Tlingit Opera relocating to Juneau middle school

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Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and Perseverance Theatre (PT) are relocating all upcoming performances of “Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles” to Thunder Mountain Middle School (TMMS).

The first ever Tlingit Opera, which is a joint production between SHI and PT, was originally going to be held in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé (JDHS). The relocation to TMMS is due to an electrical failure that rendered the stage lighting system at JDHS inoperable.

All existing tickets and reservations will be automatically reassigned to equivalent seats at the TMMS Auditorium by Friday, August 28. The new ticket assignments will be sent to the email address provided for the original ticket purchase.

Ticket sales are temporarily on hold while the new TMMS seating map is finalized and will resume later this week. Prospective buyers can enter their email address in the ticket portal to receive a notification when tickets go back on sale.   

We thank our patrons for their grace as we work through the ticketing process.

About the Tlingit Opera

“Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles” is based on historical facts and oral traditions as told from the Tlingit perspective, focusing on stories from the Tlingit-Russian War waged in Alaska in 1802 and again in 1804. It was initiated by SHI, created by Vera Starbard (librettist), Edward Littlefield (composer), X’unei Lance Twitchell (translator and language consultant) and Rory Stitt (orchestrator), and is being produced in collaboration with PT with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the First Peoples Fund, the National New Play Network and the Mellon Foundation.

“The idea of creating a Tlingit Opera came to me after listening to recordings of oral accounts in the Sitka National Historic Park collection and reading historical accounts of the Tlingit-Russian war,” Worl said. “One account described the moments before a battle. The Tlingit and Haida were waiting on the beach. As the women beat their drums, the fog lifted, revealing the approaching Russians. I could see them advancing and hear the chaos of war: drumbeats, yelling and metal clashing.” 

The world premiere of the opera is set for Sept. 11, 2026. Performances will run on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons Sept. 11-20. The opera will be performed in the Tlingit language and include a score grounded in Tlingit musical and performing arts traditions and events, some of which were formerly held in natural amphitheaters set in mountain valleys. For more information about the Tlingit Opera, visit sealaskaheritage.org/shi-arts-department/Tlingit-opera.

About Perseverance Theatre and Sealaska Heritage Institute

Perseverance Theatre is Alaska’s largest professional theatre, and a non-profit organization serving over 21,000 artists, students and audiences annually. PT’s mission is to create professional theatre by and for Alaskans, while providing educational opportunities that nurture and serve our communities. PT values and focuses on community engagement, cross-cultural and cross-racial collaboration, professional rigor and regional/national voice. PT is governed by a statewide, nine-member board of community members, professionals and artists. Established in 1979, Perseverance has produced over 70 world premieres, bringing to life new work, including many stories by Alaska Native and other Alaskan playwrights. PT often collaborates with Indigenous peoples from across Alaska, the lower 48 and Canada.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a non-profit tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cross-cultural understanding by educating the general public about the Indigenous cultures of Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee, a Southeast Regional Language Committee and an Education Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, Deputy Director of Publications and Communications, kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com

Caption: Flyer for “Ḵutulagaaw: The Tlingit-Russian Battles.” Note: News outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.