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Presented by Punctuate! Theatre in association with rEvolver Festival
and community partner Talking Stick Festival
A true story about love in the face of a pandemic and an invasion
Punctuate! Theatre (Edmonton)
By Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova
Presented in association with rEvolver Festival
Discover the inspiring true story of “First Métis Man of Odesa” at the launch of the 22nd annual Talking Stick Festival. The Cultch presents this captivating play by Punctuate! Theatre in partnership with Talking Stick Festival. Witness Matt and Mariya’s extraordinary journey of love and resilience amidst a global pandemic and an invasion. Gain an intimate perspective on the war in Ukraine, as well as moments of joy and inspiration.
Matthew MacKenzie is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Alberta and proud father of Ivan (Eevan, Vanya, Vanichka). Artistic Director of Punctuate! Theatre, Matthew is also the founder and an Artistic Associate with Pyretic Productions, a founding member of the Pemmican Collective, as well as Canadian Liaison of the Liberian Dance Troupe. Matt’s plays include First Métis Man of Odesa, Bears, After the Fire and The Particulars.
Mariya Khomutova started her theatre studies in Odesa at the age of 12. She graduated from the Kyiv National Theatre University in 2012 and worked in two repertoire theatres in Kyiv. Some of the favourite roles she has played are Agafya Tikhonovna (“The Marriage” by N.Gogol), Grushenka (“The Karamasov Brothers” by F. Dostoyevsky), Dunyasha (“Cherry Orchard” by A. Chekhov), Irodiada (“Salome” by O.Wilde). In 2020, Mariya was the recipient of a Golden Duke Award from the Odesa Film Festival for Best Actress in Two of Us (dir. Vladislav Vitriv).