The War Being Waged is a poetic and unflinchingly truthful examination of what happens when patriotism and sovereignty collide. An Indigenous mother becomes an activist while her brother becomes a soldier. An grandmother speaks to her granddaughter from prison. A granddaughter, filled with turmoil, struggles to accept her family's history. Three generations of Indigenous women try to connect the pieces of their lives after experiencing all the ways Canada has torn them apart. A mix of three performance genres--monologue, poetry with video and movement, and contemporary dance--are woven together in this stunning work by Winnipeg theatre artist Darla Contois.

Darla Contois is a Cree-Salteaux performer and playwright from Misipawistik Cree Nation in Manitoba. She graduated from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre's professional training program in 2014, attended David Smukler's National Voice Intensive and premiered her solo show White Man's Indian at Summerworks 2017 in Toronto where she was awarded the Emerging Artist Award. Her most recent work, The War Being Waged was produced by Winnipeg's Prairie Theatre Exchange as part of their 2021-22 season, and has been acknowledged by Toronto critic Lynn Slotkin with a Tootsie award. Darla lives in Winnipeg.

Darla Contois' profile page

"The War Being Waged is a stunning piece of theatre. Darla Contois has created a story that is familiar, harrowing, compelling, nuanced, full of love, grace and art." --The Slotkin Letter

"The War Being Waged is not a typical theatre piece--it sets up certain expectations and then upends them completely--and this fresh take on the art form, along with the highly interpretive content, is sure to stir up some intense conversation." --The Manitoban