Keepers of the Salish Sea

Presented by Holy Crow Arts

NOV 21-DEC 1, 2024
the cultch | HISTORIC THEATRE

Samuel finagles his way into a high pressure cable television career in Manhattan so he can afford his hard partying lifestyle. But his closest companions, the whiskey bottle and the trusty pint, have turned against him. With his mountain of responsibilities and chaotic bosses, his life implodes. The party is surely over. 

As oblivion ends Samuel finds himself in dank church basements and dingy rehab rooms. A sad sack in a sea of clowns, he must face the buffoonery of the corporate world with nothing to take the edge off. As he progresses on a path far from perfect, he finds himself enveloped in a fog, struggling to chart a course in a nonsensical world that sobriety won’t allow him to tune out anymore.

Until he hears a call, a beckoning even, that emerges from an unlikely source — is that Bob Costas? Or is it the voices of Ch'ích'iyúy Elx̱wíḵn (the Two Sisters or “The Lions” as the settlers named them) gleaming behind the sports reporter on an impossibly gorgeous winter’s day? Is it a transcendent voice from the spirit of Kanaka Ranch, an auntie reminding him where he comes from, where his ancestors have come from…?

Soon, on the other side of the continent, Samuel is vulnerable and awkward, a middle-aged newbie on a journey he never considered before. And such an obvious one, he’s ashamed it’s taken all these years to only now see it.

Keepers of the Salish Sea is about finding that path we all seek, a search for meaning in life, to discover answers to existential questions. A probing, searching, hilarious tale infusing Coast Salish traditions — inspired by a phenomenal cultural practice thousands of years old, nearly erased by colonization — with the pressing environmental and social issues of our day.

FEATURING

Meegwun Fairbrother • Marion Jacobs • Aaron M. Wells • Cheri Maracle
Cole Vandale • Mitchell Saddleback

Keepers of the Salish Sea

Presented by Holy Crow Arts
NOV 21—DEC 1, 2024 | the cultch, HISTORIC THEATRE

General Admission | $38 + $6.30 service charge

We are sharing a limited number of free tickets to Indigenous Patrons.
Use promo code INDG to book those complimentary tickets.

We are sharing a limited number of Pay What You Choose tickets:

Use promo code PWYC 10 for $10 tickets + $6.30 service charge
Use promo code PWYC 15 for $15 tickets + $6.30 service charge
Use promo code PWYC 20 for $20 tickets + $6.30 service charge

As a rental event, there is a $6.30 ticket charge from the venue on every seat purchased (except for the Indigenous patron complimentary seats). Your ticket will have that fee added automatically before buying so you see the entire ticket price.

Holy Crow is committed to making this a low barrier event, please contact info@holycrowarts.com for further reduced ticket options.

CREATIVE TEAM 

Justin Neal Playwright and Co-Producer | Reneltta Arluk Director
Bracken Hanuse Corlett Northwest Coast Artist | Rianne Svelnis Co-Producer
Sophie Kaplan Stage Manager | Emily Dotson Set and Costume Designer
Edzi’u Sound Design | Jamie Sweeney Lighting Design | Jessica Han Production Manager
Elsa Orme Production Associate | Conor Day Sound Design Assistant
Rob Eccles (@lazbones) Graphic Design/Illustration | Georgie Lawson Photographer

SḴWX̱WÚ7MESH KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS

Squamish Ocean Canoe Family
Shucks Larry Nahanee Skipper | Sempúlyan Stewart Gonzales, K'etximtn Alroy Baker, and Tesaxlewet Mabel Nahanee Language and Cultural Advisors, plus sharing from other members of the Canoe Family.

Holy Crow Arts wants to recognize the hard work that artists and cultural workers do in evaluating, assessing, debating, and ruminating over an array of amazing projects that cannot all be selected for funding. Without these assessment committees, and of course, the funding bodies themselves, this production would not be possible.

Chet kw'enman-túmi, we thank Squamish Nation, First Peoples' Cultural Council, BC Arts Council, and City of Vancouver's Cultural Grants Program for their support.