Aboriginal content on agenda

Page 5

Something's been missing from the Fort McMurray theatre scene-Aboriginal content. But no more. For its 25th anniversary season, Keyano Theatre is doing something it's never done before. They'll have a Native play in the line-up.

"With a name like Keyano you'd think it's about time," said Paul Gelineau, the artistic director for Keyano Theatre. Keyano is Cree for yours, mine and ours.

The theatre will present the critically acclaimed Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth by award-winning playwright Drew Hayden Taylor.

Drunks and Children is the second installment in a trilogy about the cultural and spiritual recovery of Grace, a Native woman scooped up by child services and raised in a white, upper-middle class home. Grace is reunited with her sister, Barb, who grew up on reserve.

Drunks and Children is a fictionalized account of a part of Canadian history that is far too familiar in the Aboriginal community, and not nearly known well enough in the non-Native community. The play will run from April 28 to May 7, 2005.

Gelineau said he hopes that the provocative tongue-in-cheek title will create a buzz in the community as it has done historically elsewhere.

"We're working really hard to communicate what the show is about and trying to get people pumped up about it."

Internationally accomplished playwright Floyd Favel, a Poundmaker Cree Nation member (Saskatchewan), will direct the show. You may know Favel Starr as Jasper Friendly Bear from CBC's Dead Dog Cafe. He has worked and studied in Denmark, Italy, Japan and Russia.

"It's a real catch and coup for us to be able to have him come here and actually work on our first Aboriginal play," said Gelineau.

The goal is to have an entirely Aboriginal cast and Gelineau has been busy reaching out to the Aboriginal community to make this happen.

He has set up meetings with various Aboriginal leaders, and on Nov. 7, Gelineau hosted a reading of the script at the local friendship centre where he invited the Aboriginal community to discuss the play.

Gelineau hopes the opportunity to act in front of 600 people per night and to work with Favel Starr will attract many to the auditions in January. Interested actors must call (780) 791-4930 to book a time to audition, a process that will involve reading from the script and some improvisation work.

Gelineau hopes the production of Drunks and Children will spark an interest in the Aboriginal community to start its own theatre company.

"Part of our function as a theatre at Keyano is to feed growth. Our mandate is we're responsible for the artistic development of our community and students."

Gelineau said he is willing to support the Native community in anyway he can, whether it's providing lights and technical expertise, costumes or even money.

"My dream would be, you know, four, five years from now to actually have an Aboriginal theatre company that would be doing one or two shows a year. I'd so be all over that. I'd be supporting it with everything I've got because our community needs variety."