Notre Dame High School Drama Team’s production, titled Zaagi'idiwin: Love and Little Fires, was selected as the Outstanding Production and advanced to the provincial showcase of the National Theatre School Drama Festival (NTS) on May 8-11. This is an incredible accomplishment as only two shows are selected from Toronto to advance. We thank Nahanni Shingoose, who was so generous with our students and community in sharing her story. Congratulations to Sara Pedrosa (Drama Teacher/NTS moderator). A big thank you to Pete Hathway for tech-production, and to Matt Sottile for art-design.
Synopsis:
In 1950, Curtis Jonnie, a four-year-old from Roseau River First Nation, was taken, like thousands of other Indigenous children, stolen into the Canadian welfare system in an act of genocide now known as the 60s Scoop. Seventy-three years later, nine members of a high school drama club, exasperated by apathy and shallow performances of activism, set out to explore settlers’ responsibility to learn and share the truth. They began to write fiction while celebrating the life of Aunt Winnie. Great-niece Evelyn uncovers a dark secret that is more than the characters and playwrights could handle. The creators realized that the rest of the story could not be fiction. Through Curtis Jonnie Shingoose’s daughter, Nahanni Shingoose, the writers are immersed in the family’s history of intergenerational trauma, resistance, and reclamation. Zaagi’idiwin: Love and Little Fires is the group's exploration of the process of building relationships with Indigenous communities. Members of the club examine their own positionality while challenging and confronting family, institutions, and each other. Braiding together an all-too-real fictionalized story, interviews with Nahanni, and stages of the creative process itself, they attempt to decolonize their writing through the incredible life story, teachings, and music of the legendary singer-songwriter Curtis Jonnie Shingoose.
This is a "hat-trick" for Notre Dame, having previously advanced to Provincials with "The Terrible Things" (2022, Digital Festival) and "From the Wreckage" (2023). Wishing them well as they head off to Provincials in North Bay! Zaagi'idiwin: Love and Little Fires were also awarded two awards:
Award of Distinctive Merit: Madison Runge for Digital Media
Award of Excellence: Eloise Harrington and Alex Walke (lead writers) for exploration of theatrical form