Dell 'Arte International

»	The Dentalium Project

Project Description
The Dentalium Project is exploring the economic impact and cultural and political conflict surrounding the construction of a Native American casino in the small rural community of Blue Lake, California. Dell 'Arte connected with leaders of the Blue Lake Rancheria nation and the Cascadia Forum, a community building organization, to engage local residents in dialogue that explored the traditional practice of Native American gambling as well as the community's responses to living with a casino in its midst. In a video documentary produced in collaboration with KEET public television, the project tracks six community members with different points of view about the casino over the course of a year. The video process and civic dialogues fueled the creation of a new play by Dell 'Arte called Wild Card; Wild Card shows Blue Lake ten years in the future, following a full decade of changes sparked by the opening of the new casino, featuring a local boy who has made the big time returning to host a physical radio show unlike any heard before. Through The Dentalium Project, the company builds upon its commitment to creating work for, about, and with its own community, seeking to transform unchanneled and heated debate to more humane dialogue about a pressing and divisive issue. Two people decided to run for City Council because of the play and the issue is currently shaping the community dialogue around the upcoming city council elections and the community planning meetings that were recently held.