Wiikwemkoong playright to showcase production in Thunder Bay

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY—Wiikwemkoong’s Gina Gasongi Simon is looking forward to the upcoming production of her play, The Sleeping Giant, at the Sixth Annual 10×10 Play Showcase in Thunder Bay.

Simon’s play is one of ten 10-minute plays that will be performed by up to four actors each on April 13-14 at Magnus Theatre.

“It’s about a young man named Will who is dealing with the harsh realities faced in a technological world,” says Simon, who is currently living in Thunder Bay while studying in an electrical apprenticeship program. “And he’s trying to ignore the teachings of his grandfather.”

Simon says her original idea was to write a play based on working in the electrical field, but she decided to change it to a topic that was not so close and personal.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the Sleeping Giant and other landmarks throughout the country and how us Anishinabek people look at those landmarks and the meaning and the legends behind them and the stories we’ve heard over generations,” Simon says. “So I thought to myself, I wonder what the Sleeping Giant would have to say about all of this invasion of technology in our world and the crossroads that our young people are at.”

Simon got involved in the 10×10 Play Showcase after attending a workshop put on by Cathi Winslow, artistic director of the 10×10 Play Showcase, at the Urban Abbey in Thunder Bay.

“They offered a writing workshop for anyone who was interested in learning how to write a play,” Simon says, noting that she and her sister Donna Simon initially planned to work on a play together but later decided to work on their own plays because they had different ideas. “I just continued writing and came up with the wild idea and I just pursued it, given the tips they gave me for writing a play.”

After getting positive feedback about the play from some people she shared it with, Simon decided to submit the play to, “at least get analytical critique about it.”

“And lo and behold, they called and said my play was one of the chosen ones,” Simon says. “So I was shocked and thrilled and astounded all in one.”

Simon says she already had some experience working on film scripts with Shirley Cheechoo at the Weengushk Film Institute in M’Chigeeng, but stresses that writing a play is a different process from writing film scripts.

“You can’t go back, you can’t do flashbacks,” Simon says. “It’s tricky and it’s harder to execute that magic on stage. There’s a lot to think about when you’re writing a play because in the 10×10, it’s a small budget.”

Simon says the playwright is limited to 10 minutes to draw the audience’s attention in the 10×10 Play Showcase.

“At the end of the day, I see the 10×10 experience as like a gruelling Olympics of theatre,” Simon says. “But there’s no winner in this. We’re all winners.”

The 10 plays, ranging from dramas, comedies, political satire, science-fiction and thrillers, were selected through a juried process from 35 plays that were submitted to the 10×10 Play Showcase’s call for submissions.

“We were very excited by the quality of the plays submitted this year and of course we’re thrilled to hold the showcase on the beautiful stage at Magnus Theatre,” Winslow says. “These stories will spur vibrant conversations, deep thoughts and plenty of laughter. You won’t want to miss this.”

The 10×10 Play Showcase is sponsored in part by the Ontario Arts Council and the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop.