Indigenous Summer Play Readings 2025

Tyra Ashauntie is from Pelly Crossing, Huchá Hudän, Selkirk First Nation. Tyra loves their siblings, culture, language, painting, writing, friends and family. Tyra’s artistic career has been developing for years, starting at the Music, Arts and Drama program at the Wood Street Centre. Starting in 2022, Tyra has worked with Gwaandak Theatre a number of times, furthering Tyra’s interest in theatre. Tyra has been part of Gwaandak’s Indigenous Summer Play Readings every summer since 2022, as actor and director. For ISPR 2024, one of the scripts was ‘Constellation’ written by Tyra. Tyra was also the assistant manager for Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre and The Guild Hall’s co-production of ‘CoyWolf’ by Colin Wolf. Tyra was one of five who were selected for Canada’s first national Queer & Trans Playwriting Unit where they got to work closely with each other and a dramaturge for 12 months, develop their individual scripts, and then have a public reading. Tyra loves exploring all forms of theatre and creating!

Roreigh Eftoda (she/her), a Métis/Cree-Celtic born in Northern Alberta Nistawâyâwis, is a credited actor and theatre maker who has been living in Whitehorse, Yukon since 1986. An advocate for Indigenous and Child Rights, Roreigh got her start in theatre in 2004, when she moved to Nanaimo, B.C. for college. Taking acting classes with Bailey Studio, she made props and performed in Death and God with the Nanaimo Theatre Group in the Spring of 2004. Returning to the Yukon, Roreigh did properties for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) at The Guild Hall in the Fall of 2004. Later, she landed a background role on an episode of tv miniseries Northern Town produced by Tagish Lake Film Inc/CBC. She took a hiatus from performance to travel Australia and Asia for 2 ½ years and has also raised three children while working in finance. In 2008, Roreigh began dance lessons at Leaping Feats and Northern Lights School of Dance including Hip Hop, Salsa, Jazz, modern and burlesque.

Roreigh returned to the theatre with Gwaandak Theatre’s Awaken Festival, Quick n’ Dirty Residency and Digital Cabaret in 2021 and 2022 as Roz Rouge. She also returned to Film with a feature role in Polaris produced by Little Dipper Films Inc. In March of 2022, Roz Rouge performed her first live burlesque act in GenderRiot hosted by Queer Yukon. Returning to Nanaimo in the Summer of 2022, Roz Rouge continued to learn the art of burlesque with Sweet Tooth Burlesque Revue’s residency and performance in Nanaimo B.C. Then performing in Victoria B.C with Fatale Production’s Dynamo A-Go-Go/Heavy Hitters in February 2023. Roreigh continued with Acting for Film and Television lessons through Spotlight Academy in Nanaimo, B.C. Returning to the Yukon in the fall of 2023 Roz Rough performed at Drag Bingo and Drag Me Into 2024. In 2024 Roz performed at International Woman’s Day Fundraiser by Molotov and Bricks Tattoo, Boolesque with Babes in the Bush and Burlesque and Drag with Babes in the Bush, Haines Junction. During Rendezvous of 2025 Roz Rouge performed in Cabin Fever Burlesque and Drag Festival 2025 hosted by Velvet Antler Productions.

In the summers of 2022 and 2024, Roreigh travelled with Gwaandak Theatre in the Yukon for the Indigenous Summer Play Readings. Roreigh was the Festival Director for Awaken 2024 and The Deadly Festival Auntie for Awaken 2025.

Jason (Jay) Symanski is an actor/avid theatre enjoyer, originally from Winnipeg Manitoba, and has lived in the Yukon since 2009. He has spent 3 semesters in the Wood Street Centre’s Music Arts and Drama program (MAD). He was involved in 2024’s Indigenous Summer Play Readings and is currently performing in this year’s production. 

Sydney Wolf (they/them) is a queer and autistic artist. Their love for writing, painting and sewing has brought them into the theatre world. Since moving from the prairies to the mountains of the Yukon in 2019, Wolf has been reintroducing themselves to the world of performance through drag and theatre. Sydney was one of ten shortlisted artists, out of 251 submissions, for the National Queer and Trans Playwright Unit in 2022. Other things that orbit their heart include cross stitching, Dungeons & Dragons, and their pets Gwen, Boba and Lollypop.