Description
Performing Turtle Island: Indigenous Theatre on the World Stage is edited by Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber (Metis/Cree), Kathleen Irwin, and Moira J. Day. Performing Turtle Island cites the TRC Call to Action 83 for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to the reconciliation process. Acting on this call the two main parts of this work refer to Critical Self-Representation in Production and Training in part I: and, part II Performance in Dialogue with the Text. The work has a concluding chapter entitled Coda: The Dream of An Impossible Theatre called Red People, Red Magic by Floyd P. Favel (Cree). Performing Turtle Island is a collaborative work by Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists reflecting film (Michael Greyeyes), movies (Armand Garnet Ruffo), classical music and opera (Spy Denomme-Welch and Catherine Magowan), philosophical reflections on Indigenous theatre education (Carol Greyeyes) and a conversation with Daniel David Moses (Annie Smith and Daniel David Moses). In the performance in dialogue with the text, the work of Tomson Highway and Rita Joe are explored. Indigenous dramaturgy on Turtle Island, cultural fluency, and resurgence and recognition complete part II. The aim of Performing Turtle Island is to open up an interdisciplinary discussion on Indigenous theatre and performance practices through the work of artists and scholars, while also representing community engagement, education and creative expression. This work shows how Indigenous artists shape theatre and performance in constructing and representing land, community for Indigenous and Canadian identities. An index and list of contributors is presented at the end of Performing Turtle Island.