Engaged theatre: Is Black and Indigenous theatre inherently an act of activism?

Wendat author, director and filmmaker, and co-founder and mentor at Ondinnok, Yves Sioui Durand has pursued a pioneering artistic approach in theatre for 40 years. In 2017, he received the Governor General’s Award for Artistic Achievement, and in 2018, he was named a Companion of the Arts and Letters of Quebec. In 2020, he published Okiwe Atisken - L’Esprit des os (Presses de l’Université Laval-PUL) and in 2021, Le Rabinal Achi d’ondinnok with Catherine Joncas, Jean-François Côté, and Julie Burelle, also published by PUL. In 2023, he was awarded the Walter Carsen Prize for the excellence of his exceptional work in theatre, and most recently, in June 2025, he received a Doctorate honoris causa from UQAT.

Catherine Joncas is the co-founder of Ondinnok. She is an actress, director, and writer, and she trained at the Conservatoire d’art dramatique de Québec. Since 1985, she has participated in all of Ondinnok’s productions, including Le rendez-vous/Kiskimew, presented in 2000, which she wrote and directed. In 2018, she curated the Indigenous contemporary dance event Corps entravé/corps dansant in collaboration with Tangente. In 2021, she led the Mémoires ancestrales workshop at the Jean-Pierre Perreault Foundation. She is co-author of the book Xajoj Tun, Le Rabinal Achi d’Ondinnok. Réflexions, entretiens, analyses, published by Presses de l’Université Laval in 2021. ONDINNOK, a memoir co-written with Yves Sioui Durand, was published by Éditions du Passage in September 2025.

Black Theatre Workshop (BTW) is Canada’s longest running theatre company dedicated to the works of Black and diasporic communities. BTW’s mission is to promote and produce outstanding theatre that educates, entertains and inspires. The company strives to create greater cross-cultural understanding by challenging its audience and the status quo. Expanding the representation of Black Canadian artists, BTW bridges cultural divides – uniting hearts, minds and communities.