Yolanda Bonnell in White Girls in Moccasins.Jeremy Mimnagh
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- Title: White Girls in Moccasins
- Written by: Yolanda Bonnell
- Directors: Cole Alvis, Samantha Brown
- Actors: Yolanda Bonnell, Elizabeth Staples, Ravyn Wngz
- Company: manidoons collective and Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Production
- Venue: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre (and digital broadcast Mar 17-27)
- City: Toronto
- Year: 2022
After two long years, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre welcomes audiences back to live performance with White Girls in Moccasins, an irreverent look at white supremacy and how it permeates Indigenous identity.
The story revolves around Miskozi (performed by playwright Yolanda Bonnell), who has lost her way and sense of place in the world – if she ever had it to begin with. Along with her inner white girl Waabishkizi (Elizabeth Staples), and guide Ziibi (Ravyn Wngz), Miskozi travels between the worlds of dreams and memories, exploring formative influences and experiences that helped create her sense of self: from Disney to Wheel of Fortune, news of the Oka and Ipperwash crises, first loves and racially based violence. As Miskozi deconstructs and redefines herself along the way, the production becomes ceremony – a place to celebrate life and to share and release her burdens so that she might heal.
Elizabeth Staples, left, Bonnell and Ravyn Wngz in White Girls in Moccasins.Jeremy Mimnagh
At times the content is intense, but the writing is sharp and often funny, lambasting tired old stereotypes of “Indian princesses” and “noble savages.” The cast all have a great sense of comedic timing and a seemingly effortless connection to one another, ensuring nothing falls flat. Under the thoughtful direction of Cole Alvis and Samantha Brown, themes of violence are shared using dramatic repetitions of fragmented thoughts and stylized choreographies, rather than explicit descriptions or acts. The impact is powerful without as much upset for the audience or, one hopes, performers either.
The production is surreal and absurd, and works beautifully because it is clearly the internal process taking place within Miskozi. From the moment we enter the theatre until the moment we leave, we are pulled into her world, which is emphasized by the clever set design of Trevor Schwellnus. Three of four walls are draped in screens and feature the mesmerizing animations and video design of Rihkee Strapp. The sound design of Maddie Bautista creates a soundscape that further encapsulates the theatre space, removing all sense of an external world.
Bonnell’s storytelling feels audacious in the best ways: She shows stories that most First Nation, Métis and Inuit people experience in one way or another but don’t often speak publicly about. It’s an unusual way to see ourselves and be seen. For me, it’s as if I were watching my own story. The cultural touchstones were those of my childhood, as well as the way in which I unquestioningly absorbed Eurocentric standards of beauty and defined myself in relation to them – and subsequently, like Miskozi, had to unlearn and replace them with love and acceptance. For those of us not there yet, Bonnell shows what a road map to loving oneself without judgment might look like.
With all that being said, going into the production, I was trepidatious. Not only is this Buddies’ first production after a pandemic-induced hiatus, it is also one of the first I am seeing after two years of being able to pause what I am watching to fix a snack, text or doomscroll through social media. I’m anxious about sitting still in the dark for over an hour. Will I remember how to do that? Thankfully, manidoons collective endeavours to keep their performances as relaxed as possible. Audience members are free to leave and come back as needed and the house lights are kept on at a low level. With the freedom to come and go as I please, sitting still without distraction is much easier.
Three of four walls are draped in screens and feature the animations and video design of Rihkee Strapp.Jeremy Mimnagh
Feeling both comfortable and safe in the time of a global pandemic are very real challenges in ways we had not faced before. The manidoons collective and Buddies in Bad Times have gone above and beyond. Vaccine checks and masks are still required. The theatre is running at about half capacity, and though the seats were distanced, a sense of intimacy was still possible.
White Girls in Moccasins is a powerful and entertaining welcome back to live performance at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre that should not be missed.
White Girls in Moccasins, runs March 10-20, Wednesday to Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m., at 12 Alexander St. Ticket prices: sliding scale $10, $20, $40, with number of free tickets per show for Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous audiences.
In the interest of consistency across all critics’ reviews, The Globe has eliminated its star-rating system in film and theatre to align with coverage of music, books, visual arts and dance. Instead, works of excellence will be noted with a critic’s pick designation across all coverage. (Television reviews, typically based on an incomplete season, are exempt.)