THEATRE OF FIRE
DEHCHO: RIVER JOURNEY
JUNE 21ST, 7.30PM
On June 21, for National Indigenous Peoples Day, we recognize and celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada
DEHCHO: RIVER JOURNEY. This performance carries the audience on a musical journey along the Mackenzie River, from Virginia Falls in the south to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Two hosts — Dene poet Shaznay Waugh from Fort Simpson and Gwich’in writer Arlyn Charlie from Teetl’it Zheh (Fort McPherson) — express the toll that climate change is taking on their land.
Ticket prices:
Adult $35
Youth ( 18 and under) $25.
Please note:
Your email confirmation is your ticket.
If you have not received your confirmation, please check your spam folder.
All performances are at the Bowen Theatre, located within the new Bowen Island Community Center.
580 Bowen Island Trunk Rd, Bowen Island
National Indigenous Peoples Day is a time to honor the cultures, histories, and ongoing contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. For the Hearth on Bowen Island—unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nation—it’s a moment to reflect on the island’s deep Indigenous roots and the continued presence and resilience of the Squamish people. We acknowledge the legacy of colonization and displacement while celebrating the rich traditions, stories, and knowledge that endure. At the Hearth, we are committed to fostering understanding, supporting Indigenous voices, and working toward reconciliation through community, art, and learning.
-James Nesbitt, Chair of The Hearth Board of Directors
About: THEATRE OF FIRE
Theatre of Fire was created to communicate a broad range of human experience through a unique combination of original, restored, and traditional music, audio testimoniahls, sound collages, video, and visual art.
Theatre of Fire presented its first production, entitled Remembering Steel Skies Raining Tears, at the Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver. Remembering Steel Skies Raining Tears is a music and multimedia production that honours child survivors of the Holocaust. The production transmits their message of hope, resilience, and love.
In 2011, Drew Ann Wake contacted three First Nations in the Northwest Territories to ask whether they were interested in copies of hundreds of audio tapes of interviews and drumming she had recorded over fifty years in the North. The answer was unequivocal: “Yes!”
Theatre of Fire volunteered to digitize the materials. That opened a conversation with Chief Gerry Antoine of the Liidlii Kue First Nation in Fort Simpson, who suggested that the historic tapes could be used to train young people old drum songs. This sparked a unique collaboration. Theatre of Fire has made two journeys to the Northwest Territories and has participated in composing a multimedia musical work: “Dehcho: A Musical Journey along the Mackenzie River”.
The intermingling of these elements creates a bold, deeply moving, and original work of both social and artistic significance.