Civil Blood

by Josh Languedoc & Neil Kuefler

CHOOSE BETWEEN TWO INTERTWINING STORIES IN THIS EPIC TWO-PLAY ADVENTURE

Which path will you follow in the historically authentic 1876 Amiskwaciwâskahikan fort (ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ ). Tensions are high. The fur trade is collapsing, settlers are encroaching into the territories of the First Nations, and the newly founded Canadian government is attempting to define itself through law and order. Tribes are suffering from scarcity of food, destroyed hunting grounds, starvation, and the ever-burdensome whiskey. Follow Ekah, a nehiyaw huntress or Lily, an European idealist in this immersive contemporary tale inspired by the signing of Treaty #6, the love story of Romeo and Juliet, and the lessons learned about what it means to be treaty people. See the present truth by discovering our collective past.

Originally developed at the Truth and Reconciliation through Theatre workshop at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2016, the play has gone through development process with support from Theatre Network’s Nextfest, Common Ground Arts’ Found Festival, Flying Canoe Volant, and the Dreamspeakers’ Rubaboo Festival. This incredibly ambitious and immersive production reaches across generations and cultures.

Production History

July 24-August 4, 2024 - World Premiere Fort Edmonton Park co-presented by Common Ground Arts

May 28, 2023 - Workshop Presentation Fort Edmonton Park

2022 - Play Reading Flying Canoe Volant

2022 - Play Reading Rubaboo Arts Festival

2021 - Play Reading Common Ground Arts’ Found Festival

2019 - Staged reading Theatre Network’s Nextfest

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM 2024

Playwright JOSH LANGUEDOC

Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and Cultural Consultants WILSON BEARHEAD, MJ BELCOURT, HUNTER CARDINAL, JACQUELIN CARDINAL, LEWIS CARDINAL, JERRY SADDLEBACK, JO-ANN SADDLEBACK, NICHOLLE WEASEL TRAVELLER, RON WALKER

Co-Directors MARK VETSCH & NEIL KUEFLER

Choreographer REBECCA SADOWSKI

Fight Director NATHAN LOITZ

Fight Captain GABRIEL RICHARDSON*

Dance Captain ELENA PORTER*

Cast EMILY BERARD, REBECCA BISSONNETTE, MARIA BUFFALO, IVY DEGAGNÉ, DOUG MERTZ*, CHRISTINA NGUYEN*, CODY PORTER*, ELENA PORTER*, GABRIEL RICHARDSON*, COLBY STOCKDALE, AND DYLAN THOMAS-BOUCHIER*

Stage Management ANDREA MURPHY, ISABELLE MARTINEZ

Community Gathering Coordinator DANIELLE LAROSE

Producer MONICA GATE

Emerging Artist Producer KATELYN CABALO

Community Gathering Sound Technician AMELIA CHAN

*The participation of this Artist (these Artists) is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the DanceOperaTheatre Policy (DOT)

The relevance of the piece is immediate and urgent. ‘What does it mean to be a Treaty person?’ It’s a prime question for our moment in history.
— Liz Nicholls, 12thNight.ca

Photography by Mat Simpson

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