During the summer of 2013 in Victoria BC, a culturally diverse, inter-generational group of almost entirely non-Indigenous men and women found common ground by creating an unconventional theatre production. From the Heart: enter into the journey of reconciliation was performed in a fourteen thousand square foot indoor labyrinth made from salvaged doors and windows, trees, and hundreds of metres of fabric, all lit by paper lantern lights. As the audience found their own way through the alcoves and chambers of the labyrinth, they encountered songs, scenes, shadow theatre performances, and visual arts installations about the transformative stories that had deepened the cast members' personal understanding about the lived experience of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
​ The project offered us a creative and stimulating way to promote meaningful public dialogue about what it might mean for non-Indigenous people to take responsibility for learning more about our own history as a first step toward standing in solidarity with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.
From the Heart was an extraordinary project—an extraordinary show. It was also simply a container that enabled people with good hearts to step forward and put into action their desire to contribute to making a better Canada.
In 2015 we launched the book that tells the story of the project—what we did and why we did it. It serves as a “how-to” manual for other Canadian communities to pick up where we have left off by creating their own original productions of this project. Designer Kit Maloney has beautifully illustrated the large-format 118 pages with photos and graphics. The book is called From the Heart: How 100 Canadians created an unconventional theatre performance about reconciliation.​​
ORDER YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK HERE.
​Or you may read the book online line HERE.
Click on the diagonal arrows lower right to see the full pages.
