Native Earth Performing Arts is a Canadian theatre company located in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
. Founded in 1982, Native Earth is Canada's oldest professional
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
theatre company. Native Earth is dedicated to developing, producing and presenting professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada.
Through stage productions (theatre, dance and multi-disciplinary art), new script development, apprenticeships and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. It is a vision that is inclusive and reflective of the artistic directions of members of the Indigenous community who actively participate in the arts.
Native Earth Performing Arts helms Aki Studio, a 120-seat black box creation/rehearsal/performance space in Regent Park's Daniels Spectrum.
Background
Founded in 1982, it is the oldest professional Indigenous performing arts company in Canada. They have been central in the development of a community of Indigenous artists, and have contributed to the creation of several plays which have become canonical in Canadian drama, such as
Tomson Highway
Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, and children's author. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', both of which won the Dora Mavor Moore ...
's award-winning ''
The Rez Sisters
''The Rez Sisters'' is a two-act play by Canadian writer Tomson Highway (Cree), first performed on November 26, 1986, by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts.
''The Rez Sisters'' is partially inspired by Michel Tremblay's play ...
'' and ''
Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing
''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'' is a play by Canadian writer Tomson Highway ( Cree), which premiered in 1989 at Theatre Passe-Muraille in Toronto.
Character List
* Nanabush (playing the spirit of Gazelle Nataways, Patsy Pegahmagahbow, and ...
'',
Daniel David Moses
Daniel David Moses (February 18, 1952 - July 13, 2020) was a First Nations poet and playwright from Canada.
Moses was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and raised on a farm on the Six Nations of the Grand River near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.Colin Bo ...
's ''Almighty Voice and His Wife'',
Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor (born 1 July 1962) is a Canadian playwright, author and journalist.
Life and career
Born in Curve Lake, Ontario, Taylor is part Ojibwe and part Caucasian. About his background Taylor says: "I plan to start my own nation. Bec ...
's ''Someday'', and Cliff Cardinal's ''Huff''. Native Earth hosts the annual Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival which is a showcase for emerging Indigenous theatre, dance, and multi-discipline artists.
In 1986 Native Earth was able to secure government funding, which brought stability to the organization. This funding allowed Native Earth the possibility to program a season and open its own office with full-time staff.
In the same year Native Earth presented its first scripted work,
Tomson Highway
Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, and children's author. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', both of which won the Dora Mavor Moore ...
's
The Rez Sisters
''The Rez Sisters'' is a two-act play by Canadian writer Tomson Highway (Cree), first performed on November 26, 1986, by Act IV Theatre Company and Native Earth Performing Arts.
''The Rez Sisters'' is partially inspired by Michel Tremblay's play ...
which became a hit and attracted large audiences across Canada. The Play was so successful that it was also invited to the
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
and received the
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award (also known as the Dora Award) is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped estab ...
and the
Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award
The Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award was a Canadian literary award given to Canadian plays produced by any professional Canadian theatre company, and having performances in the Toronto area.
The prize had a monetary value of $25,000, and wa ...
.
In 1989 Native Earth created Weesageechak Begins to Dance an annual play festival which developed plays that often turned into full production the following year. One of the plays which was developed through this process was John McLeod's Diary of a Crazy Boy.
In 2012, the organization was described as "a formidable artistic hub for all things related to contemporary Indigenous performing arts."
In 2012, Native Earth moved their administrative headquarters to the Daniels Spectrum, an arts and cultural centre located in Toronto's revitalized Regent Park (part of the
Regent Park Revitalization Plan). They also launched Aki Studio – a 120-seat creation and performance black box space located on the main floor of the Daniels Spectrum. The inaugural play staged in the new space was ''Dominion'', a five-person play written by Canadian author
Andréa Ledding. Aki Studio has hosted a variety of theater companies, primarily independent, Indigenous, or multicultural theatre companies; these includ
fu-GenCahootsObsidian Acting Up Stage (no
The Musical StagePaper Canoe and th
Agokwe Collective
Artistic directors
* Denis Lacroix and Bunny Sicard (1982–1983)
*
Monique Mojica
Monique Mojica ( Kuna and Rappahannock) is a playwright, director, and actor based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was born in New York City, but came to Canada as founding member of Native Earth Performing Arts.
She has appeared in several ...
(1983–1986)
*
Tomson Highway
Tomson Highway (born 6 December 1951) is an Indigenous Canadian playwright, novelist, and children's author. He is best known for his plays ''The Rez Sisters'' and ''Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing'', both of which won the Dora Mavor Moore ...
(1986–1992)
* Floyd Favel (1992–1994)
*
Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor (born 1 July 1962) is a Canadian playwright, author and journalist.
Life and career
Born in Curve Lake, Ontario, Taylor is part Ojibwe and part Caucasian. About his background Taylor says: "I plan to start my own nation. Bec ...
(1994–1997)
* Pamela A. Matthews (Interim 1997-1998)
* Alejandro Ronceria, Sandra Laronde and
Daniel David Moses
Daniel David Moses (February 18, 1952 - July 13, 2020) was a First Nations poet and playwright from Canada.
Moses was born in Ohsweken, Ontario, and raised on a farm on the Six Nations of the Grand River near Brantford, Ontario, Canada.Colin Bo ...
(1998–2000)
* Alanis King (2000–2002)
* Doris Peltier, Glenn Shea and Marion De Vries (Interim 2002)
*
Yvette Nolan
Yvette Nolan (Algonquian peoples, Algonquin) (1961) is a Canadians, Canadian playwright, director, actor, and educator based out of Saskatchewan, Canada. She was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She has contributed significantly to the creati ...
(2003–2011)
* Tara Beagan (2011–2013)
* Ryan Cunningham (2014–2017)
*
Keith Barker
Keith Hubert Douglas Barker (born 21 October 1986) is an English first-class cricketer who plays for Hampshire. He is an all-rounder. He previously played professional football, where he was a striker. He came through the academy of Premier ...
(2017–present)
Managing Directors
* Isaac Thomas (2012–Present)
* Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (2003–2012)
References
External links
Native Earth Performing ArtsCanadian Theatre Encyclopedia{{authority control
First Nations theatre
Theatre companies in Toronto
Arts organizations established in 1982
1982 establishments in Ontario