Calla Adubofour-Poku, a queer, Afro-Indigenous improviser, actor, and creator from unceded Stz’uminus territory, is now based on Treaty 1 Territory. Her theatrical journey took off at the Gulf Island School of Performing Arts, where she gained skills in devising theatre and fell in love with improv. From performing at local Legions to winning national competitions, Calla developed a deep appreciation for spontaneous art and its transformative joy during this time. As a recent graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, she is dedicated to bringing untold stories to life with passion and vibrancy. Focusing on the healing power of storytelling, Calla is thrilled to be a part of bringing this story to life, and she feels fortunate to collaborate with such a talented team. She sends all her love and appreciation to Anaka, Justine, Chris, Adrian and Theo.
Leah Borchert is a multidisciplinary artist with a passion for theatre, play, and curiosity. Her work spans performance, creation, and artistic collaboration, with recent plays including August Quarterly Report and The Opposite of Play. She holds a Master of Arts in Drama Therapy from Concordia University, and now practices as a Drama Therapist in Winnipeg. She believes strongly in the power of theatre for both personal healing and societal change, and is deeply honoured to collaborate with an incredible team of artists on Owl Calling. Much love to her rambunctious cat, Gandalf.
Braiden Houle (He/Him) is excited and honoured to be involved in this production of Owl Calling/IAP. Braiden is Dakota and Anishinaabe from Treaty One Territory also known as Winnipeg Manitoba. Selected credits include: Father Tartuffe: An Indigenous Misadventure (Arts Club Theatre Company/Touchstone Theatre); White Noise (Savage Society); Kill Me Now (Touchstone Theatre); Kill Me Now (Manitoba Theatre Centre/National Arts Centre); Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish (Axis Theatre); In My Day (Zee Zee Theatre); Shadows Among The Prairies (Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre); Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth (Firehall Arts Centre); Camera Obscura Hungry Ghosts (the frank theatre); The Enemy (Firehall Arts Centre); The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Manitoba Theatre for Young People); Redpatch (Hardline Productions); Jumping Mouse, Little Red Riding Hood, and Wings of Darkness (Urban Indigenous Theatre Company). He is a graduate of Studio 58.
Tracey Nepinak is Cree/mix claimed by Peguis First Nation, here on Treaty One Territory, and calls Winnipeg home. She began her theatre training with Vancouver’s Spirit Song Theatre School in the late 90’s, moved home to Manitoba, and completed her BA Honours degree in Theatre. Tracey has worked professionally in theatres across the country since 1994.
Jeremy Proulx’s selected theatre includes the following productions: Beautiful Scars – The Musical (Theatre Aquarius), Where the Blood Mixes (Teesri Duniya Theatre), Of Mice and Men (Maples Repertory Theatre), The Ecstasy of Rita Joe (NAC), King Lear (NAC), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, GA), Cottagers and Indians (Persephone Theatre), Feather Gardens (Hudson Village Theatre), Bannock Republic, Bent Boy, Crazy Dave Goes To Town (Centre for Indigenous Theatre), Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth, A Christmas Carol and Salt Baby (Magnus Theatre and Theatre Aquarius), The Secret to Good Tea (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre), Sixty Below (CIT) and Honour Beat (New West Theatre). International Tour of Red Forest (Belarus Free Theatre) at the Young Vic in London, UK and Teatro Vascello in Rome, Italy. International remounts of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Cardinal Stage Company (USA) and Sheffield Theatres (UK). Upcoming: Australian stage debut in a major revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (StoreyBoard Entertainment).
His film and tv credits include the following: the documentaries Just Another Dead Indian (Thunderbird Productions), Along the Wabash (WTIU and PBS) and In the Beginning Was Water and Sky (Heart Shaped Movies) Jeremy is a graduate of the Centre for Indigenous Theatre’s (CIT) full-time conservatory Indigenous Theatre School and a graduate of York University – Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours in Film & Video – Screenwriting Major,
James Dallas Smith is an actor/writer/musician with Six Nations Mohawk of the Grand River (Turtle Clan) & Scottish heritage. He is a Dora nominated performer who has been appearing on stage & screen for twenty-five years and is thrilled to be back performing in Winnipeg as a member of Root Sky Theatre. Favourite credits include Almighty Voice & His Wife (Dora Nomination for Outstanding Performance); Where the Blood Mixes, King Lear,and Our Town (Soulpepper); The Secret to Good Tea (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Hamlet (No More) (Canadian Stage); This is How We Got Here and Ipperwash (Native Earth Performing Arts); The Donnelly’s Part I, Part II & Part III, Cottagers & Indians, and The Berlin Blues (Blyth); The Drawer Boy and Proof (Centaur); MacBeth (Great Southwest Shakespeare Company); and Hard Times for These Times (NAC). J.D. lives in Toronto with his wife, his beloved kitten, and his small, barbarian child.
His film and tv credits include the following: the documentaries Just Another Dead Indian (Thunderbird Productions), Along the Wabash (WTIU and PBS) and In the Beginning Was Water and Sky (Heart Shaped Movies) Jeremy is a graduate of the Centre for Indigenous Theatre’s (CIT) full-time conservatory Indigenous Theatre School and a graduate of York University – Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours in Film & Video – Screenwriting Major,