Non-traditional play has wonderful moments

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/06/2018 (2684 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It is still a rarity to see Indigenous theatre on Winnipeg stages, despite this city having the largest Indigenous population of any Canadian municipality.

Luckily for us, Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way, directed by Renae Morriseau (Cree/Saulteau), is filled with wonderful moments of witnessing, sharing and gathering that highlight the cultural and theatrical best of what Indigenous artists and individuals have to offer.

Is it a play? Some may say, “No way!” but I firmly say, “Way.” Maybe not exactly in the way we’ve come to expect, but form and colonial traditions aside, what is theatre if not witnessing, sharing and gathering?

Narratively, the play follows the journey of Old One, played by Jonathan Fisher (Pottawattami) as he struggles to reconcile the trauma of his past with the challenges of the present, while he generates hope for the future by making amends with his daughter, played by Tai Amy Grauman (Métis/Cree/Haudenosaunee) — and with himself.

Old One is guided along the way by his Ancestors and Helpers, and poked and prodded by the Trickster, played by Sam Bob (Tulkweemult), who also engaged in improvised dialogue with a local youth, Shanley Spence (Nihithaw/Anishinaabe), at Wednesday’s performance.

The interaction is different during every show, but it focuses on cultural involvement and practices.

Fisher, Grauman and Bob are the emotional and intellectual anchors of the show, but the entire ensemble, including local performer Tracey Nepinak, shines as a community of storytellers.

The play was developed over a period of 15 years in a collaborative process drawing from lived experience. It honours traditional protocols — beginning with weaving demonstrations, blessings from elders from the community and the sharing of words from the youth of the land — before diving in to the murky waters of the impact of residential schools, the effects of intergenerational trauma and the decline of traditional ways of life that have harmed the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.

With an artistic team featuring what is essentially the best of the best of Indigenous theatre artists and knowledge-keepers, Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way is a heartbreaking, hilarious and profoundly moving play about grief and hope, and a turning point for Canadian theatre on its path to reconciliation and decolonization.

It offers a much-needed opportunity for Indigenous folks to listen to the teachings of their ancestors as spoken through the artists, elders and youth on stage, and an awesome opportunity for settlers to learn and deepen their own understanding of the experience of Indigenous peoples by sharing in our cultural practices and ceremonies.

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Because the play deals with sensitive subject matter, it respectfully provides traditional medicine and spiritual and emotional supports.

Frances Koncan is an Anishinaabe writer and director from Couchiching First Nation, Treaty 3 and a graduate of CUNY Brooklyn College’s MFA Playwriting Program. She currently lives in Winnipeg, in Treaty 1 territory, with her epileptic dog, Tucker. Her latest play, Women of the Fur Trade, won 1st and 2nd prize in the Toronto and Winnipeg Fringe best new play contests respectively, and will be heading to Winnipeg this fall. You can find her on nearly any social media platform as @franceskoncan.