The Cultch Presents
YOU USED TO CALL ME MARIE…
by Tai Amy Grauman
A Savage Society (Vancouver) and NAC Indigenous Theatre production
18
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28
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About
the Performance
An epic Métis love story.
A love story, a historical epic, and a celebration of Métis song and dance, You used to call me Marie… paints the stories of the Callihoo women in Alberta. Music plays, and ponies dance as the story of Marie Callihoo unfurls through generations and time.
We follow Iskwewo, Napew, and Mistatim (‘horse’ in Michif) in eight intertwined stories of love and resilience as the Métis nation emerges across the plains. As we experience the love stories of Alberta’s Metis women—through stories of the fur trade, governance, and organizing in the 1930s and into the present day—we witness generations of Callihoo women unfold.
Don’t miss this beautiful new play, featuring era-spanning dance and live music, from French fiddle to contemporary country!
The Femme Festival is made possible with the support of Charlotte and Sonya Wall Arts Fund
Tai Amy Grauman as Iskwewo and Aren Okemaysim as Napew. Costume design by Evan Ducharme and Alaia Hamer; Photo by Benjamin Laird at Métis Crossing
Show
Credits
ENSEMBLE
Tai Amy Grauman
Aren Okemaysim
Cole Alvis
Kathleen Nisbet
Krystle Pederson
Rebecca Sadowski
BAND:
Kathleen Nisbet (Fiddler, Mandolin, Banjo, Band Captain), Krystle Pederson (Keyboard, Guitar, Vocal Captain), Aren Okemaysim (Bass)
PRODUCTION TEAM
PLAYWRIGHT: Tai Amy Grauman
DIRECTOR: Lois Anderson
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Michelle Olson
SET DESIGNER: Cecilia Vadala
COSTUME DESIGNERS: Alaia Hamer and Evan Ducharme
PROJECTION DESIGNER: Candelario Andrade
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Jeff Harrison
MUSIC & COMPOSITION: Andrea Menard, Kathleen Nisbet, and Krystle Pederson
SOUND DESIGNER: Aaron Macri
CHOREOGRAPHY (Métis Jigging): Yvonne Chartrand
DANCE CAPTAIN: Rebecca Sadowski
PROPS DESIGNER: Stephanie Elgersma
STAGE MANAGER: Erika Morey
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Geoff Jones
APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER: Castor Angus
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Matt Oviatt
FRENCH LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Eloi Homier
MICHIF LANGUAGE CONSULTANT: Graham Andrew
Wardrobe Team
Stitchers: Holly Anderson, Darryl Milot, Eloise Pons,
Nicola Ryall, Sarah Sosick
Nicola Ryall, Sarah Sosick
Cutter: Janet Dundas
Set Built by GNW Scene Shop
Savage Production Society is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the terms of the jointly negotiated Canadian Theatre Agreement.
Set Built by GNW Scene Shop
Savage Production Society is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the terms of the jointly negotiated Canadian Theatre Agreement.
The Cultch stage crew are members of Local 118 of IATSE
Message from the Playwright
You used to call me Marie… is a love letter to all the Métis women in Alberta. This play is not just the love story between Iskwewo and Napew but rather the love story of Iskwewo and everything around her. This play chronicles the journey of the Métis Nation in Alberta and our continued struggle for recognition, sovereignty and self-government led by the women with the support of our courageous Métis men. Métis narratives have been previously dominated by stories of the men. My intention with this play was to bring the stories of the women out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Here’s to all the Métis women who fought for the Métis Nation and for the good of generations to come. Here’s to every one of their unstoppable hearts, their fearless spirits and their strong bodies that fought for their people, their nation and their stories.
—Tai Amy Grauman
Director’s Notes
I first encountered Tai Amy Grauman’s You used to call me Marie… as a staged reading at The Talking Stick Festival 2017. Delivered simply at music stands, this epic story galloped off the page into the quiet stillness of the dark theatre like wild horses running and leaping, stamping and flying. The impact of Tai’s writing is palpable. She nimbly calls into being the spiral reality of time and space, centering stories of Métis women, while weaving together the cosmology of star-world and earth-world, past, present and future.
Tai has since become my close friend and artistic collaborator.
You used to call me Marie…. is about love—love between Iskwewo, Napew and Mistatim, and love that knits a community together.
We have sought to evoke the land of the Métis people for indoor audiences who will attend the play within buildings that have not traditionally been open to Métis stories. Tai’s writing has spurred us on. Cecilia and I have dreamed in fabric. Krystle has dreamed songs into being. Evan and Alaia evoke Métis story through costume. Cande, Aaron, Cecilia, Jeff and I gathered sound and imagery at Métis Crossing. Stephanie fashioned wild horse heads, while Jeff dreamed the land through light. Matt Oviatt made everything work. And Kathleen’s fiddle played and played, weaving through the work, binding us all together. Enormous gratitude to Yvonne Chartrand and Michelle Olson for dancing out the visions. And to the company: Erika, Castor, Geoff, Cole, Rebecca, Aren, Tai, Krystle and Kathleen.
—Lois Anderson
Thank Yous & Acknowledgements
Thank you to the following folks who have contributed to the development of You used to call me Marie…
Bonnie Acko, Alexandria Bay, Arts Club Theatre, Nick Benz, Bronwyn Bowlby, Caravan Farm Theatre, Cody Clyburn, Evan Ducharme, Kayla Dunbar, Kathleen Flaherty, Natalie Gan, Brody Halfe, Jan Hodgson, Eloi Homier, Becca Jorgensen, Alessandro Juliani, Camellia Koo, Jeanette Kotowich, Joyce Lorenzen, Madelaine McCallum, Andrea Menard, Joel Montgrand, Kathleen Nisbet, Arik Pipestem, Meg Roe, Munish Sharma, Massey Theatre, Playwrights Theatre Centre, Darylina Powderface, Izzy Robinson, Estelle Shook, Joanne PB Smith, Laury Supernault, Tia Taurere Clearsky, Amanda Testini, Gerri Torres, Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, Nitanis Vandale, Aaron Wells.
Special thanks to: Arts Club Theatre Wardrobe Department, Axis Theatre, Bard on the Beach Wardrobe Department, Leah Foreman, Heather Hatch, Kidd Pivot, Liam Macdonald Wardrobe Department, Métis Crossing, Firehall Arts Centre, Ballet BC
Set Construction: GNW Scene Shop
Special Acknowledgment to Pam Johnson who originally designed the metal horse heads that appear in this production, for the 2004 Vancouver Playhouse mounting of Equus by Peter Shaffer, directed by Glynis Leyshon
About Savage Society
Telling our own stories sourcing traditional and contemporary Indigenous perspectives, Savage Society was created in 2004 for members to produce their own stories as practising Indigenous Theatre and Film Artists. Artistic Director Kevin Loring is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia.
We develop work that reflects our world view, sourcing traditional stories and cosmologies and our contemporary realities as Indigenous people for both professional and community settings.
Savage Society operates on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), S’ólh Téméxw (Stó:lō), sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), Qayqayt, kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Kwantlen and sc̓əwaθenaɁɬ təməxʷ (Tsawwassen) Nations.
Our Team
Artistic Director – Kevin Loring
Managing Producer – Chelsea Carlson
Operations Manager – Amy Wertz
Elder in Residence – Charon Spinks
Marketing & Communications – Sherri Sadler
Artistic Associates – Quelemia Sparrow (Musqueam), Tai Amy Grauman (Métis, Cree, Haudenosaunee), Kelsey Kanatan Wavey (Cree), Darylina Powderface (Îyârhe Nakoda)
Our Aunties and Uncle
Chair – Gloria Raphael
Vice Chair – Jacyntha England
Treasurer – Meredith Elliott
Secretary – Alice Joe
Director at Large – Romona Baxter
Director at Large – David Walkem
Cast & Company
Bios
TAI AMY GRAUMAN
Ensemble, Playwright
Tai Amy Grauman (MFA) is Métis Cree with ties to Haudenosaunee voyageurs from Ardrossan Alberta. She is a Callihoo as well as a Beauregard and her family comes from a community in Alberta formerly known as St. Paul des Métis. She is the first elected Provincial Women’s Representative as part of the first Otipemisiawk Métis Government within Alberta.
“I have done a lot but I think the people who got me here are more important than what I have accomplished.
First of all, my Mom and Dad are my foundation. They gave me the space to experience the wonderful and magical world of theatre. Thank you for the ponies, the music and dance lessons and all the love that made all my beautiful dreams come to life.
I would also like to thank Savage Society for everything they have done for me. I would not have this artistic career without their unfaltering support. Kevin and Chelsea, thank you for teaching me the true meaning of loyalty, mentorship, community and how powerful storytelling can be.
Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank the Métis Nation of Alberta and Audrey Poitras for her 28 years of leadership. I would not be here today without all the Métis leaders in Alberta who came before me. Thank you for giving us our stories back.”
AREN OKEMAYSIM
Ensemble, Bass
Originally from Beardy’s & Okemasis Cree Nation in Treaty 6 territory, Aren is a nêhiyaw/Plains Cree multidisciplinary performing artist, sound designer and technician currently based in Treaty 4, Saskatchewan. Currently, he is the Head of Sound for Globe Theatre in Regina. When he is not behind the console, he is either writing/performing with his okimawᐅᑭᒪᐤ solo project or somewhere across Turtle Island performing in plays as an actor. His most recent acting/design work includes: This Is How We Got Here (voiceover, Persephone Theatre); Oak Floors! A Heritage Cabaret (performer, All Terrain Theatre), Niizh (performer, Native Earth Performing Arts), The Call of the Lake (sound design/composition, Luminato Festival), The Mountaintop (sound design, Persephone Theatre) and many more. Aren would like to thank everyone at Savage Society, Tai, and the creative team for the opportunity and trust to be your Napew. ~kinanâskomitin
COLE ALVIS
Ensemble
Cole Alvis (she\her) is a Turtle Mountain Michif (Métis) artist based in Tkarón:to with Chippewa, Irish & English ancestors. She is one of the leaders of lemonTree creations, manidoons collective, and AdHoc Assembly, and is on the board of the Dancers Of Damelahamid. Previously, Cole performed in Louis Riel (Canadian Opera Company & National Arts Centre), directed the Dora-nominated bug by Yolanda Bonnell (manidoons collective & Luminato), Lilies by Michel Marc Bouchard (lemonTree creations, Why Not Theatre & Buddies in Bad Times Theatre) and, alongside co-director Michael Greyeyes, was Dora-nominated for the Indigenous opera double bill Two Odysseys: Pimooteewin / Gállábártnit (Signal Theatre, National Sami Theatre Beaivváš & Soundstreams). Recently, she directed Salt Baby by Falen Johnson (Theatre Aquarius), a digital presentation of Toka by Indrit Kasapi (lemonTree creations & Theatre Passe Muraille), and alongside Samantha Brown, co-directed White Girls In Moccasins by Yolanda Bonnell (manidoons collective & Buddies In Bad Times Theatre). Next: Cole co-directs, alongside Yvette Nolan (Algonquin), Three Fingers Back by Donna-Michelle St. Bernard (lemonTree creations & Tarragon Theatre).
KATHLEEN NISBET
Music & Composition/Fiddle, Mandolin, Banjo/Band Captain
Kathleen is a fiddle player, multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer from Vancouver, BC. Classically trained early on, she returned to her Métis roots, pursuing more traditional folk music. Since then she has worked with artists in a variety of genres. A regular accompanist with V’ni Dansi, Métis traditional dance, credits also include work with the Arts Club, Pacific Theatre, Mortal Coil, Citadel Theatre and Mascall Dance. Kathleen is an active member of Vancouver’s thriving bluegrass, old-time and folk scene. She performs and tours internationally with her band Viper Central and is known for her live music productions including the East Van Opry.
KRYSTLE PEDERSON
Music & Composition/Keyboard, Guitar/Vocal Captain/Ensemble
Krystle is a Saskatchewan-based Cree/Métis actor/singer/songwriter performing across North America and New Zealand. Krystle is a recipient of the CBC Future 40 Award, short-listed for the Saskatchewan Arts Award, and a nominee for a YWCA Women of Distinction Award. Krystle’s acting credits include a supporting role in Run: Broken Yet Brave, CBC Gem Series: Zarqa (Season 1), RMTC: The (Post) Mistress, NAC: Gabriel Dumont Wild West Show, Persephone Theatre: Reasonable Doubt, MTYP: Frozen River, Caravan Farm Theatre: The Nutcracker, IMAGO: The Flood. This will be Krystle’s first appearance with Savage Society and she is excited to be a part of this production and hopes you enjoy the show!!!
REBECCA SADOWSKI
Ensemble, Dance Captain
Rebecca is a Métis/queer performer and choreographer based in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) and is thrilled to be touring with Savage Society this season. Rebecca is an artistic member of the Good Women Dance Collective and curates dance programming for the local Nextfest Festival. She teaches dance with DancED Movement Project and works as an Indigenous Narratives Coordinator with the City of Edmonton. Recent credits include: Ayita (Skirtsafire Festival), Two-Headed Half-Hearted (Northern Light Theatre) BEARS (Punctuate Theatre) Minosis Gathers Hope (Alberta Aboriginal Arts) and has recently toured a piece to the Dancing on the Edge Festival. Rebecca has produced several dance films including THE SASH MAKER with Native Earth Performing Arts, as well as BREAKING BAPTIST with the Catalyst Theatre. Rebecca has a passion for sharing Indigenous narratives and historic arts. She strives to decolonize spaces and continues to deepen her connection to her Métis roots by sharing family stories, jigging, and finger-weaving sashes. She is so grateful for her family and her fianceé for their encouragement in her performance and choreographic pursuits.
LOIS ANDERSON
DIRECTOR
Lois Anderson is a Vancouver based director and writer. She has served as an artistic advisor for The National Arts Centre. Lois received a Jessie Award for her adaptation of Pericles and The Critic’s Choice Award for her adaptation of Lysistrata. She was a co-founder of Cirque Poule, an all-female clown circus, and is an original member of The Leaky Heaven Circus. Lois was an original creator/performer of Flying Blind which toured Australia and Canada, and has been an Artistic Associate with Runaway Moon, a puppet company that focuses on community engagement. Lois directed the NAC Grand Acts of Great Hope film entitled Siiye’yu which documented the collaboration of Coast Salish performance company Tsatsu Stalqayu and Mortal Coil. She directed the film Transcendence, based on the writings of Anosh Irani for Indian Summer Festival 2021. With Quelemia Sparrow she wrote Lysistrata and Camas Lilies for The Canadian Theatre Review, reflecting on their creative process during the adaptation of Lysistrata at Sen’a’kw. The article won the Nathan Cohen Award for Critical Essay, 2020. Recent work includes Buffoon, Henry V, Gertrude and Alice and Sunny Drake’s Childish.
CECILIA VADALA
Set Designer
Born and raised in Italy, Cecilia has a background in Philosophy and Art History. A graduate of the MFA program in Theatre Design and Production from the University of British Columbia, Cecilia designs for stage and screen, focusing on the scenic design practice.
As a designer, Cecilia considers herself a visual storyteller. Her aesthetic is suggestive and evocative. In her work, the space is another character that evolves and tells a story on its own. As an artist, Cecilia explores the connections between emotions and materials, feelings, and textures, often introducing a sensorial component to her designs.
Selected theatre credits: Gertrude and Alice (Scenic Designer, 2024), Blue Stockings (Scenic Designer, 2023), Black and Rural (Scenic and Costume Designer, 2023), Echoes From Far Away Cities (Scenic Designer, 2023), Emilia (Scenic and Costume Designer, 2021), Anna Bella Eema (Scenic and Costume Designer, 2020), Timothy Findley’s The Wars (Scenic Designer, 2019), Hosanna (Scenic Designer, 2019).
EVAN DUCHARME
Costume Designer
Evan is Métis from St. Ambroise, MB (Treaty 1). With both ancestral and contemporary Michif knowledge, their work examines Metis history and its cultural iconography with a subversion of colonial notions of gender, queerness, and relations to place.
Ducharme’s work has been featured in National Geographic, FASHION Magazine,
Vogue.com, Quelemia Sparrow’s Skyborn, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute exhibition In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. Ducharme currently lives and creates with gratitude on their home territories in Winnipeg, MB (Treaty 1).
ALAIA HAMER
Costume Designer
Alaia is a Vancouver theatre designer who originally grew up on the Gulf Islands. Her recent projects include costume design for Million Dollar Quartet, The Cull, Beneath Springhill, The Birds and the Bees (Arts Club); East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid; (Theatre Replacement); Cinderella (Gateway); HMS Pinafore, Carmen Up Close and Personal (Vancouver Opera); Beautiful Man (PI Theatre); assistant costume design for Romeo and Juliet, Coriolanaus, Taming of the Shrew, Macbeth (Bard on the Beach); set design for God Said This (Pacific Theatre); and Seventeen (Western Gold). She has worked on a variety of smaller shows throughout Vancouver and has a passion for costuming dance. Alaia is a graduate of the UBC Theatre Design program (2017) and holds an English literature degree (2012).
JEFF HARRISON
Lighting Designer
Jeff is a Vancouver-based, four-time Jessie Award-winning lighting designer for his work on Carousel Theatre’s Pharaoh Serket & the Lost Stone of Fire, Patrick Street Theatre’s Floyd Collins, Pi Theatre’s Blasted and Arts Club’s Hand to God. Jeff is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE ADC659). Other lighting credits include Savage Society’s Little Red Warrior & His Lawyer, Pi Theatre’s Beautiful Man, Patrick Street Theatre’s Batboy the Musical and The Full Monty, Urban Ink’s Children of God, Arts Club’s Beneath Springhill, and NAC Indigenous Theatre’s Women of the Fur Trade.
AARON MACRI
Sound Designer
Aaron is an Edmonton-based composer and sound designer. He has created music and sound design for theatre, dance, television and video for over twenty years. His work has been on stages across Canada and off-Broadway, as well as nationally broadcast. Tiny Plastic Men on Superchannel and CAUTION: May Contain Nuts on APTN. Aaron has worked with Savage Society in the past as a tour technical director for a previous version of, You used to call me Marie. He’s happy to be joining Savage Society again this time as a sound designer for this latest production of the show.
CANDELARIO ANDRADE
Projection Designer
Cande is a video editor and media designer based in Vancouver. Recent theatre design credits include: Women Of The Fur Trade (NAC, Native Earth, GCTC); Zahak (The Biting School); Julius Caesar (Bard on the Beach); I Carry Your Heart With Me (egg theatre); Little Red and His Lawyer (Savage Society/Belfry/NAC); Tree Drum (Theatre Terrific); Mom’s the Word Talking Turkey (Arts Club); White Girls in Moccasins (The Frank); Six of One (Studio 58); White Noise (Savage Society/Firehall); Clean/Espejos (Neworld) and DYMISH (Theatre Replacement). Recent editing credits include Bard on The Beach feature film Done/Undone; Belfry Theatre digital productions (2020-2021), as well as the short films: Common Law; a film about a uterus and The Day My Cat Saved My Life. In recent years, Cande has edited several short films and projects for Mochizuki Studios and has worked as an editor and promo producer for Knowledge Network and the Vancouver International Film Festival.
STEPHANIE ELGERSMA
Props Designer
Stephanie is a Studio 58 graduate who mainly works in puppetry in both Canada and the UK. As a puppet maker, she has worked for Wilton’s Music Hall, The Old Vic, Birmingham Rep, Disney Paris, and Nick Barnes Puppets (UK), as well as The Cultch, Brock University, Ghost River Theatre, Carousel Theatre, and the National Arts Centre (CA). She last worked for Savage Society on the puppets in their show Skyborn in 2020. She is now based in Vancouver where she builds and directs puppets for theatre, and teaches puppetry at Studio 58.
stephelgersma.com
@stephepuppets
ERIKA MOREY
Stage Manager
Erika Morey (she/her) is a Vancouver-based stage manager, arts administrator and producer. Past work includes Choir Boy, Forgiveness (Arts Club Theatre Company), Monty Python’s Spamalot, Frankenstein Revived (Stratford Festival), Boy Falls From The Sky (Mirvish Productions), Anne of Green Gables: The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Kronborg: A Hamlet Rock Musical, Metis Mutt, Spinning Yarns, Ghost Light (Charlottetown Festival), Rose: A New Musical, The Seagull (Soulpepper Theatre), The Marriage of Figaro (Edmonton Opera) among many others. Erika served as Secretary-Treasurer and Stage Management Councillor for Canadian Actor’s Equity from 2018-2021 and is the former Head of Development at Nightwood Theatre.
MICHELLE OLSON
Assistant Director
Michelle is a member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and the Artistic Director of Raven Spirit Dance. She studied dance and performance at the University of New Mexico, the Aboriginal Arts Program at the Banff Centre and was an Ensemble Member of Full Circle First Nations Performance. Michelle works in areas of dance, theatre and opera as a choreographer, performer and movement coach and her work has been seen on stages across Canada. Selected choreography/theatre credits include Gathering Light (Raven Spirit Dance), Salmon Girl (TYA – Raven Spirit Dance), Map of the Land, Map of the Stars (Gwaandak Theatre), Frost Trees Exploding Moon (Raven Spirit Dance), Mozart’s Magic Flute (Vancouver Opera), The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (Western Canada Theatre/National Arts Centre), Death of a Chief (Native Earth Performing Arts/National Arts Centre) and Evening in Paris (Raven Spirit Dance). She was the recipient of the inaugural Vancouver International Dance Festival Choreographic Award. She graduated as a Certified Movement Analyst from Laban/Bartenieff and Somatic Studies Canada and is currently teaching at Langara’s Studio 58. She recently received her MFA in Directing from the University of British Columbia.
ANDREA MENARD
Composer
Andrea Menard is a Métis actor and singer-songwriter from Treaty 1 territory and the Homeland of the Métis. She is a 5-time Gemini-nominated actress, a 15-time Canadian music award winner, and was recently named Métis Artist of the Year at the Summer Solstice Indigenous Music Awards in Ottawa. Theatre: Rubaboo (Grand Theatre/Arts Club/Citadel); Anne of Green Gables, Stories from the Red Dirt Road (Charlottetown Festival); The Orchard, Thanks For Giving (Arts Club); Great Expectations, Evita, Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth (Persephone); The Velvet Devil, (NAC) The Velvet Devil, Wizard of Oz, Governor of the Dew, (Globe Theatre) The Velvet Devil, 400 Kilometers, Wawatay (GTNT); The Rez Sisters, Joni Mitchell: River, Godspell (PTE); Street Wheat, The Selkie Wife, The Shipbuilder (Dancing Sky). Film & TV: Sullivan’s Crossing, Blackstone; Supernatural; Hard Rock Medical; Moccasin Flats, Rabbit Fall, The Velvet Devil.
YVONNE CHARTRAND
Choreographer (Métis Jigging)
Yvonne is a choreographer and dancer as well as a national award-winning master Métis jigger. Her ancestors come from the Mitchif (Métis) community of St. Laurent, Manitoba. In 2000, she co-founded V’ni Dansi (“come and dance” in Mitchif) where she continues to act as Artistic Director. Yvonne’s Métis dance work was passed to her through many Métis Elders; she is one of the only people in Canada who holds this traditional knowledge. As a cultural keeper, Yvonne is dedicated to preserving traditional Métis dance in Canada.
Her contemporary works are always informed by her Métis identity. As a contemporary dance choreographer, she has conceptualized and co-choreographed company group works: A Poet and Prophet 2003, Gabriel’s Crossing 2004, and The Crossing 2006. Her first full-length dance-theatre work Cooking It Up Métis 2013 created for young audiences.
Yvonne’s solo work includes Marguerite in 2000, inspired by the lives of the Métis Women who endured the Resistances, Stories from St. Laurent, 2009. Her mentor Robin Poitras created the commissioned solo Sara Riel: The Long Journey 2014 with Edward Poitras. Her solo Eagle Spirit premiered in Vancouver at V’ni Dansi’s annual Louis Riel Day Celebration, 2016. In 2022, her collaboration with Rulan Tangen of Santa Fe’s Dancing Earth, La Mitchin di Mitchif, premiered in Vancouver. In 2023 she was honoured to choreograph the opera, Li Keur: Riel’s Heart of the North for the Manitoba Opera in Winnipeg.
Yvonne was awarded a 2011 Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award from the Canada Council for the Arts.
GEOFF JONES
Assistant Stage Manager
Geoff Jones is a Vancouver-based Stage Manager. Some of his Stage Management and Assistant Stage Management credits include: Never the Last (Delinquent Theatre), The Wrong Bashir (Touchstone Theatre), Kismet, Things Have Changed (The Chop Theatre), Elf: The Musical, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Great Leap, Angels in America Part 1 and 2 (Arts Club Theatre Company), Nutcracker, The Coyotes, Sedna, Gift of the Magi, Our Town (Caravan Farm Theatre), King Arthur’s Night (Neworld Theatre), Still/Falling (Green Thumb Theatre), and Jabber (Green Thumb Theatre/Neworld Theatre). Geoff is a graduate of Studio 58.
CASTOR ANGUS
Apprentice Stage Manager
Castor (he/they) is stepping into the role of Apprentice Stage Manager, marking his debut with Savage Society. Castor currently resides on the land of the Songhees and Esquimalt nation (Victoria). Castor brings a wealth of experience in the theatre scene, having worked on productions of Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Birds, and Spongebob the Musical. In the latest phase of his career, he is the Arts Administrative Assistant at Pacific Opera Victoria for the upcoming year.
Outside of the hustle and bustle of the backstage, you can find Castor writing away on his laptop. As a writer, Castor caters to a younger audience, with his book about bears in Alaska designed for middle school and high school readers. Castor recently participated in Audible’s Indigenous Writing Circle, where he had the privilege of being mentored by Renulta Arluk. Embracing a journey filled with creativity and dedication, Castor continues to leave his mark both behind the scenes and on the literary stage.
MATT OVIATT
Technical Director
Matt is a professional live event contractor and member of Iatse Locals 118 & 250. He manages cycling events such as the Megavolt and the BC Bike Race, a 7-day mountain bike stage race, and has been technical director or production manager for many BC-based companies, including Ballet BC, Theatre Under The Stars, the Roundhouse, URP, Savage Society, Itsazoo Productions, and Dancers of Damelahamid. He is also a key member of the operations teams for Rifflandia, Harmony Arts, and Sunfest music festivals, among others. He’s pleased to be joining Savage Society again on You used to call me Marie, and hopes you enjoy the performance.
Additional Resources
Transformational Kinstellatory Relations and the Talking Stick Festival
By Lindsay Lachance and Selena Couture
Presenting Our Presence Podcast
Hosted by Professors Cindy Gaudet and Florence Glanfield
EPISODE 11: Mapping ancestry and connections to community – with Marilyn Dumont
Wesaketewenowuk: Roots Growing Up (after a fire)
Andrea menard
Andrea speaks with Elder Tom McCallum about the important role of the Songkeeper in Michif culture. Wesaketewenowuk: Roots Growing Up (after a fire) is a beautiful short film about Métis resilience and stories to encourage revitalization of the endangered Michif language through development of a new Michif-language song. Andrea Menard’s song, based on Tom McCallum’s Elder stories, support communities and educators’ actions toward reconciliation while they reaffirm connections to the Métis homeland in Edmonton.
Jean Teillet Explores Métis Identity: Culture, Rights, and Resilience
Jean Teillet, recently retired and named Emeritus Counsel at Pape Salter Teillet LLP, is indeed renowned for her significant contributions to Indigenous rights litigation, including landmark cases like R. v. Powley. She is a descendant of Louis Riel and has been an influential advocate for Métis and First Nation communities throughout her career. Teillet has received numerous accolades for her work, including the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross. Additionally, she is the author of “The North-West is Our Mother,” a book that delves into the history and culture of the Métis Nation.
THE WRITING OF STORIES OF MÉTIS WOMEN
by Bailey Oster
Visiting with the Land – “Wild Rose – Story of Ourselves” with Métis Knowledge Holder Krista Leddy!
- What can a wild rose teach us?
- Why do some Métis people consider the wild rose an aunty?
- Métis people celebrate the wild rose in their beadwork. Why do you think that is?
Metis Jigging Dance Class with Rebecca Sadowski
Rupertsland Institute – Metis Centre of Excellence in Alberta
Elder Joanna Potiyondi, Metis Horse Culture
Michif Resource Guide, Gabriel Dumont Institute
Developed in response to a Michif speakers gathering that was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on March 11, 2006. At this event, Michif-speaking delegates from across the three Prairie Provinces gathered to form the National Michif Speakers Association. The Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), with the help of Michif speakers, collaborated to produce this resource that includes a list of Métis-specific phrases and everyday grammar for the three Michif languages spoken in Western Canada: Michif-Cree, Michif-French, and Île-à-la Crosse Michif. This resource guide therefore departs from other resources in that it includes all three Michif languages, which will allow users to recognize both the languages’ similarities and differences.
Studio Visit with Evan Ducharme
Nimama: Plains Cree for ‘my mom, my mother’.
Faam: Michif for ‘woman’.
Lii Buffalo: Michif for ‘the buffalo’.
Lii Riviere: Michif for ‘the river’.
An Nom: Michif for ‘a man’.
Kisahkitin: ‘I love you’ in Plains Cree.
KOKUM SCARVES: In Treaty 6 territory, Ukrainian floral scarves have become iconic among many Indigenous Nations. These days, these scarves are even integrated into pow wow regalia. The nehiyawak (Cree people) refer to them as “kokum scarves,” with kokum meaning “your grandmother.” This serves as a reminder of their grandmothers and symbolizes carrying them with them when needed the most.
The choice of the floral scarf is rooted in the prairies’ history of trade and commerce between Indigenous Nations and settlers. Ukrainian and Cree communities often worked closely together during times of major hardship and famine. This cooperation between Indigenous Nations and newcomers is a recurring theme across Turtle Island. The floral scarves became a symbol of the strength and hard work of the matriarchs, thanks to this history of trade, commerce, and cooperation.
When Ukrainian people arrived in Treaty 6 territory, they brought with them beautiful floral patterned fabrics that naturally complemented the floral patterns found in Cree, Dene, and Metis beadwork. Indigenous grandmothers adopted these patterns as they worked closely with their new neighbours.
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