You the Guy?
by Christopher Mejaki
A young Indigenous man raised by a single mother off
reserve in a small Ontario town lives in poverty, ultimately
turning to drug dealing as a way of survival until he gets
caught and thrown in jail. He is lost. Fortunately, something
is there to guide him through it at all.
Developed at Native Earth’s 2019 Mskomini Giizis Residency and Weesageechak Begins to Dance 32.
Christopher Mejaki is Ojibway/Odawa from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian territory on Manitoulin Island, ON. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada’s Acting program (2018) and the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (2015). His most recent credits include; Private Eyes (Cole Alvis, Indrit Kasapi/LemonTree Creations), Weesageechak Begins to Dance 32 (Ed Roy/Native Earth Performing Arts), Artist in Residency (Native Earth Performing Arts). Chris is a grass dancer, hoop dancer, enjoys playing hockey(Go Leafs Go!), and more recently started to explore playwriting.
Dissection of a…Mixed Heritage Woman
by Nyla Carpentier
Told through family and personal stories, poetry, dance and a bit of song. One woman tries to find out who she is and where her mixed heritage is pulling her. Unravelling and weaving together her experiences to figure out how to fit within society and not set it on
fire.
“Carpentier brings charm and energy to the stage in spades,
leading her audience through this 60-minute exploration of
identity and belonging with a luminous blend of storytelling,
poetry and dance.” – Check the Program, Victoria Fringe
“Personal and universal, this kind of storytelling deserves to
be seen and reflected on.” CVTV, Victoria Fringe
Nyla Carpentier (Tahltan, Kaska, French, Scottish) is a multifaceted performing artist currently residing in North Vancouver. She is a poet, a powwow dancer and workshop facilitator. Theatre acting highlights: Battle of the Birds (Savage Society), The Flats/Les Flats (Prairie Theatre Exchange and Theatre Cercle Moliere), The Berlin Blues and Ipperwash (The Blyth Theatre Festival), Busted Up: A Yukon Story (Openpit Theatre), God’s Lake (Castlereigh Productions) and Nyla performed her new solo Dissection of a…Mixed Heritage Woman (Victoria and Vancouver Fringe Festival). Drawing on her experience as someone of mixed heritage – her goal is to blend the past, present and create new works for the future.
Restor(y)ing Identity
by Jennifer Alicia Murrin
Performed by Jennifer Alicia Murrin, this multidisciplinary/spoken-word piece recounts three stories from a small community in Newfoundland. Based on a true familial tale, the piece tells of Crawford fishing in the deep Atlantic and seeing a sabawealnu (Mi’kmaw word for merperson), Eela, one day while checking his fishing nets. It uncovers the importance of intergenerational knowledge transmission and what could happen if we forget to tell our stories.
Workshopped at the Indigenous Storytellers and Spoken Word residency at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2019.
Jennifer Alicia Murrin is queer, mixed (Mi’kmaw/Settler) storyteller
originally from Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland), now residing in
Toronto, Ontario. She is two-time national poetry slam champion with the Toronto Poetry Slam team (2017 & 2018) and member of Seeds & Stardust: an Indigenous women’s poetry collective. Jennifer Alicia also hosts a weekly writing group called “especially around the dreams.” Jennifer Alicia is currently working on a collection of poetry and stories centered around home (Ktaqmkuk).
< WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 27 >
WEESAGEECHAK BEGINS TO DANCE 33
These three radio plays are supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Australia Council for the Arts.