This Indigenous History Month, we celebrate the role of Indigenous Theatre in celebrating and revitalizing Indigenous languages. On June 17, Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Loring and actor and director Charles Bender engaged on the topic of language. Bender, who adapted Loring’s play Where the Blood Mixes/Là où le sang se mêle into French, chatted with Kevin about the translation process and more. Loring’s play, which won a 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama award-winning play, was presented in French and English during Indigenous Theatre’s premiere arts festival, Mòshkamo.
We celebrate that Indigenous Theatre is now a permanent platform dedicated to bringing the works of Indigenous artists to the national stage. Through a series of interviews, we revisit our national mandate to include distinct personal and cultural perspectives from coast to coast to coast and languages from all four directions. Interviews with artists who participated in Indigenous Theatre’s inaugural season act as a retrospective on our first season, which honoured the resilience, strength, and beauty of Indigenous women.
Artistic Director, Indigenous Theatre
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.
Since his nomination for a Prix Gémeau for hosting the young adult show C’est parti mon tipi, Charles Bender has become a regular presence on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). He plays the lead on Sioui-Bacon and was part of the cast of the first season of Mohawk Girls, two popular series on the network. Charles launched his acting career in French in Quebec City, and subsequently studied theatre in English at Concordia University in Montreal. Since graduating, he has appeared in a variety of productions in both English and French, including Destinée, En thérapie and Being Human. On stage, he has worked with a variety of politically and socially active theatre companies such as Teesri Duniya, Ondinnok and Tableau d’Hote, and is currently the co-artistic director of his own theatre company, Productions Menuentakuan. He sits on the board of directors of many organizations that promote Indigenous culture, and hosted the four-part documentary series 8e feu (8th Fire), a Radio-Canada TV series tackling a variety of contemporary First-Nation issues.
Après sa nomination aux Gémeaux pour son animation sur l’émission jeunesse C’est parti mon tipi, Charles Bender a eu une présence de plus en plus remarquée sur le réseau de télévision des Premières Nations APTN. Il a été invité à tenir le rôle principal sur la série de fiction Sioui-Bacon ainsi que dans la première saison de la série Mohawk Girls. Bien qu’ayant débuté sa carrière en français sur les planches de la ville de Québec, il décide de poursuivre sa formation en interprétation en anglais à l’Université Concordia. Au sortir de ses études, il aura donc l’occasion de travailler sur plusieurs productions autant en français qu’en anglais, telles que Destinée, En thérapie et Being Human. Sur scène, il collabore avec plusieurs compagnies engagées, dont Tessrie Dunyia, Ondinnok et Tableau d’Hôte, et est codirecteur artistique des Productions Menuentakuan. Il siège sur plusieurs conseils d’administration d’organismes qui ont la culture autochtone à cœur et a été présentateur de la très remarquable émission de Radio-Canada 8e feu, une série documentaire abordant une variété de questions contemporaines touchant les Premières Nations.
__square.png){kind=logo}
7:44
9:08
12:23
