Two One-Acts by American Indians; ‘In Dark Times’ at the Burbage; ‘What It Takes’ at Basehart Theatre; ‘Love Killers’ at the Off Ramp

Los Angeles is the home of more American Indians than any other city. Yet we haven’t seen much American Indian theater. So the Cal State L.A. production of two one-acts by Hanay Geiogamah, a Kiowa/Delaware (of Oklahoma) Indian, is a welcome event.

The first of the plays, “Foghorn,” was seen in Santa Barbara in 1974 and is evocative of that era. It’s named for the noisy horns used by authorities who tried to break up the Indian occupation of Alcatraz in 1969; one scene in the play is set at that event. Also from that period are lampoons of Lady Bird Johnson and of Watergate-style attempts to spy on Indian groups, as well as a final scene loosely set at Wounded Knee during the 1973 confrontation there.

This final scene concludes the play on a somber note, but most of the play is in the style of “The Colored Museum”: a series of comic sketches that skewer racial stereotypes. A few of these are wickedly precise--a scene in which Tonto declares his independence from the Lone Ranger is the best.

But other scenes go on too long (a frontier teacher’s harangue to her young Indian charges) or take cheap shots (does Pocahontas’ account of John Smith’s sexual problems have anything to do with the issues at hand?). At times the play wallows so much in foolish stereotypes that any sense of the reality under the imagery is lost.

The second play, “49,” is even more stylized than “Foghorn.” The title refers to an informal party, generally held in the countryside at night. The group of young Indians who gather for this particular 49 achieve a transcendental unity, inspired by the rhetoric of a shaman known as the Night Walker and by the common threat of a couple of rural cops who want to break up the party. Once again, the imagery is stronger than the text.

That imagery is executed without skimping in Patrick Watkins’ staging of the two plays. He has a huge student cast; an elaborate scenic design (by Jan S. Utstein), featuring a giant teepee and two large totem poles; gorgeous lighting by Georgia Gresham; several racks of Richard D. Smart’s costumes, alternately fanciful and plain, supplemented by a variety of masks and wigs.

The production also features a powerful recorded score and enough creative choreography (by Fiely Matias and Frank Guevara) to almost qualify as a dance concert. Performers are uneven, but these are not solo vehicles, and the ensembles are generally in sync.

At the State Playhouse on the Cal State L.A. campus, tonight and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets: $6; (213) 343-3118.