FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nakai Theatre’s Pivot Festival 2020 brings stories to intimate and unlikely spaces 

Whitehorse, YT — December 2, 2019 Nakai Theatre released its lineup for Pivot Festival 2020 today. The two-week festival will run from January 14 to 25 and will bring theatre, storytelling and comedy to Whitehorse, Dawson City and Haines Junction.

The 12th Pivot Festival brings back some annual favourites, including the Pivot Story Crawl,  a pub crawl featuring a performance by a local storyteller at each bar, and Pivotal Words, an evening showcase of new writing and works-in-progress by Whitehorse’s finest writers. 

Becky Johnson, an award-winning comedian (and one half of last year’s Pivot improv group, The Sufferettes), returns to the festival this year with Taz VanRassel. The comedy duo will bring improv to Whitehorse, Dawson City and Haines Junction and host improv workshops in Dawson City and Whitehorse. 

New to the festival this year, Brendan Chandler will perform in Tales of an Urban Indian, a one-man show on a moving bus that has toured across Canada. The bus travels to locations in town that mirror the play’s plot. 

Festival show passes and individual tickets are on sale now HERE

Tales of an Urban Indian

Take a ride with Simon Douglas, an Indigenous man from the Secwépemc Nation, as he navigates his memories of life in Vancouver and rural British Columbia. The story begins in 1972 and spans 22 years of Simon’s struggle for survival, belonging, and hope, with the same actor playing over 40 characters, all as seen through Simon’s eyes. 

The play, written by Darrell Dennis, an Indigenous comedian best known for his role on CBC’s Northwood and The Rez, is performed on a moving bus. Tales of an Urban Indian will travel across Whitehorse, visiting locations that mirror those of the play’s plot. The play’s immersive staging allows for the exploration of tensions between the urban and rural, as well as issues of ostracization and assimilation faced by Indigenous people across Canada. These themes almost seamlessly reconstitute themselves within the local frame of the city of Whitehorse and the Yukon’s surrounding rural communities.

Its list of past performers have included playwright Darrell Dennis, director Herbie Barners, Jonathan Fischer, and Royal Canadian Air Farce star Craig Lauzon. For Pivot, Brendan Chandler will be portraying Simon.

Performances:
January 15-17, 2020, 7 p.m.

Audience pickup and drop-off will be in front of the White Pass Building, 1109 Front Street, Whitehorse.

Becky and Taz — 3 nights of improv

Becky Johnson of The Sufferettes and writer for Baroness von Sketch returns to the Yukon, this time accompanied by Taz VanRassel of The Sunday Service improv troupe from Vancouver, BC. 

With their combined credits, Becky and Taz are experts in improv theatre and will be treating Pivot-goers to three nights of diverse and heartfelt longform improvisation, including collaborations with local guests Borealis Soul and Jicklinghouse, as well as Toronto-based technical and multimedia improviser Mark Andrada. This year’s improv nights will also see the return of the much-loved Improv Cocktails by Yukon Brewing. 

Performances:
January 18, 2020, 8 p.m., KIAC, Dawson City
January 20, 2020, 7 p.m., Elias Convention Centre, Haines Junction
January 23-25, 2020, 8 p.m., Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse

Workshops:
January 17, 2020, 5 p.m., Improv Workshop, KIAC, Dawson City
January 25, 2020, 5 p.m., Improv Workshop, Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse

Stories from the Mango Stump — A Dinner with Antoinette

A food-filled evening of storytelling with a pillar of the Whitehorse community, Antoinette GreenOliph. Join Antoinette inside the warm space of her own restaurant for stories and a five-course meal. Each course will mark a moment in Antoinette’s journeys from the Caribbean to the North, from desk job monotony to successfully running her own business, and from coming out as queer at the age of 40 to finding belonging and love. 

One night only, limited seating, and the price includes dinner!

Performance:
January 15, 2020, 7 p.m., Antoinette's Restaurant, Whitehorse

Party Like it’s 1979 — Nakai’s 40th Season Celebration

1979 was a remarkable, bittersweet year - it saw the death of disco but the birth of Nakai Theatre. Celebrate 40 years later, in a fun evening themed around Nakai’s founding year! There will be 1970s-themed playlists, costumes, dancing, lip sync battles and a collection of old Nakai memorabilia. 

Gathering:
January 18, 2020, 8 p.m., Whitehorse Legion Branch 254

Pivot Story Crawl — A Wordy Pub Crawl Through the Snow

A greatly loved Pivot tradition, hosted and curated by legendary local poet Peter Jickling. Join a small, brave group of listeners and tromp through the snow between four different Whitehorse venues, where local storytellers will captivate you with a story in each of the four spaces.

Performance:
January 14, 2020, 8 p.m., starting at Woodcutters Blanket, Whitehorse

Pivotal Words — New Year, New Works to Showcase
A showcase of new writing hosted and curated by Susanne Hingley and Jacob Zimmer at the North of Ordinary Experience Centre, in partnership with Brave New Words. This event provides a platform for a selection of Whitehorse’s finest writers to share their works-in-progress in public.

Following the spirit of all Brave New Words events, there will also be an open mic element to the event, where audience members will be invited to sign up to share their own writing.

Performance:
January 21, 2020, 7:30 p.m., North of Ordinary Experience Centre, Whitehorse

Pivotal Conversations — A Dialogue on Arts and Media Space in Whitehorse

A forum for local artists and arts leaders to focus on creative exchange and meaningful conversations beyond the scope of day-to-day interactions. Each year responds in topic to needs in the community. In 2020, the conversation will be focused on cultural spaces and the potential for a cultural hub in Whitehorse. There is an active plan that is looking for input and contributions - this will be an opportunity to do just that.

Gathering:
January 26, 2020, 12 p.m., Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse

About Pivot Theatre Festival

Pivot 2020 will be the 12th iteration of the festival in Whitehorse. The festival is an invitation to connect with people and theatre close to home and from around the world. We try every year to transcend assumptions about theatre by mixing inspirational productions, revisiting crowd favourites, and providing opportunities for the community to join in the creative fun. Pivot brings lightness and connection in the dark days of winter.

About Nakai Theatre
Nakai Theatre, based in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, is dedicated to contributing to a thriving Yukon Territory through remarkable theatre and uncommon events.

We are proud to be part of a Yukon Territory where Indigenous peoples, settlers, and
newcomers share the land, interpret our connections to the landscapes, and share our
knowledge and experiences through theatre with each other and with the world. 

For information on the theatre company, please visit nakaitheatre.com

Pivot Festival Public Funders
Government of Canada, Department of Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Yukon Arts Operating Fund, Department of Tourism and Culture, with support from the Yukon Lottery Commission, and the City of Whitehorse.

Pivot Festival Sponsors and Partners 

Northern Vision Development (Featured Festival Sponsor); Yukon Arts Centre, Air North, Yukon News, What’s Up Yukon, RBC Emerging Artist Project, and CKRW The Rush.

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For questions or comments please contact:
Kathleen Napier, Marketing Coordinator
867-689-6052
kathleen@render.ca