IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE: A TWO-NIGHT EVENT: FILM SCREENING + LIVE CONCERT
FRI JAN 30 | SAT JAN 31 | A moving intersection of Indigenous and feminist storytelling through film, music, and community gathering. Featuring workshops in filmmaking, costume design, Indigenous Circle Gathering and youth choir performances.
Corey Payette is an award-winning composer whose musicals have toured on stages across the country, and whose voice has been heard in some of the world’s most iconic venues from Carnegie Hall in NYC to performances with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
FRI JAN 30: LES FILLES DU ROI FILM SCREENING
Witness a reimagining of Canadian history through Indigenous voices, music, and language. Les Filles du Roi is a ground-breaking musical by acclaimed writer, composer, and director Corey Payette, in collaboration with co-creator Julie McIsaac. Told in English, French, and Kanien’kéha (Mohawk), the story follows Kateri and Jean-Baptiste, two Mohawk siblings whose lives intersect with a young French immigrant, Marie-Jeanne, in 1665 “New France.” What begins as a colonial encounter unfolds into a rich narrative of resilience, kinship, and transformation—blending cultures, challenging assumptions, and reshaping the story of who we are.
Night one features the stunning feature film adaptation of the musical, directed by Payette, and celebrated at TIFF and festivals worldwide. This cinematic version brings the theatrical work to life in breathtaking visual and musical detail.
FRI JAN 30: THEATRE DEVISING WITH MEMORY & ANCESTRY WORKSHOP
Acclaimed artist (and Les Filles du Roi co-writer and star) Julie McIsaac works with participants to explore personal ancestry and family history as a creative starting point for performance. Through guided prompts, reflective exercises, and devising activities, participants will generate original material rooted in memory, story, and lived experience. Each participant will work towards sharing a few minutes of material by the end of the workshop.
This workshop is welcoming to performers, writers, and curious creatives of all backgrounds. No prior devising experience is necessary, just an openness to explore personal stories through theatre.
Register now to secure your spot in what is sure to be a moving and memorable experience.
SAT JAN 31: CLOSEST THING TO HOME LIVE CONCERT
Night two is an extraordinary live concert experience, Closest Thing To Home, featuring selections from his acclaimed musicals Children of God, Les Filles du Roi, Sedna, Starwalker, and upcoming new musical On Native Land, the concert is a sweeping celebration of resilience, love, resistance, and the search for belonging. Payette is joined by a stellar group of special guests, a small chamber orchestra, and local choirs in a powerful evening of music.
This is more than performance—it’s a cultural reckoning, a reclamation, and an invitation to reimagine the founding myths of this country. Moving, unforgettable, and artistically daring, it speaks to the heart of truth, reconciliation, and the power of song.
Thank you to Victoria Olchowecki and Gérald Tibbits for sponsoring this performance.
