Alianait is presenting a concert featuring the April Verch Band and local favourites Errol Fletcher & Jamal Shirley, plus the Iqaluit Fiddlers. April Verch is an internationally renowned and multiple award-winning Canadian fiddler, singer, songwriter and stepdancer from the Ottawa Valley.

Tickets are $22 in advance ($12 for youth 13 to 18) available at Arctic Ventures, and $25 at the door ($15 for youth 13 to 18).  All Alianait shows are FREE for elders and kids 12 and under accompanied by an adult.

The concert will take place on Saturday, May 26th at Nakasuk School starting at 7:30 pm.

Heather Daley, Executive Director
867-979-6468, ext 3
heather@alianait.ca

Aboriginal Program Assistant

The Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild has been fortunate in receiving funding support from Service Canada towards hiring a student through the Canada Summer Jobs Program. We are accepting applications for an Aboriginal Program Assistant to work 30 hours per week for a 12 week summer term position at $12 per hour, commencing May 28, 2012.

The successful applicant will be responsible for assisting the Aboriginal Program Coordinator in developing aspects of programming for Aboriginal writers, including the research and maintenance of databases of Aboriginal writers, Aboriginal writing web resources, SK-Canada-International connections with other groups with similar mandates to SWG. The assistant will also aid in writing grant and funding applications for fall 2012 and winter/spring 2013 programming, be responsible for inter-office and online filing and organization, attend constituency meetings, manage Facebook, Twitter and other social media postings, and help coordinate and facilitate a variety of programs, such as Aboriginal History Month activities, a writing retreat, and youth workshops. For full job posting, please visit SWG

For more information check out their website.

Eligibility Criteria:

• be between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of the employment; (preference given to university students, particularly those in Indian Communication Arts, Administration, English,  or Journalism studies)
• have been registered as full-time students in the previous academic year and intend to return to school on a full-time basis in the next academic year;
• be Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act; and (preference given to Saskatchewan residents)
• be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.

Please send your résumé and a cover letter with references to

info@skwriter.com
Or mail to Box 3986,
Regina, SK S4P 3R9.
Courier and drop-off applications may be brought to:
1150-8th Ave, Regina.

Deadline for receipt of applications is May 23, 4:30 pm.

.

The fifth annual Ode’min Giizis Festival is gearing up for June 20-24 in Peterborough Ontario. The cast is spectacular (see here).

The Ode’min Giizis Festival is presented by O’Kaadenigan Wiingashk (OKW) and Public Energy in Peterborough, Ontario. From June 20-24 2012, Indigenous artists, including musicians, performers, visual artists, writers, storytellers, artisans, and dancers will gather to expand our imagination and dreams while pushing the boundaries of their art forms.
.

YOUTH DRAMA CAMP FACILITATOR

Deadline for application: Monday, May 21, 2012
Location: Saskatoon, SK
Assignment: Full Time Summer Student Position
Pay Rate: TBD
Dates: Tuesday, July 3 to Friday August 31, 2012

Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company (SNTC) will engage a team of three facilitators to deliver the Performers Playhouse program in July and August 2012. The facilitators must possess the skills and knowledge required to provide a culturally based youth drama program. This summer, seven five-day long programs will take place in urban, rural and reserve locations throughout Saskatchewan. The facilitators return to Saskatoon on most weekends.

Roles and Responsibilities

SNTC is looking for three facilitators to deliver the 2012 Performers Playhouse program, which will tour to different communities around the province this summer. As part of the team, you will work with youth ages 7-15 facilitating cultural and performing arts exercises, activities and games. Each weekly program will conclude with a talent showcase performed by the youth for the community, coordinated by the facilitators.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate(s) will have:

• raining and/or work experience in theatre and/or performing arts;
• an understanding of First Nations and Métis language, culture and peoples in SK;
• experience working with children and youth;
• facilitation experience and group management skills;
• a valid driver’s license and experience working in First Nations communities.

Two of the three facilitators must be high school or post-secondary summer student applicants that are registered and returning to school in the fall; all applicants must be bondable. Applicants must be willing to travel throughout the province as part of a team of cultural arts facilitators.

The Performers Playhouse provides an opportunity for youth to be immersed in a relevant cultural arts program that is fun, safe and educational. The goal is to develop and foster their interests in the performing arts and reinforce awareness of First Nations culture and language.

Please send resumes to:

Alan Long, General Manager
Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company
914 20th Street West,
Saskatoon, SK S7M 0Y4
Phone: 306-933-2262 Fax: 306-933-2738

Email: gm@sntc.ca

Marie Clements

Many congratulations to the ultra-talented Marie Clements, who has been awarded $120,000 – The Women in the Director’s Chair – to support completing her first feature, Stonefaces.

Marie Clements Website, profile on the CCA Website and the Playwrights Canadian Press.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS NOTICE – Eastern Canadian General Auditions

Audition dates: May 24th & 25th,2012
Audition location: Halifax, NS
Deadline to submit: Friday, May 11 by 5pm AST
Contact name: Janice Creelman
Contact email: jcreelman@neptunetheatre.com
Contact phone: (902) 429-7300

Engager Website: www.neptunetheatre.com, www.onelighttheatre.com

Neptune Theatre, Onelight Theatre and other Eastern Canadian theatre companies are now accepting submissions from actors for a combined general audition call on May 24th and 25th, 2012 at Neptune Theatre in Halifax, NS.

No electronic submissions please.

Eastern Canadian artistic directors including Shahin Sayadiof Onelight Theatre and George Pothitos of Neptune Theatre will be in attendance. Interested actors should forward a recent head-shot and a resume with email address and CAEA status to:

Eastern Canadian General Auditions

Neptune Theatre
1593 Argyle St.
Halifax, NS
B3J 2B2

Please reference: East Coast General Auditions in your submission. Only those actors selected to audition will be contacted. Actors will be asked to prepare one monologue of their choosing. We encourage Actors of all cultural backgrounds to apply. Equity members will be seen first at all open audition calls. Equity members will be engaged under a CTA contract. CAEA members: please bring your membership card to the audition.

We’ve got them listed on our Calendar. Here are the links:

• A Tribe Called Red CD Release Party – Thur May 3, Toronto, ON.
• Indigenous Afterdark w/ A Tribe Called Red, et. al – Fri May 4, Vancouver, BC.
• Cris Derksen and Kristi Lane Sinclair – touring, first stop Tues May 15, Vancouver, BC.

.

King Lear, or Native Lear as it’s more commonly known, is currently playing at The National Arts Centre (Ottawa, ON) May 8-26. This post cherry-picks from Kevin Loring on Native Earth Performing Arts’ blog HokaHeh: Augie’s Dream

When the Ecstasy of  Rita Joe opened at the Vancouver Playhouse in 1967, after a pregnant pause, Canadian Theatre was born. It was at this time that, Actor/Director/Producer John Juliani approached his dear friend August “Augie” Schellenberg about how wonderful Chief Dan George would be as King Lear; and the idea of an all-Aboriginal Lear was born.

They asked Chief Dan George if he’d do it.
But Dan George said No.
We asked him, why not? It’s a good part.
Dan laughed and shook his head, Too many lines, too many lines.

-  August Schellenberg

More...

Spring Training Intensive in Contemporary & Traditional Aboriginal Dance, Story & Song
presented by Raven Spirit Dance & The Dance Centre

May 25th – June 2nd, 2012 in Vancouver, BC

Join us for a 9-Day intensive dance program full of classes, workshops, artist talks & professional development that focus on Contemporary & Traditional Aboringal Dance, Story & Song. Raven Spirit’s training and mentorship activities are formulated with the intent of providing artists the opportunity to make work in the creative field, as cultural workers fully invested in communicating, creating, performing and disseminating work as broadly as possible. The intent is to develop training opportunities for the emerging Indigenous community of artists, address break between the professional realm and training programs, foster the creation of critical skills, and ultimately work towards a stronger community and better developed pool of performers.

For more information, to register, or to see a class schedule please visit the RSD website!
See Schedule and Instructor Biographies!

Email: info@ravenspiritdance.com or Phone 604-646-0010

Latest: Can’t attend the whole 9 day training but want to experience some exciting new dance styles? Buy a 4-Class Card for only $20! (reg. $50). RSD still has spots left for this promotion to the first 20 people!

Vancouver Moving Theatre & DTES Heart of the City Festival in partnership with the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre invite you to witness

Storyweaving

May 11-13 & 18-20, 2012
Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre
Weaving First Nation Memories from the
Past into the Future

Twining together stories, poems and personal memories
With oral histories woven from cultural teachings,
West Coast dances and the ancient bone game of Slahal.

A cast of aboriginal artists, elders, dancers and Downtown Eastside community members help an old man- The Old One – open up to his life’s journey, his regrets and hopes, through the teachings of the medicine wheel. His journey home gives voice to experiences of the urban aboriginal community, to voices not heard, to lives left behind. Over the course of the Old One’s journey, ancestral memories emerge of the history of the Coast Salish area shared by many peoples.  Songs, dances and stories are shared about traditional roles, protocols and ways of seeing and doing.

For more information visit: http://vancouvermovingtheatre.com

Picked this gem up via Facebook via Full Circle via Planet Indigenous (loves the world wide web). On Planet Indigenous’s News Blog, Candice Jacko describes her experience at this year’s Talking Stick Festival:

I had the great pleasure to visit the beautiful city of Vancouver for the 11th annual Talking Stick Festival. The Talking Stick Festival is a 14-day event, created in 2001 by Full Circle: First Nations Performance, to provide a unique showcase and forum for talented Aboriginal artists and to introduce both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal audiences to contemporary Aboriginal artistic practice. This year it was held from February 20 to March 4 but I only attended for the first week.

I arrived in Vancouver on Family Day (although it wasn’t Family Day in BC) for the Taste of the Festival Gala Opening. The night started off with Spakwus Slolem (Eagle Song Dancers) whose members are from Squamish Nation whose traditional lands span across the lower mainland of BC which includes Vancouver. They welcomed the festival and audience to their traditional territory and blessed the floor with their traditional dances. This was the first time that I’ve seen West Coast dance and really enjoyed watching; their culture is so different from what I’m accustomed to seeing from Anishnawbe peoples. The next performance was an excerpt from the play Metis Mutt, an autobiographical one-man show, performed by Sheldon Elter, which recounts a young man’s coming of age through difficult family and cultural circumstances. Sheldon is a great actor and I enjoyed the short excerpt so I was looking forward to watching the full play the following day. There were also other short performances by Kinnie Star, Zaccheus Jackson, Bear Witness (from a Tribe Called Red), Git Hayetsk (another West Coast dance group) and the Eastern Sky Ambassadors.
The next day began with the full performance of Metis Mutt. Again, Sheldon is a great actor who played a few different characters and easily transitioned from one character to another.

Wednesday night, I went to the Café Deux Soleils for a spoken word event titledFrom Talking Stick to the Microphone hosted by Zaccheus Jackson. I really enjoyed Zaccheus as a host and a spoken word performer. He also encouraged a few youth from his poetry group to perform as well.

Later on this week the programme was packed with another theatre play titled In a World Created by a Drunken God written by Drew Hayden Taylor and performed by Trevor Duplessis and Kurt Spenrath. There were many great workshops, a reading with Paul Seesequasis for his new book Tobacco Wars, a music project with Kinnie Starr, Pacific Curls, Dave Larocque and the Borealis String Quartet. The Talking Stick also programmed late nights; I attended the late event on the Friday and had the chance to see musician Wayne Lavalle perform. I had the pleasure of meeting him afterwards and he is very nice and modest.

Sunday was my last day in Vancouver and I attended the “Celebration of a Pow Wow”. One of the festival staff had mentioned to me earlier in the week that this was the first time they planned a pow wow during their festival. I really enjoyed my time at the pow wow before my flight home. Each head dancer had their chance to show their dance and talk about the history of that dance. They also had a Snake Dance, which is the first time that I saw this at a pow wow. The host explained that a snake dance was a dance specifically for youth/children.

Overall, I had a great time in Vancouver and enjoyed the Talking Stick Festival. I would like to thank Harbourfront Centre for the wonderful opportunity to attend the festival. I’d also like to thank the Full Circle staff, Margo Kane and Nyla Carpentier for their warm welcome to the festival.

Chi-miigwetch (Thank you!)

fullcircleperformance.ca