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O’wet/Lost Lagoon (2016)

By Quelemia Sparrow

“Some say your soul will leave your body during a terrible fright. You must journey to retrieve it.”– Quelemia Sparrow, O’wet/Lost Lagoon
O’wet (oh-wee): a verb colloquially used to denote propelling a canoe. O’wet is also connected to a shaman’s canoe ride to the land of the dead to retrieve a lost soul.
Lost Lagoon: A body of water in between Xway Xway (Stanley Park) and downtown Vancouver that once flowed in and out freely with the tides and now stands land locked.
O’wet / Lost Lagoon is a solo performance about reclamation and change that weaves real-life stories with the visceral experience of a spiritual canoe journey. Written and performed by Quelemia Sparrow it grapples with the identity of a mixed-race aboriginal woman in a present-day, colonized world. With humour and truth, the story snapshots us through Quelemia’s life from her international modeling career – partying with the rich and famous–, to fishing trips with her dad, her connection/disconnection to home; and her journey of healing through intergenerational trauma.
Written and Performed by Quelemia Sparrow
Directed by Marisa Emma Smith
Assistant Direction by Tai Amy Grauman
Dramaturgy by Heidi Taylor
Media Design by Candelario Andrade
Sound Design/Original Composition by Sandy Scofield
Set Design by Shizuka Kai
Lighting Design by Itai Erdal
This piece was originally commissioned by Full Circle: First Nations Performance as part of a larger work, and benefited from the work of the Full Circle Aboriginal Ensemble, including director Margo Kane, dramaturg Michael Springate, and Associate Dramaturg and Researcher Kwasuun Sarah Vedan.

PRICE

$20* in advance | $25* at the door
***$2 from every ticket will be donated to the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre***

DATES

Tuesday, June 21st — Friday, June, 25th, 2015 @ 8 pm
Saturday, June 25th @ 2 pm & @ 8 pm

NOTES

June 21st, 2015 is a National Aboriginal Day Celebration Performance. Price is Pay-What-You-Can. Tickets available at the door starting one hour (7pm) prior to the performance on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Post show talk-back June 23

DURATION

Show is approx. 90 mins