•Session co-organizers: Amanda Wager, Laura Cranmer, Kirsten Sadeghi-Yekta, and Tara Morris,
In Canada geographical categories pinned First Nations populations to defined areas, subject to federal laws seemingly sprung whole cloth from the settler imagination of the alien other informed by scientific racism theories of the early colonial era. Part and parcel of the colonial agenda was the objective of erasing the cultural identity of Canada’s diverse First Nations through a ban on speaking the great diversity of languages in residential schools. The Canadian Association for Theatre Research conference theme of ‘interiority in general’ spurs thoughts of how Western theatre tradition might serve as a door opener to the liminal space of re-learning one’s language; that is simultaneously embodied, bound up and overlayed with layers of shame learned from historical colonial institutions. The Western theatre tradition, writ large, offers that open door through which Indigenous language learners/actors step to create a delimited space to explore together and creatively center, elevate, and express their language learning. In this Round Table titled: “Staging our voices: Indigenous Language reawakening through Theatre” that brings together students of theatre, students of Indigenous languages, seasoned academics who also mentor Indigenous scholars using theatre to reawaken their own languages will discuss the ways theatre has emerged as a transformative medium for cultural expression and intergenerational learning.
Biographies
Laura Cranmer
Laura Cranmer was born to Pearl Weir of Old Masset, David Cranmer of the ‘Namgis First Nation in Alert Bay, and raised by her grandparents, Chief Dan Cranmer and Agnes Cranmer. Dr. Laura Cranmer is a retired professor of Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies Department at Vancouver Island University.
Tara Morris
Tara Morris is a PhD student at the University of Victoria, focusing on theatre, Hul’q’umi’num’ language, and linguistics. She holds a Master’s in Linguistics of a First Nations Language from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor’s of Education from the University of British Columbia. She co-organizes the Indigenous Theatre Festival, which explores theatre as a tool for language reawakening.
Kirsten Sadeghi-Yekta
Kirsten is an Associate Professor in the Theatre Department at the University of Victoria. She is currently working on a SSHRC Insight Grant focussing on global ways we can integrate theatre as a tool for languages and language reawakening in primary schools.
Amanda Wager
Amanda Wager, PhD, is a Canada Research Chair in Community-Engaged Research and Professor in the Faculty of Education at Vancouver Island University, Canada, where she works with communities focusing on community-led public art projects involving languages, literacies and participatory arts-based methodologies.
