The Unplugging

The Unplugging offers a powerful, thought-provoking, moving theatre experience to Yukon residents, one that we anticipate will resonate with audiences. This play is a drama rich with moments of laughter, sensuality and love. Bern was a free spirit before the apocalypse, Elena a complainer. Together, against a harsh landscape, these women discover their strengths for survival, before they meet the charming, mysterious young Seamus, and their new bond is tested.

This is a powerful Indigenous story by an internationally recognized Algonquin/Irish-Canadian playwright with deep connections to the Yukon, and directed by a northern theatre artist, Reneltta Arluk (Dene/Inuvialuit). This contemporary story is a modern adaptation inspired by the Gwich’in story Two Old Women. It will be accessible and of interest to all Yukoners. This project offers both short and long-term benefits for the growth of Yukon performing arts, for the benefit and enjoyment of a wide range of Yukon people. This play examines themes of relevance to all of us – threats to the environment, the importance of traditional knowledge for survival, the often overlooked wisdom of older women in contemporary society, and the need for youth to learn and carry forward what they can in a precarious world.

This production continues Gwaandak Theatre’s commitment to artistic programming that promotes meaningful reconciliation and deeper understanding between Indigenous and settler Yukoners. Gwaandak is the only Indigenous-centred Yukon theatre company dedicated to regular programming which showcases Indigenous as well as other cultural voices.