91快色

The 91快色鈥檚 School of Creative and Performing Arts in the is set to lift the curtain on a critically acclaimed, satiric play set against the backdrop of the Canadian fur trade and the Red River Uprising in the 1860s to 1880s. 

Frances Koncan鈥檚 Women of the Fur Trade will be directed by Master of Fine Arts student Geordie Cowan and centres on three fictional women, one M茅tis, one Indigenous, and one settler, and two historical figures, Louis Riel and Thomas Scott. 

鈥淚t is a comedy, and it is pseudo-historical, but it鈥檚 also a modern play with modern language and references,鈥� says Cowan. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 the story of the three women鈥檚 friendship and all of the different experiences they鈥檙e having with each other at that time.鈥� 

The play has already sold out runs in Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Regina and its debut at the Stratford Festival. The U91快色 show will be the first Alberta production of the play and will even be renting some of the costumes used in the original Stratford Festival production.  

鈥淲e鈥檙e incredibly fortunate to get the rights to do this play,鈥� says an associate professor of drama in the  

MFA students present a research question and then get to pitch and propose a series of shows. Cowan鈥檚 research question revolved around how M茅tis identity is expressed through dramatic literature and on stage.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 really cool for me, as a M茅tis artist, to dive into this topic,鈥� says Cowan. 鈥淭o dive into this duality that a lot of M茅tis people live in of am I Indigenous or am I white? Am I both or am I neither?鈥� 

Cowan says the main character, Marie-Angelique, represents this duality that M茅tis people face as she is tugged between her Indigenous and her settler friend throughout the play.  

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited because we know the community wants to see this play,鈥� says Brubaker. 鈥淲e have the right team of artists to do this work.鈥� 

Brubaker says the department wants this production to be a celebration of M茅tis culture. On opening night, Nov. 1, who is also Cowan鈥檚 aunt, will be hosting and Dr. Craig Ginn, PhD, an associate professor in the Department of Classics and Religion and director of the International Indigenous Studies Program, will be singing songs he has been working on specifically about Louis Riel.   

A panel will also be held following the matinee on Nov. 8 discussing the play from a multi-generational M茅tis perspective.  

鈥淭he visibility of this play for M茅tis identity is really important,鈥� explains Cowan. 鈥淭here hasn鈥檛 been a lot of representation for M茅tis people on the stage, so I think this play is a really nice way for us to feel heard and feel seen, on top of it being funny.鈥� 

The historical connections run even further for Cowan, whose great-great grandmother graces the poster for the U91快色 production. She was the daughter of James Isbister, who is considered the founder of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and was one of the four delegates sent to recall Riel from Montana. 

Women of the Fur Trade will run from Nov. 1 to Nov. 8 at the Reeve Theatre. Find ticket information .