After a sold out premiere in January 2024 at the National Arts Centre’s Azrieli Studio in Ottawa, Native Earth Performing Arts is proud to present Women of the Fur Trade at Aki Studio in Toronto from April 9-21, 2024. Written by Frances Končan and directed by Renae Morriseau, this timely revival of Women of the Fur Trade, a co-production with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre and Great Canadian Theatre Company, will feature an all-Indigenous cast including Kelsey Wavey, Cheri Maracle, Lisa Nasson, Jesse Gervais, and Jonathan Fisher as Louis Riel.

In eighteen hundred and something something, somewhere upon the banks of a Reddish River in Treaty One Territory, three very different women with a preference for twenty-first century slang sit in a fort sharing their views on life, love and the hot nerd Louis Riel.

This lively historical satire of survival and cultural inheritance shifts perspectives from the male gaze onto women’s power in the past and present through the lens of the rapidly changing world of the Canadian fur trade.

The play has been made possible through the generous support of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts and the prestigious Ray Ferris Innovation and Sustainability Grant. This grant not only acknowledges strides in theatrical design but also champions the promotion of sustainability in live theatre.

Native Earth Performing Arts is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Currently in its 41st season, Native Earth is dedicated to creating, developing and producing professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada. Through stage productions (theatre, dance and multi-disciplinary art), script development, apprenticeships and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. www.nativeearth.ca

Women of the Fur Trade

April 9-21, 2024

Opening Night: Thursday April 11 at 7:30pm

April 17 at 12pm - LIMITED AVAILABILITY

April 18 - SOLD OUT

Aki Studio, 585 Dundas Street East, #120

Tickets: Sliding Scale $30, $20, $10

Box Office: www.nativeearth.ca

Phone: (416) 531-1402

For Indigenous Group rates, email boxoffice@nativeearth.ca

Illustration: Visual art. © 2024 Mishiikenh Kwe.