A play about broken promises and reconciliation will be performed at schools in Thompson and other Northern Manitoba communities in May, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People announced Feb. 23.
Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy in Swampy Cree) will be performed in Flin Flon, Snow Lake, Cross Lake, Creighton, Gillam and Thompson from May 8 to May 17 as part of MTYP’s three month tour to schools in Manitoba and also at Toronto’s Young People’s Theatre.
Written by Michaela Washburn, Joelle Peters and Carrie Costello, Frozen River tells the story of two children born at the same time in different parts of the world. They meet in the forest and their descendants meet in Manitoba in the present day. It is aimed at children and youth aged seven and older and explores themes of reconciliation and interconnectedness, as well as the generational impact of people’s actions on the environment and their communities.
"Our hope is for families to be inspired to examine our relationships with each other and our natural world," say the playwrights. "How can we play active parts in ensuring the health and wellbeing of the water, the land, the animals, and one another?"
Frozen River premiered n Winnipeg in February of last year and received the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s 2021 Sharon Enkin Plays for Young People Award.
Over the course of the tour, which began Feb. 20 and concludes May 19 with performances in Waterhen and Gypsumville, the play is expected to be seen by 24,000 Manitobans, mostly students and school employees, though a couple of shows, like the first of two performances in Gillam May 14-15, are also open for the public to attend.
Other Northern Manitoba performances will be May 8-9 at Ruth Betts School and École McIsaac School in Flin Flon, May 9 at Joseph H. Kerr School in Snow Lake, May 10 at Otter Nelson River School in Cross Lake, and May 16-17 at R.D. Parker Collegiate in Thompson. There will also be a performance in Creighton, Sask. on May 11.
