Cliff Cardinal in Conversation
Interviewed by Jane Deluzio
Introduction by Christine Jackson
Embedded Files
We invite you to listen in on a conversation between actor and playwright Cliff Cardinal and his high school vice principal Jane Deluzio. With good humour and thoughtful reflection, Cardinal recounts an act of disruption in high school which led to meaningful, long-term change. He also shares personal perspectives on his job as a theatre-maker.
You will be interested to hear what Cardinal has to say about his most recent play, William Shakespeare’s As You Like It: A Radical Retelling, for which he received the 2023 Governor General’s Award for Drama.
The selection committee (ggbooks, 2023) described the play as follows:
In a blistering indictment of the country we call Canada, Cliff Cardinal challenges us to ask ourselves what role we play and are prepared to play on the path forward. It spares no one, not even the performer himself. It’s a rant, a fool, a stand-up routine and an angry personal essay full of humour, insights and surprises.
In a Q interview with Tom Power (CBC Arts, 2023) Cardinal said, “I hope people can come and take an experience that’s not on their own terms. Get outside of their own little myopic view of the world and listen to someone else for a while. And hopefully be able to laugh at all of us, and themselves as well.”
Having seen the play, I declare “Mission accomplished!” I experienced that and so much more!
On behalf of the Provocations Community, congratulations Cliff! We are honoured that you made time for this conversation. We look forward to your future projects!
Christine Jackson
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References
Power, T. (Host). (2023, March 23). How Cliff Cardinal's play tricked audiences into confronting Canada's relationship with Indigenous people (audio podcast, CBC Arts, Q) https://www.cbc.ca/arts/q/cliff-cardinal-q- tom-power-interview-1.6787229
The Canada Council for the Arts presents the 2023 Governor General Literary Awards.
https://ggbooks.ca/william-shakespeares-as-you-like-it-a-radical-retelling
In 2023, Cliff Cardinal has won the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama for his play William Shakespeareʼs As You Like It: A Radical Retelling. In this performance, Cardinal delivers an urgent monologue about Canada's relationship with Indigenous people, a subversive update to Shakespeare's classic coming from an Indigenous perspective. Named by The Globe and Mail as a Canadian Cultural Icon in 2022, Cliff Cardinal is a polarizing writer and performer known for his black humour and compassionate poeticism. His solo theatre productions STITCH, HUFF, and CLIFF CARDINAL’S CBC SPECIAL have won numerous awards. He is an associate artist at Video Cabaret where he develops his new work. Born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, he studied playwriting at the National Theatre School of Canada and fronts the hilarious and nefarious Cliff Cardinal and The Skylarks.
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