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Nakai Theatre

Nakai Theatre's October, 2000, production of Morris Panych's Vigil with Brian Fiddler and Bronwyn Jones, designed by David Skelton, directed by Michael Clark

Company founded in 1979 in Whitehorse on Kwanlin Dun First Nations and Ta'an Kwach'an territory as Nakai Players by Sheila Langston and Beth Mulloy to tour plays to Yukon Communities, with an emphasis on plays by and about the First Nations. In 1989 the Company merged with Separate Reality to become Nakai Theatre Ensemble. The Artistic Director from then to 1995 was Dawn Davies. From that point, the Company began to focus more of its activities on Whitehorse.

Nakai provided developmental opportunities for Yukon theatre practitioners, particularly for youth and First Nations artists. In 1986 it created the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition, the first of its kind in Canada. A Toronto production of a Nakai premier, Sixty Below, received seven Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations. In 1996, under Artistic Director Philip Adams (1995-98), it launched its first New Theatre North Playwrights' Festival, in which senior Canadian playwrights and dramaturgs were brought in to work with local playwrights.

From 1999 to 2006, under AD Michael Clark, Nakai Theatre focused on the production of Canadian scripts, raising its production values and moving its main venue to the Yukon Arts Centre. During the spring of 2004, Nakai created the Homegrown Festival, an opportunity for local theatre artists to present their work. Residencies for experienced Canadian theatre artists were established for playwrights, designers, and composers.

Under Artistic Director David Skelton (2007-2017), Nakai emphasized the development of new Yukon playwrighting through commissions, dramaturgy, readings, and workshop productions that lead to full productions.

Since 2009, Nakai produced Pivot Theatre Festival, Whitehorse’s contribution to Western Canada’s edgy winter performance culture, featuring its own new works, and hosting productions from across Canada, including Vancouver’s PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Edmonton’s Canoe Festival (Workshop West Theatre), and Calgary’s High Performance Rodeo (One Yellow Rabbit). The 2014 festival featured Huff by Cliff Cardinal, son of actor Tantoo Cardinal, Blue Box by Carmen Aguirre (Nightswimming Theatre Company/Neworld Theatre), and How to Disappear Completely by Itai Erdal (The Chop Theatre).

Perfect Pie by Judith Thompson
(L.to R. Amber Borotsik, Jamie Lee Shebelski, Mary Sloan, Sally Clark
Design by David Skelton
Photo by Michael Clark

Among other works presented by Nakai were The Occupation of Heather Rose by Wendy Lill, Love You Forever and other stories by Robert Munsch, Running on Frozen Air by Gordon McCall, Vigil by Morris Panych, 60 Below by Patti Flather and Leonard Linklater, Speak by Greg Nelson (1999), Perfect Pie by Judith Thompson, and So Many Doors by Celia McBride in a co-production with Sour Brides Theatre (2007, dir. Kelly Thornton).

Jacob Zimmer was hired in 2017 to advance Nakai's work as a catalyst and producer of theatre-making in the Yukon. In 2025, Nakai was reborn as Pivot Theatre, continuing to support productions of new work by local performers and to bring exciting, established Canadian performances to Whitehorse. The annual Pivot Festival brings light and connection to the dark days of January. The festival includes a Sun Room, an oasis downtown, along with local and visiting performances. Spectacular Summers features big puppets at community events and festivals, and visits to continuing care homes.

Further reading: Eve D'aeth. "Nakai: A Northern Theatre," Theatre Research in Canada.

Web site: www.pivotyukon.ca/a>