Sunday, November 23, 2025
2:00 PM | Aki Studio
Presentations:
Children of the Bear by Todd Houseman
Northern Indigenous Play Readings presented by Gwaandak Theatre
Featuring:
The Spirit of the Valley by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse
Presentation
Children of the Bear
by Todd Houseman
Children of the Bear is an open-world, Indigi-fantasy play about a young, low-income family’s attempts to rise above the colonial structures that surround them. Using a tabletop D&D-style design, audiences help the family either by escaping more deeply into the game of fantasy or becoming the Crees their ancestors want them to be.
Creator: Todd Houseman (Nehiyaw)
Mentor: Erin Goodpipe
Co-produced by Outside the March
Performers:
Todd Houseman
Joelle Peters
Dillan Chiblow
Kole Durnford
Zara Jestadt
Jeremy Proulx
Vance Banzo
Run Time: 75 minutes
Content Warning: Police brutality, Childhood sexual assault, coarse language, substance use
Other Showing: November 21
Todd Houseman, Creator
Todd Houseman is a nehiyaw, actor, writer and improviser from Edmonton, Treaty 6 and a registered band member of Paul Band First Nation. He is a graduate of the acting program and a current teacher at the National Theatre School of Canada. He is the co-creator of the award winning play Whiteface (with Lady Vanessa Cardona) and the author of Ayannisach which can be found in Moonshot Vol. 1 The Indigenous Comic Book Collection. In 2020 Todd was awarded Alberta’s Best Actor at the Alberta film and Television Awards (Rosies). Todd is currently working with Toronto’s Outside the March on his new play The Children of the Bear, which has been in development as a large-scale, immersive, indigi-fantasy. Recently, Todd was awarded the 2024 RBC Emerging Artist Award at the Governor General Performing Arts awards. In his free time, Todd enjoys building masks, making knives, or climbing mountains in Treaty 6.
Erin Goodpipe, Mentor
Erin Goodpipe is a dakȟóta wíŋyaŋ from Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation, with Dakota, Anishinnabe, Nêhiyaw bloodlines. A multidisciplinary artist, educator, and researcher, Erin’s work centers diverse layers of storywork. Erin is engaged in Indigenous research, co-leading projects focused on land-based education, arts-based community research, Indigenous youth wellness, and cultural safety in education and health systems. Her theatre and film contributions include performance and directorial roles and she co-founded the Making Treaty 4 Collective, using arts to share Indigenous stories across Treaty 4 territory. On screen, she has hosted RezX (Access), The Other Side (APTN) and Treaty Road (APTN), where she also served as Host, Researcher, Director. Erin holds a Bachelor of Indigenous Education from First Nations University of Canada and is pursuing her Master’s in Indigenous Education. Most importantly, she is a mother, wife, aunty and eldest sister.
Presentation
Northern Indigenous Play Readings
by Gwaandak Theatre
The Spirit of the Valley by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse
On a family vacation to their cabin nestled in the beautiful wilderness of Alaska, Tlingit twins Kaash and Shaa find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime! Suddenly separated from their family and from each other, they have to figure out how to reunite and above all, how to save the valley that they love so dearly. Join these clever kids on their journey as they face ferocious Wolves, rap battle the fast-talking Raven, reason with the dramatic Bear, and search for the elusive Spirit of the Valley. This show is fun for the whole family and asks the important question, “What can you do to protect the magnificent land and nature that surrounds you?”
Written by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse
Directed by Isabelle Katoogoo James-Walker
Performers: Keira Ash, Tyra Ashauntie, Roreigh Eftoda, Jason Symanski, Sydney Wolf
This play was developed as the "Playwright in Residence" at La Jolla Playhouse and had itʼs World Premiere with Perseverance Theatre.
Run Time: 60 minutes
Content Warning: No content warnings, recommended for ages 6+
See Northern Indigenous Play Readings: Constellation on November 26.
Founded in 1999, Gwaandak Theatre is the Yukon’s only Indigenous professional theatre company. One meaning of ‘Gwaandak’ in the Gwich’in language is ‘storyteller’. Our stories question, honour, and celebrate. They explore themes around decolonization, cultural identity, social justice, underrepresented voices, and human rights. Our vision is to illuminate Indigenous and northern voices.
We host the annual Awaken Festival each Spring and our programming includes workshops and other training opportunities for theatre artists and community members. We also tour existing and developing works to both tiny communities and major centres, and share new scripts each year with our Indigenous Summer Play Readings.
Frank Henry Kaash Katasse, Playwright
Frank Henry Kaash Katasse, is a Tlingit (Tsaagweidí) actor, director, producer, improviser, educator, author, and playwright. Frank received his Bachelor’s Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Hawai’i: Mānoa in 2008. He has been involved with Perseverance Theatre (PT) since the fall of 2008 acting in over a dozen productions. In 2017, PT produced (along with Native Voices at the Autry and La Jolla Playhouse) They Don’t Talk Back. Frank was also the Playwright in Residence at La Jolla Playhouse in 2018 where he wrote Where the Summit Meets the Stars and Spirit of the Valley. Both of these plays were first premiered by PT (Frank Directed both). Frank was also Emmy nominated for his writings for Molly of Denali in 2022 and 2023! FrankKatasse.com
Isabelle Katoogoo James-Walker, Director