Storyweaving Program
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Vancouver Moving Theatre & DTES Heart of the City Festival in partnership with the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Memories from the irst Nation Past into th aving F e Futu We ation ancestral and urban presence in G re f First N reater V nour o anco In ho uver 18 ay 11-13 & -20, 2012 M Aboriginal Friendsh couver ip Cent Van Chief Simon Baker Room re Twining together stories, poems and personal memories with oral histories woven from cultural teachings, West Coast dances and the ancient bone game of Slahal www.vancouvermovingtheatre.com www.vafcs.org Storyweaving 1 Over half the population of the Lower Mainland has been here Vancouver Moving Theatre & Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival In partnership with Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre, invite you to witness less than twenty years. Storyweaving They need to hear our stories. Weaving First Nation Memories from the Past into the Future His Honour Steven Point Inspired by Stories and Memories from Greater Vancouver’s Urban Aboriginal Community Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre (Stó:lō) Nation Chief Simon Baker Room, 1607 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC May 11-13 & May 18-20, 2012 Fridays and Saturdays 7:30pm, Sunday Matinees 2pm POST SHOW DISCUSSIONS Sunday May 13 and Sunday May 20 Angela White, Indian Residential School Survivors Society Renae Morriseau, Director Spiritual and emotional support during the event is provided by the Indian Residential School Survivors Society. The event is approximately two hours long. There is no intermission. Washrooms are down the hall to the west. No photographs, sound or video recording of any kind is permitted during the event except those with the express permission of Vancouver Moving Theatre. Letters or comments Vancouver Moving Theatre Chinatown PO Box 88270 Vancouver BC, V6A 4A5 604-628-5672 [email protected] www.vancouvermovingtheatre.com www.heartofthecityfestival.com Vancouver Moving Theatre acknowledges that our community lies within the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish people. Coast Salish basket (circa 1870), woven by a great grandmother of Rosemary Georgeson. Photo David Cooper 2 Storyweaving ON BEHALF OF VANCOUVER MOVING THEATRE, THE DOWNTOWN WE WELCOME THE PEOPLE FROM THE FOUR DIRECTIONS, WE Eastside Heart of the City Festival and the artistic and pro- recognize and acknowledge the territory of the Musqueam, Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! duction team, it is our pleasure and honour to welcome Squamish and Tsleil-waututh who generously allow us to WELCOME you to Storyweaving. share their space, we welcome the performers, and all those involved in the production. Dear Friends, I am very excited On behalf of the Together we are creating a Canadian story woven from Welcome to to welcome you City of Vancouver personal and collective memories gathered from Greater We would like to recognize and acknowledge our partners Storyweaving, a to the production it is my pleasure Vancouver’s urban Aboriginal community. The journey has in producing Storyweaving, Vancouver Moving Theatre unique cultural of Storyweaving. to welcome been guided by long-time colleagues Renae Morriseau and and the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, who performance of The constituency everyone to Rosemary Georgeson, assisted by staff of the Vancouver have worked diligently to bring this performance to us. aboriginal stories of Vancouver- Storyweaving. Aboriginal Friendship Centre and joined by a team of elders Congratulations to the cast and crew, the artistic team and that is guaran- Mount Pleasant, Storyweaving and cultural teachers, professional actors, dancers, students, all the participants who have poured so much of themselves teed to enlighten located on the is a timely and im- and veterans of Downtown Eastside community play projects. into this performance! and endure in our ancestral lands of portant arts event Storyweaving started with a small thread: the realization This is a wonderful story that takes us on a journey of minds and hearts. the Coast Salish that reminds residents of Vancouver of that the Downtown Eastside has the largest off reserve discovery – told by many voices, sharing many experiences This is also a special opportunity for people, is home to people from all na- the presence of Coast Salish First Na- native population in Canada. More and demonstrating the importance of us to come together to celebrate the tions. It is a community rich in history, tions people on this territory since time threads were drawn from the 2003 DTES culture and tradition. It also portrays heritage, contributions, and aspirations traditions and cultures. It is wonderful immemorial; of the historical events Community Play, building on relation- the importance of community, fam- of the aboriginal community. In my rid- that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal and experiences which have brought ships developed and stories uncovered ily and identity. There is a "gathering ing of Vancouver East, I know firsthand alike have the opportunity to learn aboriginal people across this land to live during the making of the play. The co- place" in each community where peo- of, and feel especially grateful for, the from each other through the struggles and work in Vancouver; of the contribu- writers wove existing threads into new ple go to connect and re-connect with gifts of fortitude, resilience, and legacy and successes of the past. Together, tions of native residents to the social, relationships formed and new memories, family, and community. The Vancouver that First Nations peoples share with us. I am confident that we can set the cultural and economic development of poems, and stories gathered. Ancestral Aboriginal Friendship Centre is such a We are all the better for it. course for a better tomorrow. Vancouver; of the hopes and dreams of memories came forward of the history place – indeed it is called "our second A performance like this could not Thank you to the Vancouver Abo- aboriginal residents of Vancouver for a of the Coast Salish area shared by many home" by many. The content of the happen without all the cast, vol- riginal Friendship Centre, Vancouver strong and healthy future; and of the peoples. Songs, dances and stories were story is what we witness in the urban unteers, and partners who give so Moving Theatre, the Heart of the City power of arts and culture to give voice shared about traditional roles, protocols Aboriginal community daily. generously and work so tirelessly. A Festival, and all of those participat- to the concerns of our residents. and ways of seeing and doing. We heard We are the bridge for many in transi- warm thank you and hats off to these ing who are sharing the generous Congratulations to Vancouver Mov- echoes of the salmon fishing industry’s tioning from home to the urban com- exceptional people! gift of your experience and memory. ing Theatre/DTES Heart of the City decline, of families broken up by the resi- munity, usually the first point of contact Storyweaving is a beautiful legacy to Festival and Vancouver Aboriginal dential school system and family mem- Sincerely, in looking for family, looking for hous- our community. Friendship Centre on your partnership, bers who’ve disappeared. We also heard Libby Davies, MP ing, health resources, employment or and the entire Storyweaving artistic stories of resilience: Aboriginal men and Vancouver East Sincerely, educational points of contact or just team on the success of your project. women who contributed to Vancouver’s Jenny Kwan wanting to hear the beat of the drum Enjoy Storyweaving everyone! industry; young people who arrived in MLA, Vancouver-Mount Pleasant and listen to traditional songs and join Vancouver looking for work and school- Yours truly, in the dancing. Gregor Robertson ing; the founding of the Coqualeetza There is so much happening at this Mayor Fellowship and Indian Centre Society; and what it means to be Aboriginal today. point in time that is impacting our community of survivors, for one way All of us involved on this journey are As the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia I am honoured to welcome or another we are all survivors but with navigating challenges: walking in the audiences to Storyweaving, a collaborative project of the Vancouver Moving what is being featured in the news with world of our ancestors; surviving the after-math of inherited Theatre, DTES Heart of the City Festival and the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship reference to First Nations and Aboriginal People this play is historical legacies that impact all Canadians; living in the Centre. Joint ventures like this connect us to each other and to our communities very significant and the timing is perfect because it gives an urban contemporary world amid lands and waterways upon and I offer my thanks and gratitude to these organizations for bringing this opportunity to those who are not part of our community whose health our collective survival depends. magical story to life. to better understand what we mean when we "tell our History is the rudder of our society, steering our course and determining our A heartfelt thank you to: Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship stories," what it means to share those stories with mean- direction. History is our story: the story of who we were and who we will be- Centre staff for your belief, support and guidance on this ing – coming from the heart. come. Storyweaving connects the stories of our shared past with hope for the project; Indian Residential School Survivors Society for your I trust you will enjoy the presentation and will come away future. We must continue to step forward and rise to the current challenges suggestions, support and information; and the artistic and with a better understanding of what we mean by "Story- while honouring the past. By working together and learning from one another production team for pouring your heart and soul into this weaving" and will also appreciate the effort put forward we can accomplish great things.