Friday, November 20, 2026
Due to a climate apocalypse, a man and woman from each country around the world who are Indigenous to that country (600) are chosen to take to the stars to repopulate the human race on planet K2-18B. Also on board are 400 billionaires who helped pay for the ship; they all must decide whether to colonise the human-like inhabitants of K2-18.
Creator: Waverley Stanley Jr (Gumbaynggirr, Kabi Kabi, Birri Gubba, Kaantju)
Content Warning: Language
Accessibility Warning: Yelling, Loud Noises
Presentation
The Lottery
by Waverley Stanley Jr
Waverley Stanley Jr, Creator
Waverley Stanley Jnr is a Gumbaynggirr, Kabi Kabi, Birri Gubba, Kaantju man living in Magandjin (Brisbane), Queensland. His career began performing onstage in poetry competitions. In 2019 he was a part of Playlab and QPAC’s emerging writers’ program, Sparks. In 2020 he was a part of the La Boite Theatre Company, Assembly program. Waverley graduated from the Creative Writing degree at QUT in 2023. In that same year Waverley was chosen to be a part of the Australia Plays Transform First Nations Playwrights Retreat to Bundanon. In 2024 he was a part of Ignition, a QPAC and Playlab program that sees Indigenous writers prepare a full draft of a script to be read. Waverley has written his first full length theatrical script, 21st Century Psychotic, which he has adapted for TV as well. In 2025 Waverley was a part of Moogahlin Theatre Company’s Yellamundie Festival for his new play The Lottery. Also, in 2025 Waverley was able to participate again in Australia Plays Transform First Nations Playwright Retreat to Bundanon. He is currently working on six plays as well as two feature films called ‘A Very Murri Christmas’ and a zombie apocalypse blockbuster set in Brisbane called ‘Ferry’.
Presentation
Northern Indigenous Play Readings presented by Gwaandak Theatre
Ämbäya Shäw/Big Aunties by Christine Genier (Ta’an Kwäch’än Council)
Ämbäya Shäw/Big Aunties
by Christine Genier (Ta’an Kwäch’än Council)
Content Warning: Adult language
Intergenerational love, laughter, and lessons as Aunties and Nieces make dinner.
Work in Progress
Let us tell you a story... Join Gwaandak Theatre for Northern Indigenous Play Readings! We are proud to be sharing a reading of a new script in development - Ämbäya Shäw/Big Aunties - written by Yukon First Nation playwright Christine Genier (Ta’an Kwäch’än Council).
Christine Genier, Playwright
Christine Genier is a Wolf Clan citizen of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council (Yukon). She is a writer, poet, performer, storyteller, and a lifelong worker in language and culture. Her latest work, Dear Star Trek, ran for two nights in February at the Old Fire Hall, bringing the piece home after performing for audiences in Vancouver, BC and Wolfe Island, Ontario. Christine works to help keep her family and ancestral languages, Tageesh Koshé and Dawkwanjé. She is a gatherer of stories and moderator of talks.
About Gwaandak Theatre:
“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. 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. As an Indigenous Theatre, we are required by some of our funders to hire a minimum of 50% Indigenous people.