A premiere at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre this weekend will give audiences a story which is not often told in the country.
The performance entitled Yenene Yati/Arnat Oqausiit – which means “women's words” – is being staged Saturday by a group of actresses from Yellowknife and Fort Smith who aim to tell the story of Indigenous women through theatrical performance, stated information from NACC.
This show comes a month after National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls made a stop in Yellowknife at the Chateau Nova hotel.
In collaboration with Micheline Chevrier, artistic director at Imago Theatre in Montreal, the group of performers are preparing to go across the nation to spread their message and bring awareness to the hardships Indigenous women have endured.
The play was developed after a 10-day writing session at the Blachford Lake Lodge in Yellowknife which included input from notable talent such as Tiffany Ayalik, one half of the Juno Award winning musical group Quantum Tangle and Reneltta Arluk of the Yellowknife based Akpik Theatre.
Also involved in the performance is Yellowknife composer Carmen Braden and Saskatchewan-based writer-facilitator Yvette Nolan who is a member of the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance.
“When someone takes the stage to speak it is important to listen,” said the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in an online statement.
“This is even more important when the speaker has waited a long time to have their say.”
Following the Yellowknife show, the show will travel to the Imago Theatre in Montreal and the Native Earth Performing Arts theatre in Toronto.
The three-hour show will take place tomorrow beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 for children and seniors and $35 for general admission.