Street closures around the NAC during National Remembrance Day Ceremony

Indigenous Theatre

Changing the face of Canadian theatre

The first cycle: Indigenous Theatre

Our first cycle engaged deeply with Indigenous Theatre, taking us to Banff and then to Manitoulin Island. We convened Indigenous leaders, artists and students from across the country, and then invited the wider national theatre community to share in our findings at the cycle’s conclusion. The Summit, The Study and The Repast.

Download Power Shift: The Story

Download the Summit Report

Part 1: The Summit

APRIL 2014 | THE BANFF CENTRE

In April 2014 NAC English Theatre gathered together 12 Indigenous artists/leaders from across the country for The Summit at the Banff Centre. This was a three-day conversation about the breadth and scope of Indigenous work created across this vast land. Co-curated by Associate Artistic Director of English Theatre Sarah Garton Stanley and playwright Yvette Nolan, 10 cultural institutions participated in The Summit as “Listeners.”

Learn More

Part 2: The Study

MAY 2015 | MANITOULIN ISLAND 

Between May 5-16, in collaboration with Debajehmujig Storytellers and Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA), theatre creators, students and scholars gather on Manitoulin Island to immerse themselves in The Study. Together participants explore aspects of the Indigenous body of performance work created across this vast land. The Study culminates in The Repast, an extended two-day presentation and conversation event which we believe has the potential to fundamentally change the face of Canadian theatre.

IPAA gratefully acknowledges the support of the British Columbia Arts Council, Province of British Columbia, Canada Council for The Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Cole Foundation and R. Howard Webster Foundation.

Part 3: The Repast

MAY 15-16, 2015 | MANITOULIN ISLAND

Watch the live broadcasts of “The Repast” from Manitoulin Island

“Our goal for The Study is to take inspiration from The Summit conversations. The Study gathers professional actors and performance students as well as other creative artists and academics to steep us in Indigenous dramaturgy.” Summit Co-Curator Sarah Garton Stanley