2020 Laureate – Siminovitach Prize

Tara Beagan (she, her) is proud to be Ntlaka’pamux and, through her late father’s side, of Irish ancestry. She is cofounder/director of ARTICLE 11 with Andy Moro. Beagan served as Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts from February 2011 to December 2013. During her time, NEPA continued with traditional values for guidance, had an Elder in Residence, and named and moved into the Aki Studio. Beagan has been in residence at Cahoots Theatre (Toronto), NEPA (Toronto), the National Arts Centre (Ottawa) and Berton House (Dawson City, Yukon). She is now Playwright In Residence at Prairie Theatre Exchange (Winnipeg). Seven of her 28 plays are published. Two plays have received Dora Award nominations (one win). In 2018, Beagan was a finalist in the Alberta Playwrights’ Network competition. In 2020, Honour Beat won the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for Drama. Recent premieres include Deer Woman in Aotearoa (New Zealand), Honour Beat opening the 2018/19 season at Theatre Calgary, The Ministry of Grace at Belfry Theatre in Victoria, and Super in Plays2Perform@Home with Boca Del Lupo (Vancouver). www.article11.ca

Since his nomination for a Prix Gémeau for hosting the young adult show C’est parti mon tipi, Charles Bender has become a regular presence on Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). He plays the lead on Sioui-Bacon and was part of the cast of the first season of Mohawk Girls, two popular series on the network. Charles launched his acting career in French in Quebec City, and subsequently studied theatre in English at Concordia University in Montreal. Since graduating, he has appeared in a variety of productions in both English and French, including Destinée, En thérapie and Being Human. On stage, he has worked with a variety of politically and socially active theatre companies such as Teesri Duniya, Ondinnok and Tableau d’Hote, and is currently the co-artistic director of his own theatre company, Productions Menuentakuan. He sits on the board of directors of many organizations that promote Indigenous culture, and hosted the four-part documentary series 8e feu (8th Fire), a Radio-Canada TV series tackling a variety of contemporary First-Nation issues.

Jean-Frédéric Messier (il) has written and directed for la compagnie Momentum and other theatre companies in Montreal and elsewhere. Several of his award winning plays have been published. He also has composed music for the performing arts and for the screen. He is one of the four authors of Cabaret Neiges-Noires, a show produced by the Théâtre Il va sans dire that marked the 90s Quebec theatrical landscape. In May 2019, he published L’Espace plein (L’Instant scène), an essay on theatre practice “outside the walls”.

Nahka Bertrand was born under the Northern Lights in a small town in the southern Northwest Territories. As a child, she lived on top of a mountain under the midnight sun and was raised in a deep knowledge of the vastness of nature. Currently living in Quebec, she is a mother, storyteller and singer. She  graduated from Concordia University with a degree in journalism and currently works as artistic director of the Tiotia:ke Project with  Jamais Lu.

Ibnou Ndiaye (NOUBI) is a musician and actor originaly from Saint-Louis, Senegal. He is an author, composer, arranger and performer.  www.noubitrio.com

A bilingual artist, Johanna has played leading roles in Centaur (Good People) and La Licorne (Les Events). Her solo play My Pregnant Brother/ Mon frère est enceinte won the le Cochon d’Or and has toured throughout Quebec, Canada, Brussels, London, and Edinburgh. She also has translated works by Annick Lefebvre (Les Barbelés), Guillaume Corbeil (Tu Iras la Recherche), Nathalie Boisvert (Facelift), Emmanuelle Jimenez (Centre d’achats) and Chlore by Florence Longpré and Nicolas Michon, which she also directed at the Centaur. She is currently the Artistic Director of the Victoria Playhouse in Epekwitk (PEI).  www.creaturecreature.org

Coming Soon

Of Innu origin from Uashat mak Mani-Utenam, Eve Ringuette is an actor and filmmaker. In 2010, she discovered a passion for acting when she got the role of Osalic in the film Mesnak. In 2015, she became production manager for Nish Media, in addition to playing roles in some of the company’s productions (Le dep, Police sans réserve) and scripting some episodes of the web series Police sans réserve. In 2018, she returned to her community and then that a desire to write was born. She wrote and directed two short films (Kakatshat and Libérés) with Wapikoni Mobile and is currently writing her first horror feature thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2020, her text Le couloir was a finalist for the Prix de la nouvelle Radio-Canada. Most recently, she played the role of Maude in the 2023 film La 115e. In 2021, she plays the role of Flora, 30, in the series Pour toi Flora (Nish Media) in addition to doing an internship in directing on the series. She also plays in the series Turbulent Waters 2, in 2022, playing the role of Rubina Duquette.

Mugisha Rutishisha is a comedian and actor who lives in Montreal. His passion for the dramatic arts has led him over the years to participate in several theater workshops, to interpret a variety of roles in a few amateur or semi-professional projects. He also lent his voice to the audio recording of the book Seul by Paul Tom published by La Courte-Échelle.

Native Earth Performing Arts is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous performing arts company. Currently, in their 40th year, they are dedicated to developing, producing, and presenting professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada.

Through stage productions (theatre, dance, and multi-disciplinary art), new script development, apprenticeships, and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. It is a vision that is inclusive and reflective of the artistic directions of members of the Indigenous community who actively participate in the arts.  www.nativeearth.ca