MANITOWANING—Debajehmujig Storytellers opened its newest Christmas show, ‘Up to Snow Good,’ on Wednesday, December 6. The Expositor popped by to take in the Thursday night edition and was delighted to see faces old and new gracing the stage with their talents.
‘Up to Snow Good’ is a timely comedic drama that explores the issue of a family’s response to childhood trauma and its interactions with the holiday season. Family, friends and rez dogs, what could go wrong?
The show is the first outing as director for Daniel Recollet-Mejaki, a Debaj alumni who is expanding his skillset. Mr. Recollet-Mejaki fills two roles onstage, the unfortunate Pete and Auntie Angie.
Debaj stalwart and artistic director Bruce Naokwegijig plays Gerald, a father struggling with his own emotions and harbouring a difficult secret that eats away at his relationship with nephew Lucky, played deftly by the talented Tyler Pangowish.
Hunter, Gerald’s estranged son, is played by Dustin Trudeau whose prodigal return from exile acts as catalyst for the main storyline.
Quinten Kaboni plays a deft hand as Dustin’s cousin and best friend and is key to the mystery of the aforementioned rez dogs.
The play involves a minimalist stage, fast becoming a trademark of the Debajehmujig theatrical style, notes Mr. Naokwegijig.
“It is an honour to be making my directing debut,” said Mr. Recollet-Mejaki in his message from the director. “The students and I created the show.” The director noted that the students were major contributors to the creation.
“I couldn’t have done it without the amazing team here at Debajehmujig and all the support they provided to make this show come alive. I thank them for giving me this opportunity to expand my skills and learn new ways to share my artistic vision.”
“Normally, I would be fielding most of the decisions in a production,” noted Mr. Naokwegijig, who also praised the work of the three Debaj students and alum who worked on the project. He admitted that history of deep involvement proved challenging when it came to backing off and letting the students expand their skills by making their own decisions when it came to evolving the story.
“We started out planning a series of separate vignettes, but then it evolved into a single storyline,” he said. It isn’t always easy to predict what path creativity and the artistic muse will take through the process, but the end result speaks for itself. “What do I think?” laughed the seasoned artistic director. “Watch the show and you tell me.”
Stage management for the production was provided by David Sonny Osawabine, with production assistants Charity Shigwadja, Izzy Trudeau and Ashley Manitowabi.
Doors open at 6:30 pm at the Larry E. Lewis Creation Centre, 43 Queen Street in Manitowaning. Shows take place at 7 pm on December 13, 14, 15 and 16. For reservations to ‘Up to Snow Good,’ contact 705-859-1820 or 705-859-2317, or by email to reception@debaj.ca. Admission is from $10 to $30 on a sliding scale. The show is suitable for those nine and up.
