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Currently, I am in the beginning of rehearsals with the new play BENT BOY at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT) in Toronto. The students at CIT have been very keen and enthusiastic in the rehearsal room. I get such enjoyment from working and watching our younger First Nation storytellers go through the process of creating live theatre onstage. This whole experience has been consistantly reminding me of the fact that I too was once where they are as students many moons ago. During this first week of rehearsals we have been roughly tracking and blocking our way through the entire play. It can be a tedious process. Character development will eventually grow stronger for each of the students as they begin delving further into their roles. That being said all the other production elements such as lighting, sound, set and costume design are still being discussed with the director and will all play a vital role in bringing the story of BENT BOY to life on the stage this May. Below is a preliminary costume design sketch for the character of 'Eagleseye', just one of a few characters I will be portraying throughout the course of the play. Because the play was written for a younger audience, actors will be taking on the huge task of playing multiple characters such as animals, villagers, landscape such as stones and trees and even the elements such wind and water, all cleverly staged and dramatized through shadow play, puppetry, movement and dance. BENT BOY is truly an ensemble piece and I know audiences, especially children, will be so amused and entertained by the moral message of the story as well as the many different characters featured throughout. I hope to see many of you in our audiences later in this coming May! Feel free to share and continue following the journey of this amazing stage production via the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's website at http://indigenoustheatre.weebly.com/  Pictured Above: Costume design for the character of 'Eagleseye' in the CIT production of BENT BOY.
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