When the Salmon Spoke
Ryan Conarro co-wrote, -directed, and -facilitated a community testimonial project in Juneau in 2018, with Frank Henry Kaash Katasse (Tlingit). Part of Ping Chong + Company’s Undesirable Elements series, Aan Yátx’u Sáani: Noble People of the Land features five Alaska Native Juneau community members sharing stories and histories of Juneau’s oldest indigenous neighborhoods–particularly the downtown Old Indian Village, often referred to as “the Willoughby District.”
When the Salmon Spoke
As Creative Producer at Ping Chong + Company, Ryan served as creative director and producer, as well as video and sound editor, for this documentary theater event turned digital production during the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Part of Ping Chong + Company’s Undesirable Elements series of interview-based works, When the Salmon Spoke features ten Alaska Native and First Nations community members from the Stikine River watershed, sharing stories as advocates for responsible resource extraction and for conservation of wild salmon fisheries.
To experience the 90-minute production, click here.
Partner organizations for this project are Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (Wrangell, AK); SkeenaWild Conservation Trust (Terrace, BC); and Salmon Beyond Borders (Juneau, AK).
Alongside the production, Ryan co-led the development of a community stories website with Sarah Campen.