In 2017, Calgary playwright Sable Sweetgrass talked about the powerful experience of hearing her dramedy Awoowaakii given staged readings at Red Earth theatre in Toronto and then later in Edmonton.
The play was well-received in Toronto, where there was talk about doing a production, but Sweetgrass, who is transgender and grew up on the Blood Reserve and in Calgary, said in an interview with Calgary Arts Development that she had something else in mind.
“I would really like it to be shown in Calgary,” Sweetgrass said. “The few native plays that have happened in Calgary and Southern Alberta packed audiences—native people come out for that. They’ll come off the reserve and come into the city.”
This weekend, Sweetgrass’s wish comes true, when Theatre Calgary’s world premiere production of Awoowaakii takes place at the Big Secret Theatre in Arts Commons.
Wednesday morning, in a chat with CTV News, Sweetgrass was still processing the experience of Tuesday night’s preview performance, which was the first time the script was performed in public.
“It feels all surreal,” she said. “Last night, I had the reaction I was really hoping for – really positive feeling. It was quite a night.
“I sat way up high (in the theatre) and watched the audience react.
“I’ve had readings before, a 2024 reading, a 2014 reading (at Red Earth Theatre in Toronto). I’ve seen people react to the play, especially Indigenous audiences – they always get the references, but last night, I saw everyone get the references.”
A living room comedy of errors
Awoowaakii tells the story of Chrissy, a transgender woman taking care of her sister’s son Richie. They live with Toni, a gay drag queen and it all goes a little haywire when Chrissy’s father, Joseph Two Guns, who she’s estranged from, show up too and thinks that Toni is Chrissy.
It’s a living room comedy of errors.
“I really hope people will love this play,” Sweetgrass said, “and take the message from it what it means the relationship of a father and daughter or mother and son – and how important a home is.
“You don’t have to be trans or Indigenous or Blackfoot to get that.”
Sweetgrass had a long journey with Awoowaakii, from having parts of it workshopped while she did her MFA at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico to readings in Toronto and Edmonton before it made its way to Theatre Calgary during the pandemic.
“In March of 2021, when we launched our inaugural Page To Stage New Works Festival, our goal was to discover a new play that had potential to one day land on Theatre Calgary’s stage,” Theatre Calgary artistic director Stafford Arima said, in an email. “Awoowaakii was the pick.
“Since then, there have been two developmental readings for Sable to continue working on the play alongside Alanis King who has directed those last two workshops and readings,” he added. “Theatre Calgary looks forward to continuing nurturing new works by Indigenous writers from Mohkinstsis and across Canada.”
Intimate production
The show is being presented in The Big Secret Theatre to give it a more intimate feel.
“It’s always been a dream for me to have it premiere here so Blackfoot people can see it,” Sweetgrass said. “If it was (originally) produced in Toronto, the cast would probably be a lot of Anishinabe and Cree actors, but these parts had to be played by Blackfoot actors,” she said.
The cast includes Cherish Violet Blood, Jenova Calixto, Kevin Lance Littlight, Garret Smith, and Marshall Vielle.
“Stafford has been so amazing to work with, all the Theatre Calgary people have been amazing,” Sweetgrass added.
Awoowaakii runs through May 11 at the Big Secret Theatre. For more information, go here.
