When Molly Solomon brings her contemporary Fancy Shawl Dance to life in Brock University Dramatic Arts\u2019 (DART) mainstage production, she will draw strength from her Ojibwe name, Ishkode Kwe.<\/p>\n
The name, translated to \u201cFire Woman\u201d and \u201cFirst Spark in my Heart,\u201d was gifted to the third-year DART student by her grandmother \u2014 and she wears it proudly, just like the handcrafted regalia she dons on stage.<\/p>\n
Solomon plays the Maple Sugar Fairy in Brock\u2019s upcoming production of M\u00e9tis Nutcracker, <\/em>which opens Friday, Dec. 5 at the Marilyn I. Walker Theatre. <\/em>The new play was written by award-winning Canadian playwright and DART Assistant Professor Matthew MacKenzie, citizen of the M\u00e9tis Nation of Alberta, and is directed and choreographed by celebrated theatre artist Monica Dottor.<\/p>\n Solomon says sharing her Indigenous heritage with the Brock community is a profound experience.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel so welcome when my peers and mentors are genuinely curious to learn about my Indigenous identity,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Brimming with magic, song and dance \u2014 and sprinkled with a dash of playful audience interaction that may involve throwing snowballs at the stage \u2014\u00a0the story is inspired by MacKenzie\u2019s family heritage.<\/p>\n In M\u00e9tis Nutcracker<\/em>, two Ukrainian refugees named Tatiana and Vanya are forced to flee from their home in the Red Pine Forest to escape the evil Rat King. They seek safety on Turtle Island where they are taken under the protection of the M\u00e9tis Nutcracker, played by DART Walker Cultural Leader<\/a> and multidisciplinary artist Nicole Joy-Fraser.<\/p>\n \u201cThey travel in the four directions learning about different nations and sacred medicines in the Land of Flowers, Land of Berries, Land of Snowflakes and Land of Pine Cones,\u201d MacKenzie says of the characters\u2019 journey in his adaptation of the classic Nutcracker <\/em>tale.<\/p>\n Created for young audiences, the play celebrates identity and diversity.<\/p>\n \u201cMy son is Ukrainian and M\u00e9tis, and I wanted to be able to speak to him about his Indigeneity while exploring concepts of colonialism in a way that he could understand,\u201d MacKenzie says.<\/p>\n For Joy-Fraser, performing the role of the M\u00e9tis Nutcracker also resonates with reclaiming their own Indigenous background. Joy-Fraser is a proud bear clan matriarch who grew up in Mississauga with Euro-Settler, Tsa\u2019tin\u00e9e, Nehiyaw and M\u00e9tis bloodlines from Horse Lake First Nation in Alberta.<\/p>\n Paramount to the production was ensuring that youth \u2014 particularly those with an Indigenous background \u2014 had the opportunity to experience M\u00e9tis Nutcracker<\/em>. Support from St. Catharines theatre company Carousel Players helped to achieve this goal, with two school-day matinee performances now sold out.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope every Indigenous child sitting in the audience sees themselves and their beliefs reflected in the beauty of the show,\u201d Joy-Fraser says. \u201cIt\u2019s magical storytelling embedded in nature, which is so much a part of who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n Indigenous practices of cultural significance are woven throughout the play, \u00a0including set pieces, costumes and regalia featuring intricate beadwork as well as custom painted canoe paddles, created in collaboration with Indigenous theatre cohort Pemmican Collective<\/a>.<\/p>\n MacKenzie, who teaches Contemporary Canadian Indigenous Theatre, says learning about different Indigenous nations alongside the cast and crew has been transformative.<\/p>\n \u201cM\u00e9tis Nutcracker<\/em> celebrates differences,\u201d he says. \u201cEveryone involved at Brock\u00a0has come together to honour those differences, putting the \u2018action\u2019 in truth and reconciliation.\u201d<\/p>\n As the\u00a0first\u00a0Indigenous DART faculty member to write an original mainstage\u00a0production for the University, MacKenzie says the\u00a0in-house work of Indigenizing theatre is gaining momentum.<\/p>\n MacKenzie is also excited to see more Indigenous representation at the University in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have such a supportive environment at the MIWSFPA, a true willingness and curiosity to learn,\u201d he says. \u201cOur conversations are centred on this performance, but they will carry forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Additional performances of M\u00e9tis Nutcracker<\/em> will take place Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $25 and tickets for students and seniors are $20. Visit Brock University Tickets<\/a> to reserve seats.<\/p>\n