New play from SNTC another smash success

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Cree mythology and contemporary street life. Homelessness and intricate song and dance numbers. The long-lasting effects of residential schools and thunderous ovations. These pairings certainly seem odd, but they are all part of The Alley, the newest play from the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company (SNTC). The production, which ran in Saskatoon from April 17 to 27 and is now on tour across Canada, not only incorporates all these elements, but it does so in the same captivating, moving way that all SNTC works have come to be known for.

The Alley is the third production put on through the company's Circle of Voices initiative. Each year, this unique and admirable program invites a select group of the province's at-risk youth, most of whom have no prior stage experience, to discover the world of theatre.

Making extensive use of experienced mentors, the participants in the program are immersed in all aspects of theatre, from generating story ideas, to editing and improving draft versions of the play, to designing the sets, costumes and lighting, and finally to performing the finished work for audiences across the country. And most impressively, they do it all in the span of a few short months.

"I think this was probably the most challenging play we've worked on so far out of the three," shared Donna Heimbecker, producer of the play and general manager for the company. "There were so much input, so much to say."

Renowned Metis writer Maria Campbell was the guiding hand behind this year's production. Working closely with apprentice playwright Robert Naytowhow, the writers have crafted in The Alley a sometimes funny, sometimes moving, sometimes disturbing tale of the homeless, and their place in society.

"The play centres around a group of young people who are hanging out in these back alleys for whatever reasons -prostitution, drugs, you name it," explained director Kennetch Charlette. "The play actually moves through two characters. One is Weesakachak, the Cree trickster of mythology, and the other is Notokew, the First Grandmother. They want to help these young people.

"The show has some very serious themes to it: homelessness, cultural identity, the intergenerational effects of residential schools. It's always been that we see homeless people on the street, but we never really take the time to find out why they're there or who they are. The play takes a look at who they are, and why they are in the situation they are in. Even though the play is very serious in some places, there is also so much humor in it, which I believe is all part of the Native way - through the hardest of times, they can still laugh at the situations, and the audience can laugh too. It's quite funny, actually."

"If we can provoke thought and feelings about what's happening with this group of people, who tend to be shunned, then we've accomplished something," added Heimbecker.

It is difficult to critique a work that has such lofty goals, and that has generated such an overwhelmingly positive reaction from its viewers (every performance during the Saskatoon run sold out), but for all its poignancy and passion, The Alley is not without its flaws. The sheer scope of the play-most of its 14 characters are involved in at least one subplot-means that some aspects of the overall story must by necessity be handled in a cursory manner.

The play's vast scope, however, can also be viewed as a strength, for by revealing only snippets from the characters' lives, the playwrights have crafted a rich, untold back story that each viewer can fill in with their own imagination.

No criticism can be levelled toward the overall quality of the production. Everything about The Alley has the feel of a professional, polished play-the set is authentic, the music is perfectly suited to the events of the story, and the actors are uniformly excellent.

"I love it, I love the challenge," raved Brenda Lee Peeteetuce, who plays a runaway whose eyes are opened by th drugs, sex and violence she finds in the alley. "This is a great experience. It builds up my confidence, and I believe more in my culture and my background. I feel so much better about myself."

The cast and crew of The Alley are now on the road, with an extensive touring schedule that will take them to communities and reserves across Canada. Confirmed tour stops include: La Loche, Pinehouse, Beauval, Buffalo Narrows, Green Lake, La Ronge, Montreal Lake, Prince Albert, Muskoday, Big River, Whitefish, Pelican Lake, Witchican Lake, Lloydminster, Onion Lake, Edmonton, Hobemma, Calgary, Kamloops, Vancouver, Maple Creek, Regina, Ochapowace, Fort Qu'Appelle, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.

"I want to thank the Aboriginal Healing Foundation, our core funder for this project. It's through their support that we're able to extend this tour far beyond what we had originally anticipated," noted Heimbecker. "We also want to acknowledge and thank all the professional people who have contributed to the training aspect. It's through this passing on of skills and knowledge that these youth are able to meet their goals and do this exceptional work."