TAKWAHIMINANA
Playwright Matthew MacKenzie
Director Mike Payette
Choreographer Anoshinie Muhundarajah
Starring Michaela Washburn
[“TAK-wa-HI-mi-na-na” A Cree and Michif word for chokecherry]
Tak.wa.hi.mi.na.na is a darkly funny, deeply moving new play by award-winning playwright Matthew MacKenzie (First Métis Man of Odesa, Bears).
Sharon—a Métis woman born in India, who moved back to her ancestral home in Alberta as a teenager, has always been caught between cultures.
Now an adult, at a lavish foodie dinner party hosted by her longtime paramour, she’s marking the unofficial 20th anniversary of their extramarital affair. But as this complicated love simmers, her Indigenous knowledge is appropriated and fetishized.
Blending biting satire with stunning Bharatanatyam choreography, this world premiere is a theatrical feast you won’t soon forget.
Photo by Dahlia Katz
Development History
Punctuate! Theatre & Pemmican Collective Creators’ Cohort | 2023/24
Cultural Consultation | Edmonton/Smoky Lake, Alberta - Summer 2024
Movement Development | Toronto, Ontario - Winter 2024
Text Development | Toronto, Ontario - Winter 2025
World Premiere | Soulpepper Theatre - Toronto, ON - April 30-May 11, 2025
Upcoming | First National Tour
Creative Team
Playwright Matthew MacKenzie
Director Mike Payette
Choreographer Anoshinie Muhundarajah
Set Design Dawn Marie Marchand
Costume Design Jolane Houle & Bharathy Vivekanantham
Video Design Amelia Scott
Lighting Design André du Toit*
Sound Design Aaron Macri
Composition Noor Dean Musani
Set Design Consultant Daniela Masellis
Stage Manager Lore Green*
Consulting Elder Jo-Ann Saddleback
Creative Producer Andy Cohen
Producer: Sheiny Satanove
Production Manager / Technical Director Trent Crosby
Assistant Production Manager: Erik Richards
Marketing & Communications: Alyson Dicey
Production Support: Kathy Le
STARRING
Michaela Washburn*
FEATURING
Prithvi Castelino
Vanessa Mangar Dance Captain
Kajaanan Navaratnam
Swetha Pararajasingam
Naveeni Rasiah
*The participation of these Artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT).
