Awaken Festival 2026
April 12th-26th | Whitehorse, YT & Online
- 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 Climate Play co-created by Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum and Climate Play Artists.
There is possibility of ASL Interpretation being provided during the showcases performances of who will save the night sky? on Tuesday April 21st as well as Miss Carcass Caresse: Soft Waters on Wednesday April 22nd. If you would like to request ASL interpretation for either / both of these events, please email info@gwaandaktheatre.ca prior to 12PM Yukon Time on Tuesday April 7th, as ASL interpretation availability for these specific performances will be subject to community response received by this deadline. If you purchase a ticket prior to this date/time and would like to request ASL interpretation, you can also do so via the comments section after making your purchase.
Are you in Whitehorse for PACTcon / CINASO? Then you can get a discounted pass to the Awaken Theatre Gathering (Sunday April 26th) plus one ticket for each of the three showcase performances using the Awaken Festival Pass option! These passes will be available for $100 via the Awaken Theatre Gathering registration page and will include three showcase regular price tickets plus 50% off the Awaken Theatre Gathering registration.
who will save the night sky?
April 21st & 24th, 2026 @ KDCC
By Philip Jonah Logan Geller
Miss Carcass Caresse: Soft Waters
April 22nd & 25th, 2025 @ KDCC
By Erica Wilson
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
Stage Manager | Taylor Zalik-Young
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 45-minute piece centered on the theme of Water. Drawing from original poetry and mask work. She parallels the shapeshifting, extraction, 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.
Thank you to Kiyanaan Indigenous Theatre Festival.
Content Warnings: Strobe lighting, smudge/smoke, mature audience, sexual themes, suggestive content.
Length: ~45 Minutes
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CREDITS
Featuring Erica Wilson as Miss Carcass Caresse
Creator & Performer | Erica Wilson
Stage Manager | Charlene Van Buekenhout
Dance Mentor | Alexandra Elliott
Puppet Cinematographer and Editor | Venus Von Tramp
Burlesque Mentor | Nina Sapphira
Promotional Photos | 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
Over the past three years, Climate Play has created eight hyper-local verbatim plays in eight different communities, including Whitehorse. The national Climate Play braids together four main elements from the plays: the script edited from the transcripts of the interviews; photos and videos of local land, water, and nature filmed by local artists in each community; a mid-show facilitated audience discussion; original music inspired by the transcripts of the interviews, including a new song generated from the end Act I discussion and performed for the first time.
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 + 15 Minute Intermission
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CREDITS
Featuring Bevin Dooley, Sydney Hunt, Katelyn Morishita, Brianna Roett, and Colin Wolf with Music by Stewart Legere & Scott Maynard
Co-Creators | Yvette Nolan and Joel Bernbaum and Climate Play Artists
Actor | Bevin Dooley
Actor | Sydney Hunt
Actor | Katelyn Morishita
Actor | Brianna Roett
Actor | Colin Wolf
Composer & Musical Director | Stewart Legere
Composer & Musical Director | Scott Maynard
Production Assistant | Philip Adams
Projection Co-Designer | Brendan Briceland
Projection Co-Designer | Amelia Scott
Promotional Photos | Philip Adams