From 10 Minute Play to 13 Part Podcast: The Journey of Deanna StandingCloud’s ‘Blood Quantum Physics’

Late last year, New Native Theatre hosted several live recording sessions of a soon-to-be-released narrative podcast: “Blood Quantum Physics.” This exciting new project came to fruition when Rhiana Yazzie, New Native Theatre’s Artistic Director, encouraged Playwright Deanna StandingCloud to further explore the storytelling she began with a submission to a 10-minute play festival in 2017.

The project has grown exponentially since then. Last year’s recording at Gremlin Theatre in St. Paul offered an up close and personal introduction to the audio play wherein interested audience members could hear the stories in an early stage. There were six total nights of performances, which will be released in podcast form as a 13-episode audio drama.

I had the chance to catch up with Playwright Deanna StandingCloud, actor Fawn Sampson and one of the two directors (Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro, who directed Part One) to discuss their thoughts on “Blood Quantum Physics.”

“Blood Quantum Physics” started small — as mentioned above, the seed of the story was planted in one 10-minute play. “After the success of the 10-minute play ‘Blood Quantum Physics,’ I wrote another 10-minute play entitled ‘Virtual Medicine Man,’” StandingCloud says. “I realized that there are so many stories to be told from a Native woman’s perspective … [A]fter the momentum of those two plays, I was approached by Rhiana Yazzie to develop more stories and ultimately create an audio production.”

This encouragement was invaluable, though StandingCloud had to take the process slowly. “It took many years. After many personal and professional challenges, I was finally able to complete the full series,” StandingCloud says. “I’m so proud that I followed through and was able to experience the production for myself this winter, thanks to New Native Theatre.”

The stories that make up this podcast reflect several painful, life-altering circumstances in StandingCloud’s own life. “The past five years have been some of the most challenging in my life. After escaping an abusive relationship, I lost my mother to COVID-19, and my brother to a fentanyl overdose, and I became the matriarch of the family after my grandmother recently passed away,” StandingCloud says. “All those experiences were reflected in the stories.”

Perhaps one of the primary examples of that is the following. “In the story ‘The Sound of the Universe,’ Tina’s grandmother is hospitalized, and she invites a jingle dress dancer to visit her grandmother to help her heal,” StandingCloud explains, “The visceral feeling of sitting in a hospital watching the life slip away from some of the most important people in my life is alive and well when I watch that story.”

Every episode in “Blood Quantum Physics” is a standalone story, but they take place in the same world, so the characters overlap. “Blood Quantum Physics [is] about a group of friends navigating life’s ups and downs while discovering the beauty within themselves and their journey,” Chaparro says. “This story resonates deeply with me, as it captures the essence of friendship, resilience and the simple joys of truly living.”

Fawn Sampson plays Tina, a role that has been hers since that original 10-minute play back in 2017. “Tina was more relatable now than in 2017, because I am a mother of two and most of how she interacts with her child, Cedar, is how I would interact with my own children,” Sampson muses. “Tina is dedicated to providing her daughter with experiences of language and culture but also moves through the stories with intention, meaning she always is on that mission to give the best to her daughter.”

Part of Sampson’s sense of connection to her character can be attributed to the directors of the show: the aforementioned Chaparro and Kaili Turner, who directed Part Two. “Our directors were really good about allowing us to get into the space of finding those connections in our lives to relate to our characters,” Sampson says. “There were so many places to draw from because of the relatability of the characters.”

Sampson felt a profound connection to StandingCloud’s storytelling as a whole and Tina in particular because she was able to connect some of her own life experiences to what her character goes through. “Being Tina has allowed me to bring so much of my own essence as an Anishinaabe woman to the stage,” Sampson says. “I was able to draw from my own experiences, utilize my traditional language, utilize the knowledge I have about culture and bring it into such a contemporary space.”

This sense of connection was not limited to the cast or creative team. “Watching the play, I saw people in the audience identifying the characters on stage as reflections of their own lives, perhaps their best friend, their aunty or their grandma,” Chaparro says. “It was heartwarming to see them celebrate and embrace seeing themselves in the stage.”

This sentiment was seconded by StandingCloud. “I was surprised during the talk-back sessions by how moved people were in their own way by some pieces of each story,” StandingCloud says. “My hope for those who hear the stories is to find something that helps them heal from all the hardships we often experience as Native people. I also want to invite everyone to claim humor as one of their most potent medicines to bring joy into their lives.”

The comedic tone of “Blood Quantum Physics” was mentioned by everyone I spoke to. “I love working on comedy, especially about girls!” Chaparro exclaims, “Seeing [StandingCloud’s] creative process and the love she pours into her characters is always a joy to witness.”

There was an overall sense that this podcast is for Indigenous folks first combined with the hope that the story will also appeal to a wider audience.

“I hope they are able to hear our stories as Indigenous peoples but also how we navigate hard things as a community and as individuals,” Sampson says. “I hope audiences find similarities in the characters and that they can humanize our people in ways the media hasn’t but most of all be able to laugh with us.”

For updates on the podcast or just more information on New Native Theatre’s current projects, check out their website, listed below. They can also be found on Facebook or Instagram.

“[The] ‘Blood Quantum Physics’ universe has proved to me that there is much more work to be done,” StandingCloud says. “This series is just the beginning.”

New Native Theatre
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