Show Descriptions 2021
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E”
This stand-up comedy performance evolved from Manifest Destiny's Child, a comedy collective
D.B. was a founding member of. She tells stories about growing up Indigenous, surviving cross
cultural adoption, growing up in Toronto/Urban Identity, finding her biological family, becoming
a mother and finding her own way in culture, community and in her body - as well as funny
stories of slaying patriarchy, sexism, fatphobia, colonization and colonialism. (45 minutes)
Muriel Miguel: Stories From When I Was Young
"Stories From When I Was Young" will be a half hour spent with this amazing woman, founder of North America's first Indigenous women's theatre company, Spiderwoman Theater of New York. Muriel Miguel has performed on stages around the world, directed the opening production of the National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre program, and is one of the funniest women you will ever meet. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a solo performance by this powerhouse of the theatre. (30 minutes)
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(y)ing Identity
First presented as a twenty minute audio piece at Native Earth’s Weesageechak Begins to
Dance Festival, this one woman play will have its first live performance at NIFF. Based on a true
familial tale, Restor(y)ing Identity tells the story of Crawford fishing in the deep Atlantic and
seeing a sabawealnu (Mi’kmaw word for merperson), Eela, one day while checking his fishing
nets. It uncovers the importance of intergenerational knowledge transmission and what could
happen if we forget to tell our stories. (45 minutes)
"Tiger" Will Mason: The Music and Stories of a Modern Mohawk
Musician "Tiger" Will Mason performs songs and stories of life, love and activism.
Formerly known as Andy W Mason, ‘Tiger’ has been onstage for more than half his life as an
underground folk, rock, native rock and country rock musician. He has played opening for and
with many older Indigenous artists; Willie Dunn, Floyd Westerman, Joanne Shenandoah, Keith
Secola, the great Redbone. He has also been an actor on stage and film in television series and
movies. This show will contain songs from his album, as well as those of his musical friends and
influences. (60 minutes)
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women
Hybrid Women is an experimental dance-theatre-ritual- action that departs from the pulsating
of the body in connection with and response to nature and ourselves, specifically with plants,
trees, water, natural environments, also taking into consideration the diverse aspects of
decadency of our planet, and its consequences. There are parallel encounters and
disconnections between our bodies and the current events, and the course of where the world
is going and the historical moment we are living in. The artists seek out those
connections/disconnections between our actions, our rituals, our thoughts and our political
points of view with a touch of Magic Realism. (30 minutes)
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E”
This stand-up comedy performance evolved from Manifest Destiny's Child, a comedy collective
D.B. was a founding member of. She tells stories about growing up Indigenous, surviving cross
cultural adoption, growing up in Toronto/Urban Identity, finding her biological family, becoming
a mother and finding her own way in culture, community and in her body - as well as funny
stories of slaying patriarchy, sexism, fatphobia, colonization and colonialism. (45 minutes)
Muriel Miguel: Stories From When I Was Young
"Stories From When I Was Young" will be a half hour spent with this amazing woman, founder of North America's first Indigenous women's theatre company, Spiderwoman Theater of New York. Muriel Miguel has performed on stages around the world, directed the opening production of the National Arts Centre's Indigenous Theatre program, and is one of the funniest women you will ever meet. This is a rare opportunity to enjoy a solo performance by this powerhouse of the theatre. (30 minutes)
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(y)ing Identity
First presented as a twenty minute audio piece at Native Earth’s Weesageechak Begins to
Dance Festival, this one woman play will have its first live performance at NIFF. Based on a true
familial tale, Restor(y)ing Identity tells the story of Crawford fishing in the deep Atlantic and
seeing a sabawealnu (Mi’kmaw word for merperson), Eela, one day while checking his fishing
nets. It uncovers the importance of intergenerational knowledge transmission and what could
happen if we forget to tell our stories. (45 minutes)
"Tiger" Will Mason: The Music and Stories of a Modern Mohawk
Musician "Tiger" Will Mason performs songs and stories of life, love and activism.
Formerly known as Andy W Mason, ‘Tiger’ has been onstage for more than half his life as an
underground folk, rock, native rock and country rock musician. He has played opening for and
with many older Indigenous artists; Willie Dunn, Floyd Westerman, Joanne Shenandoah, Keith
Secola, the great Redbone. He has also been an actor on stage and film in television series and
movies. This show will contain songs from his album, as well as those of his musical friends and
influences. (60 minutes)
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women
Hybrid Women is an experimental dance-theatre-ritual- action that departs from the pulsating
of the body in connection with and response to nature and ourselves, specifically with plants,
trees, water, natural environments, also taking into consideration the diverse aspects of
decadency of our planet, and its consequences. There are parallel encounters and
disconnections between our bodies and the current events, and the course of where the world
is going and the historical moment we are living in. The artists seek out those
connections/disconnections between our actions, our rituals, our thoughts and our political
points of view with a touch of Magic Realism. (30 minutes)