Theatre New Brunswick debuts new work by Indigenous visual artist

A new production from Theatre New Brunswick tells the story of a young Wolastoqiyik woman's fight to keep her Indigenous way of being while living in a modern world.

Finding Wolastoq Voice was written by Indigenous visual artist Natalie Sappier, who is originally from Tobique First Nation.

This is Sappier's first play, but also the first time Theatre New Brunswick has debuted a work by a New Brunswick-based Indigenous artist.

She describes the production as a coming-of-age story, told through dancer and choreographer Aria Evans, who stars in the show. Evans' choreography is blended with narration, and Sappier's musical compositions.

"It's just an Indigenous woman, but it's a story thatanyone can relate to, whether you're indigenous or not," she said.

Throughout the course of the play, Evans' character goes through a journey of forgiveness and "freeing her spirit," Sappier said.

"Art has been very healing for me, and I share that story about healing through this story. And my connection with the land and my people and my relationships," she said.

She said she also hopes the play shows that Indigenous art is more than what is stereotypically represented.

"I also wanted to show that we are beyond just pow wow, that our dances there's no certain regalia that you need to represent that you are indigenous or a certain way of dancing or a certain way of singing, we are adaptable to the environment around us," she said.

Sappier studied at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, and says she fell into visual arts.

"It was a very magical feeling. It was a sense of healing. I was able to paint stories I was feeling but not able to express," she said.

She madethe leap into theatre with Theatre New Brunswick's production, The Eighth Fire, in 2015.

"Just knowing that it takes the whole community to create something so beautiful, I just fell in love with the whole process of it,' she said.

That experience landed Sappier a residencywith Theatre New Brunswick, where she learned the ins and outs of theatre production. The residency resulted in a draft of Finding Wolastoq Voice as well as a body of music for the play.

Finding Wolastoq Voice opens March 8 at Theatre New Brunswick's Open Space Theatre at 55 Whiting Road. It will run for two weeks before touring New Brunswick and Ontario.