Storytelling as Community Healing: Sewatokwà:tshera' Theatre
A new Indigenous-led theatre is taking root in Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), and its purpose reaches far beyond the stage.
Founded by educator, actor, and community organizer Sha’tekayèn:ton Andrew Brant, Sewatokwà:tshera’ Theatre is the newest branch of the One Dish Project, an initiative focused on education, food sovereignty, and community connection. The name Sewatokwà:tshera’ translates to “One Spoon,” referencing the One Dish One Spoon wampum, a living agreement that speaks to shared responsibility, respect, and collective care. For Brant, theatre was the missing piece. “People were still craving something,” he says. “Not something they could touch or feel or hold on to, but something that they needed emotionally. It was about connection.”
Written by Erika Szabo
Read time: 3 min
Theatre, he realized, offers something experiential and raw. When people experience a story collectively, it becomes part of them. “Forever, we’ve been storytellers,” Brant explains. “Not just Indigenous people, but everybody. Theatre is the mechanism that drives community.”
The theatre’s debut production, Cottagers and Indians, written by renowned Indigenous playwright Drew Hayden Taylor, exemplifies that vision. Grounded in contemporary conversations surrounding land, food sovereignty, environmentalism, and Indigenous-settler relationships, the play follows the growing tensions between Arthur Copper, an Indigenous man restoring wild rice beds to nearby lakes, and Maureen Poole, a non-Indigenous cottager concerned about the impact on recreation and property values. “There’s a misconception that it’s purely an Indigenous show,” Brant says. “It’s Canadian history. These conversations are happening right now across this country. The play forces people to sit with those tensions, the humour, the discomfort, and the humanity behind it. That’s what theatre is supposed to do. It creates space for people to witness something together. That’s community healing.”
Witnessing, rather than watching, is central to Brant’s artistic approach. The production will be staged immersively, with audiences seated close to the stage, blurring the line between observer and participant. “I don’t want people to come and watch a show; I want them to come and witness something. There’s a difference between sitting back and watching theatre and sitting down and witnessing an event,” he says. As artistic director, Brant aims to situate audiences in different locations and emotional landscapes through design, sound, and staging.
The production team includes stage manager David York, sound designer and technician Sean Story, lighting designer and technician Kiotenhariyo, and stage management apprentice and director’s assistant Lauryn Davis, alongside a cast featuring Wihse Green and Janet Reyes. A meaningful inclusion is Wihse Green, a seasoned actor with more than 40 years of experience, serving as the theatre’s resident elder. “I want elders to know this is a place where they’re welcome,” Brant says. “And I want people of all ages to know they’re welcome. People from everywhere. We’re not just putting on a show for our community. We’re making a statement that theatre is here to stay.”
The theatre has already begun offering coaching and mentorship, creating pathways for emerging performers to build confidence and find their voice. The response has been immediate. “People are wanting to audition and to come out…people are talking about it, and sharing it,” Brant says. “That was the missing piece.”
Cottagers and Indians runs June 10-13 and 17-20, 2026, at the Tyendinaga Mohawk Community Centre, closing just before National Indigenous Peoples Day. Going forward, Brant plans to stage an annual production during National Indigenous History Month. “This is about giving people a place to be themselves, a place to exist,” he says. “A place to have fun and do something meaningful.” And so a new chapter of community storytelling begins.
Purchase tickets for Cottagers and Indians and learn more about Sewatokwà:tshera’ Theatre here. An Underground Gallery featuring curated work from local Indigenous artists will also be on display during the play run in the Tyendinaga Mohawk Community Centre.
You can also follow them on Instagram to stay in the loop on future plans.
