New Indigenous Theatre Readings

Tyra Ashauntie is an Indigenous artist from Pelly Crossing, Selkirk First Nation, Huchá Hudän. Tyra’s artistic career started at the Music, Arts, and Drama Program at the Wood Street Centre, spending two semesters there participating in a number of plays. In the beginning of 2022 Tyra acted in Gwaandak Theatre's production of The Crows by Frances Končan as the character ‘Rual’. Tyra has acted for Gwaandak Theatre’s Indigenous Summer Play Readings in the summer of 2022 and 2023 and was also the director for one of the 2023 scripts. 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 Playwright unit where they got to work closely with other participants and dramaturges to develop their scripts. For ISPR 2024, one of the scripts was Constellation written by Tyra!

Jedrek Dendys, a proud member of the Tahltan First Nation, Wolf Clan, began his acting career in the recent Indigenous Summer Play Readings 2024, performing key roles in Justice by Leonard Linklater and Constellation by Tyra Ashauntie. Inspired by this experience, Jedrek is eager to continue his artistic journey as an actor and writer for upcoming Gwaandak Theatre projects. He is currently working on two personal creative projects: a play titled The Seagull and a Tahltan children's book called Grandma’s Stories, which incorporates the cherished stories and illustrations of his Grandmother, Lila Brown, one of the last fluent speakers of the Tahltan language.

Born in raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, Isabelle James-Walker (she/her) is Tlingit, Carcross Tagish First Nation. Isabelle found her passion for theatre when she joined the Music Arts and Drama Program and completely fell in love with acting and the Arts. Being really shy and closed off as a kid, she found her confidence while pursuing her passion. As part of Indigenous Summer Play Readings 2024, she dove into the world of directing. Justice by Leonard Linklater was the first script directed by Isabelle.

A few productions she’s been in: Music Art and Drama Program - 2016-2019

Newsies - Yukon Theatre for Young People - 2019

Dreary and Izzy - The Guild Hall & Gwaandak Theatre - 2021

Women of the Fur Trade - Gwaandak Theatre - 2021

Indigenous Summer Play Readings - Gwaandak Theatre - 2022

WYRD - Larrikin Entertainment - 2023

Indigenous Summer Play Readings - Gwaandak Theatre - 2024

Colin Wolf is a Métis performer, theatre maker, and activist from Moh’kins’tsis (Calgary), AB on Treaty 7 Territory. He graduated with a BFA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Lethbridge in 2014, and then spent 5 years making theatre all over the prairies. Wolf co-founded Thumbs Up Good Work Theatre Collective with his sister Caleigh Crow in 2013. Wolf felt the call of the North and moved to Whitehorse in October 2019 to serve as Artistic Director at Gwaandak Theatre. He wrote & produced CoyWolf, a story about loss and grief backdropped by a story of land displacement. Wolf produced it as Thumbs Up in partnership with the Guild Hall Theatre in Whitehorse, and toured it to 4 rural communities in 2023.