Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer

https://nac-cna.ca/en/event/30732

In-person event

NAC Indigenous Theatre in association with Theatre Calgary presents the Belfry Theatre and Savage Society production of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer. From director and Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring of the Nlaka’pamux Nation comes a wickedly funny satire about power, politics, and procreation. Little Red Warrior, the last remaining member of the Little Red Warrior First Nation, discovers construction has begun on his ancestral lands. In a fit of rage,...

May 18 - 27, 2023

Babs Asper Theatre 1 Elgin Street Ottawa Canada

This event has passed

Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer

May 18 - 27, 2023

Babs Asper Theatre

Indigenous arts Theatre Comedy

“Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer is so relentlessly irreverent and surprising... For the majority of the show, I was grinning my face off.” Colin Thomas

Featured artists

Director Kevin Loring

In-person event
English
≈ 85 minutes · No intermission

Ottawa Premiere

NAC Indigenous Theatre in association with Theatre Calgary presents the Belfry Theatre and Savage Society production of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer.

From director and Governor General’s Award-winning playwright Kevin Loring of the Nlaka’pamux Nation comes a wickedly funny satire about power, politics, and procreation.

Little Red Warrior, the last remaining member of the Little Red Warrior First Nation, discovers construction has begun on his ancestral lands. In a fit of rage, he attacks an engineer, gets arrested, thrown in jail, and assigned a court-appointed lawyer, Larry. Much to the dismay of his wife, Larry invites a displaced Little Red Warrior to stay with them. But when you invite a coyote into your coop, he might just walk away with your chickens.

Audience Advisory – contains adult situations and sexual themes, strong language and profanity, and brief use of strobe lighting. Recommended age: 16+

---

Thursday May 25th we are having a special lawyer networking event pre-show (6-7:20pm) in Le Salon. Please RSVP to the networking event by emailing jenna.spagnoli@nac-cna.ca by noon May 25th!

Learn more in the program notes ›

Pre-Show Chat – Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer

May 20, 2023 - 12:30 PM EDT

Peter A. Herrndorf Place

English

Indigenous arts Theatre Storytelling

Kevin Loring’s Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer arrives at the NAC!

May 17, 2023 A contemporary twist on Indigenous Trickster tales As a proud Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation, Kevin Loring is deeply committed to using his artistry to tell the stories of Indigenous peoples and bring attention to pressing issues. His contributions to the arts and his community are widely recognized and celebrated. He is a highly accomplished playwright, actor, and director, currently serving as the Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre. Through his art, he provides a powerful voice

Artists

Director Kevin Loring
Director Kevin Loring

Kevin Loring is an accomplished Canadian playwright, actor and director and was the winner of the Governor General’s Award for English Language Drama for his outstanding play, Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. The play explores the intergenerational effects of the residential school system. It toured nationally and was presented at the National Arts Centre in 2010, when Loring was serving as the NAC’s Playwright in Residence.

A Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, Loring created the Songs of the Land project in 2012 in partnership with five separate organizations in his home community. The project explores 100-year-old audio recordings of songs and stories of the N’lakap’amux People. Loring has written two new plays based on his work with the community including Battle of the Birds, about domestic violence and power abuse, and The Boy Who Was Abandoned, about youth and elder neglect.

A versatile artist and leader Loring has served as the co-curator of the Talking Stick Festival, as Artist in Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, as Artistic Director of the Savage Society in Vancouver, as a Documentary Producer of Canyon War: The Untold Story, and as the Project Leader/Creator, and Director of the Songs of the Land project in his home community of Lytton First Nation.

Dramaturge, acteur et professeur canadien accompli, M. Loring a remporté le Prix du Gouverneur général pour la dramaturgie de langue anglaise, en 2009, pour sa pièce remarquable intitulée Where the Blood Mixes. L’œuvre se penche sur les effets intergénérationnels du régime des pensionnats autochtones. La pièce a été présentée en tournée dans tout le pays, et notamment au Centre national des Arts en 2010 alors que M. Loring y était l’auteur dramatique en résidence.

Nlaka’pamux de la Première Nation Lytton en Colombie-Britannique, M. Loring a créé le projet Songs of the Land en 2012, en partenariat avec cinq organisations distinctes de sa collectivité natale. Cette initiative puise dans 100 ans d’enregistrements sonores des chants et récits du peuple N’lakap’amux. M. Loring a écrit deux nouvelles pièces basées sur ce travail avec la collectivité : Battle of the Birds, sur la violence familiale et l’abus de pouvoir, et The Boy Who Was Abandoned, sur la négligence à l’égard des jeunes et des aînés.

Artiste et leader polyvalent, Kevin Loring a œuvré comme coorganisateur du Talking Stick Festival, artiste résident au Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, directeur artistique de la Savage Society à Vancouver, producteur du documentaire Canyon War: The Untold Story, et fer de lance, créateur et directeur du projet Songs of the Land dans sa collectivité natale de la Première Nation Lytton.
NAC media featuring Kevin Loring
Close
Little Red Warrior Craig Lauzon

Little Red Warrior Craig Lauzon

Originally from Ottawa, of mixed settler and Anishinabe decent. A member of the sketch troupe Tonto's Nephews, former Artistic Associate at Native Earth Performing Arts. Toured Darrell Dennis’ Tales of an Urban Indian across Canada and Australia.

Theatre credits: The Darkest Dark (Y.P.T), Detroit (The Coal Mine), Where the Blood Mixes (Soulpepper), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford), The Drawer Boy (Theatre Passe Muraille), Thunderstick (Persephone Theatre), King Lear (N.A.C), Trudeau & Levesque (VideoCaberet)

Television credits: Trickster, Murdoch Mysteries, The Guilt Free Zone, Fool Canada, Air Farce, The Ron James Show, Beyblade and Beyblade: The Movie.

Originaire d’Ottawa, Craig Lauzon est un artiste aux origines anishinaabes et européennes. Ancien associé artistique de Native Earth Performing Arts, il est membre de la troupe comique Tonto's Nephews. Il s’est produit dans tout le Canada et en Australie dans le cadre de la tournée mondiale de la pièce Tales of an Urban Indian de Darrell Dennis.

Au théâtre, on a pu le voir dans The Darkest Dark (Y.P.T), Detroit (The Coal Mine), Where the Blood Mixes (Soulpepper), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford), The Drawer Boy (Theatre Passe Muraille), Thunderstick (Persephone Theatre), King Lear (CNA) et Trudeau & Levesque (VideoCaberet). À la télévision : Trickster, Murdoch Mysteries, The Guilt Free Zone, Fool Canada, Air Farce, The Ron James Show, Beyblade et Beyblade: The Movie.

Close
Lizzy Nick Miami Benz

Lizzy Nick Miami Benz

Nick Miami Benz, Shapeshifter, Storyteller, Self. Nick is a Leo-nominated performance artist trained in dances from the Afro, Latinx and Indigenous diasporas, focusing on the embodiment of animal movements. While studying dance in New York City, they worked as an equestrian for The Metropolitan Opera, which inspired them to return to theatre as an actor and singer. Nick’s acting training is founded on the Meisner technique and voice work through the Lovetri method. Their theatre credits include God’s Lake, Little Red Warrior, Blackhorse and working with Atomic Vaudeville, Mascall Dance, Netflix and John Fluevog. In addition, Nick Miami Benz shares their expertise in movement through holistic exercise coaching in Vancouver.

Nick Miami Benz, métamorphe, est habile à raconter des histoires. Artiste de scène finaliste aux prix LEO, Nick Miami Benz a suivi une formation en danse africaine, latino et autochtone, avec une approche basée sur la reproduction des mouvements des animaux. Pendant ses études en danse à New York, l’artiste participe à un spectacle équestre au Metropolitan Opera, lui donnant envie de revenir au jeu et au chant. Adepte de la technique Meisner (interprétation) et de la méthode LoVetri (chant), Nick Miami Benz a joué au théâtre dans God’s Lake, Little Red Warrior et Blackhorse, en plus de ses collaborations avec Atomic Vaudeville, Mascall Dance, Netflix et John Fluevog. Nick Miami Benz donne des cours d’exercices holistiques à Vancouver sur les différentes postures corporelles.

Close
Desdemona Luisa Jojic

Desdemona Luisa Jojic

Luisa is filled with joy to be part of the team bringing the story of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer to the stage. She was born to immigrant parents on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səlíl̓wətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, where she still lives. She is a performer, teaching artist and coach who loves cooking, eating, laughing and dancing. For performance credits and more detailed biography, please visit luisajojic.com. Enjoy the show!

Luisa Jojic est ravie de faire partie de la distribution de Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer. Née de parents immigrés, elle a grandi sur le territoire non cédé des peuples salish de la côte, y compris les Nations xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) et Səlíl̓wətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), où elle réside toujours. Elle est interprète, artiste-enseignante et répétitrice. Elle aime danser, s’amuser, cuisiner et déguster de bons plats. Pour en savoir plus sur Luisa Jojic, rendez-vous sur son site Web : luisajojic.com. Bon spectacle!

Close
Floyd Kevin McNulty

Floyd Kevin McNulty

Kevin had the pleasure of seeing the original production of Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer some years ago at Studio 58 in Vancouver and being in the first professional production last year at the Belfry in Victoria. Most recently, he was on stage in The Father (The Search Party) (Jessie Award - Best Actor), Stupid Fucking Bird (The Search Party), and at the NAC with Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer. His recent film credits include Yellowjackets and Schmigadoon. In 1965, Kevin was part of St. Anthony’s Boys Choir in Calgary and remembered his first ‘studio session’ recording a jingle for the Hudson’s Bay Company’s 295th birthday. In the 1990s, he shot various projects in Calgary for film and TV, including North of 60 and A Good Day To Die, working with Sidney Poitier.

Kevin McNulty a assisté à la production originale de Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer il y a quelques années au Studio 58, à Vancouver, avant d’intégrer l’an passé la distribution de la première production professionnelle au Belfry Theatre, à Victoria. Plus récemment, on a pu le voir au théâtre dans The Father (The Search Party et prix Jessie du meilleur interprète masculin), Stupid Fucking Bird (The Search Party) et Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer (CNA). À la télévision, on a pu le voir dans les séries Yellowjackets et Schmigadoon. En 1965, il fait ses premiers pas dans un studio avec le chœur St. Anthony’s Boys de Calgary pour enregistrer la chanson publicitaire célébrant les 295 ans de la Compagnie de la Baie d’Hudson. Dans les années 1990, il est un habitué des plateaux de télévision et de cinéma à Calgary (North of 60 et A Good Day To Die avec Sidney Poitier).

Close
Larry Shekhar Paleja

Larry Shekhar Paleja

After disappointing his family by not going into medicine, Shekhar has played doctors in many Films & TV shows, most recently as Dr. Hook in season 3 of Superman & Lois. As well he’s worked in theatres across Canada, including Bard on the Beach, CanStage, Arts Club, Manitoba Theatre Centre, Belfry, Globe, Vancouver Playhouse, and ATP. Shekhar is also an author and playwright—his novel, An Extraordinary Destiny, was published in 2017 by Brindle & Glass; he’s had two children’s books published by Annick Press; and VACT recently produced a workshop of Shekhar’s new play about cancel culture and historic statues Gandhi & Churchill’s Excellent Adventure!

Shekhar Paleja n’a pas fait des études de médecine, au grand désespoir de sa famille. Et pourtant, cela ne l’a pas empêché d’enfiler à plusieurs reprises la blouse blanche au cinéma et à la télévision. Il a notamment campé le rôle de Dr Hook dans la troisième saison de Superman et Lois. On a pu le voir sur les scènes de tout le pays, notamment au Bard on the Beach, à la Canadian Stage, au Arts Club Theatre, au Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, au Belfry Theatre, au Vancouver Playhouse Theatre et à l’ATP. Auteur et dramaturge, il publie en 2017 un roman intitulé Extraordinary Destiny (Brindle & Glass), et deux albums pour enfants (Annick Press). Gandhi & Churchill’s Excellent Adventure!, sa nouvelle pièce sur la culture du bannissement et les statues historiques, a fait l’objet d’un atelier au Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct).

Close