Submitted
Miyawata Culture Inc. and the Poundmaker Cree Nation have announced the upcoming Poundmaker Performance Festival taking place on the Poundmaker Cree Nation from Aug. 6 to 8.
This festival is one of the most unique performance and theatre festivals in Canada, in that it takes place on a First Nation within its own Indigenous-themed performance venue. Events also take place at the Chief Poundmaker Museum and at Fort Battleford.
The festival opens with the world premiere of the Indigenous adaptation of the Russian classic Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, on Aug. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Miyawata Culture Stage at Poundmaker Lake. This production is directed by Floyd Favel, with assistant director Madie Jolliffe.
This is an international Indigenous and non-Indigenous cast from Poland, Montreal, Peru and local areas.
The performance features Sabina Sweta Sen Podstawska, Iwona Wozniak, Roy Challis, Quanah Daniels, Chaima Zidoune, Aidan Thorne, Martiza Thorne and Alix Van Der Donckt-Ferrand.
The performance is based on the premise that Indigenous theatre is a genre with its own methods, which includes all peoples.
This is followed by presentations by renowned storytellers, presenters and performers Kahente Horn-Miller, Karen Pheasant and Mylan Tootoosis on Aug. 7 at the Chief Poundmaker Museum at 1 p.m. at the Miyawata Culture Stage
The last presentation of Uncle Vanya and a performance by Mariel Belanger begin at 7 p.m.
The festival closes on Aug. 8 at Fort Battleford with performances by Indigenous dancers and singers from 2 to 4 p.m.
