Donna Couteau

             Sac & Fox

SAG, AEA, AGVA

Donna studied acting informally at the American Indian Community House with Hanay Geiogamah, Maria Antoinette Rogers and Jane Lind of the Native American Theatre Ensemble, and began acting with Hanay Geiogamah's NAIA Company and Spiderwoman Theatre. Donna began to work as an actress Off Off Broadway in Antony and Cleopatra, 49 at La Mama Etc. and Rosalyn Drexler's the Tree Artist at Theatre for the New City where they needed a Native American actress who could sing, dance act and rollerskate! Another favorite role was that of Lady McDuff in McBeth or, "the Scottish Play meets the road warrior" for the London Shakespeare Company.

Donna was lucky with publicity in newspapers and magazines which led to a brief modeling career. She audited a class with Stella Adler and returned to acting. Donna was at Yale Rep Winterfest in the Rez Sisters where her performance of Marie Adele Starblanket earned praise from Lloyd Richards. She starred opposite Randolph Mantooth in Foot prints in Blood at the Old Lady of Brady Theatre in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Donna briefly worked in Los Angeles in television. Some of her television credits include: The Jury; The Cosby Show; Law & Order, and The Guardian. Donna returned to work at Joe Papp's Public Theatre in Inktomi in the role of Matti. She toured Europe as a singer with Broadway Melody 1492. Donna returned to the U.S. where she founded Leaf Arrow Theatre with her husband Joe, and directed Harvest Ceremony - Beyond the Thanksgiving Myth for the Smithsonian in NY which was noticed by the BBC and the New York Times.

The Leaf Arrow Storytellers and Dancers were recently invited as two of fourteen storytellers in the Western Hemisphere for the historic Mall opening of the NMAI Smithsonian in Washington, DC. They have been part of Lincoln Center's Meet the Artist Program for several seasons and worked in many of the major museums in the U.S. Donna and her husband Joe Cross have also produced a short video of their early work at the Heye Foundation called Leaf Arrow Storytellers Live on Broadway and 155th St!. Onward and upward everybody!