Land

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Land was written by Stephen Waldschmidt
World premiere commissioned by Burnt Thicket Theatre
direction by Kenn McLeod*
dramaturgy by Yvette Nolan, with Tim Bratton 

performed by:
Lancelot Knight (Benjamin)
Abbey Thiessen (Melissa)
Kent Allen* (Albert)
Louise Halfe (Kohkum)

sound design, recording and audio production by Tim Bratton
production dramaturgy by Yvette Nolan
stage management by Yulissa Campos
original music by Darryl Dozlaw, Jordan Daniels, Marc Okihcihtaw and Donny Speidel
image design by Brooklynn Bitner

Gratefully created on Treaty 6 Territory, Treaty 4 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Métis.

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Free to stream on demand on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, with English subtitles/closed captions available on our YouTube channel. 

Ways to learn and take action: 

Ask a friend to join you to have a face to face conversation with your local government representative, MLA and/or MP. Ask them how are they working to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (which became law in Canada on June 21, 2021, see: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/declaration/index.html).

• Also ask how are they taking action in response to the Calls To Action from the Truth & Reconciliation Commision and the Calls For Justice from the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry (see https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/). 
• Set a date with them to follow up together in 3 to 6 months.

Reflect on the primary voices that inform you as a person and shape your thoughts and values. Make 4 lists:

1. your closest friends;
2. your mentors to whom you look for guidance;
3. the teachers, authors and artists whose work you engage with; and
4. the news media sources you access.

Take note of the cultural backgrounds each person or media source represents. Choose to widen those circles to include a greater diversity of voices, especially First Nations, Métis and Inuit voices. Here are 3 options for news coverage from Indigenous perspectives:

• APTN News (coverage of truth and reconciliation at https://www.aptnnews.ca/topic/trc/),
• Eagle Feather News in SK (https://www.eaglefeathernews.com/),
• or CBC News Indigenous (https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous).

Listen to this episode of Ideas from CBC Radio called “Injustice For All” about the Canadian legal system: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23/clip/15980674

• Learn about restorative justice and advocate for implementing its principles in your community – here’s one place to learn: https://cjiwr.com/about-us/what-is-restorative-justice/

We want to hear what you think – leave a comment on our social media or send your feedback though the widget on our website.

The playwright wishes to thank the creative team for their assistance in refining the script, as well as Ray Aldred (Northern Cree Elder, Director of the Indigenous Studies Program at UBC’s Vancouver School of Theology) for his teachings in a 2021 online course, and Bob Joseph (Gwawaenuk Nation, Hereditary Chief) for his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act.

This project is made possible by a Digital Now Grant from Canada Council for the Arts, and by our major sponsors Shercom Industries, SK Arts, and Creative Saskatchewan. 

*The participation of these Artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT), and under ACTRA's National COVID-19 Response Initiative.