Gauthier’s acting career traced back to CMN

Last month, Menominee actor Justin Gauthier came to the College of Menominee Nation S. Verna Fowler Library and esiqtawaw — the Menominee word for visited. I use the word esiqtawaw because Gauthier’s conversational presentation was an example of the fine art that previous generations simply referred to as “visiting.”

A Menominee tribal member, Gauthier began his lecture “As a Working Artist” by discussing how CMN led him to the stage. He noted that the school’s production of “Toronto at Dreamer’s Rock at the casino was my first foothold as an actor.”

Gauthier earned his associate’s degree in liberal studies at CMN, before completing his bachelor’s degree in creative writing at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He then earned a Master’s of Fine Arts from the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he first met the members of the famed group The 1491s. This all-Native group that describes themselves as “indigenous misfits (who) originally came together to make funny videos to put on YouTube,” was commissioned by The Oregon Shakespeare Festival to write a play.

The result is “Between Two Knees,” which claims it “takes audiences on a searing and absurdly funny series of vignettes through American history centered on one family’s account of their experiences from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 to the protests there in 1973.”

Gauthier’s farcical performances of his own work at IAIA convinced the showrunners to fly him in for an audition, which he reported as “going to lunch with them and not being a drag.”

Gauthier learned his life was about to change when he went for coffee with The 1491s’ co-founder, Seminole director and television producer Sterlin Harjo. Harjo is also an IAIA alum as well as the co-creator of FX’s series “Reservation Dogs.” Still, the famed career-maker did not realize he was revealing breaking news when he greeted Gauthier with a celebratory “Hey, you got the part!”

Gauthier was cast as Larry, a narrator’s role he described as, “Basically, Bugs Bunny. I pop out of everywhere on the set and hold the audience’s attention.” Like the famed animated rabbit, Gauthier’s part called for him to cover a gamut of situations while donning numerous personas. “We had more costume changes than the show ‘Hairspray.’ I had 18 in the show.”

Gauthier compared the show to popular films, stating it’s “Mel Brooks’ ‘History of the World’ or ‘Blazing Saddles,’ if it were written by Native people. It’s a madcap comedy with super poignant moments.”

Yet what set the cast and crew apart was that it was almost entirely comprised of Native people, two of which hail from the Menominee community. Gauthier recalled how celebrated actor and cast member Sheila Tousey told him, “I think this might be the first time two Menominee are on a nationally recognized stage together.”

The show underwent four iterations, with residencies at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Yale Repertory Theatre and the Seattle Rep. With nine months of performance and 123 shows, Gauthier explained that there’s optimism that their next stop will be in New York City.

Regardless of future runs, the play has already built a legacy. Gauthier emphasized, “The show itself is an act of decolonization.” He elaborated, “We introduced smudging before each show and they had to provide a space for us.”

The production also collected funds by taking donations for distribution to local groups. Gauthier stated, “Seattle was my favorite so far. We passed a ‘white guilt can’ asking for cash for the Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theatre. Over the three-week run, we raised $20,000.”

Giving back to Native people is one of the missions of the showrunners, which meant they also gave out free tickets to Indigenous people. Gauthier seeks to take it a step closer to home, adding, “My own hope is to do a tribal college tour and bring it here to Keshena.”

When asked to share advice for aspiring Native actors, Gauthier said success takes a mixture of “soft skills and knowing the script.” He added that the audition process is informal. “It’s getting to know people. You have lunch. You talk. Three months later they call with a part. It’s career management by wandering around—the Indigenous version of visiting.”

Maec waewaenen for sharing your stories and advice with CMN, Justin. We’re so grateful you stopped by and esiqtawaw.