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One Indigenous family.
Three women’s stories.
75 minutes
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Content Warning:
This performance contains descriptions of physical violence, suicidal ideation, anti-Indigenous racism, inter-generational trauma, MMIWG2S, alcohol consumption, incarceration, and gun violence.
An Indigenous mother becomes an activist while her brother becomes a soldier. A grandmother raises a child with love, in community. A granddaughter full of turmoil, finds her voice. Three generations of Indigenous women are woven into this new work by Winnipeg-based theatre artist Darla Contois. And three performance genres tell their story – monologue, poetry with video and movement, and contemporary dance – all tied together by the playwright’s story and an all-encompassing set design that has built a world for all three to live inside.
The film was made in collaboration with Ice River Films (Winnipeg) using a multi-camera setup. It was filmed over three days before the opening of the play to live audiences. What’s interesting about this as an online experience is that it allows the viewer an experience that is completely different than the live production. It invites an intimacy and a perspective that is unique to the film. When the play was presented live, it was on a thrust stage and audiences would view the full production from one of three sides. With the film, the audience is invited to see the play for all sides and angles.
Filmed October 28 – 30, 2021 at the Cherry Karpyshin Mainstage Theatre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty 1 Territory.
Tansi, Nitooteemuk? Niwihowin Wasakahaw Mikisu Iskwew, otherwise known as Darla Contois. I am a proud Cree/Salteaux theatre artist from this beautiful territory we share.
The story you are about to experience is incredibly personal to me. It is based on one of my deepest fears, my experiences, as well as a response to one of the most important questions we ask ourselves as Indigenous people: “What are you fighting for?”
In it, you will find remnants of real people, real conflicts and real relationships. I hope you’re ready to listen with an open heart.
Ekosani
-Darla Contois
The journey of this play has been astonishing.
It began as a poem.
Then came a short story.
Then came the idea of dance.
Then came all of the collaborators and artists who, for months on end, have been meeting to dream, to discuss, and to feel our way through the material.
At these meetings, performers would give design insight and ideas.
The playwright wrote design prompts.
The choreographer would express through music or sound.
The sound designer would play with sound and the recorded voice.
All of us together, dancing through our individual craft, but more importantly through our humanity.
Everything you will see on stage has come about as a result of deep conversation, a supported and lengthy process, and a level of vulnerability that is almost impossible to describe. It is an act of community and an act of love.
It is a story of three generations that is told in three performance genres. Together, it becomes theatre. It is a story narrative, it is an emotional narrative, and it invites us all to think about the past, the present, and the future, colliding all at once in this moment.
And it is all for you. Welcome to The War Being Waged.
– Thomas Morgan Jones
PTE – December 2 – 12, 2021
Native Earth – March 1 – April 3, 2022
PTENational School “Tour” – March 15 – April 20, 2022
StratFest@Home – May, 2022 – May, 2023
Transform Cabaret – March 28 – May 28, 2023
Shortlisted for the 2023 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama
A challenging, unsettling, exquisite story of the lives of three Indigenous woman in the same family told with grace, dance and powerful understatement. The War Being Waged is a stunning piece of theatre. Darla Contois has created a story that is familiar, harrowing, compelling, nuanced, full of love, grace and art. – Slotkin Letter
The futuristic physical space is transformed by Moro’s light and projections. Natural elements envelope the performers—cascading water, dust motes caught in light, floating embers that dance through the air. – Istvan Reviews
The force of this production comes from the brilliant combination of colour, sound, narration, music and dance. – Onstage Blog Reviews
Special thanks to Coco Stephenson for allowing MJ Dandeneau to use a portion of his music within her composition
The film of The War Being Waged was made with the generous support of the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, and the Canadian Actors Equity Association
Prairie Theatre Exchange is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) and engages professional artists who are members of the Canadian Actors’ Equity Association, under the terms of the jointly negotiated Canadian Theatre Agreement.
Theatre is essential to the health and growth of communities, offering insight into the human spirit. Theatre informs, educates, entertains, challenges, shocks, questions, and illuminates. Prairie Theatre Exchange (PTE) was born with these ideals in 1972 and has become a centre of excellence for contemporary theatre and drama education.
While nationally recognized, PTE is deeply rooted in community and has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba. Manitobans trust PTE to ensure that full voice is given to the finest artistic talent our region and our country have to offer.
Our vision is to be vital, relevant, and responsive. We strive to be a centre for innovation in theatre and performance practice: a home for interdisciplinary and diverse works. We are a home for artists from the Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta) and beyond. We prioritize professional development for artists in the Prairies. We are a contemporary professional theatre company which reflects the ever-evolving communities and audiences we serve with artistry, confidence and heart.
Each season, we prioritize making space for Indigenous stories. This is our answer to the calls of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To make space, to support, and to be led by Indigenous collaborators. This is our way of honouring Treaty 1 Land, the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Dakota and Red River Métis nations and the home of many other Indigenous nations and Peoples. We further recognize that our drinking water comes from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, where residents do not have access to clean water. All of us at PTE are committed to reconciliation, and to moving forward, together, in a good way.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
