Nakai Theatre is thrilled to welcome four new folks joining Managing Producer Norah Paton and Artistic Director Jacob Zimmer on our winter and spring programming.

Their cross-section of experiences, talents and interests are going to bring forth another delightful season of the Pivot Festival (January 11–22, 2022) and Together Today Creative Encounters.

Lyndsay Amato (Héel'), co-director for Together Today Creative Encounters

Lyndsay Amato is a born and raised Yukoner and a member of the Carcross\Tagish First Nation. Lyndsay is a young leader and an outspoken voice from the Ishkahitaan Clan. Lyndsay is the host of The Saturday Night Request Show on the local Indigenous radio station CHON FM. Lyndsay was only just a teenager when she sent in her resume to Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon and now has many years of experience at CHON-FM, including programming, production and on-air hosting. 

Along with her work in broadcasting, Lyndsay has dedicated her life to working with children, completing her Early Childhood Development Diploma and Education Assistant Certificate (both with honours) as a single mother, and has worked in child care and education for the past 18 years. She is especially passionate about incorporating and strengthening Indigenous perspectives in education programs and helps develop programming and curriculum, facilitate workshops and is a director for the Network of Healthy Early Human Development Yukon.

We are thrilled for Lyndsay to join us as one of the co-designers of Together Today Creative Encounters  that are inspired by the historical document Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow. Lyndsay is helping create this program for youth to strengthen their interest in First Nations’ knowledge and history, arts, media and theatre. You can find out more about her at https://www.facebook.com/saturdaynightrequest

Martin Nishikawa, project coordinator for Together Today Creative Fridays

Martin Nishikawa is a Whitehorse born theatre practitioner of settler heritage. A graduate of the National Theatre School’s Production Design and Technical Arts program; Martin has worked across Canada including The National Arts Centre, The Blyth Theatre festival, Globe Theatre, Banff Centre for arts and Creativity and Black Theatre Workshop. Martin endeavors to use theatre and storytelling as a vehicle to build communities and create social change. Martin loves helping artists from all backgrounds share their stories and make connections with audiences.

Martin is a project coordinator for Together Today Creative Fridays.

Melaina Sheldon, advisor for Together Today Creative Fridays

Melaina Sheldon is a born and raised Yukoner of Inland Tlingit/Southern Tutchone and European ancestry. She is an aspiring actor and theatre artist with experience as costume designer, performer and playwright. As of late she is stepping into the world of film and exploring roles as actor, voiceover artist, writer, producer and director. Ever enthusiastic for all things creative, Melaina sees art as a weapon (a la Diego Rivera) and vital to the human experience; encouraging all to do the world a favour and fearlessly EXPRESS YOURSELF!

Kaila Jefferd-Moore, Associate Producer, Pivot Festival

Kaila is a Haida and Canadian storyteller, thinker, and questioner of all kinds who grew up in Inuuvik on Inuvialuit and Gwich’in lands. She has a Bachelor’s of Journalism (Honours) from the University of King’s College, where she was Editor-in-Chief at The Dalhousie Gazette and developed her critical nose for news and the media industry. 

She's worked with local and national publications including Inuvik Drum (NNSL), Maisonneuve, THIS Magazine, Up Here, and CBC North (Yellowknife & Whitehorse locals). Kaila believes in the power of storytelling for creating narrative sovereignty, especially for Indigenous people, where people and communities are empowered to engage with, create, and own their own narratives. She is a freelance journalist/editor and multimedia communications consultant passionate about helping folks achieve accessible, informative, and respectful storytelling.

Kaila will be supporting us in producing the 2022 PIVOT festival this year. You can learn more about her and her work at kailajm.com