Set sometime in the 1800s at a fort on the banks of a reddish river, Femmes de la traite des fourrures brings together three women of starkly different backgrounds โ Mรฉtis, English, and Ojibway โ who seek to carve out space for themselves in a nascent Canada that largely ignores them. Their conversations weave between observations about their world, personal confessions, and an unavoidable preoccupation with love, centred on figures such as Louis Riel and Thomas Scott.
Playwright Frances Koncan, of Anishinaabe and Slovenian descent, subverts the conventions of historical theatre through irreverent, deliberately anachronistic writing laced with contemporary pop references, exploring themes of power, survival, Indigenous identity, and colonial resistance. The play was first presented as a public reading in 2024 during the Indigenous Dramaturgy Week.
The French translation is by Jean-Frรฉdรฉric Messier. The production is directed by Charles Bender, co-artistic director of Productions Menuentakuan, who has translated and directed numerous works by Indigenous playwrights including alterNatives and Where the Blood Mixes.
Performance schedule: Tuesday to Thursday at 19:00; Friday at 20:00; Saturday at 16:00.