G’ZAAGIIN: I Promise You a Forest

Planter of roots 

Emily Marie Séguin (she/they) is an emerging performer, musician, theatre creator and visual artist. She is a queer, 2-spirit artist of French and Anishinaabeg descent (Ottawa, Mattawa-Northbay FN) creating work to honor those who walked before her, and to uplift those who will after her.

She primarily works on the unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinabeg Nation, Ottawa (and surrounding areas).

Warmer of Woodwind Instruments 

Performer, actor, author and musician Marie-Hélène Massy Emond lives in La Motte (Abitibi). All of her art, her practice, seems to be in constant dialogue with the vast boreal territory. Winner of the Prix UDA at the 2013 Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée, she has composed albums, including La cendre et le miel (2019). In true symbiosis with her cello, she coaxes an astonishing range of sounds from this piece of wood, often accompanying the music with songs and poetic stories. She also creates performances, and collaborated with a group of artists from a small town in northern Italy on an audio walk that reflects on the solitude of our times.

Artist Without Borders 

As the founding director of the children’s theatre company Voyageurs Immobiles, Polish-born director Milena Buziak delights in inviting people of all backgrounds, cultures and identities to her creative table. In 2020, she was awarded the John Hirsch Prize in recognition of her talent and the uniqueness of her artistic vision.

For young audiences, her directing credits include Estelle Savasta’s Traversée (presented at the NAC in 2017) and Marcel Cremer’s Le cheval de bleu (NAC 2019), both of which featured a mixed cast of deaf and hearing actors. Her latest creation project, Cycle des utopies fertiles, will invite European, African and Indigenous creators to blend their voices in the universal language of art.

Lighter of spaces

Chann Delisle is a graduate of the École européenne supérieure d’art de Bretagne (2016) and the stage design program at the École supérieure de théâtre de l’UQAM (2019). During her studies, Chann enriched her artistic practice by learning several techniques (engraving, silkscreening, silver halide photography, drawing, sculpture, performance, installation, puppetry, lighting, set design...). She became a multi-skilled artist, specializing in all kinds of crafts. Today, her main goal is to build a personal artistic approach, between theatre and visual arts, with the manipulation of materials as a primary consideration in order to create a narrative. Lately, in addition to her practice as a stage and lighting designer, Chann has added another string to her bow: technical director.