About the Play:

Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch Story is a full-length comedic drama by Kim Senklip Harvey. This high-energy matriarchal story follows three Indigenous women travelling from Vancouver to the Kamloops' powpow and their personal journeys of self-discovery as they come to terms with what it means to honour who they are and where they come from. Kim Senklip Harvey's play is a boundary-blurring adventure that will remind you to always dance like the Ancestors are watching.

Kamloopa tells a matriarchal story of three Indigenous women who learn what it means to honour themselves and their culture. The play takes place on a road trip to Kamloopa – the largest Powwow on the West Coast of Canada – and it follows two urban Indigenous sisters, Kilawna and Mikaya, and their new Indian Friend #1, a lawless Trickster, and their personal journeys of self-discovery. In developing matriarchal relationships and shared Indigenous values, Kamloopa explores the fearless love and passion of Indigenous women reconnecting with their homelands, Ancestors, and stories. But how to go about discovering yourself when Christopher Columbus allegedly already did that? Bear witness to the courage of these women as they turn to their Ancestors for help in reclaiming their power in this ultimate transformation story.

Kamloopa had a 3-city rolling world premiere in 2018 at Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, followed by its Vancouver debut at The Cultch (formally the Vancouver East Cultural Centre), and then at Persephone Theatre's Backstage Stage in Saskatoon. Her first full-length play, it was nominated for 8 Jessie Richardson awards and was the first Indigenous play in the awards history to win Best Production.

Cast: 3 female

What people say:

"Kamloopa is a hilarious and courageous transformation story. Kim Senklip Harvey makes a generous invitation for all of us to bear witness to the joy, resilience, and brilliance of Indigenous women." — Christine Quintana

"Pain is the easiest palette from which to paint, but Harvey's Kamloopa is a magnificent song of laughter and joy. It is a portrait of Indigenous sisterhood, the likes of which you have never seen before." — Tetsuro Shigematsu

"This story about three women who are actively trying to decolonize themselves (whether they realize it or not) resonated deeply … Uplifting the voices of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and non-binary folks is incredibly important to our resistance and our communities. Kamloopa is one of those stories providing that platform." — Yolanda Bonnell

About the Playwright:

Kim Senklip Harvey comes from the Syilx, Tsilhqot'in, Ktunaxa, and Dakelh Nations and is a director, playwright, and actor. She completed the BFA program at UBC and worked on the national tour of Kevin Loring's Where the Blood Mixes and the world premiere of Corey Payette's Children of God. In 2017, Harvey was shortlisted for the Gina Wilkinson Prize for her work as an emerging female director and participated in the Banff Residency "Centering Ourselves: Writing in a Racialized Canada." She was also appointed as one of two artists to take part in the National Theatre School's inaugural Artistic Leadership Program, which aims to steward the next generation of artists to lead the major artistic institutions in this country.