Written by Cree-Saulteaux performance artist Margo Kane, Moonlodge premiered at the Women in View Festival in 1990 and has toured throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, and Australia to great acclaim. VocalEye is thrilled to present this audio play version of Moonlodge, starring Samantha Brown, in partnership with Soulpepper Theatre.
An Indigenous theatre classic and catalyst, Moonlodge tells the story of a girl who was removed from her family by child welfare government services and grew up in foster homes. Agnes grows up in a series of foster homes, away from the warmth and support of her family and her cultural community. In the 1960s, she joins many others hitchhiking across America. In that journey, she discovers the authentic voice inside her that had been silenced, but never lost.
Created to honour mothers, sisters, aunts and grandmothers and to motivate others on their journeys home, Moonlodge was inspired by the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women who continue to encourage and guide Kane on her own journey. This powerful one-woman show is based on the stories and personal experiences of children who were taken away from their families and familiar surroundings in the 1950’s and 1960’s, with no explanation, by the Children’s Aid Department.
Kane has said that she hopes that Moonlodge will be part of the healing process for her people.
“We have survived tremendous losses with a sense of humour, dignity and honour. We are capable of determining our own future and that of our children.”
We are honoured to have Ms. Kane join us as our special guest.
Moonlodge was the first of 8 plays in Soulpepper’s Around the World in 80 Plays audio drama series 2020.
“Kane’s storytelling is compelling, harrowing and vivid” –The Slotkin Letter
“Brown delivers a tour-de-force performance” –NOW
The VocalEye virtual lobby opens at 6:30 pm Pacific Time for some socializing and community updates with host Amy Amantea. The pre-show introduction will begin at 6:45 pm with Amy and guests. The featured show begins at 7 pm followed by conversation, Q and A and a prize draw.
If you’ve never attended a VocalEye Almost Live Zoom event before, you can register for just one event or sign up for the full season. A Zoom link and reminder will be sent to you on the day of the event. Almost Live events are designed for people with sight loss, but everyone is welcome.
Register here or call 604-364-5949
Cree-Saulteaux Metis performing artist, Margo Kane is the Founder and Artistic Managing Director of Full Circle: First Nations Performance. For over 45 years she has been active as an actor, director, performing artist and community cultural worker. She developed and runs the annual Talking Stick Festival, celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year in Vancouver. Recent awards and honors
include an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of the Fraser Valley, the Order of Canada and an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver.
Margo Kane comes full circle in a career building opportunities for Indigenous artists -Stir magazine
RESOURCES
The term “Sixties Scoop” was coined by Patrick Johnston, author of the 1983 report Native Children and the Child Welfare System. It refers to the mass removal of Aboriginal children from their families into the child welfare system, in most cases without the consent of their families or bands. Read more…
Birth of a Family, CBC documentary
