About Gwaandak Theatre
“One meaning of ‘Gwaandak’ in the Gwich’in language is ‘storyteller’.”
Our stories question, honour, and celebrate. They explore themes around decolonization, cultural identity, social justice, underrepresented voices and human rights. We tour existing and developing works to both tiny communities and major centres. We also host the annual Awaken Festival and our programming includes workshops and training opportunities for theatre artists.
Gwaandak Theatre was founded in Whitehorse, YT by Leonard Linklater and Patti Flather in 1999. During Spring 2000, Sixty Below was presented as our first production. Written by the founders, this play opened on May 9th, 2000 at Nàkwät’à Kų̀ Potlatch House, Kwanlin Dün First Nation, in Whitehorse.
Colin Wolf became the Executive and Artistic Director in Fall 2019, with the first Awaken Festival taking place in Spring 2020.
Gwaandak Theatre Society is Yukon’s only Indigenous professional theatre company. As an Indigenous Theatre, we are required by some of our funders to hire a minimum of 50% Indigenous people.
Our Vision
To Illuminate Indigenous and Northern Stories
For Gwaandak Theatre, “Indigenous'' includes Yukon First Nations, Métis people, Inuit, and First Nations folx whose traditional territory lies to the south of the 60th parallel, and those who have been Scooped, Taken, or Lost through colonial processes. “Northern” includes 2SLGBQTIA+ folx, Black People, People of Colour, Dis Artists, and people of diverse classes, and backgrounds living generally north of the 60th parallel.
Our Mission
To connect with the width and breadth of our Indigenous and Northern communities. To build creative capacity for aspiring, emerging, and established Indigenous Theatre makers in Yukon. To create opportunities for for Indigenous Theatre Makers in Yukon to work together on professional productions and projects both locally and nationally. To create and instill good practices and protocols in the theatre industry by leading from example.
Gwaandak Theatre seasonal programming includes projects to meet and engage with new people, training and development opportunities, and showcase and performance activities. We work with the full breadth of our community to create access points for theatre making, build creative capacity, and connect artist and audience. We work with other theatres, organizations, and not for profits on partner projects to build relations and bridges. This ensures after meeting, training, and working with us we can find opportunities for Indigenous and Northern artists, technicians and cultural workers to find continued employment and opportunity in the industry, locally and nationally.
Our performance activities tour to tiny communities, large centers, schools, special programs. Our digital activities are accessible by anyone with access to the internet. Almost all performance activities, workshops, and programs are free of charge to the user, audience, or participant.
Our definition of theatre is inclusive and broad. It includes interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary works, artists exploring the boundaries of performance including; site-specific work, digital work, devised work, physical theatre, dance, non-text based shows, and text-based work. We are known for our innovative development and production of compelling Indigenous and Northern theatrical experiences.
Our Values
Health First
Always. Mental, Physical, & Emotional Health come before all else at Gwaandak.
Courage
To act in a good way, especially when it is difficult.
Compassion
To avoid judgment and stigma in order to appreciate others experiences.
Kindness
To remain generous and considerate when working with each other.
Transparency
To stay open and accountable in communications.
Draft
To allow space to speak, and speak again upon reflection.
Accountability
To ensure we own our actions and their outcomes.
The Circle
To allow everyone to speak equally on an challenges, decisions, and issues that affect them.
Determination
To remind us to not give up in the face of challenges.
25$/Hr Minimum
To ensure all paid contractors at Gwaandak Theatre receive a fair rate for their work.
Teamwork
Because no one can do this alone.
Intersectionality
So we understand that there are a multiplicity of identities, experiences, and perspectives on a single situation.
Access to Work/Knowledge
To endeavor to not turn people away who express an interest or ask a question.
About Our Logo - “On My Way To Be” - Unveiled Spring 2025
In celebration of 25 Seasons of Gwaandak Theatre, we unveiled our new logo - On My Way To Be - created by artist Blake Shaá’koon Lepine. We express our deep gratitude to Blake for creating this work and for sharing his artistry with us. We also thank Angel Labuguen for digitizing this work and acknowledge everyone else who supported this project, including Gwaandak Theatre Board and Staff Members who were involved throughout the creation period.
Statement Behind the Art
“In the Yukon, working in our Indigenous communities we all take on certain roles based on our own unique gifts. Within this organization we exercise this power of transformation and wanted to emulate through our art that at anytime we’re in the midst of these transformations within ourself. The central figure is to represent all of us, and the wolf and crow on the edge of our being to represent how we move between these worlds. We are all one and sometimes become one another.” -Blake Shaá’koon Lepine
About The Artist
Blake Lepine, or Shaá’koon, was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. He is of Tlingit, Han, Cree and Scottish descent and grew up with the Tlingit culture. Blake is inspired by the old designs from carving books his mother had. Over the years, Blake has practiced and perfected his own stylized form and interpretation of this art while adhering to the traditional foundations. This gives a modern voice to an ancient art, but also carries it into modern mediums other than the traditional forms of carving and painting of his ancestors. Blake has also worked with silkscreen, design, beadwork, textile work, sewing and painted leather, collage, block printing and watercolour. Through these mediums Blake has found a way of expressing his everyday experiences and life lessons through this art.
Meet Our Team
Contact us:
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Colin Wolf, Executive and Artistic Director - colin@gwaandaktheatre.ca
Rebecca Ballarin, Administrative and Operational Manager - rebecca@gwaandaktheatre.ca
RJ Smith, Production and Marketing Manager - rj@gwaandaktheatre.ca
Keira Ash, Artistic Associate - keira@gwaandaktheatre.ca
Mackenzie Spellman, Fund Development Intern - mackenzie@gwaandaktheatre.ca
Gwaandak Theatre Board - board@gwaandaktheatre.ca
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#1 - 1114 Front Street, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 1A3
Located in the Second Level of Horwoods Mall
Community Feedback
We value feedback from community members and recognize that sometimes people need to be anonymous to share that feedback with us. For certain kinds of feedback, it may be important for us to be able to contact you in order for us to take action or to follow up with you.
Your message will be sent to board@gwaandaktheatre.ca
