Yvette Nolan (born 1961) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

playwright, director, actor, and educator based out of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

, Canada. She was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. She has contributed significantly to the creation and performance of

Indigenous theatre Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

in Canada.

Early life

Nolan was born in

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

, to an Algonquin mother and an Irish immigrant father. She was raised in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

and graduated with

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

. In 2024, she completed a Master of Public Policy about the role of Boards of Directors in arts organisations at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. Her commitment to

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

and

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

live art is attributed to the first time when she saw a Native character on stage during

Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

's adaptation of ''

The Ecstasy of Rita Joe ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'' is a drama by George Ryga. The play, in two acts, premiered at the Vancouver Playhouse, November 23, 1967. It was directed by George Bloomfield. The play has an important place in the history of modern Canadian thea ...

''.

Career

In 1990, she started playwright career at

Winnipeg Fringe Festival The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is a 12-day alternative theatre festival held each year in July in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Primarily held in venues in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District, it currently ranks as the second-largest inde ...

with premier of her play ''Blade''. It was later remounted at both the Best of the Fringe (1990) and Women in View Festival (1992). She has worked at various theatre companies throughout Canada including Agassiz Theatre, the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Nakai Theatre in

Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...

Native Earth Performing Arts Native Earth Performing Arts is a Canadian theatre company located in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1982, Native Earth is Canada's oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Native Earth is dedicated to developing, producing and presenting pro ...

. As a director, she has contributed significantly to the development of Aboriginal theatre. She has directed plays by

George Ryga George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is '' The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''. Early y ...

(''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''), Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble (''The Only Good Indian'') and

Marie Clements Marie Clements (born January 10, 1962) is a Canadian Métis playwright, performer, director, producer and screenwriter. She was the founding artistic director of Urban Ink Productions, and is currently co-artistic director of Red Diva Projects, ...

(''Tombs of the Vanishing Indian'' and ''The Unnatural and Accidental Women''), Kenneth T. Williams (''Café Daughter'' and ''In Care''), Melanie J. Murray (''A Very Polite Genocide''). From 1998 until 2001, she was also president of the Playwrights' Union of Canada (now called the Playwrights Guild of Canada). She was the artistic director of Native Earth from 2003 to 2010. She was president of the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance and has sat on the boards of the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance and the Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals. In 2010 and 2011, she hosted Matariki Development Festival in New Zealand. She is an Artistic Associate at Signal Theatre and co-director with

Michael Greyeyes Michael Greyeyes (born June 4, 1967) is a First Nations ( Muskeg Lake Cree Nation) actor, dancer, choreographer, director, and educator. In 1996, Greyeyes portrayed Crazy Horse in the television film ''Crazy Horse''. In 2018, Greyeyes portrayed ...

of a dance opera (''Bearing'') at the 2017

Luminato Festival The Luminato Festival, Toronto's International Festival of Arts and Ideas, is an annual celebration of the arts in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, launched in 2007. In its first decade, Luminato presented over 3,000 performances featuring 11,000 artist ...

. She also directed (''Nôhkom'') with Signal Theatre. In 2017, she was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership to the CATR / ACRT. In 2021, she taught at the Canadian College of the Performing Arts in Victoria, B.C. In the same year, she was awarded the Gascon-Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Theatre School of Canada. In 2022, she was the Interim Co-Artistic Director along with Skye Brandon at Shakespeare On The Saskatchewan. She is a Senior Fellow at Massey College in Toronto. Her play ''The Unplugging'' received two productions in 2023: the Belfry in Victoria and the Great Canadian Theatre Company in Ottawa. It was also produced in 2025 by Burnt Thicket Theatre in Saskatoon. Her work with Donna-Michelle St. Bernard continued with ''The First Stone'' at Buddies in Bad Times in 2022 and at Great Canadian Theatre Company in 2023. She directed Frances Koncan's ''Women Of The Fur Trade'' at the Stratford Festival in 2023. and at the Globe Theatre Regina. From 2016–2022, she was the Company Dramaturge at Sum Theatre in Saskatoon.

Writer-in-Residence

* 1996: 1st writer-in-residence at

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

* 2011 (nine-month term):

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Library * 2018: McGill University

Playwright-in-residence

* 2009:

National Arts Centre The National Arts Centre (NAC) () is a Arts centre, performing arts organization in Ottawa, Ontario, along the Rideau Canal. It is based in the eponymous National Arts Centre (building), National Arts Centre building. History The NAC was one ...

and

Mount Royal College Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Originally “Mount Royal College,” Mount Royal University was granted university status in 2009 by the provincial government. The university has an average class s ...

* 2011 (nine-month term): University of Regina

Plays

*''A Marginal Man'' *''Annie Mae's Movement'' *''Blade'' *''Child'' *''Job's Wife'' *''Shakedown Shakespeare'' *''The Unplugging'' *''Donne In'' *''Owen'' (radio play) *''Toronto Rex'' *''Ham and the Ram'' *''Prophecy'' *''Alaska'' *''from thine eyes'' *''Henry IV Pt 1:'' (adaptation) *''Hilda Blake'' (libretto) *''The Birds:'' (adaptation) * ''Scattering Jake'' *''Finish Line'' * ''Video'' * ''What Befalls The Earth''

Editor

''Performing Indigeneity'': with Ric Knowles, Playwrights Canada Press, 2016 Beyond The Pale: ''Refractions'': Solo with Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, Playwrights Canada Press

Culture Studies

''Medicine Shows: Indigenous Performance Culture'', Playwrights Canada Press, 2015

Director

*''The Unnatural and Accidental Women'' for Native Earth Performing Arts 2004. *''Death of a Chief'' for Native Earth Performing Arts Weesageechak 2005 *''The Triple Truth'' for Turtle Gals 2005 *''Annie Mae's Movement'' for Native Earth Performing Arts 2006 *''The Only Good Indian'' for Turtle Gals Performance Ensemble 2007 *''A Very Polite Genocide'' Native Earth Performing Arts 2008 *''Death of a Chief'' for Native Earth Performing Arts 2008 *''Salt Baby'' for Native Earth Performing Arts 2009, Globe Theatre, Regina 2016, National tour 2016-2017 *''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe'' for National Arts Centre/Western Canada Theatre 2009 *''Café Daughter'' for Gwaandak Theatre (Yukon) 2011 *''Tombs of the Vanishing Indian'' for Native Earth Performing Arts 2011 *''In Care'' by Kenneth T. Williams, Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre, October 2016 * ''Bearing'' co-director with Michael Greyeyes, dramaturge, Signal Theatre: Luminato 2017 * ''Map Of The Land, Map Of The Stars'' Gwaandak Theatre, 2017 *''The Piano Teacher'' Arts Club, Vancouver, BC 2017 *''The Penelopiad Ferre Play Theatre'', Persephone Theatre, Saskatoon 2017 *''Elemental'' Embrace Theatre/MuD Collective at Live Five, Saskatoon 2019 *''The Unplugging'' at New Native Theatre, Minneapolis 2020 *''Wreckonciliation Amplified Opera'', Toronto 2022 *''The First Stone at Great Canadian Theatre Company'', Ottawa 2023

Awards

* John Hirsch Award for Most Promising New Writer (nomination), 1995. * James Buller Award for Playwrighting from the Centre for Indigenous Theatre (nomination), 1997. * Maggie Bassett Award for service to the theatre community, 2007. * City of Toronto's Aboriginal Affairs Award, 2008. * George Luscombe Award for mentorship in professional theatre, 2011. * Bob Couchman Award for direction (for ''Café Daughter'' by Kenneth T Williams (Gwaandak Theatre)). * Jessie Richardson Award for Outstanding Original Script, 2013 (for ''The Unplugging''). * Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award, 2014. * Woman Of Distinction (nomination) - YWCA Saskatoon, 2017 * Dora Mavor Moore Award for ''Shanawdithit'' in 2020. * Gina Wilkinson Prize, 2021 * Gascon-Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, 2021

References

External links

Yvette Nolan fonds (R16870)
at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Yvette 1961 births Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Algonquin people Living people Canadian artistic directors First Nations dramatists and playwrights Writers from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Canadian theatre directors Canadian women theatre directors First Nations women writers 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century First Nations writers 20th-century First Nations women 21st-century First Nations writers