“Unsettled” returns for final season

LEAVENWORTH—Dangerous Women will present its third and final season of “Unsettled” on May 18 and 19 at the Snowy Owl Theater. 

“This is the year to see Unsettled,” said Creative Director and Producer Rhona Baron. “There's so many great scenes in the show. I love every one at this point.”

The theater production connects the past to the present, exploring the settling of central Washington through the history of pioneer and Indigenous women. The story weaves through multiple cultural perspectives, featuring the first African-American woman to reside in Leavenworth, a female Indigenous drummer group, a Spokane entertainer in the Klondike Gold Rush, and Latina dancers.

“It's a theatrical experience that has the potential to transform the audience's perceptions of local history, and perhaps their own feelings and attitudes about their own personal journeys,” said Baron. 

Veteran performers such as Mary Big Bull Lewis, Becky Fishburn, Holly Blue, Sally Singer, Hannah Rice and Mandi Wickline will return for the 2024 performance, as well as the Golden Eaglettes. Audience members will also see about 15 new cast members and dancers.

“Unsettled” is the fourth original production of Dangerous Women, a female artist collective founded by Susan Butruille and Mandi Wickline. The debut production, “In Celebration of Dangerous Women,” took place in 2016. Two more productions followed, exploring themes such as mysticism and women’s suffrage. While all four center around women’s history, “Unsettled” is the first production to take a local focus. 

“As the cast grew and became more diverse, it made sense because we had so many people, that we could begin to do more difficult research to uncover stories in our regions. And, the Indigenous people are completely tied to this local landscape, so there's really no way to tell their story, which of course was very important, without it being anchored right here where we live,” said Baron.

Although this will be its final performance, Baron says the group plans to professionally film the show, and repurpose some scenes for educational purposes in local schools. The filming will be partially funded by the Woods Family Music and Art grant through the Community Foundation of North Central Washington.

Dangerous Women will take next year to plan for a new show in 2026. Baron says she has a few different ideas for it, but envisions the next production will be “bold and shocking.”

“Dangerous Women’s mission is to continue creating, and we have never done a show for more than one year. But, I realized that when we did “Unsettled," it was so local and so fantastic, it didn't make sense to just do it for one year. Three years is a good run for a show like this,” said Baron.

“Unsettled” can be seen on May 18 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and May 19 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at icicle.org. According to Baron, tickets will likely be available at the door on Saturday, but purchasing tickets prior to the event is strongly encouraged.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media