Native Earth Performing Arts Presents SIR JOHN A: Acts Of A Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion

Native Earth Performing Arts is proud to present its production of Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion, written by Drew Hayden Taylor, directed by Jim Millan, featuring Martin Julien, Herbie Barnes, Sid Bobb, and Katie Ryerson from April 26 - May 10, 2020 (opening night, Wednesday, April 29).

Bobby Rabbit has some unfinished business with Canada's first prime minister. When Bobby learns that his grandfather's medicine bundle lies mouldering in a British museum, another casualty of the residential school system, he enlists his friend to execute an epic heist and secure the ultimate bargaining chip - the bones of Sir John A.

Drew HaydenTaylor serves an uproariously funny and sharply inquisitive new play exploring the possibility of reconciliation while urgently questioning the past and contemporary forms of Canadian colonialism.

"Drew's writing...makes you laugh one minute, then cry the next, and leaves you with lines and images that you will remember long after the curtain comes down." - CBC Radio

An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations, Drew Hayden Taylor has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being the Artistic Director of Canada's premiere Indigenous theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He is an award-winning playwright, journalist/columnist, short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on numerous documentaries exploring the Indigenous experience. An author of more than 20 plays, his Popular Productions such as Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth, The Berlin Blues, and Cottagers and Indians have left their mark on the Canadian theatre scene.

Director Jim Millan was the founder of Crow's Theatre with 80+ premieres during his leadership. He was on the committee to found the Toronto Fringe Festival and drew up its first plan. He is the Director of The Kids in the Hall Live since 2000 for multiple tours. Jim is the Creative Producer at the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Gala at the National Arts CentreHe has directed, written, and produced works done in 36 countries, 5 continents, and 17 languages including West End, Broadway and Radio City Music Hall. Including among 180 others: Original Creative Director of The Illusionists on Broadway, Mythbusters Live, 4 shows on Las Vegas Strip, Charlie Brown Christmas Live, Play Dead, Jump, Spank, Alton Brown Live, Paul Zerdin AGT, and Disney's D Capella with Deke Sharon.

The cast of the show includes Martin Julien (performer and writer) who has forty years of experience in Canadian theatre. He has received three Dora Mavor Moore nominations for Best Performer. Recent productions include Under the Stairs (YPT), Lysistrata and the Temple of Gaia (Odyssey), Sir John A: Acts of a Gentrified Ojibway Rebellion (NAC), This Is How We Got Here (Summerworks) and The Heart of Robin Hood (Mirvish). Herbie Barnes (Anishinabe) (Actor, director, writer, and teacher)has directed across North America with plays like, Music Man (TIFT), Oliver the Musical (Bluff City Theatre), Inheritance (Alley and Touchstone Theatre) and Tales of an Urban Indian (Public Theater) and has been nominated for a John Hirsh Award for directing. As an actor he has played varied stages,Some of Herbie's best-known stage roles include Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit, or as Norval Morrisseau in Copper Thunderbird or singing and dancing as a Wikersham Brother in Seussical The Musical.

Sid Bobb (actor) is an Indigenous arts leader and inter-disciplinary artist who lives and works in and out of Nipissing First Nation. He is committed to helping bring Indigenous stories and culture to the forefront. An award-winning artist, Sid has performed both internationally and throughout Canada for over twenty years. Along with his wife Penny Couchie, Sid is Co-Artistic Director and co-founder of Aanmitaagzi, which has emerged as a leading Indigenous arts organization and centre for multi-arts, site-specific works and international collaborations.

Katie Ryerson (actor)has originated roles in 6 Canadian and World Premieres, including Hilda in GLORY (Western Canada Theatre & Alberta Theatre Projects & WCT National Tour), and Lily in Janet Wilson Meets the Queen (Great Canadian Theatre Company)

Sir John A is further brought to life with the all-star creative including set and costume designer Anna Treusch, projection designer Nick Bottomley, music director and composer Moe Berg, and lighting designer Echo Zhou.

Native Earth Performing Arts is Canada's oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Currently in its 37th year, Native Earth is dedicated to creating, developing and producing professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada. Through stage productions (theatre, dance and multi-disciplinary art), script development, apprenticeships and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. nativeearth.ca.

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