
Sewatokwà:tshera’ Theatre
Transformative storytelling through Indigenous theatre.
Indigenous-led. Community rooted.


About the Playwright
An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada’s premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright, a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on numerous documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably as a filmmaker, he wrote and directed REDSKINS, TRICKSTERS AND PUPPY STEW, a documentary on Native humor for the National Film Board of Canada, and for CBC, co-created SEARCHING FOR WINNITOU, an exploration of Germany’s fascination with North American Indigenous culture. 2 years later he followed it up with the documentary COTTAGERS AND INDIANS, about Indigenous/non-Indigenous conflicts over land and water issues. Most recently, THE PRETENDIANS aired, exploring the phenomenon of non-Native people claiming Indigenous heritage.

About the Play
Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth is the emotional story of a woman’s struggle to acknowledge her birth family. Grace, a Native girl adopted by a White family, is asked by her birth sister to return to the Reserve for their mother’s funeral. Afraid of opening old wounds, Grace must find a place where the culture of her past can feed the truth of her present.

Production Details
Show Dates: June 2026
Location: Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
Presented by: Sewatokwà:tshera’ Theatre
Produced by: The One Dish Project
Performance Type: Community-based Indigenous theatre
Full ticketing information will be released in early spring.
COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND SPONSORS WILL APPEAR HERE





Why this play? Why now?
Stories of the Sixties Scoop and Indigenous family separation continue to impact communities across this territory. Our theatre exists to create space for truth, healing, and connection through Indigenous storytelling. Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth brings forward a history carried by many Nations and invites all audiences to learn, witness, and reflect.