Indigenous theatre
iPhoto caption: Photo by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Takwahiminana explores what healing means when the past never quite lets go
While playwright Matthew MacKenzie’s lyrical storytelling is always a delight, there’s something astringent and detached about Takwahiminana that produces a distancing effect, preventing it from reaching the emotional highs of his other recent work.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Blaire Russell.
The 40-year career of Alanis King began much the same way that so many careers in theatre do: in front of very small audiences. “The show must go on if you have the same amount of audience members as in the cast,” was King’s motto in the early days. But today, the multihyphenate Odawa artist has no difficulty finding people interested in her work.
iPhoto caption: Photo by Rémi Thériault.
In Rosanna Deerchild’s The Secret to Good Tea, laughter is a crucial part of the brew
“If you get two or three Indigenous people in the same room, somebody is going to start making jokes,” says Deerchild. “We have a lot of trauma, but we also have a lot of laughter and joy. In the Indigenous worldview, that balance is really important. When you become imbalanced, then that's when the wounds start.”
iPhoto caption: Theresa Cutknife headshot by Dahlia Katz.
Speaking in Draft: Theresa Cutknife
“Of course, we all have to make money and make different sacrifices just to pay the bills, because this city is so horribly overpriced,” says Cutknife. “But why? Why do we have to suffer to feel like we’ve paid our dues to the industry?”