Photo by David Hawe.
On Thursday evening, I had the pleasure of viewing the National Arts Centre (NAC) English Theatre presentation of Agokwe, a one-man play about the challenges of growing up as a “two-spirited” man in northern Ontario. Written and performed by 26-year-old Waawaate Fobister, a native of Grassy Narrows First Nation, the story takes us into the lives of a cast of characters from competing reservations. Sparks fly outside a jeans store in a Kenora Shopping Mall between the Ojibway dancer Jake and the dreamy hockey player Mike, in town for an annual First Nations hockey tournament, and are fueled by the mythological Ojibway trickster Nanabush.
Agokwe (pronounced “agoo-kway”), an Anishnabe term for “two spirited” or the “woman inside the man”, was thoroughly entertaining, educational, and inspiring, opening my eyes to a part of our province, and a community about which I know very little. While it admittedly took me some time to get into the story, but by the end I was enthralled, as Fobister seamlessly changed from one character to another. It’s easy to forget that Agokwe is a one-man show, a testament to Fobister’s raw talent and ability. I found myself most entertained by the awkward love interest “Shy”, while my date’s attention was drawn to Mike’s honest and pensive mother.
The play was creatively staged, with Fobister’s script complimented by a stage that evoked the stretched hides of a drum, playful projections, and an energizing soundtrack. At seventy-five minutes, it was the perfect length, allowing patrons ample time to take in the planned post-show question and answer session this Thursday before falling asleep reflecting on questions of love, identity, and the consequences of our actions.
The NAC’s staging of Agokwe not only marks Fobister’s first play, but also marks the first presentation of a Buddies in Bad Times Theatre production at the Centre, one of the most significant gay and lesbian theatres in North America. The play, which premiered in Toronto in 2008, began as a ramble at an open-mic night, which fed a short monologue in a youth cabaret, elements of which can be felt in its current incarnation. It was the first Buddies production to have been entirely developed through all stages of their namesake Queer Youth Arts Programme, and in 2009, was handsomely awarded with six Dora awards, Toronto’s highest theatre, dance and opera honour, including Outstanding New Play, Outstanding Production, Direction and Performance. In the midst of a national tour, the production returns to Toronto in May.
All in all, this is a play worth seeing, regardless of the number of spirits within.
Agokwe plays February 1-12, 2011 at the National Arts Centre. Showtime 8pm (Saturday matinee). Contact the NAC box office for tickets and further information.
