Will Weigler (Lead Artist)

Will is a Settler Canadian, born and raised on the territory of the Multnomah peoples in what is now Portland, Oregon. For the past 17 years he has been a visitor on traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples. Will is a theatre director, playwright, producer, and storyteller, and has written five books on different approaches to co-creating theatre with people in communities about the issues that matter to them. Much of his arts-based community engagement work is focused on advocacy for social justice, reducing stigma, giving voice to marginalized communities, and using performance to promote peer education about the legacy and impact of colonialism and the importance of supporting Indigenous communities and cultural resurgence. Will earned a PhD in Applied Theatre from the University of Victoria and is a graduate of the National Theatre Institute and Oberlin College in the US. To learn more about his work visit, www.willweigler.com.

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Krystal Cook (Co-facilitator).

Krystal is a Kwakwaka'wakw woman from the Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay, B.C.   She is  writer and performer of theatre and poetry, and has worked for many years as a facilitator of Healing through the Arts in the Aboriginal Community.  Krystal, who lives in Victoria, B.C. with her partner Nik, has three children: two sons, Kwasun & Rayn, and a daughter, Tesekla.  She is a graduate of the En'owkin International School of Writing at the University of Victoria, and the Native Theatre School Program at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto. Krystal has performed her one-woman show Emergence at IMPACT Theatre Festival, Uno Fest, FemFest, and Puente Meli Festival. Krystal currently works in Aboriginal Education with the Aboriginal Nations Education Division in Victoria. She is a member of the Namgis Constitution Development Committee and local Kwak’wala language group committed to preserving Kwak’wala.

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My passion and commitment to the preservation and restoration of my Native Language is the driving force behind my desire to support myself and others to pick up our creative tools for our voices of truth to be heard and healed through Poetry, Orature, Non-fiction, Chant, Song and Drama. Writing, particularly Poetry Performance, is very therapeutic for me. It has helped me to erase my own invisibility as a Kwakwaka'wakw woman, and given me a positive healthy platform to channel and transform my energies creatively. I have been writer and performer of theatre and poetry and a dancer for over 20 years, and have worked as a facilitator of Healing through the Arts in the Aboriginal Community for over ten years.  I feel truly honoured and blessed to have had the opportunity to train and work with a rich variety of Facilitators and Teachers who approach creativity, performance, writing and healing from a holistic perspective. Mask, Playback Theatre, Earth Based Theatre, Indigenous Theatre, and Sacred Clown training and performance have inspired me greatly. Among my teachers are: Floyd Favel, David Smuckler, Monique Mojica, Margo Kane, J. B. Joe, Kateri Ackawenzi-Damm, Eric Robertson, Banakonda Kennedy Kish-Bell, Jim Millan, Pat Sutton, Sharon Weiner, John Turner, Mike Kennard, Fiona Griffiths, and Sistah Caroline Outten. I hope to provide the project participants of From the Heart with a positive memorable experience of theatre and poetry as inspiring, uplifting and fun tools that can empower, give voice, explore, heal, and share. Gi'lakasla. In the Spirit of our Ancestors.

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Bisia Belina (Vocal, Singing and Movement Coach)

Bisia is a recording artist, performer, and teacher. For the past 25 years she has been a practicing Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) specializing in alignment techniques, postural education, relaxation and therapeutic massage techniques. As the founder of VoiceWorks & VocalBody Arts in Victoria, Bisia offers weekly drop in classes, vocal body intensives, teacher development series as well as self–care intensives for professional and informal caregivers. Bisia strongly believes that expressive arts can have a huge influence on one’s mental, emotional and physical health.

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My approach to learning incorporates movement, breathing, singing and composition to access the power of one’s personal creativity and connections with others, all while improving wellness, and vocal confidence. VoiceWorks and VocalBody Arts involve tuning into one’s vocal anatomy, understanding rhythm, time, harmony, and melody. In this collaborative work, vocal expression combined with breath, movement, imagery and sound become the method for reconnecting with one’s self and one’s community. BodyTalk involves self centering through recognizing the signs and symptoms of an overstressed anatomy, releasing unnecessary tension patterns, regaining breath, flexibility, composure and focus. Through Improvisational Movement, participants explore the interplay between sound, movement and attitude, and its energizing effect on the nervous system. Inspired by movement awareness patterns that increase range of motion, flexibility, co-ordination and grace, participants begin to move beyond feeling self-conscious and become able to create community works together that rejuvenate, recharge and transform. By expanding a sense of self and improving vocal confidence we become ready to access the power of our creativity and move forward in our work together.

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Margot Johnson (Co-Vocal, Singing and Movement Coach)

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Dr. Paulette Regan (consultant)

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Paulette served as Senior Researcher for the Historical Memory and Reconciliation Project at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and has been a Research Fellow at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at UBC. Her book, Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth-telling and Reconciliation in Canada (UBC Press, 2010) has been a non-fiction best seller in BC and was selected as a finalist for the 2012 Canada Prize by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.

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I have two roles in From the Heart. First, because this project is primarily based upon my book, I am working in close partnership with the professional artists on the team to provide them with guidance and support. As a scholar and practitioner, my academic studies and applied research projects over 25 years have focused on a wide range of unresolved and deeply-rooted historical conflicts between Indigenous peoples and the Canadian state. Since 2007, I have worked for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, which is mandated to document the history and legacy of the Indian residential school system and provide policy recommendations to facilitate long-term reconciliation between Indigenous peoples and Canadian society. I have a particular interest in the role and responsibility of non-Indigenous people in the decolonization project and the potential of truth and reconciliation processes to either transform or re-inscribe colonial relations. I have been investigating how critical and Indigenous research methodologies and pedagogies, particularly the use of intercultural dialogue, auto/ethnography, story-telling, arts-based engagement, and witnessing practices, might facilitate the decolonization and transformation of settler historical memory and identity. For many years, with my colleague Brenda Ireland, I have been co-facilitating a workshop we call “Unsettling Dialogues of History and Hope” that turns these questions of methodology into embodied practice. My second role in From the Heart will be to spend two full weekends with the ensemble of community participants, co-facilitating this workshop with Brenda as a catalyst for generating the substance of the material they will develop, rehearse and perform in the show.

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Brenda Ireland (Consultant).

Brenda is an Anishnaabe-Métis community-based professional and intercultural practitioner/facilitator with 18 years of leadership in social, education and community development initiatives. Currently the Executive Director for the Industry Council for Aboriginal Business (ICAB), and a member of the Board of Directors for the BC Human Rights Coalition, Brenda was formerly a Research Manager for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.  In addition to working with ICAB, she continues her interest in the education field and to work as an advocate for Aboriginal learners. She has two children and two granddaughters. The role of history, ceremony and story-telling are at the heart of Brenda’s work—essential to the transformative change necessary for ‘meaningful’ reconciliation.

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Rob Wipond (Rapporteur)

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Mark Lakeman (Labyrinth designer)

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As the founder of Portland’s City Repair, Communitecture Architects, and the Planet Repair Institute, Mark’s visionary community-based design aesthetic has inspired communities across North America by demonstrating how architectural and civic design choices can play an active role in promoting people’s connections with one another and with the natural world. As a member of our artistic team, Mark will apply that knowledge to theatrical scenic design in an immersion theatre labyrinth that is both beautiful and inspires heartfelt community engagement.

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Mar Rickets (Tensile fabric artist/ Labyrinth co-designer

Paula Jardine (associate artist)

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Primary partners

The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria (ICA) helps individuals and organizations to connect across cultures. We provide information, support and tools to help immigrants reach their goals. By engaging people through networks, education and arts programming we create a welcoming community. We offer services for newcomers, including settlement and integration counseling, translation and interpretation, English classes, mentoring, volunteer matching and peer support. We also provide outreach and education in the community through community arts programming, as well as community development workshops on anti-racism, multiculturalism, diversity awareness, immigration and human rights. ICA has a rich history of producing Inter-Cultural Arts events that celebrate and encourage community-focused artistic innovation and collaboration among diverse cultures. The Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria website: https://www.icavictoria.org/

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The Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) has been inspiring thought and action on global issues" for over 30 years.  We actively involve youth, educators, and community partners in the development and implementation of international development, global education and youth and community engagement initiatives. In addition to an international internship programme, VIDEA also provides a range of work, learning and engagement opportunities for youth in Canada. We facilitate communication, cooperation and strategic networking among Canadian groups working for global justice, peace and sustainable development, linking local and international issues with community initiatives. VIDEA strives to create opportunities to link Indigenous peoples in the areas in which we work with projects that support the creative sharing of knowledge and experience.

The Victoria International Development Education Association website: https://videa.ca/

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Supporting partners

First Metropolitan United Church seeks to be a centre for spiritual nurture and community engagement. Some of our community partnerships include a 74 unit special housing facility and the Out of the Rain program for Street Youth. The church began the Open Door outreach ministry which has evolved into Our Place. FirstMet is known for its annual Epiphany Explorations conference featuring presenters such as Stephen Lewis, Mary Ellen Turpel Lafond, Puente Theatre and Shelagh Rogers (Truth and Reconciliation Commission official witness). We invite others to share in our journey as we seek to be an effective ministry in our city and our world. We have been part of the downtown for more than 150 years, regularly renewing our vision and our activities.

First Metropolitan United Church website: https://www.firstmetvictoria.com/

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