ūtszan (to make something better)
By Yvonne Wallace
October 2019
A UN Year of Indigenous Languages Event
In her final days, Aunt Celia hatches a plan. She refuses to speak English anymore to her niece Margaret, only Ucwalmicwts from now on. This one-woman show unearths Indigenous knowledge, humour, strength and resilience through language reclamation. Margaret discovers that the tools she needs to speak her first language are all around her in the land, stories, and memories.
Written and performed by Yvonne Wallace.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE
October 19th - Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, Dawson City
October 23rd-26th - Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse
*Optional Talkback after performances.
CREDITS
Featuring Yvonne Wallace
Playwright | Yvonne Wallace
Director / Sound Designer | Jefferson Guzman
Stage Manager | Andrea Bols
Technical Director | Martin Nishikawa
Production Manager | Léa Roy Bernatchez
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Yvonne Wallace is Ucwalmicw from the Lil’wat Nation, and a graduate from the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree program at Capilano University. Her enthusiasm for playwriting began while she worked at The Centre for Indigenous Theatre. Later, she graduated with honours from Humber College Theatre Acting program. She has written three plays – Smothered Sweetly, The Last Dance, and ūtszan, which premieres in Whistler, B.C. in September. She is currently writing 7 Misconceptions of a Half-Breed Mother, a tragicomedy about the public-school system.
With gratitude to our co-presenters Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre and Klondike Institute of Art & Culture (KIAC) and to our Season Partners: Lotteries Yukon, Integraphics LTD, Air North, Yukon’s Airline, render, What’s Up Yukon, and Casey’s Bed and Breakfast.
