In Collaboration with Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo and Iehente Foote
Directed by Ange Loft
Seaway Sister Sosan/Beaver - Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo
Seaway Sister Sandra - Iehente Foote
Fortune/Heavy Lifter - Wahsontí:io Kirby
Two Dogs - Véronik Picard
Ramrock - Iota’keratenion Thomas-Beaton
Magic - Dylan Thomas-Bouchier
SCENOGRAPHY - Jay Havens
COSTUME DESIGN - Lauren Ashley Jiles
PUPPET DESIGN - Kaia’tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush
LIGHTING DESIGN - Kahentanó:ron Brianna Montour
SOUND DESIGN/MUSIC - Olivia Shortt
STAGE MANAGER - Danielle Laurin
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Trevor Barrette
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Abi Sanie
APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER - Julia Carrier
MUSIC - Victor Kee & Alejandra Nuñez
Show Runtime: 2 hours including 15 minute intermission
Land Acknowledgement
Montreal is an incredible place in which to have the privilege to make theatre. It has such a rich and unique story of its own.
Long before Cartier sailed up the St. Lawrence and encountered a nation of Iroquoian people in a place called Hochelaga, the island that the European settlers chose to call Montreal had been a point of conflict, conference, creativity and exchange since time immemorial for many Indigenous peoples including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabeg, Huron-Wendat, and Abénaki Nations. The people of the Kanienkéha:ka Nation known in English as the Mohawk are now considered the caretakers of the unceded land and water around Montreal. In their language, this island bears the name of Tiohtià:ke, which means “broken in two,” because of the way the river breaks around it.
It is striking how the Kanienkéha language identifies the island as part of the river because it reminds us that we are all in the flow of a much larger story. This mighty river has for centuries carried people here from all over the world in search of new opportunities and new lives, and the Lachine Rapids that sit just off the western tip of this island have given pause to many of those journeys. The river has made contemporary Montreal into a vibrantly diverse city. We find that diversity inspiring because it is by telling each other our stories that we build bridges between our different cultures and languages.
-Centaur Theatre
Artistic & Executive Director’s Note
Eda Holmes
Welcome to the 57th season at Centaur Theatre! We can’t wait to share Stone and Bone Spectacular with you It is a deeply thoughtful exploration of the history of the land this theatre occupies, the story of the peoples and cultures that lived here long before Cartier sailed up the St Lawrence, and the stones, bones and lives buried beneath this island we now call Montreal
Stone and Bone Spectacular’s life at Centaur began with our pandemic-era Artistic Diversity Discussion, which we launched in 2021 This discussion series, which involved colleagues from diverse cultural backgrounds in Montreal’s Anglophone theatre community, revealed that Indigenous voices particularly those from Quebec had been under-represented on our stages Indigenous-authored works from other parts of the country have been presented occasionally over the years In 1989 Centaur produced The Rez Sisters by the award-winning Cree playwright Tomson Highway, from northern Manitoba; then in 1992, we premiered Anishinaabe playwright Drew Hayden Taylor’s play Someday, set on a fictional reserve in Ontario And there are several Francophone theatre companies in Montreal who have been telling the Indigenous stories of this territory for decades now, including Productions Menuentakuan (with whom we later collaborated on a bilingual touring production of Taylor’s alterNatives in 2023 ) But the question remained: where are the plays that tell the Indigenous story of the territory Centaurs calls home, in the language that will speak to our audience, and that reveals a new perspective on the land we now share?
With the help of the Conseil des arts de Montreal and the Cole Foundation, we launched the Indigenous Artist Residency initiative at Centaur in 2022 We assembled an Indigenous-led jury and put out a call for submissions and were thrilled to discover the work of Kanien’kehá:ka artist Ange Loft along with her collaborators Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo and Iehente Foote These three powerhouse creators, all from Kahnawà:ke, have crafted a beautiful and surprising tale of two lovers, one Kanien’kehá:ka and one Wendat, who were separated by the European colonial project and are trying to bring their bones back together in one place They are helped and hindered by a wonderfully wild cast of characters portrayed by a superstar company of Indigenous actors, who together unearth a new look at this beautiful island where we all are privileged to live
Eda Holmes Artistic and Executive Director
Centaur Theatre
Director’s Note Ange Loft
The Stone and Bone Spectacular began with interviews inquiring about the early history of the Island. “What are the earliest Indigenous stories you know about this place?” Barbara, Iehente, and I gathered verbatim text, some of which, incorporated in pieces and parts, is scattered across the script, driving the narrative. The result: an oral-historical fantasy using community history as the foundation of a fictional romance. Decidedly complex, the effort to put together an Indigenous vision of the making of this city resulted in a show that’s both pretty and gritty.
The research began in 2021 with the Indigenous Artist Residency, where the script grew in tandem with contributions from the designers; we co-developed concepts and characters and closed in on the stories we’d be revealing. Sifting through to see what images come to the surface, our attention was drawn to the lost, forgotten, and displaced village sites that would have been on the island. From here, a fictional romance emerged a story of longing, misplaced in the movements enforced by the church, a change recognized in the familiar moniker, Tiohtià:ke. In investigating Indigenous place names across the city, following rumours and finding arguments to back up longstanding land grievances, the narrative was bolstered by Indigenous reality and memory. In an effort to keep colonial history from dragging us down, I’d layered on the romantic, goofy, magical, and salacious. The work puts the image first and the rhythm forward.
The narrative circles around the fictional discovery of ancestral remains in the garden behind Centaur. Our lovers take us back to this spot, a home on the island for a Native couple in a time of trouble, along a little river, long buried. From the old village sites across the island, the set brings together pottery patterns from the broken tops of pots. Like the set, the result is fractured, a suite of interrelated narrative explorations, bundled with love and carried with care. We held off on sharing the work until the new theatre renovations were complete and now it has the stage it deserves. It has been a pleasure working alongside such Indigenous excellence, recognizing the huge effort of the cast and design team to bring this vision to the stage.
I would also like to thank those I’ve spoken with in the generation of this script, including those whose words have been incorporated into this work, including: Sedalia Fazio, George Wahiakeron Gilbert, Joe Deom, Katsi'tsahén:te Cross-Delisle, Hannah Claus, Randolph Loft, Emilio Wawatie, and the countless researchers and archaeologists whose work have informed the Stone and Bone Spectacular.
Ange Loft
Co-Creator/Playwright/Director Stone and Bone Spectacular
Indigenous Artist Residency
THE PROCESS THAT LED TO STONE AND BONE SPECTACULAR
In 2021, Centaur Theatre launched its inaugural Indigenous Artist Residency, supported by the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) as well as the Cole Foundation’s Intercultural Conversations program. The project emerged directly from the Artistic Diversity Discussion @ Centaur, an initiative begun in 2020 while the theatre was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At thistime, many theatres across Canada were engaged in confronting systemic inequities and, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, were pledging to create more inclusive artistic spaces. One of the outcomes of the Artistic Diversity
Discussion @ Centaur was a renewed commitment to amplifying Indigenous voices, which had been underrepresented in Centaur’s 50year history
Following a call for submissions in January 2021, Centaur selected Ange Loft and the Talking Treaties Tio’tia:ke Collective as the inaugural residency artists. Loft, an acclaimed interdisciplinary artist from Kahnawà:ke, was joined by dancer/choreographer Barbara Kaneratonni Diabo and multi-disciplinary theatre artist Iehente Foote, all of whom are Kanien’kehá:ka with deep ties to their community. The collective, alongside a team of all-Indigenous actors and designers, spent several years developing a site-specific performance that takes place at Centaur and is set in the surrounding grounds, blending historic research, Kanien’kéha language, music, imagery, puppetry, verbatim text, and contemporary Indigenous dance
Ange Loft Co-Creator / Playwright / Director
Ange is Kanien'kehá:ka, from Kahnawà:ke, living and working across disciplines in Toronto. Her projects bring together her extensive history of theatrical co-creation, Indigenous context generation, wearable sculpture and experimental music. Stage credits include projects with Spiderwoman Theatre, Aanmitaagzi, Native Earth Performing Arts, Buddies in Bad Times, Clay and Paper Theatre. She’s performed on major stages in Native contemporary art collabs, and spent years touring internationally with Yamantaka/Sonic Titan. She’s taught at Concordia Theatre as Artist-in-Residence and in Story Creation with the Centre for Indigenous Theatre, a graduate of both institutions. She was AAD of Jumblies Theatre + Arts, where she led the Talking Treaties initiative, including a suite of workshops, productions, films and a book. Ange received the 2023 Toronto Arts Foundation's Indigenous Artist Award.
Barbara is Kanien’keha:ka/mixed heritage from Kahnawake and now lives in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. She is the artistic director/choreographer of A’nó:wara Dance Theatre, a company that brings Indigenous themes, stories, and perspectives to light
A choreographer and dancer for over 30 years, she was awarded the Prix de la Danse de Montreal category Interprète (dancer) in 2021, and more recently, the prestigious Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award 2025. She also holds a degree in theatre (Concordia University) and has choreographed several musical theatre shows in recent years. Her work has been seen across Canada and internationally and has been featured on several TV shows, including Revolution (TVA) and Pulse (APTN) Her goals are to inspire others, encourage cultural pride, uplift the spirit, educate, and increase communication.
Iehente Foote
Co-Creator / “Seaway Sister Sandra”
Iehente Foote is Bear Clan from Kahnawake, Mohawk Territory She is involved in various projects based in Kahnawake, Montréal (Teiohtiá:ke), Toronto (Tsi Tkarón:to), Turtle Island and beyond. Notable projects include costuming the films The Paradigm and Rose by Roxann Whitebean; production on “YEV” – Best Independent Production award at the META’s 2019 with Scapegoat Carnivale; Stage Manager & Performer in Talking Treaties by Ange Loft, and most recently in the roles Rudolph and Cab Man in The Matchmaker at Turtle Island Theatre in Kahnawake.
She loves art based learning, workshops, research & reproductive justice work She has been involved with community & professional Theatre and the arts for 21 years and uses it as a medium to work through difficult issues She is an activist passionate about justice around sexual & environmental violence, mental health and other social injustices imposed by colonialism.
Wahsontí:io Kirby
“Fortune” / “Heavy Lifter”
Wahsontí:io Kirby is a Kanien’kehá:ka artist from the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawà:ke Graduate of the Dawson Professional Theatre Program (DOME) and the National Theatre School of Canada
Some of their credits include: Tootles in Wendy & Peter Pan, Cornelius in Cymbeline, Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Stratford Festival), Stella in Celestial Bodies (Geordie Theatre).
Wahsontí:io also enjoys beadworking and is passionate about the revitalization of Indigenous languages
Niawenhkó:wa ake’nistènha tánon onkwahwatsí:re
Véronik Picard
“Two Dogs”
Véronik Picard is a Wendat writer, researcher, and cultural worker from the community of Wendake. With a background in International Studies and Modern Languages, she has built a career at the crossroads of journalism, communications, and the arts. She has collaborated with cultural organizations, Indigenous artists, and media platforms to create projects that amplify Indigenous voices and narratives. Her experience includes writing, curating, hosting, and consulting within cultural and artistic settings, always with the aim of fostering dialogue and visibility for First Nations and Inuit perspectives. Through her work, Véronik seeks to explore how storytelling, media, and the performing arts can contribute to cultural resurgence and social transformation.
Iota’keratenion Thomas-Beaton
“Ramrock”
Iota’keratenion is a Mohawk/Ojibwe artist from Kahnawake Mohawk Territory and Keeseekowenin Ojibwe First Nation in Manitoba. Since graduating from John Abbott College’s Professional Theatre - Acting program in 2018, Iota’keratenion has held a strong belief in storytelling and visibility of Indigenous art These beliefs have led to opportunities to work alongside artists from through-out Turtle Island from a plethora of artistic backgrounds Opportunities that have strengthened his view on decolonizing not just theatre but society’s obsession with colonial practice Iota’keratenion hopes the stories he helps create inspire others to reflect on their experiences and use their voice to keep our institutions accountable.
Dylan Thomas-Bouchier
“Magic”
Dylan Thomas-Bouchier is a Cree and Dene dis-arts storyteller. Born and raised in Fort McMurray and the Fort McKay First Nation (Treaty 8), he graduated from The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS) acting program. Dylan is based in Calgary (Treaty 7). Selected credits include Jordan (Geordie Theatre), Bent Boy (Young People’s Theatre), The Herd (Tarragon Theatre/Citadel), and Teenage Dick (Alberta Theatre Projects).
Art is action. Tonight is our action. May you enjoy a show led by Indigenous artists. And may you be inspired by this local story to your moments of action. There is truth in this story. Learn and grow with the rest of us tonight. Have some fun while you're at it.
Jay Havens Scenography
Jay Havens (he/they) is a multi-media Two Spirit artist, educator, and collaborator of Kanien’keha:ka and Scottish ancestry. Havens was born on Haudenosaunee Territory known as the Haldimand Tract and raised on Unceded Sto:lo and Coast Salish lands close to Vancouver. They are a scenographer with experience in design for performance, site specific installations, murals, projection mapping and mixed media artworks for galleries, museums, and public spaces. Havens’ practice embraces re-learning the ways of Onkwehon:we (original peoples) and their research is focused on Indigenous Way of Knowing applied to creative and logistical processes of scenography. Jay has a BFA from the UBC, Department of Theatre, Film and Creative Writing and an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Havens is Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo, Department of Communication Arts, a member of The Associated Designers of Canada (IATSE 659) and CARFAC. They are a proud citizen of the Mohawk, Bear Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River.
Lauren Ashley Jiles Costume Design
Lauren Jiles, aka Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière, is an AfroIndigenous interdisciplinary artist, costume designer, internationally renowned neo-burlesque dancer, and teacher hailing from the Mohawk territory of Kahnawake Quebec She has been sewing for over 30 years and began her burlesque career in 2006 in Montreal with troupe Blue Light Burlesque She has since headlined shows across the globe.
Kaia’tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush
Puppet Design
Kaia’tanó:ron Dumoulin Bush is an Onkwehonwe/FrenchCanadian illustrator and visual artist from Oshahrhè:'on* (Chateauguay), Quebec She completed her BFA in Indigenous Visual Culture at OCAD University in December 2018 and has previously obtained DECs in Fine Arts and Illustration & Design from Montreal's Dawson College. Kaia’tanó:ron loves collaborating with clients who support and enrich the lives of Indigenous peoples and youth. Her artistic practice is diverse, including but not limited to illustration, graphic design, painting, sculpture, and curation.
Kahentanó:ron Brianna Montour
Lighting Design
Kahentanó:ron is a Kanien’kehá:ka theatre artist from Kahnawà:ke who aims to bring more opportunities to her community to strengthen our connection to each other through storytelling. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, John Abbott College, and is an artistic associate intern at Geordie Theatre. Past: Lighting Design: Cottagers & Indians (1000 Islands Playhouse), Salvage the Wrecked, Verdigris (NTS), A Midsummer Night's Dream (JAC); ATD: Pawâkan Macbeth (Akpik), Lighting Design Associate: Jordan (Geordie); Assistant Set Design: Feather Gardens (Hudson Village Theatre)
Upcoming: In the Shadow Beyond the Pines (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Gespeg (NTS)
Niá:wen kó:wa Ange for your vision, leadership & for inviting me to collaborate on this special, meaningful work with this spectacular team!
Olivia Shortt Sound Design / Music
Olivia Shortt works as a multi-disciplinary artist in music, theatre and video art Shortt is an Anishinaabe off-reservation member of Nipissing First Nation and of Irish descent through their mother. The CBC named them as one of "6 Indigenous composers you need to know in 2024". Iconic moments include appearing and playing saxophone on CBC Kids' Gary the Unicorn, performing in Atom Egoyan’s 2019 film Guest of Honour and lending their voice off-screen in Stephen King's film In the Tall Grass and Season 3 of Chucky. As a sound designer, they have worked with artists such as Olivia C Davies (Ottawa), and All My Relations Collective (NYC), and participated in the Associated Designers of Canada Mentorship program with Debashis Sinha at The Stratford Festival. They were Artist-in-Residence at the Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto (2023-2024), and Carlton University (2024), and are the inaugural Artist-inResident for 2025-26 at the Indigenous Creation Studio, University of Toronto Mississauga. Shortt is a graduate of Dartmouth College www oliviashortt com
Danielle Laurin Stage Manager
Danielle is a theatre artist based in Tiohtia:ke/Montreal She got her start in professional theatre as an assistant costume designer and assistant director while working towards her BFA in Design for the Theatre at Concordia University. She later apprenticed in stage management and theatre design at the Portland Playhouse in Portland, Oregon, where she fell in love with stage management as a craft, and as an approach to life in general She earned her MFA in Stage Management from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, and interned at the Public Theatre in New York, before returning to Canada She has been a working stage manager in Montreal since 2017, and has been a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association since 2018 She has been the Managing Producer at Imago since 2022, and is also the founder of Interplay Performing Arts Agency, a touring agency aiming to connect Montreal theatre artists and companies with touring opportunities outside their local markets She currently serves on the Montreal English Theatre Awards (METAs) Committee as a jury liaison. Dani is grateful to be a part of the Montreal theatre community, where she has had the pleasure of working with a variety of companies including The Segal Centre for the Performing Arts, Geordie Theatre, Repercussion Theatre, Porte Parole, Centaur Theatre, Imago Theatre, and Tableau D'Hôte
Trevor Barrette Assistant
Stage Manager
Trevor Barrette (he/him) is a theatre maker, director, writer/composer, and stage manager based in Montreal. For the Centaur Theatre, he has performed in Innocence Lost, produced Captain Aurora for the Wildside Festival and stage managed AlterNatives, Sakura and Strawberries in January He has directed Captain Aurora, Captain Aurora: A New Dawn, and Memento Mori at the Fringe Festival; The Sages of Chelm and the Yiddish-language premiere of The Great Divide for the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre; and Mark Crawford’s Bed and Breakfast for Hudson Village Theatre. He has also worked as an assistant director for the Stratford Festival, the Segal Centre, and Talisman Theatre. As a writer, he has created several original musicals, and most recently directed the world premiere of his meta-romcom Max and Aaron Write a Musical for the Segal Centre Trevor has proudly served his community as President of the Montreal English Theatre Awards and as Vice President of the Quebec Drama Federation
Abi Sanie
Assistant Stage Manager
Recent Stage Management credits include Sakura (Apprentice Stage Manager, Centaur Theatre); Max and Aaron Write a Musical (Assistant Stage Manager, Segal Centre for the Performing Arts); Caravan (Apprentice Stage Manager, Tableau D’Hote Theatre; The Flood (Apprentice Stage Manager, Imago Theatre); Cymbeline (Assistant Stage Manager, Repercussion Theatre); and I Kid You Nosh (Assistant Stage Manager, Segal Centre for the Performing Arts) Abi is a graduate of Concordia University’s Theatre program, specializing in Performance Creation Her work as Assistant Director and Intimacy Director of Contact Theatre's Falsetto's will be up at the Segal Centre in March! Shout out to their incredible partner, family, and community for being her why, and to the Stone and Bone team for bringing her into this amazing adventure!
Julia Carrier Apprentice Stage Manager
Julia is a multi-disciplinary theatre artist based in Montréal Although they are eager to work in multiple positions in theatre, they are most excited about Stage Management, and they are thankful for the opportunities to learn and grow through the stories created on stage
Credits: The Importance of Being Earnest (Repercussion and Persephone Theatre), Fifteen Dogs (Segal) – Apprentice SM ; Clue: On Stage (Segal), Once Upon a Mattress, Eurydice (John Abbott College) – Head Dresser ; Titanique (Segal) – Assistant Dresser; The Wolves (Geordie and Imago Theatre), The Outsiders (Selwyn House) – Set Designer ; Max+Aaron Write a Musical (Segal) – Assistant Set/Costume Designer ; A Secret Chord (Segal) – Head of Props
Thank you to the Centaur for this chance!
For more: @zomag.arts
Alejandra Nuñez Music
Alejandra Nuñez is a vocalist, percussionist, composer, and sound designer. Mother to Rune and Mathew, with a Masters in Theatre Studies from York U Born in Santiago, Chile, Alejandra has lived and worked as a musician in Canada and the United States She has performed in Europe as well as North-Central America and South Africa. Her training on percussion has taken her to Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico, New York, and Egypt. She is the bandleader of Latin jazz band Projecto Urbano, with a self-titled CD with Mano Music
Alejandra has performed with The Toronto Dance Theatre and written scores for various plays, including Monique Moijca’s Princess Pocahontas and the Blue Spots (composer), Djanet Sears’s Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God (cocomposer/Music Director; Dora Award nomination), Trey Anthony’s Da Kink in My Hair (Music Director) and How Black Mothers Say I Love You (Music Director).
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DONORS
Centaur gratefully acknowledges our Director’s Circle of donors who make so much possible through their generosity. Your generous support allows us to continue to be a beacon of excellence, relevance, and diversity.
Luminary ($5,000+)
Anonymous (2)
Michael Baratta
Susan Da Sie**
Victor & Leslie Eiser
Laurent Ferreira & Leslie Sliver
John Gallop
Ernie & Belle Grivakis, VVS Films
Kristine & Steve Hurlburt, The Highwater Foundation
Hugh & Beth McAdams
Anastasia Nakis
Hartland Paterson & Beth Noel
Vincent M. Prager**
Wendellyn Reid
Sofia Ruggiero
David & Valerie Shannon
Tim Southam**
Marisa Testa, In loving memory of Tiziano
Giacomini, Filippa Parisella-Testa, Francesco & Magno Testa
