SHOWTIME

We spent all day today putting the final touches on 50 Cents a pound and The Frybread Queen. We started rehearsal at 9:30am working all the final moments, transitions between speaker and play etc. Took a break for lunch and then we were once again joined by Joe and the drummers to do a final run through before we show it to an audience.

As we were getting ready to begin I wasn’t very nervous. Over the past few weeks I’ve gotten to know the people I’m performing with so well and I trust them each immensely as well as the community sitting and watching. We’re telling their story, which is intimidating and I thought it would be scarier than it was. The audience and the cast were so supportive and I felt them rooting for us before it even started. Thats what I call a powerful community.

Although our performance had a few hiccups, I think it was one of the best times we went through the whole thing. It was also so inspiring to listen to the stories from the men who risked their lives and stood their ground for their rights. Especially the stories about the Natives v. The Sporty’s. I remember on of the speakers, Tom Malloy, mentioning his son carrying a baseball bat with spokes in it for protection against the sporty’s. I remember, Jim LeBlanc, talking about how people lost their lives trying to fish and that night when the Fitzgerald Sank, the same night mentioned in our play, but he didn’t know that at the time. Afterwards, when he saw our physical representation of it, he said it was exactly like that. That forceful, that powerful, it was a truly amazing complement.

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REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL

With the show being tomorrow we’re working really hard to make sure everything is precise and beautiful in our movements as well making sure we remember our lines and get through the scenes.

Today we also introduced to drummers who helped us piece together the transitions from piece to piece and helped us formulate the ending to our show. The drums added a layer of power to the show that I never could imagined. It was the best way, I think, to demonstrate the strength and faith those Native Fisherman had then during those wars and storms. And how that strength has carried on still today.

2 Days Until Showtime

Today, we’re back at LSSU working hard to clean up this show for Friday. This morning we started at 10am to work and perfect all of the movement motifs that appear throughout the play. We worked on rhythm, precision, and staying together when need be. Also today we worked specifically on physicalizing a storm at sea for one of our final gestural scenes.

 

In the afternoon, we were joined by Joe Medicine and we spent time working on the verbal scenes between the fishermen (Who are played by Tomantha, Eli, Joe Medicine, and Zach). Then finally we tried to piece everything together to see the skeleton of the show. It looks/feels pretty cool in my opinion.

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BAY MILLS

Today we spent the day rehearsing 50 cents in the Bay Mills library! The library is a part of a community college located on the Bay Mills reservation. Many of us read books about Native culture while catching up on our internet backlogs. Upstairs, some cast members rehearsed the fish show with Joe Medicine, a singer and drum leader who works at the library. Other students went to the Boys and Girls Club and the Bay Mills Charter School to talk about our performance and dialogue event. The show is starting to feel more and more solid each time we put it on its feet. 4 days til showtime!!!

 

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FISH FRY

Today we said good bye to the Mary Murray Culture Camp on Sugar Island and moved into the LSSU dorms. After we got settled we headed over to Bay Mills to have a fish fry with our friends Becky and Joe Parish and their adorable baby girl Rebecca Joe. The gathering included conversations about activism and songs led by Thomas Lopez. It was a beautiful to see Tomantha Sylvester singing some her own Anishinaabe songs.

On the way there we say a boat tied to the dock by the name of BIG ABE. Big Abe was the fisherman who spear-headed the case which took on the fish wars and he’s one of the main plot points in 50 Cents a Pound! 

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ST. IGNACE POW WOW

Today we drove to St. Ignace to go to a small Pow Wow that was being held outside the Ojibwe Museum. We ate fry bread, Danced during the inter-tribal dances, and talked with a bunch of people. The MC invited Thomas Lopez (IIYC) to the center of the dance arena and he  gave a wonderful speech about the IIYC, their work and connection. Then the female singers sang a song of honor for the members of the IIYC.

Following the Pow Wow, we ate dinner then it was off the Fry Bread Queen rehearsal.

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50 (per)Cent Closer

Today we had 50 cents a pound rehearsal. IT’S GETTING CLOSE TO SHOWTIME!! Today we worked on writing and physicalizing phrases that we heard over the trip that relate to water. Be it from hearing fishermen stories or something we noticed we wrote them and physicalized them and maybe they’ll make their way into the show. This rehearsal we were joined by Michael and Tomantha from LSSU and Eli from IIYC (Indigenous Youth Council). 

 

Afterward, we made our way back to Sugar Island for the BBQ!

Water Warriors

We started today off with another rehearsal with Malcolm for 50 Cents a Pound.  Today, Malcolm, Jonathan, Zach and I were joined by Tomantha, Michael, and Brie from LSSU. As a group, we focused on making motifs that could be used later on in the production. We started to physicalize the truth behind the treaty. What was said and what actually happened between the Natives and the Sporty’s particularly. We also physicalized one of the storms described in 50 Cents a Pound. A storm in which actual fisherman lost their lives.

We were also joined by three fierce and fearless members of the Indigenous Youth Council. Thomas, Mika,  Eli. We attended the Water Protectors Conference held at the Kewadin Casino (Sault Ste. Marie). We talked about current Water Crisis, and the pollution facing water as a whole but specifically pipelines that are damaging to our Great Lakes which is 20% of the worlds surface water and Sacred Duty the Native Community has to protect it. One thing that was pointed out by one of the community speakers was that no where in any treaty have Natives given up their right to protect the water. Finally, the evening was concluded with a keynote presentation by 13 year old activist Autumn Peltier. Who represented youth and her tribe at conferences all over the world to help to preserve clean water. She was a rockstar!

 

 

ST. IGNACE CEDAR

Today we picked up again with Morning Movement with Malcolm. We were again accompanied by Tomantha and Micheal from LSSU and Rebecca Parish was able to join us as well. We worked on making our movements resemble water through undulations and then individual phrases that we taught to each other. Phrases that will possibly make their way into our final piece…we’ll see!

After class we had lunch at Penny’s Kitchen before hitting the road to St. Ignace where we met Jackie at Kewaden Casino St. Ignace. She took us to collect cedar which will be used for the water ceremony that we will attend later in the week and also the sunrise ceremony that some of us will be attending tomorrow.

Writing Workshop with Friends

May 18TH-20TH

This weekend was pretty contained to Sugar Island, we didn’t go many places but people came to us and the solidarity helped us bond together as an ensemble.

During these three days we participated in a Weekend Writing Workshop which was lead primarily by our brilliant team member Jillian Waker who gave us all prompts and time to write. I think generally everyone was impressed and surprised by what was produced during this process. We all felt like we learned so much about each other through our writing and the distinct ways we chose to reply to the prompts. Some pieces were classic poetic narratives, some were random bits of songs and phrases, some poetry, strictly dialogue, you name it! It was really amazing to watch that creativity boil in my group. It was also a great way to release and reflect on life and self.

Later Saturday evening, Cecil came by and made a fire for us. After we gifted tobacco to the fire and saved ourselves, Cecil told us more about the history of the Anishinaabe and we shared the history of ourselves. It was incredibly beautiful. 

On Sunday we continued with the writing prompts this time we were joined by Spencer, Michael, and Tomantha. Afterwards, Tomantha demonstrated for us her Fancy Shawl Dance which she sometimes performs at pow wow. In her dance, she tries to replicate the delicacy and flight of a butterfly. It was so awesome to watch, she’s really good at it. 

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