When William, a modern-day Métis music student, is handed a 1918 opera about Creek/Cherokee Mezzo Soprano Tsianina Redfeather, he learns more than just an aria as he begins to unravel the complex circumstances faced by Indigenous performers past and present. Seen and Unseen worlds collide as Tsianina appears to William, the two learning from each other as he makes a decision about his future as an artist. Combining humour, biography, and contemporary Opera, this interdisciplinary work explores the tension between representation, inspiration and cultural appropriation. I Call myself Princess is inspired by, and features music from, Shanewis: The Robin Woman, the real opera about Tsianina Redfeather composed by her creative partner Charles Wakefield Cadman, an American composer in the early 1900’s who was part of a musical movement using Indigenous music to create a distinct North American musical identity.
Keywords: Historical, Indigenous, Opera, Indigenous Opera, Tsianina Redfeather, Charles Wakefield Cadman
Produced by Cahoots Theatre and Paper Canoe Projects in association with Native Earth Performing Arts, September 2018
Genre: Historical/Biographical, Play with Music, Dark Comedy
Acts: 2
Run time: 120 minutes
Suitable for students 14+
Content notes: The production includes some historical information on the appropriation of Indigenous music which can be triggering for some Indigenous peoples.
Cast size: 5 actors
Male roles: 3
Female roles: 2
Musician roles: 1
Casting notes:
The actors playing Tsianina and William need to be Indigenous Classically trained singers.
The actor playing Alex and various other characters needs to be a Black actor.
The actor playing Charles Wakefield Cadman needs to be an excellent pianist as there is some complicated music to play throughout.
All three male actors should identify as gay if possible as William, Cadman and Alex identify as gay.
"...this is a substantial work, two hours to make you think, to feel, and plenty to stay with you afterwards."
- barczablog
"I Call Myself Princess, Jani Lauzon’s engaging new play with an opera inside of it, lets us listen closely to a fascinating case of cultural appropriation from a century ago."
- J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
"Jani Lauzon has produced a well crafted, thought-provoking and very funny “play with music” that provides a really enjoyable evening of theatre."
- Angie Bell, Opera Canada