Isaac and Jacob Thunderchild are two cousins in their late 30s, are from the same reserve and haven’t seen each other in 15 years. Isaac is now an accomplished photojournalist who’s covered many wars, mostly in Africa. Jacob is a reporter for the Ottawa Citizen, an alcoholic, and on his third ex-wife. They’re re-united in Ottawa because Isaac has seen enough war and is fleeing some hidden demons of his own. On their very first assignment together, they get arrested because Jacob pukes on Prime Minister Chretien. What follows is an exorcism of the ghosts that haunt these men as they track down the biggest political story of the decade. It’s also pretty funny.
It was most recently co-produced by Persephone Theatre in Saskatoon and Theatre Network in Edmonton, co-directed by Del Surjik and Bradley Moss, and starred Lorne Cardinal and Craig Lauzon. The twist to this production was that Lorne and Craig would switch roles each performance. The audiences and (most of) the critics loved it.
Amanda Brazin, from Canada Arts Connect, wrote “the combined results of superb writing and dynamic actors don’t fail their audience.” Click here to read more.
The Georgia Straight’s Kathleen Oliver wrote “Thunderstick is at the top of its game.”
Liz Nicolls of the Edmonton Journal called it an “Aboriginal odd couple caper to savour.” She added that “the play, with its two bickering, mismatched aboriginal characters on the trail of a political conspiracy, has something rare — skepticism, easygoing empathy and, especially, the kind of breezy comic attitude not often found onstage when aboriginal “issues” such as residential schools, booze and domestic abuse get referenced.” Read the entire review here.
This production was part of Persephone Theatre and Theatre Network’s 2009/2010 season. It was then taken on the road and presented at Western Canada Theatre Company in Kamloops, Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver and the Prairie Theatre Exchange in Winnipeg for the 2010/2011 season.
Thunderstick was previously produced by the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company in 2001 with Curtis Peeteetuce as Isaac and Mark Dieter as Jacob. It was directed by Lorne Cardinal. Theatre Passe Muraille produced it again in 2002, directed by Paul Thompson, with Tim Hill as Isaac and Ian Ferguson as Jacob. Lorne Cardinal had to step in for Ian after he got ill and couldn’t complete the run. Native Earth Performing Arts workshopped the script in its 2000 Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival of new plays. It was published by Scirocco Drama in 2010.