New Blood, a play based out of Strathmore High School, had its final show of the season last month.
The students performed the show in Medicine Hat, which was free for all to attend. The night also marked the last time that Trinity Pretty Youngman would be playing the lead role.
Pretty Youngman got the part three years ago, being mentored by Hayden Yellow Old Woman, the show's original actor.
"I was really close to Hayden growing up. I've known him all my life," said Pretty Youngman. "He just gave it to me straight and told me that it's going to be really emotionally exhausting at some point."
Despite not growing up with a passion for acting, Pretty Youngman developed a love for theatre after watching New Blood in junior high school.
"I knew I wanted to be a part of it, just because I knew how important it was," added Pretty Youngman. "I spoke to Deanne Bertsch, the drama teacher there, and I asked her how I could be a part of it next year."
Bertsch created the show back in 2014, telling the story of Vincent Yellow Old Woman, the former chief of Siksika Nation and Hayden's grandfather. The play covers themes of truth and reconciliation, with the music provided from Peter Gabriel's album of the same name.
It was a big season for the production. The students performed at a national theatre festival in Ottawa, and late last year a documentary film about the play was released through CBC Gem. The film was directed by Adam Solway, a filmmaker from Siksika Nation.
"People think it's just a show, but it's so much more. It's connecting so many people to so many hard topics that Canada tends to push under the rug," said Pretty Youngman. "This is not my story. This is my grandparents' story. This is my parents' story. This is Canada's story."
Pretty Youngman will be spending the summer touring Canada and the United States after being crowned Miss Siksika earlier this year.
"It's pretty busy, but I'm really excited about it."
The former lead will be heading to Mount Royal University in the autumn to study film. She added that she'll be more than happy to help future productions in the coming years.
"I could see myself being that mentor for future leads because Hayden has been doing that for almost all of the leads. Not just me, but the past ones."
The show is expected to return during the 2025/26 school year.