FINDING WOLASTOQ - Ship's Company Theatre

BY NATALIE SAPPIER

FINDING WOLASTOQ VOICE

MARCH8 – 18, 2018ON TOUR: MARCH 21 – APRIL 6, 2018

2 THEATRE NEW BRUNSWICK SEASON 17/18

FINDING WOLASTOQ VOICEBY NATALIE SAPPIER DIRECTED BY THOMAS MORGAN JONES

FEATURING Aria Evans CREATIVE TEAM Thomas Morgan Jones, Director Andy Moro, Set and Lighting Designer Michael Doherty, Sound Designer Sherry Kinnear, Costume Designer Tammy Faulkner, Stage Manager Production Photo, Matt Carter

ABOUT THE MUSIC All music was composed and arranged by Samaqani Cocahq except Wolastoq Song, written by Sagatay (Gwen Bear) and performed by Samaqani Cocahq, Judie & Angee Acquin. Mother Earth Song performed by Maggie Paul.

The project was developed with support from ArtsNB

FINDING WOLASTOQ VOICE 3

Freder icton, New Brunswick

17/18 SEASON PARTNERS

PRODUCTION PARTNERS

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

THE TAKING OF PHOTOGRAPHS OR VIDEO IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED DURING THE PERFORMANCE.

PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND DATA DEVICES.

Not only are they distracting, they can interfere with the theatre’s wireless equipment during the performance. Thank you for your cooperation.

THEATRE NEW BRUNSWICK

55 Whiting Road, Fredericton New Brunswick E3B 5Y5

P. (506) 460-1381 F. (506) 453-9315

[email protected]

@ theatrenewbrunswick @ theatrenewbrunswick @ theatreNB

THEATRE NEW BRUNSWICK IS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN THEATRES (PACT)

We engage, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional artists who are members of the Canadian Actor’s Equity Association.

RUNNING TIME APPROX. 1 HR


2017/18 TNB COMPANY

PRODUCTION

TRENT LOGAN Technical Director

JAMIE ATKINSON Head of Carpentry & Facilities

ELAINE BELLEFONTAINE Head of Props and Scenic Painting

SHERRY KINNEAR Head of Wardrobe

BILLY DOUCET Props and Paint Assistant

THEATRE SCHOOL INSTRUCTORS

COURTNEY ARSENAULT

SARAH BELL

TANIA BREEN

SHARISSE LEBRUN

JOSIE MARASCO

HILARY READY

JEAN-MICHEL CLICHE

TNB BOARD OF GONERNORS

Deborah Burns (Chair) Heather Allaby (Vice Chair) Edwin Corey Sally Dibblee Marshall Button Allison McCarthy Brad Cross Michelle Cadogan

TNB FOUNDATION

Ilkay Silk (Chair) Bruce Hatfield Lorraine King Susan Montague Larry Nelson Nicole Picot Peggy Bertelsen Ryan Sullivan Doug Forbes

COMPANY DIRECTORS

THOMAS MORGAN JONES Artistic Director

SUSAN READY General Manager

MATT CARTER Director of Development and Communications

JOANNA BRYSON Operations Manager

CATHERINE MACDONALD Office Manager

ARTISTIC ASSOCIATES

LISA ANNE ROSS Director of TNB Young Company

TANYA DUFFY, THE DETAILS DESIGN Resident Graphic Designer

ANDRÉ REINDERS Resident Photographer

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND GENERAL MANAGER

It is our great honour and privilege to be able to share Natalie’s story Finding Wolastoq Voice here on Wolastoqiyik territory. Natalie has truly given us a gift with this production, and we are so moved by the trust she has had in Theatre New Brunswick to help bring her story to the stage.

This is a story of transformation. All of us at Theatre New Brunswick, too, have been transformed by our relationship with Natalie and her play. And now, finally, we get to share it with you, the audience.

Thank you for supporting new New Brunswick playwrights here at The Open Space Theatre and Theatre New Brunswick

WITH LOVE, THOMAS AND SUSAN


MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

On behalf of the Board of Governors I want to congratulate Natalie on the premiere of her ambitious and very moving work, Finding Wolastoq Voice. You will experience many forms of art in this production, including movement, visuals, voice and music. The way in which the team has woven these together to tell the story guarantees that this will be a memorable event for all of us. We are pleased to be able to share this with so many people around New Brunswick and in Toronto. Enjoy the show.

Sincerely,

DEBORAH BURNS CHAIR, TNB BOARD OF GOVERNORS


PLAYWRIGHT’S NOTES

Woliwon/Thank you, to the inspiring Theatre New Brunswick team, a special thank you to Thomas Morgan Jones for his amazing mentor-ship and friendship. Woliwon, ArtsNB and the Canada Council for the Arts for their support in the development of Finding Wolastoq Voice, to my Momo, Meme, Sagatay, Imelda and Dave Perley, my community of negotuk, Maggie Paul, Judie Acquin, Angee Acquin, Kim and Wayne Brooks, Nate Miller and his beautiful parents.

Woliwon, to my phenomenal artistic team Andy Moro, Aria Evans, and Mike Doherty. Woliwon, to my family and friends for their con-stant inspiration, motivation, love and support. To my mother, my teacher – you are one of the strongest and most beautiful spirits in my life. Woliwon and Koselmul always.

NATALIE SAPPIER


TODAY, AS I STAND IN THE WOLASTOQ WATERS I AM WITNESSING OUR LANGUAGE BEING LOST, OUR LANDS HURTING AND OUR WATER IS CRYING. I FEEL OUR STORIES NEED TO BE HEARD LOUDER THAN A PAINTING CAN SPEAK. I HAVE BEGAN A JOURNEY TO OPEN MY SPIRIT, TO GAIN THE COURAGE TO SHARE MY SONGS, AND TO FIND THE STRENGTH WITHIN MY VOICE AND WITHIN MY WORDS SO THAT I MAY CONTINUE TO SHARE STORIES EXPRESSED WITH INDIGENOUS HEART ON STAGE FOR THE WORLD TO SEE.”


NATALIE SAPPIER - PLAYWRIGHT/COMPOSERMy name is Natalie Sappier-Samaqani Cocahq (The Water Spirit). I am a Wolastoqiyik Indigenous multidisciplinary artist from Tobique First Nation. Much of the teachings carry along the Wolastoq waters that have led me into the community of Fredericton where my arts practice is currently based. I believe if I’m always by the Wolastoq, I am home.

I have always had a creative spirit. I remember being young and always being captivated by the surroundings and people in my community. I would find stories in the forests and waters – some would say I was child full of imagination and was always expressing myself through spoken word, song and dance.

I began my visual arts practice in early 2000 when I enrolled at New Brunswick College of Craft and Design where I met Sagatay (Gwen Bear). She became a very influential person in my life and through her guidance I began learning about traditional ceremonies, teachings, language and medicines. The teachings inspired me but also gave a larger understanding of who I am and I began expressing that through painting.

The Wolastoqiyik motifs naturally became part of my stories. This symbolic movement in my artwork is what I call “dancing the four directions” which represent emotions, dance, of spirit and of song through Wabanaki roots. My painted stories kept me close to my Indigenous ways of being, constantly teaching me and encouraging me to learn more. I realized early in my painting career that I was not painting just for me but I was painting for my people. I was painting for my ancestors.

Today, as I stand in the Wolastoq waters I am witnessing our language being lost, our lands hurting and our water is crying. I feel our stories need to be heard louder than a painting can speak. I began my path to open my spirit to learn courage to share my songs, strength within my voice and within my words for me to continue to share stories expressed with Indigenous heart on stage for the world to see.

THOMAS MORGAN JONES – DIRECTORThomas is an award winning director, playwright, movement coach, dramaturg, and teacher. For over 15 years he has created theatre nationally and internationally with companies and schools that include: The Stratford Festival, Theatre Direct, Theatre Passe Muraille, The Charlottetown Festival, Carousel Players, Cia Enviezada (Brazil), NTS, Sheridan, and The Randolph Academy. He holds a BA from Guelph, an MA from UofT, and has trained with SITI Company in NYC/Madrid/Paris and SCOT in Japan and Italy.


ARIA EVANS –DANCER/CHOREOGRAPHERAria Evans works in film, dance creation and performance. She draws on her experiences as a woman of mixed race (Mi’kmaq, African, Settler heritage) as well as her BFA to capture meaningful social and cultural themes through her interactive art. Her works have been presented in Turtle Island and abroad. Visit www.gotocompany.org to learn more.

ANDY MORO – SET AND LIGHTING DESIGNERAndy Moro is a mixed Euro/Omushkego Cree multi-disciplinary artist. He collaborates and “designaturges” from coast to coast, most recently Marie Clements’ opera MISSING for Pacific Opera Victoria and City Opera Vancouver.

Moro is a co-founder/director of ARTICLE 11 with partner Tara Beagan, named for the article in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People which states: the right to practice, revitalize, protect and develop all manifestations of their cultures, such as historical sites, artefacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature.

ARTICLE 11 is touring Reckoning – a triptych tackling fallout from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Their installation DECLARATION has been featured at the Royal Ontario Museum, the National Arts Centre and Calgary City Hall and the Edinburgh Festival. Coming soon: Deer Woman. A story of retribution.

MICHAEL DOHERTY – SOUND DESIGNERMichael Doherty is an Atlantic Canada and Toronto based composer, sound designer and music director. Recent credits include; The Penelopiad, The Wedding Singer (St. Lawrence College); Goodbye Marianne, A Herman Tale, Marion Bridge, The Space Between, Vigil, You Play Beautifully, A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick); Shrek, The Drowsey Chaperone, Guys and Dolls (Theatre New Brunswick Theatre School); Armstrong’s War, It’s a Wonderful Life, Hockey Dreams, For Life, A Christmas Carol, Red, Miracle on 34th St. (Sudbury Theatre Centre); Grace Notes, Angel’s River (The Notable Acts Theatre Festival) Michael is the composer and co-lyricist of two full length musicals; A Christmas Carol adapted with Caleb Marshall and For Life with Norm Foster. He is a multiple Merritt award (Theatre Nova Scotia)nominee and winner. He was honoured with the musician’s achievement award at East Coast Music Awards in 2008 and received the Playhouse Honours award from the Fredericton Playhouse in 2014.


SHERRY KINNEAR– COSTUME DESIGNERSherry is the costume designer for the TNB Young Company and TNB Theatre School as well as the Head of Wardrobe for all branches of the company. Sherry most recently designed costumes for The Boat, The Snow Queen, A Sunday Affair, Marion Bridge, Vigil, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Eighth Fire, and The Net, as well as Guys & Dolls, West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Les Miserables and has created costumes for A Christmas Carol, Frankenstein, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, Little Shop of Horrors, Gifts of the Magi, The Dollar Woman, Treasure Island, and many other TNB productions over the past nine years.

TAMMY FAULKNER – STAGE MANAGERSelect For TNB: A Christmas Carol (2017), Fortune of Wolves, Ghost Light, The Snow Queen, Returning Fire, Little Women – The Broadway Musical, A Christmas Carol (2014), Miracle on 34th Street, The Last Five Years, Little Shop of Horrors, It’s A Wonderful Life (2012), Oleanna, The Musical of Musicals and many others over the years.

Other selected theatre credits include: Beauty and the Beast (Stage Manager – Neptune Theatre), Forever Plaid (Stage Manager – Harbourfront Theatre), Goodnight Moon and the Runaway Bunny, Swimmy, Frederick & Inch By Inch (Stage Manag-er – Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia); Leonard Cohen World Tour 2008 (Wardrobe Assistant), Share, MacGregor’s Hard Ice Cream and Gas (Stage Manager – Ship’s Company Theatre).



BEAUTY AND THE BEASTMUSIC BY ALAN MENKENLYRICS BY HOWARD ASHMAN AND TIM RICEBOOK BY LINDA WOOLVERTON

APRIL 26–28, 2018




THE MCCAIN PROVINCIAL TOUR PARTNERSHIPHELPING BRING LIVE THEATRE TO COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE PROVINCEmccain.ca

Miriam Fernandes and Mathieu Chouinard | A Sunday Affair | 2016

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FINDING WOLASTOQ - Ship's Company Theatre