Sunday, November 22, 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
Dègok’ee’ǫǫ̀ the Land, it is burnt by Keira Ash
Dègok’ee’ǫǫ̀ the Land, it is burnt
by Keira Ash (Tłı̨chǫ Dene)
Content Warning: Language, mentions of forest fires, evacuations, climate crisis
This play is a love letter to the Land that raised me and to the plants and animals that share my home. It is honouring the relationships my grandmothers and ancestors held dear, centuries of gratitude, and knowledge that we wouldn’t exist without one another. It is a reckoning for the summer of sepia, of smoke, of evacuation. It is a story that is becoming familiar. When the climate crisis comes to our home, how do we show up for one another? These emergencies aren’t going away, so we better smarten up!
Following the Trails of our Ancestors I have gone down gah (rabbit) holes of research, learning about Tłı̨chǫ language, worldview, and stories. I’m excited to share this work in progress reading with you all, please join me in the boreal forest where we discover our gifts and learn how we can be better together. Mahsi Cho." -Keira Ash, Playwright Let us tell you a story...
This Season, Gwaandak Theatre is proud to be sharing a reading of this new script in development - Dègok’ee’ǫǫ̀ the Land, it is burnt - written by Tłı̨chǫ Dene playwright Keira Ash. We invite you to experience this story with us!
From Keira Ash:
This work is dedicated to the children of the North, to the failures of government, and an outstanding belief that tomorrow will be better than today.
Additional credits:
Shoutout to all of my friends who have shown up to feast and read this play together, both on lək̓ʷəŋən lands (Victoria, BC) and in Chief Drygeese territory (Yellowknife, NWT). Thank you to BTW's Artists Mentorship Program (AMP) for their support, and all the pals I’ve made there. Thank you to Gwaandak Theatre for their belief in my silly little play. Masì cho to all the Elders past, present, and future, who have shared their knowledge and stories so that I am able to ground this work despite being so so far from home.
Keira Ash, Playwright
My name is Keira Ash, I am Tłı̨chǫ Dene and grew up in Somba K’e Denendeh (Yellowknife, NWT), a city in the middle of the boreal forest. From my childhood bedroom I could hear Dı̀gatsoa (coyote) howling at night, see curious Nǫgèe (fox) crossing the road, and in the morning discover that Tatsǫ̀ (raven) got into our garbage! All fantastic auditions.
As for me, I’ve been working, volunteering, and learning in the Arts for a decade now.
I'm multidisciplinary like most of us, currently auditioning for Playwright.
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.