NAC Indigenous Theatre is seeking artists and memory holders to submit to participate in a new storytelling project. This project is based in three cities: Ottawa, Saskatoon, and Vancouver. Each region’s project will be artistically led by NAC Indigenous Theatre (Ottawa), Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (Saskatoon), and Savage Society (Vancouver).
This is a new project conceived and curated by National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre. It is a series of place-based aural offerings, gifted by memory holders and interpreted by artists, which reveal a history, a moment or a feeling connected to the territory. These offerings reveal the land that has always been, now obscured by the city.
The project encourages audiences (listeners) to get out into their community and see the land in ways they hadn’t before, while experiencing an original piece of auditory theatre. All works can be experienced while physically distancing and staying safe.
For hundreds of years Indigenous peoples have seen their lands stolen, settled on, built on and their histories and connections to the land erased. This project seeks to offer one humble avenue for some of those stories to be raised up, and an opportunity to amplify the voices of Indigenous artists.
Calls for artists & memory holders close on Friday, February 26, 2021 at 11:59 pm EST.
Call for artists
To create this edition of the project, we are inviting artists who are past and present residents of Algonquin Anishnaabeg Territory, Treaty 6 Territory, or Territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), sq̓ əc̓ iy̓ aɁɬ təməxw (Katzie), Qayqayt, kwikwəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem ), Kwantlen or sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxw (Tsawwassen) Nations.
Selected Artists will be provided with a Memory gifted from a local Memory Holder and asked to interpret it, creating an audible work of art (such as a story, play, poem, or song).
Artists must identify as First Nations, Metis, or Inuit.
See full details, artist fee information, and criteria in the PDFs for each region.
Call for memory holders
To create this edition of the project, we are seeking past and present residents of Algonquin Anishnaabeg Territory, Treaty 6 Territory, or Territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), sq̓ əc̓ iy̓ aɁɬ təməxw (Katzie), Qayqayt, kwikwəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem ), Kwantlen or sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxw (Tsawwassen) Nations to submit a story, a legend or share a personal memory from a moment in their life that takes place in their region.
Are open to their Memory being interpreted by a participating artist and presented publicly in the respective city and on the NAC website (NAC Indigenous Theatre and partners will uphold a promise of anonymity or confidentiality if requested).
Memory Holders must identify as First Nations, Metis or Inuit.
See full details, memory holder fee information, and criteria in the PDFs for each region.
How to participate
OTTAWA (NAC Indigenous Theatre) / Algonquin Anishnaabeg Territory
Call for Artists | Call for Memory Holders
SASKATOON (Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre) / Treaty 6 territory
Call for Artists | Call for Memory Holders
VANCOUVER (Savage Society) / Territories of the xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), sq̓ əc̓ iy̓ aɁɬ təməxw (Katzie), Qayqayt, kwikwəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem ), Kwantlen or sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxw (Tsawwassen) Nations
Call for Artists | Call for Memory Holders
