Toronto, ON – Native Earth Performing Arts and North York Arts announced dates for the Toronto return of the critically acclaimed, Huff, written and performed by award-winning Indigenous playwright Cliff Cardinal. This limited run at Toronto Centre for the Arts spans just three nights from Wednesday, February 10th to Friday, February 12th, 2016.
Huff, a Native Earth production, directed by Karin Randoja, opened Native Earth’s 33rd season with a highly successful three-week run in October 2015 at Aki Studio, located downtown in Toronto’s Regent Park. Critics called the play “Must-see theatre” Paula Citron; Judith Thompson called it “one of the top five theatrical experiences” of her life; and audiences urged others to “run to see this show.”
This return to Toronto is the fourth stop on a nine-city national tour of Huff. “We want to ensure that in bringing Huff back to Toronto, we are still making it accessible to new audiences,” said Ryan Cunningham, Artistic Director for Native Earth Performing Arts. “Partnering with North York Arts allows us to bring this story to audiences north of the city, while those who loved it in Aki Studio can catch it again.”
“North York Arts is thrilled to be a presenting partner with Native Earth Performing Arts,” said North York Arts Managing Director, Lila Karim. “We are enthusiastic about an encore presentation of Canada’s leading new voice in theatre in North York. Our inaugural partnership strives to champion Indigenous storytelling and theatre outside the downtown core of Toronto.”
Huff, a darkly comic, fantastical and wrenching one-man tour de force, explores the lives of Indigenous youth battling addiction and systemic injustices while in search of a better life. First developed at Native Earth’s Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival, Huff is the story of Wind and his brothers, caught in a torrent of solvent abuse while coping with the death of their mother. Wind’s gas-induced dream world bleeds into his haunting reality as he is preyed on by Trickster through the hallways at school, the abandoned motel he loves more than home, and through his own fragile psyche. Huff is the recipient of the 2012 Buddies in Bad Times Vanguard Award for Risk & Innovation and playwright Cardinal was named the 2015 winner of the RBC Tarragon Emerging Playwright Prize.
Cliff Cardinal (Playwright, Performer), who made his acting debut in Freeman’s Wake (Native Earth) by Yvette Nolan in 2005, portrays over a dozen characters in this solo show. Recent credits include The Saskatchewan Rebellion (Video Cabaret), Three Little Birds (Workshop West Theatre) and Tales Of An Urban Indian (Green Thumb Theatre) for which he was nominated for a Jessie Richardson Memorial Theatre Award. Cliff’s debut as a playwright, Stitch, premiered at SummerWorks Performance Festival in 2011, winning the Theatre Passe Muraille Emerging Artist Award for a notable artistic impression.
Karin Randoja (Director) is an award-winning director, actor, singer/composer and teacher and has been creating devised theatre for over 25 years. Karin was a founding member of Primus Theatre and is a member of The Independent Aunties. She has performed and/or directed at Cleveland Public Theatre, La Mama (New York), The Caravan Farm Theatre and The National Arts Centre. She teaches at Humber College and numerous other schools and theatres. Karin has worked across Canada, the US, Europe, Japan and Mozambique. She is a graduate of the acting program at The National Theatre School of Canada.
Native Earth Performing Arts and North York Arts
present
HUFF
A Native Earth Production
Written by and Starring Cliff Cardinal
Directed by Karin Randoja
Set & Costume Design by Jackie Chau | Lighting Design by Michelle Ramsay
Sound Design by Alex Williams | Stage Managed by Jennifer Stobart
Toronto Centre for the Arts, Studio Theatre
5040 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M2N 6R8
Run Dates: February 10 – 12, 2016 @ 8PM
Tickets are $25-$30 and can be purchased online at tocentre.com
or by calling the Toronto Centre for the Arts Box Office at 416.250.3708.
Discounted rates available for group purchases.
