DRYDEN — A new initiative by a community theatre company in Dryden aims to do more than issuing verbal land acknowledgements when performing on traditional territory.
The executive board of Theatre 17 in Dryden has adopted a policy where the group will give a portion of proceeds from performances, where possible, to Indigenous-led organizations before considering other donations.
“Theatre 17 has always attempted to do a charitable donation with proceeds that we make from our plays — any productions that we do,” said Amy Maua, the chair of Theatre 17’s executive board.
“We wanted to, separate from that, also ensure that no matter how many proceeds we made, that if we do a verbal land acknowledgement, that we will also do a financial contribution to an Indigenous organization in Treaty 3.”
The group does a land acknowledgement before every performance, Maua said.
The theatre’s first donation was a gift of $300 to the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education from their November 2024 production of Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit.
The new policy means that Indigenous organizations will be first in line to receive proceeds from plays where the volunteer-based theatre group is able to make a donation after covering their costs. Other groups can still benefit, Maua said, but only after that initial donation to an Indigenous organization is made.
Theatre 17’s history dates back at least roughly 40 years, Maua said, with a bit of a hiatus before coming back to being part of the Dryden arts scene in the early 2000s. The group runs shows when it can and, she said, usually has proceeds to donate.
“Land acknowledgements are amazing and I'm always happy to see them,” she said. “I'm glad that the group is taking it a step further and ensuring that, no matter the size of the donation, that there is something more than just a verbal acknowledgement for each show.”
