Awaken Festival 2026
April 12th-26th | Whitehorse, YT & Online
Question… Honour… Celebrate… Awaken!
Gwaandak Theatre presents Awaken Festival 2026 - Featuring in-person and digital workshops, cultural presentations, performance showcases, and more - all in an effort to celebrate the different ways we can gather and connect! This hybrid festival is curated for Indigenous and Northern artists as well as interested members of the public.
As winter transforms into spring, life wakes up in the North. Mother Bears pass on knowledge to their cubs in order for them to thrive on their own. Awaken - so to speak - connects “cubs” (new and aspiring artists) to “mother bears” (experienced artists). Join us this spring from April 12th-26th, 2026 in Whitehorse YT and Online to learn, share, and Awaken new beginnings within yourself and your community.
Find out more about our Current Season or get special updates throughout the year by subscribing to our e-newsletter using the link at the bottom of this webpage. Stay tuned for more festival announcements over the coming months, including more details about workshops, local and cultural presentations, as well as the second annual Awaken Theatre Gathering taking place on Sunday April 26th, 2026 at the KDCC!
*All details are accurate at the time of posting and are subject to change.
- Performance Showcases -
Each year at Awaken, we present three national Performance Showcases as part of our festival line-up. This April 2026 at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, we are pleased to present: who will save the night sky? created and performed by Philip Jonah Logan Geller, Miss Carcass Caresse: Soft waters created and performed by Erica Wilson, and The National Climate Play co-created by Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum and Climate Play Artists.
who will save the night sky?
By Philip Jonah Logan Geller
April 21st & 24th, 2026 @ KDCC
Miss Carcass Caresse: Soft waters
By Erica Wilson
April 22nd & 25th, 2025 @ KDCC
The National Climate Play
By Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum & Climate Play Artists
April 23rd & 25th, 2025 @ KDCC
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Tuesday, April 21st - 7PM (Doors @ 6:30PM) - Opening Night & Post-Show Talkback - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
Friday, April 24th - 7PM (Doors @ 6:30PM) - Closing Night & Post-Show Mixer - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
Allow me to take you on a celestial journey to a big board room in the sky. Plleeeaaassee, allow me to whisk my tail and weave you a tale on the tell tale signs of a GOOD STORY! A long time ago, in the future, an important group of star beings got together to discuss the fate of earth and the two-leggeds… and the party begins!
Blending bouffon, clown, storytelling, and spectacle, who will save the night sky? is an interactive solo performance reminding us of the importance of our relationship to the stars and sky world.
Developed with support from the Winnipeg Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and The Banff Centre.
Content Warnings: Audience participation, flashing lights, and mature language and subject matter.
Length: ~75 Minutes
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CREDITS
Featuring Philip Jonah Logan Geller
Creator & Performer | Philip Jonah Logan Geller
Promotional Photos | Andy Carroll
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Wednesday, April 22nd - 7PM (Doors @ 6:30PM) - Opening Night & Post-Show Talkback - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
Saturday, April 25th - 2PM (Doors @ 1:30PM) - Closing Matinee & Post-Show Tea - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
Erica Wilson is a Winnipeg-born Indigenous theatre artist. Moving beyond the constraints of traditional "Main Stage" storytelling, she now channels her creativity through her persona, Miss Carcass Caresse.
Her current work-in-progress is a 30-minute piece centered on the theme of Water. Drawing from original poetry, she parallels the shapeshifting, extracted, and life giving nature of water. Through Miss Carcass Caresse, she reclaims her artistic narrative, blending silliness, stillness, and dance inspired movement to build new worlds on stage.
Content Warnings: N/A
Length: ~45 Minutes
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CREDITS
Featuring Erica Wilson as Miss Carcass Caresse
Creator & Performer | Erica Wilson
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Thursday, April 23rd - 7PM (Doors @ 6:30PM) - Opening Night & Post-Show Talkback - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
Saturday, April 25th - 7PM (Doors @ 6:30PM) - Closing Night & Post-Show Mixer - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT
A verbatim play with music spoken by people across Canada.
Presented by Community Circle. Thank you to Canada Council for the Arts, University of British Columbia, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Content Warnings: Existential dread.
Length: ~100 Minutes
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CREDITS
Featuring Climate Play Artists
Co-Creators | Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum
Thank you to the sponsors & supporters of the 2026 Awaken Festival!
We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada (nous reconnaissons l'appui du gouvernement du Canada), the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Yukon, the City of Whitehorse and Lotteries Yukon. We acknowledge the support of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation with funding provided by the Government of Canada. Funding for Gwaandak Theatre is made possible through the assistance of Arts Operating Fund - Annual Operating Component, Department of Tourism and Culture, Jen Gehmair, Minister.
We also thank the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre and their staff for their generous support as our Festival Hosts as well as Air North, Yukon’s Airline and Northern Vision Development LP (NVD) for their continued support of visiting artists.
If you would like to support the Awaken Festival and Gwaandak Theatre through sponsorship, please check out our Sponsorship Opportunities package. Want to arrange a time to meet in the new year? Please send an email to Colin Wolf, our Executive & Artistic Director, at colin@gwaandaktheatre.ca - we would love to hear from you!
