Written & Directed By Falen Johnson
Native Earth Production in Partnership with Blyth Festival
In 1942, when the Department of Defence forcibly evicted the community of Stoney Point to the neighbouring reserve of Kettle Point to establish military training base, Camp Ipperwash, the department promised to return the land after the war had concluded. This promise went unfulfilled for over 70 years.
“An empty house is a lonely house…”
When Corporal Bea Johnson, an Anishinaabe from New Credit, who is hired by the Department of Defence to manage the ordinance clean-up at Camp Ipperwash, she realizes how little she knows about the recent history. As she comes to understand the damage done by the Department, Bea sees firsthand how this act of displacement reverberates on land grossly exploited by the government. When a little girl from the past pays her a visit, Bea’s world starts to unravel as she is forced to examine her complicity in the tragedy that is Camp Ipperwash.
Using humour and movement, Ipperwash by Falen Johnson(Mohawk/Tuscarora) tells a story of reclamation, repatriation, and resilience of the Stoney and Kettle Point communities.
February 6-18, 2018
Tickets $15-25
Aki Studio
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Featuring: Paula-Jean Prudat, Jonathan Fisher, James-Dallas Smith, Samantha Brown
Core Collaborator Gil Garratt
Stage Manager Michael Panich
Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay
Costume Designer Jeff Chief
Sound Designer & Composer Deanna Choi
Production Manager Courtney Pyke
Ipperwash was commissioned and developed by the Blyth Festivaland premiered there in 2017. View credits here.
Visual Art by Julie Flett