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@NEPTUNETHEATRE Neptune Theatre is located on sacred land that has been the site of human activity since time immemorial. We are in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq, and we acknowledge them as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land. As artists, we are grateful to work and build community here. As stewards of culture, we commit to continuing to improve our relations with Indigenous people and upholding values of collaboration and inclusivity in all that we do. Any videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited. The use of cameras, cellular phones, paging devices and all other recording devices is strictly prohibited in the theatre. Please ensure all cellular phones and watch alarms are turned off. Neptune Theatre is a scent-free environment. Neptune Theatre is a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres and engages, under the terms of the Canadian Theatre Agreement, professional Artists who are members of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. Neptune Theatre engages professional technicians represented by IATSE Local 680.
Neptune Theatre acknowledges the support of our government partners:
THE COMPANY ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE BIOGRAPHIES
6 101 11 12-13 15 16-21
Wo m e n o f t he F ur Tr a d e w a s c r e a t ed a n d f i r s t p r od u c e d b y Va u l t P r oj e c t s , a n int e r d is c ip l ina r y t he a t r e c o l l e c t i v e b a s e d i n W i n n i p e g , M a n i t ob a , w it h f ina nc ia l s up p o r t f r o m t h e W i n n i p e g A r t s C ou n c i l a n d t h e N e l l ie Mc Cl ung F o und a t io n A r t s L e g a c y Aw a r d . L i n d s a y L a c h a n c e a t P l a y w r ight s T he a t r e Ce nt r e / I nd ig e n ou s T h e a t r e , N a t i on a l A r t s C e n t r e , B r ia n D r a d e r a t t he Ma nit o b a A s s o c i a t i on of P l a y w r i g h t s , K r i s t a J a c k s on a t t he R o y a l Ma nit o b a T he a t r e Ce nt r e , a n d J e s s i c a C a r m i c h a e l a t A n i m i k i i g C r e a t or s U nit w it h N a t iv e Ea r t h p r o v i d e d d r a m a t u r g i c a l s u p p or t . Wo m e n o f t he F ur Tr a d e r e c e i v e d i t s r e g i on a l p r e m i e r e a t t h e R o y a l Ma nit o b a T he a t r e Ce nt r e ( W inni p e g , M B ) i n 2 0 2 0 , p r od u c e d i n a s s oc i a t i on w it h I nd ige no us T he a t r e , N a t io na l A r t s C e n t r e ( O t t a w a , O N ) . T h e p l a y r e c e i v e d f ur t he r d e v e l o p m e nt s up p o r t f r o m t h e S t r a t f or d F e s t i v a l i n p r e p a r a t i on f o r it s 2 0 2 3 p r od u c t i on .
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PERFECT FOR AUDIENCES OF ALL BLOOD TYPES
WRITTEN BY
GO R DO N GREENB E RG & S T EVE ROS EN D I R E C T E D BY
J E R E M Y WE B B
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M DRAC U L A: A COM ED Y OF T ER RO RS IS PRE SE NTE D B Y A RRA NG E ME NT WITH CON COR D T HEAT R I CAL S O N B E H A LF O F SA MUE L FRE NC H , INC . WWW. C O NC O RDTH E ATRIC A LS. C O M PH O TO B Y JAM ES M a c LEAN
SEP 29 OCT 25 2026
THE COMPANY
DANELLE CHARETTE
CAST
MARIE-ANGELIQUE
ALISON BECKWITH
CECILIA
JOELLE PETERS
EUGENIA
ELI HAM
THOMAS SCOTT
ELLIOT GOSH
LOUIS RIEL
CREATIVE TEAM KEITH BARKER
DIRECTOR
JAY HAVENS
SET DESIGNER
ASA BENALLY
COSTUME DESIGNER
KAHENTANÓ:RON BRIANNA MONTOUR
LIGHTING DESIGNER
LUCAS RUDDELL
SOUND DESIGNER & COMPOSER
MEG LYDON
STAGE MANAGER
EVE ROWLETT
APPRENTICE STAGE MANAGER
STEPHANIE FUNG
APPRENTICE DIRECTOR
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 9
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
FRANCES KONCAN (she/they) is an Anishinaabe and Slovene playwright from Couchiching First Nation. She grew up on Treaty 1 territory in Winnipeg, Manitoba and attended the University of Manitoba (BA Psychology) and the City University of New York Brooklyn College (MFA Playwriting). Their plays have been presented across Canada, by companies including the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Firehall Arts Centre, Magnus Theatre, Globe Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, Great Canadian Theatre Company, National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre, and the Stratford Festival. She is an Assistant Professor of Playwriting at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C. where she currently lives, paying way too much for rent. Select plays include Women of the Fur Trade, Space Girl, and zahgidiwin/love. 10 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE in a book we read in high school. It was a lived experience built through relations, negotiation and resilience, much of it carried on the shoulders of women.
Stories matter. Your story, my story, our family’s stories, all of our stories. History itself is a story, one we tell and retell. It shapes how we move through the world, and helps us to understand who we are. Our identities are linked to the stories we inherit, the stories we’re taught, and the stories we pass on. But if history is a story, and there are so many different stories out there, one must ask, whose stories have been left out? What voices are missing? When we look at the recorded history of Canada, it is often the story of men. Explorers, traders, politicians, soldiers. And yet, the survival of those men, and the success of those ventures depended on women. Women were guides, negotiators, providers, translators, makers, innovators, diplomats, environmentalists, and peacemakers. They built families, sustained communities, carried knowledge of the land, and made life possible. History, as it is told, will have you believe women were on the margins of history, but that’s categorically not true, they were at the centre of it. The Fur Trade was not an abstract chapter
Frances Koncan’s play invites us to reconsider the stories we think we know. Set in eighteen hundred and something something, the play introduces us to three women: Eugenia, Marie-Angelique, and Cecilia. Funny, sharp, resilient, and so very human. They gossip, they argue, they dream, and they question the world that constrains them. Through her humour and imagination, Frances reminds us that history is not fixed. It is alive, it is complex, with many different versions worth knowing. This play is clever, surprising, and thoughtful. Frances plays with time, and language, and shares her love of pop culture and history. She asks serious questions, and uses laughter as a way in. This story, like all the other stories of this season, are a great excuse for us to gather, to enjoy a night of great theatre, and to, perhaps, get curious about some of the other stories that are not our own. Thank you for being here. Keith Barker Director, Women of the Fur Trade
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 11
PRISMATIC ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Not because their work checks a box or represents a particular community, but because their work is exceptional. It is ambitious, challenging, joyful, complex, and deserving of the same resources, visibility, and artistic possibility afforded to any great work. When our stages reflect a broader range of voices and artistic practices, our cultural landscape becomes richer because of it.
Welcome to Prismatic 2026! There is something powerful about seeing an artist’s work given the space, scale, and visibility of a mainstage presentation. For Prismatic, our partnership with Neptune Theatre has become an important part of making that possible, and of imagining what our stages can look like when more artists, stories, and communities are centred within them. As Prismatic continues its residency at Neptune, I am incredibly proud of the relationship we have built together. What began as an opportunity to share space has grown into a partnership rooted in trust, collaboration, and a shared investment in the artists. It allows us to bring extraordinary work by Indigenous artists and artists of colour to one of our city’s largest stages, while creating opportunities for new audiences to encounter artists and stories they may not otherwise experience. These artists mainstages.
belong
12 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
on
our
Partnerships like this also speak to something we have been thinking deeply about at Prismatic this year: sustainability. Sustainable change in our sector is not created through a single presentation or festival. It is built through relationships, between artists, presenters, institutions, communities, and audiences, that deepen over time and create pathways for artists and their work to continue growing. Thank you to our friends at Neptune for continuing to build alongside us, to the extraordinary artists who trust us with their work, and to all of you for choosing to be here. When you take your seat and the lights go down, I hope you remember that you are part of this relationship too. By showing up, experiencing the work, and making space for these artists and their stories, you help make it possible for more of this work to live on our stages. Enjoy the show! Raeesa Lalani Executive / Artistic Director Prismatic Arts Festival
PRISMATIC STAFF LIST Raeesa Lalani - Executive / Artistic Director Kelly Li - Managing Producer
Michael Mader - Technical Director
Jenelle Duval - Community Producer Katie Blatt - Marketing and Outreach Coordinator Willum Watt - Outreach Coordinator Faye Hiscock - Technical Producer Regine Tiu - Website Designer
PRISMATIC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jacqueline Warwick - Chair Miya Turnbull - Vice Chair
Kate Hamilton - Secretary/Treasurer Laurie Gillis Jeff Ward
Neal Morgan Kaif Lalani
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 13
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE It is a pleasure to welcome you to Neptune Theatre for this powerful, playful, and provocative play by Frances Koncan. We are particularly proud to present Women of the Fur Trade as part of our ongoing partnership with the Prismatic Arts Festival. Prismatic’s commitment to amplifying the voices and work of BIPOC and Indigenous artists enriches our community and challenges us to see our world, our history, and ourselves through new perspectives.
Supporting festivals and organizations that create space for these artists is an important part of building a more inclusive and vibrant arts community. We are grateful to Prismatic for the opportunity to share this work with Halifax audiences, and to the artists who bring their stories, perspectives, and creativity to our stage. Thank you for joining us. We hope this performance sparks conversation, curiosity, and perhaps a few questions that follow you home. Kimberlee Stadelmann Executive Director
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 15
THE CAST
DAN ELLE CHARETTE
ROLE: Marie-Angelique NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: Grandfather in Salt Baby, Win in Two Indians (Magnus Theatre); Mamma Mia!, Joseph and The Amazing...(Tweed & Co.); Hamlet, Done/ Undone (Shakespeare On The Saskatchewan). Belle in A Christmas Carol (Globe Theatre); Marie- Angelique in Women of the Fur Trade (Thousand Islands Playhouse) SELECT TV/ FILM: Corner Gas (CTV), Deena in Where’s My Sister (PM Veltri), and Katie in Louis Says (APTN) OTHER: For my mama, aunties, and beyond, thank you for growing me in your gardens of love. Maarsi poor li prayzaan âcimostakewin.
A LISON BECKWITH
ROLE: Cecilia NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: Women of the Fur Trade (Thousand Islands Playhouse); Liars at a Funeral (Drayton Entertainment); The Magic Flute (Opera Atelier); Appropriate (Coal Mine Theatre, DORA award winner); Celebrating Clara Schumann (Confluence Concerts/Festival of the Sound/Elora Festival); A (musical) Midsummer Night’s Dream (Driftwood Theatre); As You Like It (Bard in the Park); workshops at Native Earth Performing Arts, Tarragon Theatre, Studio 180 Theatre OTHER: Alison has a rich classical music background and sings with many musical groups around the country. Thanks to Ryan and Karen; and for my friends and family, for putting me in an envelope of love.
JOELLE PETERS
ROLE: Eugenia NEPTUNE: Mischief (Associate Director) OTHER THEATRE (ACTING): Women of the Fur Trade (Thousand Islands Playhouse, Stratford Festival), Dreary and Izzy (Theatre Northwest), The Election (Nightwood/Theatre Direct/Commonboots/Passe Muraille), Only Drunks and Children Tell The Truth (Western Canada Theatre/Thousand Islands Playhouse) FILM/TV: Shoresy (Crave/Hulu), Pioneer Girl (Shaftesbury/KindaTV), In Her City (Raven West Films Ltd) OTHER: So grateful to be back in k’jipuktuk. Keanu Reeves if you’re reading this, this one’s for you. Miigwetch for supporting Indigenous theatre! joellepeters.ca
16 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
E LI HAM (HE / HIM)
ROLE: Thomas Scott NEPTUNE: Debut SELECTED THEATRE: Mary’s Wedding, Wilberforce Hotel, Stag and Doe (Blyth Festival), The Hobbit (The Grand Theatre), The Merchant of Venice, A Comedy of Errors, An Ideal Husband (Stratford Shakespeare Festival) The Hours That Remain (Gwaandak/SNTC), As I Lay Dying (Theatre SmithGilmour), Brave New World (Theatre Passe Muraille) FILM/TV: The Way Home, Women Talking, Titans, Reacher, The Umbrella Academy, Shadow Hunters, Condor, Reign, Hannibal, Hemlock Grove, The Listener, Murdoch Mysteries, Being Erica VIDEO GAMES SERIES: The Division 2, Watch Dogs, Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell (Ubisoft) OTHER: Grateful for this team of artists. Dedicated to Anna.
ELLIOT GOSH
ROLE: Louis Riel NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: Women of the Fur Trade (1000 Islands Playhouse); Clipperton (Union Theatre); Harry Le Roy (OSO Arts Centre); Cow (Mountview); The Merchant of Venice (LAMDA) FILM/TV: Sheriff Country (Paramount+); Silo (Apple TV); The Night Agent (Netflix) OTHER: Elliot is a recent graduate from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), having trained in classical theatre.
NOV 11 NOV 16 2026
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 17
CREATIVE TEAM
K EITH BARKER
ROLE: Director NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER: Keith Barker (Métis) is a director, actor, playwright, and dramaturg from Northwestern Ontario, with a career spanning more than two decades in Canadian theatre. He is the Director of the Foerster Bernstein New Play Development Program at the Stratford Festival. Keith has developed and directed new work by a number of Canada’s leading playwrights and artists. His own work as a playwright includes This Is How We Got Here, The Hours That Remain, and Raised by Women. Raised by Women, will be presented as part of Canadian Stage’s 2027 season. The Veil, co-written with Thomas Morgan Jones, will be presented at the Stratford Festival, and Vertigo Theatre in 2026. His work has been recognized with the Johanna Metcalf Prize, the Dora Mavor Moore Award, and the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Carol Bolt Award.
18 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
JAY HAV EN S (HE/HIM/THEY) ROLE: Set Designer NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: Select theatre credits include: Stone and Bone (Centaur Theatre); Kiuryaq (Apik Theatre/NAC); Beautiful Scars (Theatre Aquarius); The Wonderful (Caravan Farm Theatre); White Girls in Moccasins (The Frank Theatre Co.) OTHER: Jay Havens (he/ him/they) is a multi-media 2Spirit artist, educator, and collaborator of Kanien’keha:ka and Scottish ancestry. They are a research-practitioner working in scenography for set, costume and site-specific design for performance, murals, projection mapping, gallery, installation and public artwork. They are a tenure-track professor in the School of Critical and Creative Humanities at UW and a proud citizen of the Mohawk, Bear Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River. A SA BEN ALLY
ROLE: Costume Designer NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: The Rez Sisters, 1939 (The Stratford Festival); There is Violence (Buddied in Bad Times/Native Earth Performing Arts); The Clearing (The Shaw Festival); Where We Belong (The Public Theater, The Goodman), Pueblo Revolt, Cold Case, Devilfish, Whalesong (Perseverance Theater); Can’t Drink Salt Water (Montana Repertory Theater); Blues For An Alabama Sky (Keene Company) UPCOMING: Controlled Burn (Ballet Kelowna); WIld Man of the Woods (Royal Winnipeg Ballet).
K AHEN TAN Ó:RON BRIA NNA MO NT O U R
ROLE: Lighting Designer NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: In the Shadow Beyond the Pines (Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre); Playground Theatre Festival: 2061, Beyond Belief (Geordie); Stone and Bone Spectacular (Centaur Theatre); Salvage the Wrecked, Verdigris (National Theatre School); A Midsummer Night’s Dream (John Abbott College) UPCOMING: Gespeg (NTS); Relatively Speaking, Sugar Road (Watermark Theatre) OTHER: Kahentanó:ron is a Kanien’kehá:ka theatre artist from Kahnawà:ke aspires to foster connection and community through storytelling. Bri is passionate about the collaborative nature of making theatre and is so grateful to be back with this amazing team in this wonderful new space. She is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and John Abbott College.
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 19
CREATIVE TEAM
L U CAS RUD D ELL
ROLE: Sound Designer & Composer NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: The Sound of Music (Thousand Island Playhouse); Take Me Back/Iris, Seussical (St. Lawrence College Musical Theatre); Lancashire Lass (Watershed Festival)
M EG LYD ON
ROLE: Stage Manager NEPTUNE (ASM): Rent, Mad Madge OTHER THEATRE: Meg is a longtime stage manager in regional theatre. Prior to moving to Halifax a year ago, she worked for five seasons as a resident stage manager at Portland Stage in Maine, where she still travels back for a show here and there! Other recent work is at the Gulfshore Playhouse and as a stage management mentor at Bowdoin College and South Shore Summer Theatre OTHER: Many thanks to the cast, crew, and production team – here’s to a great show!
EV E ROWLETT
ROLE: Apprentice Stage Manager NEPTUNE: RENT, Come From Away, How The Other Half Loves OTHER THEATRE: The Secret Garden of An Sìthean (Festival Antigonish); The Marvellous Wonderettes (The Mack); Spring Awakening-The Musical, She Kills Monsters (Centennial Theatre, Bishop’s University) FILM/ TV: 111 (Auguste Content); Sullivan’s Crossing (CTV); You’re Killing Me (AMC) OTHER: Thank you to the wonderful staff, cast and crew for this opportunity; and all my love to my Mum and sister for always sticking beside me!
NOV 24 DEC 27 2026 20 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
W RI T T EN A ND CONCEI V ED B Y JEREMY W EBB FEAT U RI NG RH Y S BEVAN - JO H N A ND S I MO N H EN DERS O N
STEPHAN IE F UN G
ROLE: Apprentice Director NEPTUNE: Debut OTHER THEATRE: Director: The Lobster Ladies (Factory Theatre); 馬騮 (MALLO) (First Born Theatre); But First, Let Me Breathe (Theatre of the Beat); Space Crime Continuum (6 AM Productions); An Octoroon ([redacted] theatre co.) Actor: 靈異 (Nightwood Theatre); digitrans // analogirl (Summerworks Festival); Collider (Single Thread Theatre); The Makers & Shakers Society (Radioland Media); Concord Floral (Theatre Kingston). Writer: Young Playwrights Unit (Tarragon Theatre); Write from the Hip (Nightwood Theatre) OTHER: Publishing Assistant (Playwrights Canada Press); Editor (submergingartist); Outstanding Emerging Critic, Outstanding Critical Essay (Canadian Theatre Critics Association).
OCT 20 NOV 1 2026
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M T H E V ILLA IN S T H E AT R E ’S PR O DUCTION OF D A N BR AY ’S DE E PWAT E R
WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE 21
FEB 16 MAR 7 2027
GROWING UP NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE.
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M A RRA N G E M E N T WI T H L E E D E A N D I RE C T E D B Y C H ER I SSA R I C HAR D S
NOV 12 JAN 10 2027
CHRISTMAS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!
N E P T U N E T H E AT R E . C O M D I RE C T E D B Y MI C H EL L E L A N G I L L E A D D I T I O N A L M U S I C A N D LY R I C S B Y A L B ER T H A G U E A N D D R . S E U S S
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25 WOMEN OF THE FUR TRADE
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