The Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (GTNT) announced its 2016/2017 season among a group artistic friends and supporters.  The announcement featured a staged reading from Curtis Peeteetuce’s Kohkoms in Toyland read by COV alumni and staff.

The 2016/17 GTNT season features productions by some of Canada’s best Indigenous playwrights.  The plays tell stories ranging from a mother’s struggle with her kids in foster care to a young woman dreaming of being an MMA champion and another featuring two couples exploring relationships and the Dominion.  And fan favourites, the Kohkoms, are back for another hilarious Christmas adventure.   

“This year our programming is themed tapwewin acīmowin meaning telling truth, telling stories,” says Daniel Knight, GTNT Promotions, “the Cree word tapwewin is an extension of the word tapwe which means truth and as story tellers we feel it is our duty to tell our Indigenous stories under the hard lens of truth.“

The latest script by Cree playwright Kenneth T. Williams, In Care is a play about a mother’s struggle to get her children out of foster care. Janice Fisher has not had an easy life. She worked the streets as a teenager, had her first daughter taken when she was just 15 and was addicted to cocaine. That was 12 years ago and she’s turned her life around and is the mother of three happy girls until a false accusation gets them apprehended by foster care. Now, Janice is trapped in a system like a butterfly in a spider’s web: the more she struggles to get out, the more stuck she gets.  October 20 – 30, 2016  STUDIO 914, Saskatoon

With Christmas bonus cheques out, Sihkos and Zula are looking for the best gift ever. They believe that Toyland, a new discount store just north of the reserve, will have that gift. When they arrive the mischievous store-owner welcomes them with open arms. Soon Zula and Sihkos are drawn into the store’s surreal, mysterious and questionable presence.  Saskatchewan Tour: Nov 21-Dec 2. 2016 STUDIO 914, Saskatoon: Dec 14 -17

The Circle of Voices (COV) youth will take part in Iskotew.  COV provides a safe space for young people to explore creativity.  It assists aspiring artists in strengthening self-confidence and cultural awareness while developing professional skills and providing opportunities to meet and work with theatre professionals.  

Dominion is a play revolving around two couples: Jack and Marie-Philippe, who occupy a new home, and Tatawaw and Nimitaw, previous owners of the home, who are now locked up in the bathroom. An exploration of relationships and the history of a country, all in one. May 18 – 28, 2016 STUDIO 914, Saskatoon