How can Indigenous relationships from distant lands reflect positive ways of creating art? Todd Houseman and Lady Vanessa Cardona created the show Whiteface to address the harms caused by cultural appropriation. In September 2021, Todd and Lady Vanessa Cardona participated as storytellers in Postmarginal’s Edmonton retreat. Listen to their conversation about Whiteface above.

Indigenous actors playing white actors playing Indigenous actors. Todd, who is a Nehiyo Mixed-Blood and indigenous to Amiskwaciy, and Lady, who is a mestiza Colombian Indigenous to Cali, drew from their shared and differing experiences to write the show. They created a decolonial process of working together and an alliance that respects each other’s people and land.

The collaborators explored multiple theatrical styles and different experiences of Indigeneity to develop Whiteface. Using explosive movement and satirical humour, they tread the timeline of appropriation of Indigenous bodies, from cowboys to Coachella, exploring concepts of identity and colonization. Through movement, mask and the subversion of the performance of Red Face, a history of social masks comes alive.

“Traditionally, Indigenous people do things when they’re supposed to happen… you start the work when the work is supposed to happen, not when you need it to happen, or when someone else needs it to happen, it’s when the work needs to happen.”

Todd Houseman is an actor, improviser, and writer. His work focuses on decolonization by prioritizing Indigenous narratives through satire, commentary, and traditional and contemporary storytelling. Lady Vanessa Cardona, Caleña, Colombiana, is currently living in her homeland and as a visitor of Treaty 6 Territory, Amiskwacîwâskahikan. She is committed to honouring the treaty by learning to understand it, observing the ways in which we are not honouring it at the moment, and listening to the original people of this land on how to protect and take care of this home.