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
Constellation by Tyra Ashauntie
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
Other Showings: November 21
Todd Houseman, Creator
Todd Houseman is a nehiyaw, actor, writer and improviser from Edmonton, Treaty 6. 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
Constellation by Tyra Ashauntie
The Spirit of the Valley
Written by Frank Henry Kaash Katasse
Directed by Isabelle Katoogoo James-Walker
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?”
This play was developed as the "Playwright in Residence" at La Jolla Playhouse and had itʼs World Premiere with Perseverance Theatre.
Constellation
Written by Tyra Ashauntie
Directed by Colin Wolf
Join the story of a group of four teenagers navigating life and their sense of self in a small Indigenous rural community. Winter comes back from the city for the summer and soon realizes she may not be as welcomed back as she hoped. She goes on to spend time with her group of best friends. Winter, Nunkra, Emma and Clem soon discover that things are not always as they appear the older they get as they butt heads doing their best to understand life. The four continue to march through the madness of their small town, growing up, dysfunctional families, and blossoming romances all while trying to stick closely together and to keep life the same as before. Will they stick close together as they have for years or will the pain of growing be too much for this friend group?
This play was developed as part of the National Queer & Trans Playwriting Unit.
Other showings: November 26
Our stories question, honour, and celebrate. They explore themes around decolonization, cultural identity, social justice, underrepresented voices and human rights. We tour existing and developing works to both tiny communities and major centres. We also host the annual Awaken Festival and our programming includes workshops and training opportunities for theatre artists.
Gwaandak Theatre was founded in Whitehorse, YT by Leonard Linklater and Patti Flather in 1999. During Spring 2000, Sixty Below was presented as our first production. Written by the founders, this play opened on May 9th, 2000 at Nàkwät’à Kų̀ Potlatch House, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, in Whitehorse.
Colin Wolf became the Executive and Artistic Director in Fall 2019, with the first Awaken Festival taking place in Spring 2020.
Gwaandak Theatre Society is Yukon’s only Indigenous professional theatre company.