Residents of Maskwacîs are invited out to a fun way to learn about Treaty rights through drama.
Initially debuting at the Edmonton Fringe Festival in 2023, "Talk Treaty to Me" is now hosting a free April 16 showing at Jonas Applegarth Theatre, kicking off a short tour which will see the show perform at several locations in Alberta — as well as in the Arctic.
"Not to toot our own horns, but we think the show is funny," said Theresa Cutknife, who co-wrought the play with Sam Fraughton. "We are self-producing this, and that is an adventure and learning experience. It's quite a steep learning curve to self-produce."
Telling the story of two friends as they grow up, the play discusses how Treaty 6 affects their lives and relationships at different intervals, with the help of two tricksters who represent Alexander Morris, who was the commissioner for Treaties 6, 7 and 8 and a fictional Indigenous signatory named Harvey, who have a similar relationship to Tom and Jerry or Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny.
They teach the audience what the rules of the treaties are, so the audience can watch the rules play out between the two friends. Sheldon Stockdale and Mitchell Saddleback play the tricksters, while Cutknife and Fraughton playing the two friends. The play is directed by Desirée Livingstone.
By explaining the legal framework of Treaty 6 in a comedic and fun manner, Fraughton said she hoped to help people navigate the jargon-heavy document, which she noted can be a deterrent for some to get through it.
"I think stories are the only way to communicate anything," she said. "And I say that as someone with a law degree. I feel like creating the show taught me more about treaty law than most university classes did."
Following the show, attendees will be given a free Nehiyawewin At-Home Learning Kit, which includes flashcards, books and other tools for learning the traditional language at home. The kits are valued at roughly $400 and are donated by Supporting Indigenous Language Revitalization (SILR).
After this, which will be the fourth showing of the play, Cutknife and Fraughton are taking their show on the road on a "mini-tour" that will see them perform two more shows in Maskwacîs and then to Yukon to showcase as part of Awaken Festival in Whitehorse with Gwaandak Theatre, wrapping up with a show in Haines Junction.
Looking forward, the pair said they would like to get a Toronto showing of their play, since Cutknife now lives and works there. They also have their eyes on showing their play at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.
As for their next project, both Cutknife and Fraughton say they have ideas but they're happy to ride their current project out.
"We're talking about doing a tour of Treaty 6," said Cutknife. "We would love to have larger audiences see this work. We just started a theatre company, 'Two Families Theatre', so we've got to keep going."
"Every second day we threaten to write something new together," added Fraughton. "We haven't yet because this one's got legs so far, but I think it's pretty inevitable that we write something together again."
Doors are at 5 p.m. Email MESCcurriculum@maskwacised.ca or phone (780) 585-0811 extension 201 to reserve a seat.
