The original project played at the
Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova)
from March 3 to 11, 2017
The title of this production, šxʷʔam̓ət, is based on a hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (a local Indigenous dialect) word used to reference home. This word has so many different meanings to all of us who are living on this land.
The following is a pronunciation guide to facilitate your engagement with hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.
Content developed courtesy Musqueam Language and Culture Department 2017.
šxʷʔam̓ət: š is pronounced like English “sh”. xʷ sounds like the “wh” in “which” (as opposed to the “w” in “witch”). Stress is on the first syllable, like in the name “Amit”. ʔam̓ sounds like the first syllable in the word “omelet”. ət sounds like the second syllable of the word “comet”.
Listen an audio file of Musqueam Elder Larry Grant pronouncing šxʷʔam̓ət:
Provocative and entertaining, this production is created and performed by an Indigenous and non-Indigenous cast, and asks us to imagine what reconciliation really means. If you want innovative theatre that is engaging and challenges your perceptions, this would be it.
March 3 – 11, 2017
March 2: 2 for 1 Preview at 7:30pm
Tuesday – Sunday at 7:30pm
Wednesday and Sunday matinees at 1pm
Firehall Arts Centre (280 E. Cordova)
Live, Interactive, Global Webcast March 11 at 7:30pm
Theatre for Living (formerly Headlines Theatre) has a 36 year, multi-award winning history of creating cutting-edge, interactive theatre that challenges perceptions and creates social change.
This year, TfL’s legacy continues with šxʷʔam̓ət (home), for 11 performances at the Firehall Arts Centre.
Created and performed by a mixed Indigenous and non-Indigenous cast and production team, šxʷʔam̓ət (home) weaves together stories based on real life and challenges us to make
reconciliation real and honourable.
True respect can’t be legislated.
There’s a conversation happening in Canada about Reconciliation and how it is manifesting action in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities across this country. The City of Vancouver has officially declared that Vancouver sits on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. But what do these initiatives really mean? If we are sincere about the desire for reconciliation, what kinds of shifts in perceptions and behaviours need to take place? What is the pulse of change each of us are shaping? How do we break down the walls of colonization that surround us all? Is Reconciliation possible without respecting promises and guarantees made regarding Indigenous consent for projects on Indigenous land?
šxʷʔam̓ət (home) will invite audiences to change the patterns of behaviour inside characters who are struggling with these issues – patterns that audience members recognize inside themselves – and rehearse true reconciliation.
Theatre for Living’s interactive theatre is both provocative and entertaining:
You can purchase a DVD of the final performance at the Firehall Arts Centre.
Our Final Reports are ready!
Artistic Director David Diamond's Final Report (Adobe PDF 1.6 MB)
Outreach Coordinator David Ng's Final Report (Adobe PDF 1.3 MB)
Reconciliation Canada Calls to Action:
In order to redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission created the following report:
http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Findings/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
You can also learn more about Reconciliation efforts and how you can get involved.
http://reconciliationcanada.ca/
Indian Residential School Resource Guides for Elementary and High Schools
http://www.fnesc.ca/irsr/
Where are the Children?
An interactive website about Residential schools, with an online guide, and interactive timeline.
http://wherearethechildren.ca/en
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of his or her residential school experience.
Indian Residential School Survivors Society
The Indian Residential School Survivor Society (IRSSS) is a provincial organization with a twenty year history of providing services to Indian Residential School Survivors. They can provide workshops to any groups teaching about Colonization, History and the impacts of Indian Residential Schools.
http://irsss.ca/
Chinatown Action Group
An inter-generational group of progressive, left, Chinese organizing for social justice in Vancouver, that does solidarity work.
https://www.facebook.com/chinatownactiongroup/
Sisters Speak (program of the Vancouver Aboriginal Policing Centre)
Sisters Speak is a project to share knowledge with young First Nations women and girls who are at-risk of being exploited in Vancouver’s Eastside and school systems.
Idle No More
Idle No More calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution, to honour Indigenous sovereignty, and to protect the land and water.
http://www.idlenomore.ca/
The Sacred Trust
The Sacred Trust is an initiative of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation mandated to stop the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline and tanker project.
http://twnsacredtrust.ca/
Journeys Around the Circle Society (find them on Facebook) Join Journeys Around the Circle for weekly circles and activities with Residential School Survivors and other Elders.
The Vancouver Public Library
Aboriginal Storyteller in Residence Program
The VPL hosts an Aboriginal Storyteller who shares stories at a number of different events throughout the year.
Vancouver, City of Reconciliation
http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/city-of-reconciliation.aspx
Books:
They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School, by Bev Sellars
Unsettling the Settler Within, by Paulette Regan
My name is Seepeetza, by Shirley Sterling