Photo by Caroline Hayeur
A Casual Reconstruction + STRIKE/THRU
a co-production with
Montréal, arts interculturels
LIVE Virtual/Theatrical Hybrid Participatory Process
JUNE 3–5
A Casual Reconstruction + STRIKE/THRU is a double-bill interdisciplinary encounter between two old friends from Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal. Nadia Myre is a contemporary visual artist and Algonquin member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinaabeg First Nation, and Johanna Nutter is a 7th generation euro-settler theatre maker and curator. Along with the invited participation of six members of the public, they explore the uncomfortable feelings around being Indigenous and/or non-Indigenous.
A Casual Reconstruction + STRIKE/THRU have gone from stage to screen and now, will live in both worlds simultaneously. Using the plasticity of the digital environment to bridge Nadia Myre and Johanna Nutter’s disciplines, and the accessibility of the virtual environment to reach out to a wider range of participants, they have prepared a LIVE hybrid performance to be presented simultaneously online & onstage at MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels), on June 3–5 at 3 p.m. ET.
At the heart of A Casual Reconstruction is a recorded dinner conversation – between six people whose origins are Indigenous and “other” – about the politics of belonging within the confines of colonialism. A verbatim transcript is given to settler participants, who re-enact the conversation in front of the audience. Oscillations of identity constructs ensue.
STRIKE/THRU is a playful exchange between Nadia and Johanna, incorporating elements raised by the reenactment with their own lived histories, in an always-evolving search for what a true act of conciliation might feel like and look like.
m-a-i.qc.ca/en/event/strike-thru-2
PRODUCTION TEAM
Nadia Myre: co-creator
Johanna Nutter: co-creator
Katey Wattam: outside eye
Tim Rodrigues: production manager, technical direction, lighting design
Emily Soussana & Andrew Scriver: set and digital design
Georgia Holland: stage management
Alexis Gagnon: digital asm, camera
Natjelly Lozada: production assistant
Roderick Shearer: sound
Diane Roberts: arrivals legacy guide
HEALTH / SAFETY PROTOCOL
To ensure the safety of everyone, MAI has implemented a set of preventive measures recommended and required by the health authorities of Quebec, Canada and the World Health Organization in terms of personal hygiene and the use of enclosed public spaces, including daily disinfection of frequently touched public surfaces in our spaces.
In keeping with this spirit, MAI is favouring intimism. The theatre is transfigured with an installation by Paul Chambers, a Montreal-based lighting specialist and visual artist, reconfigured in such a way that only 11 audience members can attend each showing.
For full information about the venue’s COVID protocol and updates head to:
m-a-i.qc.ca/en/covid-19
