THEATRE PREVIEW

MARCH 2024 | Volume 237

 

The York Theatre will reverberate with Métis fiddle and dancing for an epic historical love story this spring!

The Cultch, Savage Society and NAC Indigenous Theatre are pleased to announce a brand new production of Tai Amy Grauman’s You used to call me Marie…, running April 18–28, 2024, at The Cultch’s York Theatre, on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

Experience the love stories of Alberta’s Métis Callihoo women. You used to call me Marie… follows Iskwewo, Napew, and Mistatim in eight intertwined stories of love and resilience as the Métis nation emerges across the plains. Through stories of the fur trade, governance, and organizing in the 1930s and into the present day, the story of Marie Callihoo unfurls through generations and time.

Playwright Tai Amy Grauman, who was inspired by the stories of the Callihoo women in her family, is Métis, Cree and Haudenosaunee from Ardrossan, Alberta. She has been working as a theatre artist across the country for many years and has accumulated many accolades including the 2018 Jessie Richardson Award for Most Promising Newcomer, the Vancouver Mayor’s Emerging Theatre Artist award and most recently, the Métis Nation of Alberta’s award for Outstanding Youth of 2020. Grauman has a long-lasting relationship working with Savage Society, a renowned Vancouver Theatre company that tells stories through contemporary Indigenous perspectives. 

“Because it's a historical epic and it starts in creation and ends in the present, we cover the history of Métis music,” says Grauman. “From old-time French fiddle to contemporary country. And along with all that music, there's a lot of dance!”

“It articulated my family story and the story of so many of our families. It was perfect.”
—Christi Belcourt, Métis Visual Artist

“Audiences will be captivated by this epic story of the Métis Nation as seen through the eyes (and souls) of two star-crossed lovebirds.”
—Colette Poitras, Manager, Indigenous Public Library Outreach, Edmonton, Alberta

PLAYWRIGHT: Tai Amy Grauman
DIRECTOR: Lois Anderson
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Michelle Olson

CAST:
ISKWEWO: Tai Amy Grauman
NAPEW: Aren Okemaysim

MUSIC & DANCE ENSEMBLE
Cole Alvis
Rebecca Sadowski
Kathleen Nisbet (Fiddler, Band Captain)
Krystle Pederson (Keyboard, Guitar, Vocal Captain)

SET DESIGNER: Cecilia Vadala
COSTUME DESIGNERS: Alaia Hamer & Evan Ducharme
PROJECTION DESIGNER: Candelario Andrade
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Jeff Harrison
MUSIC & COMPOSITION: Andrea Menard, Kathleen Nisbet, Krystle Pederson
SOUND DESIGNER: Aaron Macri
CHOREOGRAPHY (Métis Jigging): Yvonne Chartrand
PROPS MANAGER: Stephanie Elgersma
STAGE MANAGER: Erika Morey
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Geoff Jones
APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER: Castor Angus
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Matt Oviatt 

WHEN: APRIL 18-28, 2024
Thursday, April 18,7:30 PM—Preview with Community Pricing
Friday, April 19, 7:30 PM—Opening
Saturday, April 20, 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 21, 2:00 PM—Talkback
Tuesday, April 23, 7:30 PM—Talkback with Anniversary Pricing
Wednesday, April 24, 7:30 PM
Thursday, April 25, 7:30 PM
Friday, April 26, 7:30 PM
Saturday, April 27, 2:00 PM
Saturday, April 27, 7:30 PM
Sunday, April 28, 2:00 PM

WHERE: York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C.

TICKETS: Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/you-used-to-call-me-marie

Complimentary tickets are available for Indigenous patrons thanks to the support of the Ronald S. Roadbug Foundation.

ABOUT SAVAGE SOCIETY:
Telling our own stories sourcing traditional and contemporary Indigenous perspectives, Savage Society was created in 2004 for members to produce their own stories as practising Indigenous theatre and film artists. Artistic Director Kevin Loring is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia.

We develop work that reflects our worldview, sourcing traditional stories and cosmologies and our contemporary realities as Indigenous people for both professional and community settings.

 Savage Society operates on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólhTéméxw (Stó:lō), sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬtəməxʷ (Katzie), Qayqayt, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem ), Kwantlen and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬtəməxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations.

ABOUT NAC INDIGENOUS THEATRE:
Our stories are medicine: The Indigenous Theatre Department at the National Arts Centre (NAC) nurtures, develops, and showcases Indigenous stories on our stages and in communities all over Canada. Our mission is to honour our storytellers, thereby aiding in the retention, resurgence, and resilience of the diverse Indigenous cultures of this land.

ABOUT THE CULTCH:

Since 1973, The Cultch (formally the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) has been one of Vancouver’s most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hubs. The organisation operates three theatrical venues, a gallery, various ancillary spaces in the heart of East Vancouver, as well as digital programming through The Cultch Online that reaches international audiences. The Cultch offers dynamic contemporary programming in theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts, bringing world-class cultural presentations to thousands of citizens each year through its own programming and through providing rental opportunities for community users. Our purpose is to provide a venue for performance that serves a diverse and engaged public and provides space for artistic experimentation and development, building an audience for local companies and presenting cutting-edge national and international work.

The Cultch is located on the unceded Indigenous land of the xwməϴkwəýəm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil‑Waututh) Nations.

 

 

 

 

 

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