The Seventh Fire
by Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen with Mishelle Cuttler
Presented as part of the Micro Performance Series, The Seventh Fire is an immersive, in-the-round audio performance by Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen that sources traditional, oral Anishinaabe stories and societal roles as a way to evoke ceremony in the everyday. Audiences are asked to leave their belongings in the lobby before entering the space, where they’re free to stand, sit, lie down or move around.
The sound and the story are the somatic links to ancestral realms. The story takes place in the present, past, and future; above and below the earth. It follows disconnected sisters Daanis and Nimise, who reconnect on their ancestral territory. Their journey interweaves with that of Nokomis, their grandmother who raised them, as she lights her fires in the Spirit World.
The Seventh Fire performance dates and times:
- April 2, 7pm
- April 3, 7pm
- April 4, 7pm
- April 5, 2pm
- April 5, 7pm
- April 6, 2pm
ARRIVAL TIME
The lobby will open no sooner than 30 minutes before show-time. Unfortunately, we cannot allow latecomers.
The piece is 80 minutes with no intermission.
CONTENT WARNINGS
The Seventh Fire contains a depiction of the 60’s Scoop, and loud sounds.
Smudge is used in the space before the performance.
ABOUT THE SPACE
- Masks are optional and available at the door if you would like to use one.
- You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering the lodge – secure, supervised storage is provided for shoes, coats, bags, etc during the performance. Socks and house slippers are welcome.
- Please note that unfortunately, ASL interpretation is not available for this performance.
- You will have the option to sit in a chair, sit on the floor, or lie down during the performance, and will have the option to move or switch seating whenever you’d like. Please see this video for a look at what seating options are available: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/785258005
A Neworld Theatre touring production.
Originally produced by Delinquent Theatre and Full Circle: First Nations Performance, in association with Neworld Theatre. Created with the support of the Push International Performing Arts Festival. and produced with the co-operation of the Union of B.C. Performers.
Creative Team
Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen
Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen is a tawny mix of Ojibwe/Swampy Cree and English/Irish. She is a mother, multihyphenate theatre artist and scholar working across Turtle Island as a performer, play-maker, director, writer, dramaturge, curator, space-holder, and teacher. Her work is rooted in Indigenous protocol, ontologies, and anti-colonial methodologies and is recognized nationally and internationally for its rigour and artistic excellence. Lisa is an Associate Artist with Full Circle: First Nations Performance and founded the Maada’oonidiwag Canadian Anti-Racist Theatre Exchange, an IBPOC-centred resistance and anti-racist mobilization that focuses on disrupting the colonial project called ‘Canadian theatre.’ As the next generation of colonial survivors, Lisa is currently raising her family on the occupied and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh, and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Nations.
Mishelle Cuttler
Mishelle is a composer and sound designer living and working on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people, on the west coast of Canada. Her work is centred around the integration of sound, music, and storytelling, with a focus on deep collaboration and shared creation. She has worked in theatre and live performance across Canada for the past 13 years, with work ranging from hyper-local community projects to large scale national festivals. Being part of The Seventh Fire has been a gift!
Christine Quintana
(She/Her) Born in Los Angeles, Christine is now a grateful visitor to the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people (Vancouver, BC). She is an actor, playwright, and co-Artistic Producer of Delinquent Theatre. Christine is the winner of the prestigious Siminovitch Protégé prize, a Dora Mavor Moore Award, Jessie Richardson Theatre Award, Tom Hendry Award, and Sydney Risk Award, and a Governor General’s Award Nominee. Her works include Selfie, Clean (with translator and adaptor Paula Zelaya Cervantes); Someone Like You; Never The Last (created with violinist Molly MacKinnon), and El Terremoto, an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters set in Vancouver, BC. Christine is a proud co-founding member of the Canadian Latinx Theatre Artist Coalition. She holds a BFA in Acting from the University of British Columbia. Christinequintana.ca
Creator: Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen (Ojibwe/Swampy Cree)
Sound Design: Mishelle Cuttler
Lodge Helper: Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen
Associate Sound Design: Debbie Courchene (Anishinaabe)
Collaborating Dramaturgy: Laura McLean and Christine Quintana
Vocal Performance: Margo Kane (Cree-Saulteaux)
Vocal Performance: Tasha Faye Evans (Coast Salish/Welsh/Jewish)
Vocal Performance: Lisa C. Ravensbergen
Additional Vocals: Renae Morriseau (Cree-Saulteaux)
Additional Vocals: Kaitlyn Yott (Coast Tsimshian)
Language Advisor: Chiikishkiy – Walter Cooke (Ojibwe-Swampy Cree)
Language Advisor: Mishiikenh – Vern Altiman (Ojibwe)
Language Advisors: Walter Cooke – Chiikishkiy; Vern Altiman – Mishiikenh
The Micro Performance Series is supported by
