Waawaate Fobister | |
---|---|
Nationality | Anishinaabe |
Citizenship | Canada |
Education | Theatre Arts Performance, Humber College, 2005 |
Occupation(s) | Actor, dancer, playwright |
Notable work | Agokwe |
Awards | Dora Mavor Moore Award |
Waawaate Fobister ( Anishinaabe) is a Canadian actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, producer [1] and storyteller, [2] best known for their semi-autobiographical one-man play, Agokwe. [3]
Fobister grew up on the Grassy Narrows First Nation reserve, north of Kenora, Ontario. As a child, Fobister's father and grandfather introduced them to the indigenous oral storytelling tradition; a path that Fobister would choose for themself as well. [4] At the age of eighteen, Fobister came out as gay or two-spirited. [3] Growing up on the reservation, they encountered homophobia and abuse; experiences which they channel into their work. [5] Fobister got their spirit name, Waawaate, which means Northern Lights, as they began to explore their Native spirituality. [6] As Fobister recalls, they met with a medicine woman who could give spirit names. After presenting the woman with tobacco, she instructed them to come back in a few weeks and that after prayer, they would find a spirit name. Upon Fobister's return, the woman told them she had found their spirit name and said, "...when I saw it, I saw...dark sky, and I seen lights and I seen dancing", referencing the Northern Lights which, in Anishinaabe culture represent spirits dancing. [6]
Fobister earned a degree in Theatre Arts Performance as well as the Distinguished Performance Award from Humber College in 2005. [4] They also studied theater and dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and Kahawi Dance Theatre.[ citation needed]
Fobister performed their first play, Savage, at public and private schools throughout Ontario. Savage tells the story of a young gay boy and his mentor in a small town. [2] Shortly after graduating from Humber College, Fobister wrote Agokwe (a variation of agokwa, the Anishinaabe word which loosely translates to "man-woman" [7] but in modern usage is better understood as "two-spirited" [5]), a story of unrequited love between two gay teenage boys. The play explores themes of love, sexuality, homophobia, isolation, and Native cultural traditions. [8] Agokwe premiered at Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times theater on September 23, 2008. [9] The play went on to win six Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play, in 2009. [10] [11] Four years later, Fobister's second play, Medicine Boy premiered at the Scotiabank Studio Theatre, August 9–18, 2012. [12] Medicine Boy tells stories of inter-generational trauma within First Nations families stemming from colonization, residential schools, and industrial waste poisoning the land. [13] In 2019, Fobister introduced Omaagomaan (loosely translated as "someone biting very hard"), a dance that draws attention to the mercury poisoning and subsequent health problems within their community in Grassy Narrows. [14] [15]
In addition to stage performance, Fobister has appeared in the films Famous (post-production) [16] and The Time Traveler (2009) [17] and was playwright in residence for the 2019–20 season at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto [18] and at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. [19] In 2021 they were a panelist on "Dance Ogichidas" at The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Curator of Indigenous Content at the 2021 Kick & Push Festival, [20] and named the coordinator of the new council for LGBTQ2S indigenous people in Grand Council of Treaty 3 territory. [21] In May 2021, Fobister presented their short play Ode to RED Auntie at the Tiny Plays, Big Ideas digital event for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. [22] As of 2021, Fobister teaches at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. [1]
Waawaate Fobister | |
---|---|
Nationality | Anishinaabe |
Citizenship | Canada |
Education | Theatre Arts Performance, Humber College, 2005 |
Occupation(s) | Actor, dancer, playwright |
Notable work | Agokwe |
Awards | Dora Mavor Moore Award |
Waawaate Fobister ( Anishinaabe) is a Canadian actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, producer [1] and storyteller, [2] best known for their semi-autobiographical one-man play, Agokwe. [3]
Fobister grew up on the Grassy Narrows First Nation reserve, north of Kenora, Ontario. As a child, Fobister's father and grandfather introduced them to the indigenous oral storytelling tradition; a path that Fobister would choose for themself as well. [4] At the age of eighteen, Fobister came out as gay or two-spirited. [3] Growing up on the reservation, they encountered homophobia and abuse; experiences which they channel into their work. [5] Fobister got their spirit name, Waawaate, which means Northern Lights, as they began to explore their Native spirituality. [6] As Fobister recalls, they met with a medicine woman who could give spirit names. After presenting the woman with tobacco, she instructed them to come back in a few weeks and that after prayer, they would find a spirit name. Upon Fobister's return, the woman told them she had found their spirit name and said, "...when I saw it, I saw...dark sky, and I seen lights and I seen dancing", referencing the Northern Lights which, in Anishinaabe culture represent spirits dancing. [6]
Fobister earned a degree in Theatre Arts Performance as well as the Distinguished Performance Award from Humber College in 2005. [4] They also studied theater and dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and Kahawi Dance Theatre.[ citation needed]
Fobister performed their first play, Savage, at public and private schools throughout Ontario. Savage tells the story of a young gay boy and his mentor in a small town. [2] Shortly after graduating from Humber College, Fobister wrote Agokwe (a variation of agokwa, the Anishinaabe word which loosely translates to "man-woman" [7] but in modern usage is better understood as "two-spirited" [5]), a story of unrequited love between two gay teenage boys. The play explores themes of love, sexuality, homophobia, isolation, and Native cultural traditions. [8] Agokwe premiered at Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times theater on September 23, 2008. [9] The play went on to win six Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play, in 2009. [10] [11] Four years later, Fobister's second play, Medicine Boy premiered at the Scotiabank Studio Theatre, August 9–18, 2012. [12] Medicine Boy tells stories of inter-generational trauma within First Nations families stemming from colonization, residential schools, and industrial waste poisoning the land. [13] In 2019, Fobister introduced Omaagomaan (loosely translated as "someone biting very hard"), a dance that draws attention to the mercury poisoning and subsequent health problems within their community in Grassy Narrows. [14] [15]
In addition to stage performance, Fobister has appeared in the films Famous (post-production) [16] and The Time Traveler (2009) [17] and was playwright in residence for the 2019–20 season at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto [18] and at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. [19] In 2021 they were a panelist on "Dance Ogichidas" at The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Curator of Indigenous Content at the 2021 Kick & Push Festival, [20] and named the coordinator of the new council for LGBTQ2S indigenous people in Grand Council of Treaty 3 territory. [21] In May 2021, Fobister presented their short play Ode to RED Auntie at the Tiny Plays, Big Ideas digital event for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. [22] As of 2021, Fobister teaches at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People. [1]