Theatre Calgary’s Awoowaakii is a story of Indigenous joy and struggle. It tackles complicated themes and topics and is a brave and daring play. Not only does this world premiere by Sable Sweetgrass centre around a trans Blackfoot woman, but it also features a gay Sisika Blackfoot drag queen. This story pushes boundaries and explores some deep themes with innovative design, but it doesn’t come without issues. The show suffers from wanting to package the performance with a tidy bow, which just isn’t realistic. But the story is compelling and uplifting, even if it has some growing pains.
Awoowaakii (the Siksikaitsitapi word for Two-Spirit People) tells of Chrissy Sipatsimo (Marshall Vielle), a trans woman raising her child Richie (Jenova Calixto) in Calgary while living with her best friend Toni Twigg (Garret C. Smith). Chrissy wants to protect Richie and tries to keep Toni in the closet. Things are in upheaval when Chrissy’s estranged father Joseph Two Guns (Kevin Lance Littlelight) shows up with some news. Everything comes to a head during Toni’s naming ceremony, which he’s invited Rosie Running Eagle (Cherish Violet Blood), an old friend and Elder, to perform.
The play’s landing is a bit rocky because the cast sometimes struggles to portray the characters. Vielle’s performance is pretty solid and illustrative, but when paired with Littlelight, the performance dims. Littlelight is wooden in his delivery and often just rattles off his lines, with little interaction with the characters around him. It reduces the impact of the play, as his redemption is a critical part of the narrative. Calixto’s performance lands between Littlelight and Vielle’s, and sometimes Calixto’s lines ring a bit hollow. Smith steals the show with his energy and his drag. He is an icon in this show and is every shade of fabulous. Blood is steady and emotive as Rosie, creating balance within the narrative.
Director Alanis King has this story unfold in the small space at the Big Secret Theatre, but her choices are not always in line with the intimacy that should be upheld. Sometimes half of the audience experiences the play only seeing the backs of the actors. The set (designed by John Doucet) spins, which is a cool feature. But it means that depending on where the audience is seated, you don’t see facial expressions, which are really important in this narrative. Nevertheless, the set collapsing to look like a tipi is a very lovely touch. Lighting design by Jeff Harrison and sound design as well as composition by Troy Slocum really bring the play to life, especially during the drag numbers. Jeff Chief’s costume design is full of great touches, like Chrissy’s naming ceremony dress and Toni’s wigs and dresses. Hats go way off to Holywood Jade, the play’s choreographer, incorporating stellar moves to Lady Gaga’s lyrics.
In the end, it all works out. And I would say that a happy family ending doesn’t actually serve this play. It’s understandable to not want yet another narrative about the suffering of Indigenous folks, but this story does a disservice to the complicated issues around Truth and Reconciliation. The struggle is that having a happy family ending isn’t that easy. I believe that there is a way for Awoowaakii to hold space for reconciliation and truth about generational trauma at the same time. If anything can hold space for all that it needs to, it’s art.
Theatre Calgary’s presentation of Awoowaakii is sold out, but there is a waitlist. More information is available online.