The Third Colour features two ancient spirits who have been reborn repeatedly. With each rebirth, the two must relearn everything, from their own names to basic vocabulary. They must also relearn, and relate to each other through allegorical tales, the history of the land where they find themselves. And this time, the spirits are reborn as two Indigenous women, Agatu and Head Full of Lice, who are forced to revisit the history of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada. Ian Ross employs humour, anger, and a finely-honed sense of the absurd to tackle the colonialism, trauma, and the disconnect between settlers and Indigenous peoples. How do we bridge the two worlds? Or should we? Is it better, Head Full of Lice asks, to burn it all down and start fresh? Or can we, as Agatu hopes, reconcile?

Metis/Ojibway playwright and author Ian Ross was born in McCreary, Manitoba in 1968 and currently lives in Winnipeg. He graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Theatre. Ross's plays include the Governor General's Literary Award winner fareWel (Scirocco Drama 1998,) which was produced across Canada and at the Edinburgh Festival, The Gap (Scirocco Drama, 2000,) Bereav'd of Light (Scirocco Drama, 2005,) Heart of a Distant Tribe, and An Illustrated History of the Anishinabe. Ross has written for theatre, film, and television, and is well-known for his radio character "Joe from Winnipeg." Ian Ross has been awarded the John Hirsch Award (1996), the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama (1997), and the James Buller Award (1999).

Ian Ross' profile page

"The Third Colour demands participation in self-examination from its audience, and richly rewards us with a fresh, engaging and timely tale." (CBC Manitoba)

"An electrifying and funny new dark comedy." (Tourism Winnipeg)