 This May I will be performing with the 3rd students at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT) in their year-end production of BENT BOY written by Herbie Barnes and directed by Ed Roy. The show will be performed at the Aki Studio Theatre in the Artscape Daniels Spectrum building located in the heart of Regent Park in Toronto. This is a kind of a full circle moment for me in a very funny and moving way.
Back in 1998 I was one of the very first students to attend and graduate from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's full-time conservatory program. At that time CIT was the first and only professional First Nations and Indigenous theatre training program/school of its kind in North America. I was such a newbie to Toronto back then and it was a huge culture shock to move to the city in order to study theatre full-time. But I was very honored to be part of the first foundation year and class of students. Flash-forward nearly 18 years later and I'm now back at CIT performing as a professional actor with our future storytellers and performers in the theatre community who will be newly embarking on their performing arts careers just like a did nearly two decades ago. What a gift to be sharing this moment with these students. Chi-Miigwetch to my dear friend and colleague, Rose Stella, the current Artistic Director and Principal at CIT for asking me to be part of this year's production. More information about the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's full-time and summer conservatory programs can be found by clicking on the following link: http://indigenoustheatre.weebly.com/ Show dates and times as well as details on how to purchase tickets for BENT BOY will be posted soon so continue staying tuned to this blog and the main page of my website for more announcements as they unfold. Below is a brief synopsis of the play. BENT BOY by Herbie Barnes Bent Boy is a Theatre for Young Audiences play about two youths, one healthy and popular, the other bent and usually in the way. The two are sent from their village to recover a treasure that will insure the future of their community. Together they must overcome obstacles and learn valuable lessons along their way. |