- Native Earth Performing Arts
-
Native Earth Performing Arts Type Theatre Company Founded 1982 Headquarters Toronto Website www.nativeearth.ca Native Earth Performing Arts is a Canadian theatre company located in Toronto. Founded in 1982, it is the oldest professional Aboriginal performing arts company in Canada. They have been central in the development of a community of Native theatre artists, and have contributed to the creation of several plays which have become canonical in Canadian drama, such as Tomson Highway's award-winning The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, Daniel David Moses's Almighty Voice and His Wife and Drew Hayden Taylor's Someday. Native Earth hosts the annual Weesageechak Festival which is a showcase for emerging Native theatre artists.
In 1986 Native Earth was able to secure government funding, which brought stability to the organization. This funding allowed Native Earth the possibility to program a season and open its own office with full-time staff.
In the same year Native Earth presented its first scripted work, Tomson Highway's The Rez Sisters which became a hit and attracted large audiences across Canada. The Play was so successful that it was also invited to the Edinburgh Festival and received the Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award.
In 1989 Native Earth created "Weesageechak Begins to Dance" an annual play festival which developed plays that often turned into full production the following year. One of the plays which was developed through this process was John McLeod's Diary of a Crazy Boy.
In 2011 Tara Beagan took over the Artistic Director position from Yvette Nolan who was in that post since 2002.
Artistic Directors
- Tara Beagan (2011–Present)
- Yvette Nolan (2003–2011)
- Doris Peltier, Glenn Shea, and Marion De Vries (Interim 2002)
- Alanis King (2000–2002)
- Alejandro Ronceria, Sandra Laronde and Daniel David Moses (1998–2000)
- Pamela A. Matthews (Interim 1997-1998)
- Drew Hayden Taylor (1994–1997)
- Floyd Favel (1992–1994)
- Tomson Highway (1986–1992)
- Monique Mojica (1983–1986)
- Dennis Lacroix and Bunny Sicard (1982–1983)
Past Productions
- Native Images In Transition (September – October, 1982)
- Who Am I (April – May, 1983)
- Double Take – A Second Look (November – December, 1983)
- Clown Trickster’s Workshop (September 1984)
- Give Them A Carrot For Long As The Sun Is Green (December 1984 – January 1985)
- Aria (March 3 – 22, 1987)
- New Song….New Dance (February 26 – April 3, 1988)
- Coyote City (May 17 – June 12, 1988)
- The Sage, The Dancer And The Fool (January 30 – February 3, 1989)
- Dry Lips Oughta Move To Kapuskasing (April 21 – May 22, 1989)
- Diary Of A Crazy Boy (February 6 – March 4, 1990)
- The Beavers (April 20 – May 13, 1990)
- Moonlodge (November 6 – December 2, 1990)
- Son of Ayash (February 14 – March 10, 1991)
- Almighty Voice And His Wife (February 11 – March 8, 1992)
- Night of the Trickster (April 14 – May 10, 1992)
- Fireweed (October 13 – November 8, 1992)
- Lady of Silences (April 1 – 25, 1993)
- Generic Warrior And No-Name Indians (January 20 – February 6, 1993)
- Diva Ojibway (April 21 – May 15, 1994)
- Someday (November 17 – December 11, 1994)
- No Totem For My Story (February 16 – March 12, 1995)
- Dinky (February 16 – March 12, 1995)
- Ravens (February 1 – 25, 1996)
- Only Drunks And Children Tell The Truth (April 4 – 28, 1996)
- Waitapu (May 16 – June 1, 1996)
- Sixty Below (April 3 – 20, 1997)
- The Baby Blues (November 11 – 30, 1997)
- Red River(September 22 – October 11, 1998)
- The Trickster of Third Avenue East (January 20 – February 12, 2000)
- Annie Mae’s Movement (Full Production)
- Time Stands Still (Workshop Production) (January 31 – February 3, 2002)
- The Scrubbing Project (November 15 – December 8, 2002)
- Time Stands Still
- The Artshow (February 26 – March 14, 2004)
- The Unnatural and Accidental Women (November 18 – December 5, 2004)
- Tales of an Urban Indian 2003 (June 8 – 12, 2004)
- Tales of an Urban Indian 2006 (March 16 – 19, 2005)
- Dreary and Izzy
- Annie Mae’s Movement (Worskshop Production)
- UQQUAQ The Shelter (January 17–21, 2007)
- Annie Mae’s Movement (June 10-July 14, 2008)
- The Triple Truth
- Death of a Chief (Feb 18-Mar 1 2008 National Arts Centre Studio Theatre) (Mar 6-16 2008 Buddies in Bad Times Theatre)
- The Place Between
- A Very Polite Genocide or The Girl Who Fell to Earth (Dec 6-21 2008)
- Almighty Voice and His Wife (Mar 28-Apr 12 2009)
- Salt Baby (October 8–17, 2009)
- Giiwedin (April 8–24, 2010)
- Tombs of the Vanishing Indian (March 9–22, 2011)
Further information: http://www.nativeearth.ca/ne/about-us/past-productions/.
External links
Categories:- First Nations theatre
- Theatre companies in Ontario
- Organizations established in 1982
- Culture of Toronto
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.