SOLD OUT, SOLD OUT and HANDED OUT!
- Daniel Knight | December 21, 2015
Amiskusees: Semaganis-Worme and GTNT has awarded their first round of scholarships and sent Curtis Peeteetuce’s Nīcimos: the final Rez X-mas into the Stratosphere! December 18, 2015 was a great night for GTNT and Amiskusees. Milo Cameron was awarded the Lacy Morin-Desjarlais Memorial award valued at $2,500.00. Jennifer Dawn Bishop was awarded the Theatre Arts award valued at $1,500.00 and finally Aren Okeymaysim was awarded the Arts Perseverance Bursary valued at $500.00. The awards were delivered by Tara Worme of the Amikusees: Semaganis Worme Family Foundation.
Following the scholarship
presentations the audience was treated to the
staged reading of Nicimos. There was a sold out audience, and the reaction was
priceless with each scene receiving applause that was underscored with
uproarious laughter. The Christmas monologue scene with character Claire bear
(played by Curtis Peeteetuce!) received applause of its own as Curtis whimsically
delivered a heartwarming Christmas message of love, joy and goodwill.
The fun did not stop there as a fight scene between Kohkom Sihkos (played by Cory Dallas Standing) and Tim Bird (played by Dalton Lightfoot) had the audience roaring with gut wrenching laughter! And just to add a cherry on top, Nicimos received a standing ovation with the audience hoot hollering in grand appreciation of this uniquely Saskatoon artistic treasure! To say the least the crowd got their money’s worth.
On top of the success of the show, Curtis Peeteetuce was available post show signing copies of the Nicimos script published by Scirocco Drama. It’s not surprising to the team at GTNT that the script sold out! What a night!
A little more on the History of the Rez X-mas Series
It is a series of ten plays that have touched Saskatoon’s heart and funny bone. This play follows 3 kohkoms and their separate journeys to find a piece of home to take with them as they get ready for a big change in the twilight of their lives.
The most memorable element of the series has been Sihkos, Zula & Clare, 3 Golden girls from the fictional Kiwetinohk First Nation (key-wheat-nook) and their adventures at Christmas time.
The rez Christmas story series has been produced and performed for the community since 2001. Playwright Curtis Peeteetuce has penned all scripts. Nīcimos is the 10th and final story in the series.
Nīcimos is a wonderful way to end the series, the most masterfully written Rez X-mas story by far. A laugh riot as always and also very touching, as it carried sorrowful moments of the Kohkoms as kids in residential school with very real dialogue and emotion.
It would be near impossible for someone to find nostalgia in residential school storytelling, but Curtis did by displaying the strength of the Cree women, showing how the kohkoms never gave up their traditions and language and how the attempted assimilation only fueled them to stay true to their roots.
In the end we are sad to see the kohkums adventures end, however the scripts still live on and can be picked up by anyone. Even more so now that Nicimos has been published the rest of Canada and the world can see what Saskatchewan’s kohkums are made of.
The original Cast: Dakota Hebert Playing Zula (Zoo-la)/Office Worker/Police guard, Dalton Lightfoot playing Clem/Morley/Walter/Donald/Tim Bird/Candy Merasty, the late Lacy Morin playing as Claire Bear, Cory Dallas Standing playing Sihkos (See-Goose)