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As part of continuing our relationship with Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way, we will be publishing a series of post-tour blog articles and interviews with the cast and crew. Our first is on actor Tania Carter who played Muriel. Can you introduce yourself? My name is Tania Carter, I played Muriel in Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way. Where are you from? I am from Vancouver originally. Spent 20 years in Toronto and came back, and yeah, here to stay. My mom would consider herself Metis. But she was married to my dad so she’s status… but she wasn’t status before that. My grandmother is Metis. She wasn’t married to my grandfather when my mother was born. My grandfather is Tsleil-waututh. He’s a George. My grandmother is Mi’kmaw and Basque from France. And then my dad is a mix, but he’s from Seabird Island. He’s considered Sto:lo and Agassiz, BC. So then, that’s what I am. You come from a large family of artists, and you mentioned activists…. Yes. That’s probably why I got hired last minute for this role.  Well I had a degree in theatre but my mom is Lee Maracle and she’s written like 6 million books. Probably two a...Continue reading

Jonathan Fisher is Pottawattami, Muckwa Dodem (Bear Clan) from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, Three Fires Confederacy on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. He has performed as an actor, dancer and singer in productions across Canada and USA. Favourite roles include Jayko/Candy Man in “Night” (Human Cargo), Lupi in “Lupi, The Great White Wolf” (De-ba-jeh-mu-jig Theatre Group) in the Anishnabe language. John Pai in “The Indolent Boys” (Syracuse Stage), Almighty Voice in “Almighty Voice & His Wife” (Native Earth), Creature Nataways in “Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing” (Red Roots Theatre), Mark in “Time Stands Still” (Native Earth), and in Ian Ross’ Governor General Award winning play “farewel” (Prairie Theatre Exchange/Great Canadian Theatre Company/Traverse Theatre), for which he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Jonathan has performed in Prague, Czech Republic across Canada, the U.S. and at the Aboriginal festival in Woodford, Australia. Can you introduce yourself?  My name is Jonathan Fisher and I play Old One. And where are you from, Jonathan?  I am from the Wikwemikong Unceded Indian Reserve, Manitoulin Island Ontario, the largest fresh water island in the world, Three Fires Confederacy. How has this process been for you, playing Old One?  It’s been a challenge I guess, because...Continue reading

Can you introduce yourself? My name is Vern Bevis, from Vancouver, my homeland is the Okanagan Nation, Penticton and I’m an artist of sorts, trying to find my way in the world. Do you go out for a lot of auditions? I have been for as much as I can I guess. Actually last year when my dad died I came here, to Penticton for the funeral and I got pinned for one of the big roles in Deadpool Two, and then also I got pinned for one of the bigger roles in Hard Powder, which is the new Liam Neesom movie… I would have been one of the head gang members I guess. I’ve been trying, I do have a bit part on Altered Carbon, which is the new Netflix show, kinda new, came our a few months ago, so that kind of gave me some credibility as an actor I guess, even though it was a bit part. But it’s been fun. How did you get cast in this show? I know Renae from the film industry, and I’ve known Renae all of my adult life. We have a ton of mutual friends and we know most people...Continue reading

Renae is Cree and Saulteaux from the Treaty 1 Territory of Manitoba and has worked across Canada and Internationally in film, television and music since the early 80s. She is honoured to have received cultural teachings through social and ceremonial songs and stories with the Secwepemc, Okanagan, Nlaka’pamux, Cree and Anishnaabe peoples.  Renae toured internationally with her singing group M’Girl; served as Aboriginal Storyteller at the Vancouver Public Library and directed Down2Earth, an APTN TV Series on green-energy developments and sustainability projects in Maori (New Zealand) and First Nations (Canada) communities.  Community building projects include the winter outdoor production Contest of the Winds with Caravan Farm Theatre, the community play Tuwitames with Splatsin Language Program (Secwepemc Nation)/Runaway Moon Theatre, and co-writing In the Heart of a City:The Downtown Eastside Community Play and Storyweaving with Vancouver Moving Theatre. Read the transcription of her interview below, or listen to the full audio interview here: https://soundcloud.com/julia-siedlanowska/renae-morriseau-interview Can you introduce yourself? My name is Renae Morisseau I am one of the writers and the director of Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way, and now we’re sitting on Okanagan territory, the En’owkin Centre of the Penticton Indian Band. Can you tell us a little bit about what got you here? Besides my car? Besides your car....Continue reading

What is your role within the show? I’m the prop master. Basically I’m sourcing out all the different articles that they might need for the show. Things like baskets, and building different things like drum baskets and repairing things. Where are you from? I’m originally from Edmonton Alberta, I come from off of a little reserve called Enoch which is just West of Edmonton. I lived in Edmonton for quite a few years. I went to a high school there that did theatre, and then I was doing things with them and opera and a bunch of other different theatres. I moved to Calgary because I wanted to get out of mainstream theatre and get into some of the fun stuff like puppets and marionettes, mask work and stilts and clown and all that kind of stuff, have a little bit of fun doing theatre. When did you move here? I moved down here nine years ago. I’ve done a lot of different things. Not all theatre. I was a coordinator for the Downtown Eastside Neighborhood House for about three and a half years, and then I was one of the administrators for the Aboriginal Front Door after that. In-between...Continue reading

Our culture is so connected to the land, and if that’s destroyed and damaged beyond restoration, then what do we have? What do we have to pass on to our children? Our future generations? Everything is tied into it. The language, the customs, the traditions, the spirituality and our sovereign power. It’s such a big question to answer. What does the future hold? I really don’t know.Continue reading

My name is Sam Bob. I am from Snawnaw-us First Nation, my traditional name is Tulkweemult. I was raised with my grandparents, my grandfather Kholestun, and my grandmother Waytultanault. I was raised with them before I went to residential school, but after leaving residential school grew up in Vancouver, Seattle, Los Angeles, but came back and graduated high school here in Vancouver.Continue reading

Rosemary Georgeson is one of the writers of Weaving Reconciliation: Our Way, as well as the community engagement liaison. Where are you from? Galiano Island. When did you move here? I’ve been on the mainland for 30 years but home is still on Galiano. What made you move to the mainland? It was a very small place and I wanted to open up the world for my daughters more than being in an isolated small community. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do? Coast-Salish Sahtu Dene woman who was born in to the commercial fishing industry. What I do now: I’m a playwright, community-engagement liaison, storyteller, workshop facilitator, amongst my role of being mom, grandma, auntie and sister. You’ve been engaged with the writing of this show for a very long time. Can you tell me about that? Since 2010 when we first started writing Storyweaving, and now we’re into Weaving Reconciliation. A lot of the stories that I bring to this process are my lived stories. We just did the scene [in rehearsal] of the boat to Kuper Island, scene 8. And that was a real trip that I took with my family...Continue reading

"What does reconciliation mean to Canada? Do they truly understand the history? Do they truly understand what reconciliation is? As indigenous people, are we truly ready to share what we want to share? Yes – we are. We are doing this – because we must. And will continue to share for as long as we are able to. There’s no other option for us. We can do it with or without you, but we’d prefer to do it with you… because at the end of the day, we still have to deal with the daily issues within our communities to try and mend and heal and fix our communities."Continue reading

I’m really excited to learn from artists like Renae Morriseau, Sam Bob, and Jonathan Fisher. I’m also really excited to travel with those people. I am very excited to work on a play in which community is such an essential aspect of the piece.  I have always wanted to bring the work I do back to our communities, and this is a great opportunity to do so.Continue reading