Coming Soon: GIIZIS READS

Native Earth is lighting a new fire in the heart of Summer 2026 with the inaugural GIIZIS READS, a week of revisiting Indigenous works from the past. GIIZIS READS will be a week of staged readings showcasing notable works by Indigenous playwrights across multiple decades, bringing community together to laugh, reflect, share ideas, honour Indigenous artistic legacies, and celebrate plays that are rarely platformed on stages. Curated by our Artistic Director Joelle Peters and GIIZIS READS Curator and Director PJ Prudat, GIIZIS READS invites people to gather in our Giizis Studio to witness these stories brought to life. 

Note from Native Earth Artistic Director, Joelle Peters: 
“GIIZIS READS is a way for Native Earth to honour our history, our Voices of Aki. Where the past meets the present. How do these works reflect their time? Are the themes explored still prevalent in today’s contemporary landscape? What conversations can be sparked from exploring works from the past?”

SCHEDULE

Wed. July 22 at 7:00pm — White Noise by Taran Kootenhayoo 
Thurs. July 23 at 7:00pm — Night of the Trickster by Beatrice Mosionier 
Fri. July 24 at 7:00pm — Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians by Ben Cardinal 
Sat. July 25 at 1:00pm — DOUBLE BILL: Moonlodge by Margo Kane & Red Mother by Muriel Miguel 

CREDITS
Curators: Joelle Peters and PJ Prudat 
Director: PJ Prudat 
Producer: Emma Westray 
Stage Manager: Angela Mae Bago 
Technican: Adam Bromley 

Performances by:
Alison Beckwith (White Noise)
Mélanie Bray (White Noise)
Kayla Brabant (Generic Warrior and No-Name Indian)
Jaeli Bruno (Night of the Trickster, Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Rachel Cantin (Night of the Trickster, Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Brefny Caribou (White Noise)
Jill Carter (Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Kole Durnford (White Noise, Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Ange Loft (Night of the Trickster, Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Brandon Oakes (Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
Jeremy Proulx (Night of the Trickster, Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians)
James Dallas Smith (White Noise)

Wednesday, July 22 at 7:00pm — White Noise by Taran Kootenhayoo
Two neighbouring families, one Indigenous and one white, dine together during Truth and Reconciliation Week. As cultural misunderstanding, colonial violence, and racism both covert and overt surface, White Noise asks, “How do we deal with internalized racism? Do we keep pushing it away … or do we make a change?” Kootenhayoo’s answer is both emotionally intense and outrageously hilarious in this blistering comedic exploration of what it means to live in so-called Canada.  

White Noise was workshopped at Native Earth's Weesageechak Begins to Dance Festival 30 in 2017. We are excited to have this newly published curious comedy be the first reading of our new GIIZIS READS series! 

Thursday, July 23 at 7:00pm — Night of the Trickster by Beatrice Mosionier 
Set against the backdrop of the Aboriginal struggle to defeat the Meech Lake Accord, and the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba — with a focus on the infamous Helen Betty Osborne case — three women talk about their experiences with rape, as they commiserate with Roz, a young university student who helps Wendy with her work on their community newspaper. Roz is the most recent victim of a brutal sexual assault, leading the women to hatch a plot to eradicate the rape of women from the face of the earth.    

First produced by Native Earth Performing Arts in 1992, this powerful and gut-wrenching play about an extremely sensitive and important subject is filled with insight and humour.   

Content warning: This play contains discussions of rape, sexual assault, and violence. 

Friday, July 24 at 7:00pm — Generic Warrior and No-Name Indians by Ben Cardinal 
First produced by Native Earth in 1993, Generic Warrior and No Name Indians is a compelling exploration of Indigenous identity, community, and resilience, blending humor, drama, and cultural reflection to challenge stereotypes and celebrate survival in the face of historical and ongoing struggles.   

Saturday, July 25 at 1:00pm — DOUBLE BILL: Moonlodge by Margo Kane & Red Mother by Muriel Miguel 

Moonlodge by Margo Kane
Taken from her family by the government, Agnes grew up away from the support of her community. Unable to change her past, Agnes follows the voice inside her, journeying across America to where the women gather, helping her find herself, her history, and her family. An inspiring story of self-determination, and the colonial tragedies that shape our society today, Kane has said she created Moonlodge to “honour mothers, sisters, aunts, and grandmothers and to motivate others on their journeys home.”  

This powerful solo piece premiered in Vancouver, BC in 1990 before touring to Native Earth that winter. Moonlodge has toured across Turtle Island and around the world.   

Content Warning: This play contains scenes of sexual violence and distressing situations.

Red Mother by Muriel Miguel

Red Mother is the compelling story of Belle, an old Native woman and mother, who travels with her red cart and her magical horse and companion Blue Fred, through endless wars, witnessing the devastation of her people. Belle is a survivor; cunning and manipulative; raging and funny. Red Mother is about the importance of the responsibility of motherhood and the consequences of failing. Through her struggle, Belle embraces her legacy and inspires a promise for the future. Inspired by Mother Courage, Muriel Miguel’s Red Mother interweaves Brechtian themes with tales integral to the mythology of the Kuna people.     

Red Mother was partially developed and workshopped at Native Earth's Weesageechak Begins to Dance Festival 16 in 2003.