Blyth Festival play digs into Indigenous property issues

“Bring it on white lady,” said James Dallas Smith, during rehearsals as the lead character in Cottagers and Indians, the newest play to hit the Blyth Festival’s outdoor Harvest Stage.

It’s about a controversy that’s still playing out at a lake near Orillia, Ont. where an indigenous man, James Whetung, has been planting wild rice along the shores of Pigeon Lake for decades. But, the cottagers who live along Pigeon Lake no longer like it, and want him to stop.

“This is a real play, that is happening right near here, right now, and we’re out here in cottage country. We’re not in Toronto or Montreal, we’re near the community that is grappling with this,” said the director of Cottagers and Indians, Deneh’cho Thompson.

The battle between Indigenous rights and property owner rights is playing out in communities across the country. This one example, now dramatized on the Blyth Festival stage, is meant to strike as cordial a cord as possible, Thompson explained.

“It really would have been easy to make this play about sides, but I’m more interested in making this about coming together to the make the world a better place to live in for all,” said Thompson.

Cottagers and Indians runs until Aug. 6 in Blyth. The latest in Blyth’s penchant for delving into current hot topics for their stage productions.

“It’s a great two person play that deals with some really current issues along with reconciliation, getting along and property rights. Things that are very prevalent in the media these days,” said Thompson. 

You can learn more on the Blyth Festival website.