Judith Rudakoff: “Who am I
and Where
is Here?”: Qaggiq Theatre in Iqaluit and the Preservation of Voice
through
Performance
Qaggiq
Theatre of Iqaluit, Nunavut was
incorporated as a non-profit society in Nunavut on June 4,
2002., in order to provide artistic,
professional and life skills development opportunities to Aboriginal
Youth,
while promoting Inuit culture, health and wellness.
The mandate is three fold: 1) to
educate youth about Inuit culture and
language and critical social issues such as crime, suicide, substance
abuse and
violence; 2) to share cultural knowledge with Canadians and other
residents of
the circumpolar region by traveling to other communities and by
bringing
aboriginal theatre groups from across Canada and the circumpolar region
to
Nunavut; 3) to employ, train and educate youth in Nunavut in all
aspects of the
performing arts with the goal of enabling youth to find employment
and/or
pursue educational opportunities. I will
discuss their work and my involvement as dramaturg on “The Legend of
Nuliajuk”
(Nuliajuk is also known as Sedna), which has been in pre-production for
the
past two years. Creating this production involves working with Elders
and youth
to adapt this oral Inuit legend for the stage. Artistic Director (Inuk
throat
singer Sylvia Cloutier) and choreographer Alejandro Ronceria will be
the
primary collaborators.