Nestled beside the Humber River, Little Avenue Memorial Park is currently home to Shakespeare in Action’s production of Otîhêw. Otîhêw is a Cree-Métis re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Othello expertly written by PJ Prudat and directed by Lisa Nasson. Everything from the outdoor setting to the beautiful props and costumes to the powerhouse performances make it a truly delightful evening of theatre.

I was elated by how PJ Prudat was able to work the Cree-Métis history into the framework of Othello. The text is wholly her own, but the narrative follows closely to Shakespeare’s, and yet it never felt forced; the plot made total sense to me within its context. While there were astute nods to Shakespeare’s text, Prudat’s work with Otîhêw makes it truly an indigenous story. Not to mention, there are references to mythologies and peoples from all over the world all deftly combined into the world of the play. To me, this idea of combining the indigenous histories with colonizer stories is brilliant, and will hopefully be the start of a much-needed conversation in theatre.

The husky puppets, created by the wildly talented Clay and Paper Theatre, are certainly a highlight of Otîhêw. Each one has a unique colour scheme and personality, making them an instant audience favourite. Nishina Loft’s design for the set and props creates the perfect environment for the story to take place. You could immediately understand where you were and what was happening. However, I also loved the contrast of Hamish’s outfit to the rest of the cast; it was such a visual way of letting the audience know who could be trusted.

Otîhêw has an impressive cast of talented storytellers to bring it to life. Nicole Joy-Fraser is powerful and graceful in her role as Otîhêw. Joy-Fraser’s stage presence is commanding and magnetic; I can’t take my eyes off of her when she’s on stage. Jonathon LeRose gives a dynamic performance as Otîhêw’s brother Hamish. His passion comes through in every moment he’s on stage. Raymond “RJ” Johnson-Brown’s performance as Solomon is fabulous, and I was very pleased to see representation of a 2 Spirit person in this production. Brefney Caribou and Jewell Bowery give beautiful and vulnerable performances as Birdie and Inés; the stories of their characters are not easy ones, yet they both give graceful and heartfelt performances. Spencer Bennet rounds out the cast as Desmond; his charismatic presence letting us understand from the beginning how Otîhêw fell in love with him.

Otîhêw is a unique, intelligent, and compelling theatre experience which you simply must see before the show closes August 20th. This is a FREE EVENT, but they ask that you register before you arrive and collect donations after the show. Please support this amazing theatre company and the vital work that they are doing. For more information, visit: https://www.shakespeareinaction.org/otihew/

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Cover Photo: Nicole Joy-Fraser as Otîhêw. Photo by Matt Hertendy.