Jay B. Muskett

Biography

Jay B. Muskett is a Native American (Navajo) playwright and director from Nakaibitoi,  New Mexico. Muskett is known for works such as Yes is Better than No (short film), Dance, Sheepherder’s Special, Life Within the Cracks, Merriweather Lewis Gave Up Scotch, and 1n2ian. His work has been produced at the University of New Mexico, the Autry in Los Angeles, La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, New Native Theatre in St. Paul Minnesota, and The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Muskett graduated from Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona before earing two bachelors degrees from the University of New Mexico in Media Arts and Theatre. He earned an MFA in Dramatic Writing from the University of New Mexico in 2019. Muskett currently serves as an adjunct professor for the Performing Arts Department at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico and was awarded a MacDowell Fellowship in 2020.

Career Highlight

2020 MacDowell Fellowship

1n2ian (2019)

  • Genre: Drama
  • Breakdown:
    • 3M (1 White, 2 Native American), 5W (Native American)
  • Synopsis:
    • Set in a small town outside a Navajo reservation in the American Southwest against the backdrop of the epidemic of missing Native American Women, 1n2ian centers on Dana, an ambitious Native American man, and Dezba, a guarded, careful  Native American woman,  as they navigate the beginnings of their new relationship while also confronting Dana’s link to Dezba’s estranged father. Dana and Dezba grow closer and learn to trust one another while Dana chases his dream of being a chef specializing in Native American cuisine, eventually buying a food truck. After Dana’s sister goes missing, Dezba and Dana discover that Dezba’s father is responsible for her disappearance as well as the disappearances of countless other Native women. When they confront him and his accomplice all four are killed in the ensuing firefight, with Dana and Dezba passing on into the afterlife, joined together forever.
  • Development/Production History:
    • Premiered at the University of New Mexico on April 11-14, 2019 as part of a festival showcasing MFA student talent.
  • Photos:
Mother/First Woman, Dezba, Dana, and Georgina raise their fists in the play’s final moment
Mother/First Woman, Dezba, and Dana joining each other in the afterlife in the play’s final moments
Dana pitches his culinary vision to Wolfred
Dana visits Georgina and Dezba at their shop

Reflection on Contribution to Anti-Racist Theatre

Muskett is not interested in exploring “what” Native American people are, but rather that he is interested in exploring “who” they are. Muskett’s work is focused upon decolonizing the theater through vivid portrayal of Native American life and culture in a modern American setting. Native life is the center of Muskett’s work and reclaiming the image and culture of Native Americans is the goal of his work. Through his dramatic work, he is able to deal with the beautiful, rich, and painful history of Native Americans and bring both the joyous and the heartbreaking elements of this history into the consciousness of the theater world. In particular, 1n2ian highlights the epidemic of missing Native American women, an issue that is woefully under-reported on and which is still a very real reality that the nation must face, despite being all but ignored by federal authorities. The title itself refers to the statistic that 1 in 2 Native American Women have experienced sexual violence, a rate of violence that is double that of any other race in the United States. Native voices have been silenced, ignored, or spoken over for far too long and it is Muskett’s goal to amplify Native Americans through his work. By bringing Native American actors and stories into the spotlight, Muskett combats countless years of stereotypes, caricatures, and other harmful depictions through raw, emotional depictions of life as a Native American.

Compiled by Justin George, Film, Television, and Theater/Anthropology, Class of 2022