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Theatre for Livings's šxʷʔam̓ət (home) challenges viewers to make reconciliation real and honourable

Playing at Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova) March 3-11, 2017 (March 2nd Preview)
Tickets: TFL or  Firehall Arts Centre or by calling the Box Office at 604-689-0926 

The following is a pronunciation guide to facilitate your engagement with hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓. Content developed courtesy Musqueam Language and Culture Department 2017. šxʷʔam̓ət: š is pronounced like English “sh”. xʷ sounds like the “wh” in “which” (as opposed to the “w” in “witch”). Stress is on the first syllable, like in the name “Amit”. ʔam̓ sounds like the first syllable in the word “omelet”. ət sounds like the second syllable of the word “comet”. Photo courtesy Theatre For Living.

Theatre for Living In Collaboration with Journeys Around The Circle Society presents šxʷʔam̓ət (home) for 11 performances at the Firehall Arts Centre. 

Provocative and entertaining, this production is created and performed by an Indigenous and non-Indigenous cast, and asks us to imagine what reconciliation really means. If you want innovative theatre that is engaging and challenges your perceptions, this is it.

Theatre for Living (formerly Headlines Theatre) has a 36 year, multi-award winning history of creating cutting-edge, interactive theatre that challenges perceptions and creates social change.

Created and performed by a mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous cast and production team, the play is directed by David Diamond and Associate Director, Renae Morisseau*.

 šxʷʔam̓ət (home) weaves together stories based on real life and challenges viewers to make reconciliation real and honourable.

The title of this production, šxʷʔam̓ət, is based on a hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (a local Indigenous dialect) word used to reference home. This word has so many different meanings to all of us who are living on this land. 

There’s a conversation happening in Canada about Reconciliation and how it is manifesting action in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across this country.

The City of Vancouver has officially declared that Vancouver sits on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. But what do these initiatives really mean?

If we are sincere about the desire for reconciliation, what kinds of shifts in perceptions and behaviours need to take place? What is the pulse of change each of us are shaping? How do we break down the walls of colonization that surround us all? Is Reconciliation possible without respecting promises and guarantees made regarding Indigenous consent for projects on Indigenous land?

šxʷʔam̓ət (home) will invite audiences to change the patterns of behaviour inside characters who are struggling with these issues – patterns that audience members recognize inside themselves – and rehearse true reconciliation.

Theatre for Living’s interactive theatre is both provocative and entertaining:

"Theatre for Living is one of the most prolific, life changing, humanity affirming and powerful theatre companies in the country." Jenny Magenta

“Theatre for Living creates theatre that reaches out and connects…fascinating and profoundly theatrical.” David C. Jones

“Theatre for Living’s work is powerful, potent, connected." Humaira Hamid

The cast & crew: 

šxʷʔam̓ət (home) was workshopped, created and will be performed by a cast of seven original and relevant voices, from a diverse range of Canadian society. 

Cast members are Asivak Koostachin (Inuk/Cree), Madeline Terbasket (Okanagan, Ho-Cak & Anishnabe), Mutya Macatumpag, Nayden Palosaari (Cree), Rev. Margaret Roberts*, Sam Bob* (Snaw-Naw-As/Coast Salish) and Tom Scholte*.

The Director, David Diamond, received the Otto René Castillo Award for Political Theatre in NY (2010) and the Mayor’s Arts Award for Community Engaged Art (2012) as well as numerous other awards.

The Associate Director, Renae Morriseau* (Cree and Saulteaux), is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba and works across Canada and the US in theatre, film, television and music.

Among numerous honours, Renae was the recipient of the 2015 Mayor’s Arts Award for her work to cultivate social justice and inclusiveness through theatre and music.

They lead a talented, multi award-winning design and technical team including: Technical Director Tim Cardinal (Cree), Stage Manager Dorothy Jenkins*, Set/Props Designer Carolyn Rapanos, Video Designer Bracken Hanuse Corlett (Wuikinuxv and Klahoose), Lighting Designer Alan Brodie, Sound Designer Muin S. Gould (Mi’kmaq), Costume Designer Carmen Alatorre, Webcast Master Chris Bouris, Tele/webcast Director Michael P. Keeping. Support Person for the entire project is Susan Powell (Lakota).

*Appear through the generous support of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Forum Theatre: is an opportunity for creative, community-based dialogue. The play is performed once, all the way through, so the audience can see the situation and the problems presented.

The story builds to a crisis and stops, offering no solutions. The play is then run again, with audience members able to “freeze” the action at any point where they see a character engaged in a struggle, and have an idea to solve the problem, somehow.

They replace the character whose struggle they understand.  The other characters respond, not to “make it better”, not to “make it worse”, simply to be truthful, drawing on their own lived expertise. What insights do we have? What do we think? What do we learn? Who agrees? Who disagrees? In this way we engage in a creative and action-based dialogue about issues in our lives. The process is fun, profound, entertaining and full of surprises.

Global Interactive Webcast: šxʷʔam̓ət (home) will culminate in a live, interactive, global webcast on Saturday March 11, 2017 at 7:30pm PST. TfL has been pioneering interactive tele/webcasting since 1986. Audience “interventions” come from all over the world.

Playing at Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova)
March 2: 2 for 1 Preview at 7:30pm
March 3 – 11, 2017

Live, Interactive, Global Webcast March 11 at 7:30pm 
Tuesday – Sunday at 7:30pm | Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 1pm 
Tickets: TFL or  Firehall Arts Centre or by calling the Box Office at 604-689-0926 
Tickets: $15 (+ $4 theatre service charges) | 2 for 1 Preview & Matinees

 

 

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