White Man's Indian

The Centre for Indigenous Theatre remounts Darla Contois' 2017 play, with director Ed Roy back, & emerging actor Jaeli Bruno in a moving turn. She plays Eva, the only Native at a city school, who's grappling with a history of abuse, a severed family, & a 2-Spirit awakening.

My rating: see this show even if you're on the fence about it.

Jaeli Bruno is an outstanding actor. It was impressive how deftly a large range of characters came from one performer, sometimes in rapid succession but with distinct clarity. I felt immersed the entire time. Some of the characters were written as caricatures, which does show strong contrast but I wonder if the play would benefit from more subtlety in some respects. This is a moving piece that gives the audience a lot to think about.

Powerful and compelling story with outstanding acting. The single actor enacted many scenes of dialogue, bringing several characters to life, seamlessly, with no confusion over who was who.

A great solo performance by Jaeli Bruno anchors this story of an Indigenous teenager struggling with issues of racial and sexual identity against a background of sexual abuse. Bruno swivels effortlessly between multiple characters ranging from her best friend to her father. At times I felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of issues raised in the story and I wonder if the show would benefit from some cutting and tightening.