About the Play:

Crees in the Caribbean is a full-length comedy by Drew Hayden Taylor. A Cree couple's children send them on a second honeymoon to celebrate their 35th anniversary. Neither of these elders have left their remote community and now they are boarding a plane to the Caribbean. What could go wrong? Crees in the Caribbean is a heart-warming comedy from one of Canada's leading First Nations playwrights and humourists.

Crees in the Caribbean is about two middle-aged First Nations elders on their very first trip out of the country. Cree Elders Evie and Cecil Poundmaker are celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary. As a gift, their grown children send them on a second honeymoon – to a fabulous resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. Only neither of them has ever been out of the country, let alone off their Cree reserve in Northern Saskatchewan (well, Cecil did go to Montana that one time). Each reacts to the new experience in different ways, but Cecil seems particularly challenged. Despite the sun, sand, and sea sparkling right outside his hotel-room window, all Cecil seems to want to do is sit alone on the couch, idly flipping through TV channels, curtains pulled tight. What is he worried about? Is there more to this trip than he has been told? Cecil is sure that everyone is being nice to him because he is dying. If he doesn't get over it, Evie just might kill him herself. Memories from a lifetime together revisit the couple as they acclimatize to the pleasures of Mexico – and spicy food. Mixed up in all the fun is their hotel housekeeper, Manuela. As they form a bond with this courteous young local, they help her navigate some of the troublesome situations in which she finds herself. A story of two imperfect people who are perfect together, and an unlikely friendship that takes them back to their own younger days.

Crees in the Caribbean premiered in 2015 by the Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (formerly Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company) in Saskatoon. Since then the play has been successfully staged at several professional theatres across Canada

Cast: 2 female, 1 male

What people say:

"The play is packed with wit and humour, but also packs an emotional punch. At the heart of Crees in the Caribbean is a commentary on the universality of human experiences from culture to culture; it shows that people from all parts of the world can share similar stories and experiences." — The Argus (Thunder Bay)

"The jokes come in waves in Crees in the Caribbean, tickling the toes of the willing audience and filling the theatre with generous laughs." — The Star Phoenix (Saskatoon)

About the Playwright:

Drew Hayden Taylor one of Canada's best known and most prolific Indigenous writers. An Ojibway born on Curve Lake First Nation near Peterborough, Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada's premiere Aboriginal theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright (with productions of his work in Canada, the US, and Europe), a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and documentary filmmaker.