissioner of the Tribal Police force, TRIBAL STORE CLERK,
    NEWSCASTER 2, the GUIDE, COUSIN, an EMT
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • White Chorus Man (6 roles in the past and present)
    20s-40s,
    White
    ,
    Male
    WHITE CHORUS MAN, a white man who plays NEWSCASTER 1, JEFFERSON DAVIS the
    Secretary of War under the Pierce Administration, SCRIBE, FRANKLIN PIERCE the 14th President of the United States, BORDER PATROL POLICE OFFICER, an EMT
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Amerinda
    ,
    2019

Awards

Winner
,
Native American New Play Festival
,
Oklahoma Indigenous Theatre Company
,
2019