by Emily Richards Director of Marketing and Communications
Kjipuktuk/Halifax, NS March 25, 2022 – L’nu (Mi’kmaw) poet and oral storyteller shalan joudry makes her debut at Neptune Theatre, with her theatrical performance Koqm. Produced by Nestuita’si Storytelling with Supporting Producer Two Planks and A Passion Theatre, and co-presented with Prismatic Arts Festival, Koqm will be on the Fountain Hall stage from April 5 – April 17, 2022. Written and performed by Joudry, Koqm takes us on a journey through time and land to experience the voices of fictional L’nu (Mi’kmaw) women. “The purpose of this show is to give voice to forgotten and silenced historical L’nu women,” said joudry. “Deeply listening, spending time with old Hemlocks as i walked through my community and other landscapes, was all part of my process of imagining what might have been. Real-life L’nu Elders have inspired me with their stories. I am in awe of their strength. I wanted to write about more women like that, but from a fictional historical perspective,” she added. Throughout the course of the show we hear and meet the women who might have spoken and walked through one area of forest over centuries. Guided by the strength of an ancient tree (“koqm”), the women’s voices share with us their personal stories of grief, humour and resiliency. “i live close to the colonial Annapolis Royal so I’m aware of the celebratory stories we hear over and ove ...
Tags: Ann-Marie Kerr, Bear River First Nation, Dan Froese, Elapultiek, Emily Richards, Established Artist Award, featured, Ken Schwartz, Kespukwitk, Koqm, L'nu, L’sɨtkuk, MacKenzie Cornfield, Merritt Awards, Mi’kmaw, neptune theatre, Nestuita’si, Sarah Prosper, Shalan Joudry, Susanne Chui