About the Play:

Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish is a full-length play for ages five-plus by Joseph A. Dandurand. This all-ages play is based on the legend of the basket ogress, Th'owxiya, an old and hungry spirit that inhabits a dish full of delicious food. The Kwantlen First Nation tale follows a sly mouse that is caught stealing cheese from the dish. Two children must be fed to the ogress as punishment for the cheese crime. Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish is a beautiful, multi-award-winning tale.

Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish is a 50-minute play that teaches the Kwantlen First Nation lesson, When you take something from the earth you must always give something back. The story emanates from the Kwantlen First Nation village of Squa'lets. Th'owxiya (pronounced Tho-wox-eeya) in an old and powerful spirit that inhabits a feast dish of tempting, beautiful foods from around the world. But if you steal from her, you will pay a terrible price, for Th'owxiya eats children! When the ogress catches a sly little Kw'at'el (mouse) stealing a chunk of cheese from her dish, she orders Kw'at'el to repay her. The only way to make amends for a theft is to find some morsels to feed the ogress in return – specifically, Kw'at'el must find a couple of yummy children to sacrifice to Th'owxiya before the moon rises or she will eat his whole family! Ignorant but desperate, Kw'at'el sets out on an epic journey to fulfill the spirit's demands. To save his family from the ogress, Kw'at'el has to work with the clever Sqeweqs (Raven), a determined Sasq'ets (Sasquatch) and two brave young Spa:th (bear cubs) to trick the spirit.

Similar to "Hansel and Gretel" and the northwest First Nations stories about the Wild Woman of the Woods, Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish – which integrates masks, Coast Salish and Sto:lo song and dance – is a tale of understanding boundaries, being responsible for one's actions, forgiving mistakes and finding the courage to stand up for what's right.

Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish premiered in 2017 outside at the Roseline Sturdy Amphitheatre at the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden in a production by Vancouver's Axis Theatre. Since then the family-friendly show has been performed in communities all over Canada.

Cast: 3 female, 3 male

What people say:

"What makes Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish truly unforgettable is in its engaging story steeped in tradition." — Vancouver Presents

About the Playwright:

Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River east of Vancouver. Over the past 30 years, he has published 14 books of poetry, three children's books, and a number of plays, including Th'owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish. He received a diploma in Performing Arts from Algonquin College and studied Theatre and Direction at the University of Ottawa. In 2023 he received the B.C. Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence for his extensive list of published literature. He is the 2021 Griffin Poetry Prize recipient.