The Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company is preparing to debut a new rendition of “How the Chief Stole Christmas.”
This year’s version of the play is being spoken entirely in Cree, with the English words projected above the actors.
General manager Alan Long says it’s a light-hearted re-telling of the “Grinch”:
“The basic plot of the play is that the chief is cutting back and he’s not going to give out Christmas bonuses this year and the ladies of the village aren’t happy about that.”
Long says it took a while for them to find actors capable of pulling off the roles:
“These actors, all of them know the language just by hearing it a lot, and some of them have spoken a certain of Cree. But we’ve had to bring in language coaches to help them with their Cree, but they’ve been rehearsing really hard.”
The play will be touring a number of communities including Sturgeon Lake, Poundmaker, La Ronge and Pinehouse.
Long says he hopes the play inspires First Nations youth to learn how to speak their language.