Waawaate Fobister

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Waawaate Fobister
NationalityAnishinaabe
CitizenshipCanada
EducationTheatre Arts Performance, Humber College, 2005
Occupation(s)Actor, dancer, playwright
Notable workAgokwe
AwardsDora Mavor Moore Award

Waawaate Fobister (Anishinaabe) is a Canadian actor, dancer, playwright, choreographer, instructor, producer[1] and storyteller,[2] best known for their semi-autobiographical one-man play, Agokwe.[3]

Early life[edit]

Fobister grew up on the Grassy Narrows First Nation reserve, north of Kenora, Ontario. As a child, Fobister's father and grandfather introduced them to the indigenous oral storytelling tradition; a path that Fobister would choose for themself as well.[4] At the age of eighteen, Fobister came out as gay or two-spirited.[3] Growing up on the reservation, they encountered homophobia and abuse; experiences which they channel into their work.[5] Fobister got their spirit name, Waawaate, which means Northern Lights, as they began to explore their Native spirituality.[6] As Fobister recalls, they met with a medicine woman who could give spirit names. After presenting the woman with tobacco, she instructed them to come back in a few weeks and that after prayer, they would find a spirit name. Upon Fobister's return, the woman told them she had found their spirit name and said, "...when I saw it, I saw...dark sky, and I seen lights and I seen dancing", referencing the Northern Lights which, in Anishinaabe culture represent spirits dancing.[6]

Fobister earned a degree in Theatre Arts Performance as well as the Distinguished Performance Award from Humber College in 2005.[4] They also studied theater and dance at Banff Centre for the Arts, School of Toronto Dance Theatre, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, and Kahawi Dance Theatre.[citation needed]

Career[edit]

Fobister performed their first play, Savage, at public and private schools throughout Ontario. Savage tells the story of a young gay boy and his mentor in a small town.[2] Shortly after graduating from Humber College, Fobister wrote Agokwe (a variation of agokwa, the Anishinaabe word which loosely translates to "man-woman"[7] but in modern usage is better understood as "two-spirited"[5]), a story of unrequited love between two gay teenage boys. The play explores themes of love, sexuality, homophobia, isolation, and Native cultural traditions.[8] Agokwe premiered at Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times theater on September 23, 2008.[9] The play went on to win six Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play, in 2009.[10][11] Four years later, Fobister's second play, Medicine Boy premiered at the Scotiabank Studio Theatre, August 9–18, 2012.[12] Medicine Boy tells stories of inter-generational trauma within First Nations families stemming from colonization, residential schools, and industrial waste poisoning the land.[13] In 2019, Fobister introduced Omaagomaan (loosely translated as "someone biting very hard"), a dance that draws attention to the mercury poisoning and subsequent health problems within their community in Grassy Narrows.[14][15]

In addition to stage performance, Fobister has appeared in the films Famous (post-production)[16] and The Time Traveler (2009)[17] and was playwright in residence for the 2019–20 season at Native Earth Performing Arts in Toronto[18] and at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay.[19] In 2021 they were a panelist on "Dance Ogichidas" at The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Curator of Indigenous Content at the 2021 Kick & Push Festival,[20] and named the coordinator of the new council for LGBTQ2S indigenous people in Grand Council of Treaty 3 territory.[21] In May 2021, Fobister presented their short play Ode to RED Auntie at the Tiny Plays, Big Ideas digital event for the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.[22] As of 2021, Fobister teaches at the Manitoba Theatre for Young People.[1]

Awards, grants, and nominations[edit]

Awards[edit]

  • 2005 Humber College Distinguished Performance Award[4]
  • 2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award, Outstanding New Play, Agokwe[11]
  • 2009 Dora Mavor Moore Award, Outstanding Performance in a Principal Role - Play, Agokwe[11]
  • 2014 Bonham Centre Youth Award from The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto for his contributions to the advancement and education of issues around sexual identification.[23]

Grants[edit]

Nominations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre-Panels". royalmtc.ca. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  2. ^ a b "The Two-spirited Rebirth of Indigenous Nations: An Interview with Waawaate Fobister – Stu Marvel". nomorepotlucks.org. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  3. ^ a b Raining Bird, Lindsay (July 17, 2014). "Waawaate Fobister reclaims First Nations two-spirited traditions". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c "Waawaate Fobister | Humber 50th Anniversary". humber50.ca. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. ^ a b "StackPath". xtramagazine.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ^ a b "WAAWAATE FOBISTER". Mikwchiyam. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  7. ^ Pruden, Harlan. "Two-Spirit People:Sex, Gender & Sexuality in Historic and Contemporary Native America" (PDF). Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "AGOKWE by Waawaate Fobister – Artscape". Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  9. ^ "Waawaate Fobister". doollee.com. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  10. ^ "Agokwe dominates Doras gala - The Globe and Mail". 2012-10-19. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  11. ^ a b c "TAPA - Recipients". TAPA. 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  12. ^ Sumi, Glenn (2012-08-09). "Waawaate Fobister". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  13. ^ "Medicine Boy (Anishnaabe Theatre Performance) 2012 SummerWorks Review | Mooney on Theatre". www.mooneyontheatre.com. 2012-08-13. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  14. ^ Porter, Jody (2017). "Children of the poisoned river". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  15. ^ APTN National News (2019-09-13). "New dance raises concerns around mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows". APTN News. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  16. ^ "Famous". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  17. ^ "The Time Traveler (TV Movie 2009)". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  18. ^ "2019 RESIDENCY ARTISTS". NATIVE EARTH PERFORMING ARTS. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  19. ^ "Waawaate Fobister". New Constellations. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  20. ^ "Call for Proposals 2021". The Kick and Push Festival. Retrieved 2021-07-14.
  21. ^ Monkman, Lenard (June 4, 2021). "Grand Council Treaty 3 launches new LGBTQ2S council". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  22. ^ "Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre-Tiny Plays, Big Ideas". royalmtc.ca. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  23. ^ Media, Pennant. "The 2014 Bonham Centre Awards Gala celebrates Power of the Word on April 24, 2014, honouring authors and writers who have contributed to the public understanding of sexual diversity in Canada – Pennant Media Group". Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  24. ^ a b c Courtney, Angela, ed. (2012). Twenty-first century drama : the first decade. Detroit: Gale Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1-4144-9042-7. OCLC 783722617.

External links[edit]

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