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The idea for an Indigenous theatre festival in Winnipeg first came up about four years ago. Charlene van Beukenhout fell into it almost by accident.
“The festival was actually brought to me from a friend,” she shared with Nolan Kehler on Morning Light. “One day, she came to me and said, and we were right down to like, we're we had to submit the grant. And she said, “I think we need a festival.”
Fast forward to the present day, and the Kiyanaan Indigenous Theatre Festival is set to take the stage at the Prairie Theatre Exchange for two days of Indigenous storytelling and cultural exchanges for all ages.
Van Beukenhout, who is the artistic director of Echo Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange’s company-in-residence, explains that the word “kiyanaan” is a Southern Michif word rooted in community. “‘Kiyanaan’ is the relational word meaning ‘us’,” she says, “and that’s an inclusive ‘us’, so it’s not over here – us and them – it's all of us together.”
I thought that was a beautiful sentiment for what I wanted the festival to be as an all-inclusive festival that we can all gather and share with each other our experiences, our stories, and our talents.”
The artists gathering for the Kiyanaan Indigenous Theatre Festival certainly embody its spirit, with a wide variety of disciplines, backgrounds and ages represented. From a cabaret performance of dance, drag and comedy to play readings to children’s performance done by van Beukenhout herself, the festival has rooted itself both in sharing theatre pieces from the past as well as new creations that look to the future.
“The model of the festival is like an Anishinaabe medicine wheel,” van Beukenhout says as she talks about all the programming being offered. “There are youth emerging voices to show us where we’re going in theatre, and then there’s adult contemporary pieces to show us where we are. Then we have our elder piece at the end to show us where we came from in Manitoba.”
Ultimately, van Beukenhout hopes that this festival will be an encouragement to the next generation of Indigenous creatives to stay in Manitoba to create their works. “We have low capacity because our talent is either leaving to find work or it’s not being developed here past like an initial beginning stage,” she says, noting that this ranges from playwrights to actors to technical areas of theatre as well. “I really thought that a festival could actually help be a place where we can offer support for those shows.”
If that realization of the Kiyanaan Festival can be achieved, van Beukenhout knows that will be an effective tool in engaging Indigenous stories, language and culture for future generations. “Theatre is life. Telling our stories is telling our life experiences. I think it’s well positioned to engage, preserve, but also grow, expand, develop and keep it alive for community.”
The Kiyanaan Indigenous Theatre Festival runs January 18 and 19 at the Prairie Theatre Exchange on the third floor of Portage Place mall. Programming on both days begins at 11am. For tickets and more information on all the programming the festival is offering, visitors are encouraged to visit Echo Theatre’s website.
