Class Notes: Skylene Gladue (Bear Grease)

Summary

BroadwayRadio Episode Summary

Title: Class Notes: Skylene Gladue (Bear Grease)
Host: Lauren Klasschenider
Release Date: July 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of BroadwayRadio's Flash Notes, host Lauren Klasschenider engages in an enlightening conversation with Skylene Gloudow, a multifaceted talent serving as both a costume designer and performer for the acclaimed all-Indigenous musical, Bear Grease at the St. Luke's Theatre. The discussion delves deep into Skylene's personal journey, her cultural heritage, the creation and evolution of Bear Grease, and the show's impactful tour across Turtle Island.

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Skylene's Identity and Heritage

The conversation begins with Lauren exploring Skylene's dual names listed in the playbill. Skylene introduces her birth name and her Cree name, reflecting her profound cultural roots.

• Skylene Gloudow [00:45]:
  "My name that I was given at birth is Skylene Gloudow and the name that I go by now is Nipiaskwayu, and that's actually my Cree name. So I earned that name in a sweat lodge ceremony when I was just entering my sobriety when I went to treatment about 12 years ago. That name actually means water woman. And I was told I will spend the rest of my life learning the meaning behind that. And it's so true. It's so true."

Skylene proudly represents the Beaver First Nation from Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. She highlights the unique characteristics of her community and its significance within the cast of Bear Grease.

• Skylene Gloudow [01:32]:
  "I am a proud member of the Beaver First Nation tribe that is up in Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. So I'm actually the most northern person in the cast. We're all Woodland Cree, and the rest stretch all across the board all the way down into New Mexico."

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Collaboration and Creative Team

Lauren inquires about Skylene's previous collaborations, to which Skylene shares her past experiences working with Crystal Lightning and their mutual connections within the industry.

• Skylene Gloudow [02:49]:
  "I've actually been in a few of Crystal Lightning's music videos and that's where I met Tammy, who plays Rezo. We were both in a music video. So that's the extent of my work prior to this."

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The Visionaries Behind Bear Grease: Lightning Cloud

Lauren shifts the focus to the creators of Bear Grease, known collectively as Lightning Cloud. Skylene provides an insightful portrayal of Crystal Lightning and Henry Andrade, emphasizing their pivotal roles as mentors and visionaries.

• Skylene Gloudow [03:21]:
  "Crystal Lightning and Henry Andrade are a power couple sent from the heavens. They are the creators of Bear Grease, and they're our mentors, our coaches. They do absolutely everything from the backgrounds to the choreography to the writing, to actually teaching us how to act."

Skylene underscores the transformative impact of Lightning Cloud's mentorship, which propelled Bear Grease from a one-weekend project to a celebrated Off-Broadway sensation alongside giants like Hamilton.

• Skylene Gloudow [04:49]:
  "Four years ago, they believed in us to be in this show, and it was just supposed to be for one weekend. And the tagline is, could you imagine natives on Broadway? Fast forward to four years later, and here we are off Broadway right beside Hamilton."

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Journey and Evolution of Bear Grease

The dialogue progresses to Skylene's personal journey with Bear Grease, highlighting her transition from a social media content creator and fashion designer to a central figure in the musical's creative and performative aspects.

• Skylene Gloudow [05:05]:
  "Prior to Bear Grease, I was a social media content creator, a fashion designer. I have Nipiaskway designs where I created a line called Nihioi, which means speak Cree."

She elaborates on her character Jan, mirroring her own vibrant personality, and details her gradual evolution into a costume designer and a solo performer within the show.

• Skylene Gloudow [06:20]:
  "I started designing my own costumes right from the get-go. As soon as I knew I wanted to be in here, I started sewing ribbons right on my poodle skirts. It just started kicking off, and everybody else started asking me to add ribbons or this to their leather coats."

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Inception of the Musical's Concept

Lauren inquires about the origin of Greece as the central theme in Bear Grease. Skylene recounts the spontaneous yet profound inspiration that led to reimagining a classic musical through an Indigenous lens.

• Skylene Gloudow [07:16]:
  "Lightning Cloud were just chilling at home one day and Greece came on TV. They thought, could you imagine if this was native? They started messing around with the lyrics, singing 'Summer Snag,' and had a blast. Right there was the seed that was planted."

This creative spark was initially intended for youth engagement, evolving swiftly into a full-fledged musical that resonated powerfully with diverse audiences.

• Skylene Gloudow [09:29]:
  "We started a tour and we've been touring ever since, all across Turtle Island. We've gone to Vegas, performed on a yacht in Vancouver, L.A., Florida, and remote reserves in Canada."

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Touring and Audience Engagement

Skylene discusses the adaptive nature of Bear Grease during their extensive tour, emphasizing the show's commitment to honoring local tribes and integrating regional elements into each performance.

• Skylene Gloudow [09:42]:
  "We like to pay homage to the tribes that we're visiting. The show always switches up our location, switches up last names depending on where we are. We incorporate them and acknowledge the land that we're on."

This thoughtful approach has fostered a deep connection with audiences, evidenced by heartfelt feedback and the swift sell-out of performances.

• Skylene Gloudow [10:15]:
  "I will always remember a Kookum coming up to us and saying, 'Thank you so much. I waited my whole life to see myself up on that stage.' It was such a special moment."

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Cultural Impact and Representation

The episode underscores the profound cultural significance of Bear Grease, serving as a beacon of representation and resilience for Indigenous communities. Skylene reflects on the historical challenges faced by her people and the empowering platform the musical provides.

• Skylene Gloudow [11:00]:
  "We do this in honor of our elders. Our elders didn't have the luxury of running around on the streets like Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. We were in residential schools. To create this multiverse and be that representation for our elders, for our youth, for our people is truly a gift that I'm forever grateful for."

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Conclusion

Lauren expresses her gratitude for Skylene’s insights and contributions, encapsulating the episode's essence of cultural pride, artistic innovation, and the enduring impact of Bear Grease.

• Lauren Klasschenider [11:34]:
  "I'm grateful to have been able to see it, hear your story, and have this time with you. So thank you."

The conversation concludes on a note of mutual appreciation, highlighting the transformative journey of Skylene and the Bear Grease ensemble.

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Key Takeaways

• Cultural Revitalization: Bear Grease serves as a cultural renaissance, blending traditional Indigenous elements with contemporary artistic expressions.
• Mentorship and Belief: The unwavering support and mentorship from Lightning Cloud were instrumental in the show's unexpected success and growth.
• Representation and Impact: The musical provides vital representation for Indigenous communities, honoring elders and inspiring future generations.
• Adaptive Creativity: Bear Grease's ability to tailor performances to local tribes fosters deep audience connections and widespread acclaim.

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Notable Quotes

• Skylene Gloudow [00:45]:
  "That name actually means water woman. And I was told I will spend the rest of my life learning the meaning behind that."

• Skylene Gloudow [03:21]:
  "Crystal Lightning and Henry Andrade are a power couple sent from the heavens."

• Skylene Gloudow [07:16]:
  "Right there was the seed that was planted."

• Skylene Gloudow [10:15]:
  "'Thank you so much. I waited my whole life to see myself up on that stage.'"

• Skylene Gloudow [11:00]:
  "To create this multiverse and be that representation for our elders, for our youth, for our people is truly a gift that I'm forever grateful for."

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This episode of BroadwayRadio offers a compelling glimpse into the heart and soul of Bear Grease, showcasing the harmonious blend of tradition, innovation, and cultural pride that defines this groundbreaking musical.

Transcript

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Hi, I'm Lauren Klasschenider with Flash Notes for Broadway Radio. I'm here with Skylene Gloudow, costume designer and performer in Bear grease at the St. Luke's Theatre. Hello, hello, hello. Welcome to this time that we get to talk about you and your show, which is an all indigenous musical that reimagines the iconic musical of Greece, the through a contemporary native lens, fusing powwow step, hip hop and native humor with vibrant dance and traditional languages. So first off, tell us about your name. You have two names listed in the playbill.

[Skylene Gloudow]

Yes. So my name that I was given at birth is Skylene Gladiou and the name that I go by now is Nipiaskwayu, and that's actually my Cree name, so. So I earned that name in a sweat lodge ceremony when I was just entering my sobriety when I went to treatment about 12 years ago. So that name actually means water woman. And I was told I will spend the rest of my life learning the meaning behind that. And it's so true. It's so true.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Oh, how powerful. Your bio also states Beaver First Nation. Will you tell us about that in addition to the other tribes that other cast members list in their bios?

[Skylene Gloudow]

Yes. So I am a proud member of the Beaver First Nation tribe that is up in Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. So I'm actually the most northern. The most northern person in the cast. And so I'm one of the last towns before you actually meet the Territories up in Alberta. And so, yeah, so I'm Beaver and Cree and I just come from a small little Beaver Cree community in Northern Alberta. It's like on the muskeg. So I always tell people, you know, I'm from the swamp and I just, I love it there. It's unlike anywhere else I've ever been. It's just a small community, but we're very community based, very much there for each other. And yeah, it's just a truly amazing place. And everybody else is from all across Turtle island. We actually have three of us that are from Treaty 8 territory. So we're all Woodland Cree, and the rest stretch all across the board all the way down into New Mexico.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Incredible. Now, have you worked with any of the other company members in the past?

[Skylene Gloudow]

So I've actually been in a few of Crystal Lightning's music videos and that's where I met Tammy, who plays Rezo. We were both in a music video. So that's the extent of my work prior to this. And then other than that, we all just kind of Met through the production.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Right. Well, you've mentioned Lightning Cloud. Bear Grease is written and created by two people billed as Lightning Cloud. Tell us about them, please.

[Skylene Gloudow]

Oh, my gosh. So that's Crystal Lightning and Henry Andrade, and they are a power couple sent from the heavens. So they are the creators of Bear Grease, and they're our mentors, our coaches. They do absolutely everything from the backgrounds to the choreography to the writing, to actually teaching us how to act. You know, a good chunk of us in the cast that have never acted before or have never done theater before. So Crystal Lightning has just been training us, and same with Cloud of how to really thrive in this industry. And up on that stage, and they saw something in each of us, and they handpicked each of us. And it's really cool because just having that gift of somebody believing in you just has an enormous ripple effect that can just create magic. And, you know, four years ago, they believed in us to be in this show, and it was just supposed to be for one weekend. And that was the dream. That was. The tagline is, could you imagine natives on Broadway? Fast forward to four years later, and here we are off Broadway right beside Hamilton. So it's just phenomenal what that gift of believing in something somebody and mentorship can do.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Absolutely. So in the past four years as beargris was coming about, how did you become associated with it, and how did your role evolve, including that of costume designer?

[Skylene Gloudow]

So prior to BearGris, I was a social media content creator, a fashion designer. I have nippy skew designs where I created a line called nihioi, which means speak Cree Cree. And it's my contribution to revitalizing our languages. And so I had a big social media presence. And my character, Jan, she's very, like, young at heart, very bubbly, very positive and uplifting and much like myself. So when Crystal and Cloud were casting Jan, they just automatically thought of me and my presence on social media. And so they asked me to be a part of this project. And I thought, like, wow, absolutely. Like, acting has been a dream of mine since I was such a little girl. And so as soon as they asked me, it didn't even cross my mind to say no immediately. I was like, absolutely, yes. So I'm actually one of the original cast members. So I've been with it since the very beginning, and it's just been so, so cool because, like. Like I said, I've never really done much acting before this. I had a couple extra work, reality tv, but nothing really structured like this. And nothing in theater. And so seeing my role evolve has just been really remarkable. I started from just like a small role to now I have a solo and I start off the whole second act. And yeah, I did. I started just designing my own costumes right from the get go. As soon as I knew I wanted to be in here, I started sewing ribbons right on my poodle skirts. And it just started kicking off and everybody else started asking me to add ribbons or this to their leather coats and I did the Tugboats jackets and. Yeah. So little by little, it's just evolved over time and it's just been a really remarkable journey.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

It sure sounds that way. Do you know how Greece became the anchor for the story that Lightning Cloud wanted to tell?

[Skylene Gloudow]

Yes. So actually Lightning Cloud were just like chilling at home one day and they were. And Greece came on the tv and immediately they thought like, oh, my gosh, could you imagine if this was native? And they just started messing around with the lyrics and they just started singing Summer Snag and had me a blast. And they started laughing. And, you know, right there was the seed that was planted. Because after that, Cloud was working in a school with actually Tammy Rae, who plays Rezo, and they were. They worked a lot with the students. And so they created Bear Grease for the students. It actually started off for the youth and it was a musical. And so when the Fringe, the Edmonton Fringe Festival, contacted Lightning Cloud about performing for the Fringe, they said, hey, like, yeah, we could do our Lightning Cloud act, but what about this musical that we created? And they pitched Bear Grease and the Fringe Festival was just through the moon about it. They said, absolutely, let's do it. So they casted it. And like a month later we were performing and it was literally supposed to just be for one weekend only. And here we are. Like, everybody loved it. It was the fastest. We still are the fastest selling act in the Fringe Festival. We sold out within 15 minutes. So they knew we were onto something super special. And right away we started a tour. And we've been touring ever since, all across Turtle island. And we've gone to, like, everywhere to, like Vegas, to performing on a yacht in Vancouver, you know, L.A. we did Pachanga. We went to Florida. We've been to all these, like, remote reserves. And Canada, like, what was it? Pakani, which was a fly in community only. And so it's been really, really cool to see the world like this.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

I can't even imagine. Are the audiences different from location to location? Does your show change? Talk about exploring the country this way.

[Skylene Gloudow]

Well, we like to pay homage to the tribes that we're visiting. So the show always, like, switches up our location, switches up last names depending on where we are. So we get to incorporate them and acknowledge the land that we're on and instantly make them a part of the show as well, which is always so well received because, like, you know, we'll have Danny Morin if we're in Treaty six, or Danny Yazzie if we're down in. Down in, like, Albuquerque. So it's been really cool, and the audiences have been really accepting. You know, not everybody gets every joke, but they always get something in it. And they're always just so receptive and giving, like, the best feedback, you know, I will always remember a Kookum coming up to us is. Which is what we call grandma in Cree. And she just came up to each of us after the show and shook our hands, and she just stopped at me and just said, so, thank you so much. I waited my whole life to see myself up on that stage, and it was just such a special moment because, you know, that's why this is what it is, is we do this in honor of our elders. Like, our elders didn't have the luxury of running around on the streets like Olivia Newton John and John Travolta. We were in residential schools. We in the 60s, Scoop, and, you know, living a much more grim reality. So to. To be able to do this and create this multiverse and. And be that representation for our elders, for our youth, for our people is truly a gift that I'm forever grateful for.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

Well, and I'm grateful to have been able to see it, hear your story, and have this time with you. So thank you.

[Skylene Gloudow]

Thank you so much.

[Lauren Klasschenider]

I'm Lauren Klass Schneider. We're talking about Bear Grease performing at the St. Luke's Theater. Thank you.

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