Reclaiming our Spirits (1996)

Reclaiming our Spirits poster

Poster art by: Annie George
General Delivery, Ahousat, BC - V0R 1A0

A Project on Residential Schools by Headlines Theatre in co-operation with: the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council and Native Families In Crisis. Reclaiming Our Spirits was a series of THEATRE FOR LIVING workshops that toured to First Nations communities in Port Alberni/Tofino, Lillooet, Vancouver, Kamloops, Gitsegukla/Hagwilget, Prince George, Terrace, Kitimaat Village and Gold River/Campbell River. Each workshop created plays on issues arising out of First Nations experiences of Residential School.

Every workshop and public performance was surrounded by counsellors. The response was truly profound, with entire families reconciling, people finding their voices on an individual and a community level through the language of the theatre -- sometimes for the first time in their lives.

 

"The Reclaiming Our Spirits training and performances were excellent! The awareness created on both a personal and community level has brought us one step closer to addressing the Residential School issue and its effects. The (theatre) training provided a wealth of information and new tools for caregivers and/or facilitators."
Sharon D. Russell, NW Co-ordinator, Provincial Residential School Project (1996)

"The Reclaiming Our Spirits workshop has affected me deeply. I feel like a new person now, having let go of the past negative experiences that I had throughout my life. I've learned to control the cops in my head."
Men ga den wii hayastk - Helen Johnson (1996)