Indigenous Canadian theatre actors Craig Lauzon and Sheldon Elter, with veteran theatre actor Oliver Dennis in Where the Blood Mixes

Photo by Dahlia Katz

Where the Blood Mixes

by Kevin Loring

A funny and honest play about loss and redemption. Floyd and Mooch are best buds. They like to hang together at George’s bar in the village of Lytton, BC, where Mooch can usually be found “mooching” drinks from his friend Floyd. Mooch is unemployed, troubled and usually steals his girlfriend June’s money to buy beer. She’s saving the money either to buy groceries or pay bills. When a letter arrives for Floyd from his long-lost family member, he grows anxious about the reunion and the circumstances that separated them all these years ago.

Cast and Creative

  • Indigenous Canadian theatre actor and playwrights Kevin Loring, Artistic Director of Indigenous Theatre NAC

    Kevin Loring

    Playwright

    Kevin Loring is an accomplished Canadian playwright, actor and director and was the winner of the Governor General’s Award for English Language Drama for his outstanding play, Where the Blood Mixes in 2009. The play explores the intergenerational effects of the residential school system. It toured nationally and was presented at the National Arts Centre in 2010, when Loring was serving as the NAC’s Playwright in Residence. A Nlaka’pamux from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, Loring created the Songs of the Land project in 2012 in partnership with five separate organizations in his home community. The project explores 100-year-old audio recordings of songs and stories of the N’lakap’amux People. Loring has written two new plays based on his work with the community including Battle of the Birds, about domestic violence and power abuse, and The Boy Who Was Abandoned, about youth and elder neglect. A versatile artist and leader Loring has served as the co-curator of the Talking Stick Festival, as Artist in Residence at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, as Artistic Director of the Savage Society in Vancouver, as a Documentary Producer of Canyon War: The Untold Story, and as the Project Leader/Creator, and Director of the Songs of the Land project in his home community of Lytton First Nation.

  • Indigenous Canadian theatre actor Sheldon Elter

    Sheldon Elter

    Theatre credits include: Métis Mutt (One Little Indian Productions), All That Binds Us (Azimuth Theatre), The Ministry of Grace (Belfry Theatre), Eday (Serial Collective), After The Fire and BEARS (Punctuate! Theatre), Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost, The Winter’s Tale, and Two Gentleman of Verona (Freewill Players), The Comedy Company (Shadow Theatre), Crazy For You (Citadel Theatre/Theatre Calgary), Tales from the Red Dirt Road (Confederation Centre of the Arts), Evangeline (Confederation Centre of the Arts/Citadel Theatre), A Christmas Carol, Alice Through The Looking Glass, One Man Two Guvnors (Citadel Theatre), Tartuffe, Sound of Music, Enron (National Arts Centre). Sheldon was a Top 14 finalist on Canadian Idol in 2006. TV credits: Hank Williams’ First Nation, CAUTION: May Contain Nuts (Gemini, and Canadian Comedy nominated writer) and Delmer and Marta (APTN).

  • Queer Metis Canadian theatre actor Michaela Washburn

    Michaela Washburn

    Michaela Washburn is a queer Métis artist of Cree, Irish, French and English ancestry. Her practice includes: theatre, film, writing, spoken word, drag, clown, stand-up, hosting, improvisation and workshop facilitation. An award winning actor, Michaela also has multiple nominations. Most notably for the Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Arts Award, and the K. M. Hunter Artist Award for Theatre. A published poet, Michaela’s performance and written work has been shared internationally at festivals and theatres in Wales, Aruba and across Canada and the United States. Washburn is proud and honoured to be one of the inaugural Artists in Residence with Necessary Angel Theatre Company, an Associate Artist with the Stratford Festival and an Ontario representative of CAEA’s elected national council.

  • Indigenous Canadian theatre actor Tara Sky

    Tara Sky

    Tara Sky is an actor, singer, and beader. They grew up in Tkarón:to/Toronto, but their family is mostly from BC. They identify as Mixedblood Indigenous as they have, Haisla, Métis, Scottish, French, and Finish in them to name a few. They also Identify as 2Spirit, Genderqueer, and gay.
    They grew up as a second generation artist and are a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada for acting in 2019. Their current performing credits include: Reasonable doubt (Persephone Theatre); Think of the Children, Serious Money, 7 Stories, We came from dust (NTS); Holy Mothers (SummerWorks); Nativity (NAC). You can also catch them at the 2022 season at Stratford in the play 1939 written by Jani Lauzon and Kaitlyn Riordan.

  • Canadian theatre and Soulpepper veteran actor Oliver Dennis

    Oliver Dennis

    Oliver Dennis was born in Montreal and raised in Carbondale, Illinois. Soulpepper: A Streetcar Named Desire, The Seagull. around 100 productions since the first season. Here, he has had the opportunity to play Shakespeare and Moliere, Miller and Williams and Albee. Beckett, Ionesco, Orton. Simon. Sarah Ruhl and Suzan-Lori Parks and Tracey Letts. David French and Morris Panych/Brenda Robins and Mike Ross/Sarah Wilson and Lee MacDougall and Vern Thiessen and Michael Shamata. Shaffer, Story, Stoppard, Frayn and Aykbourn. To name some. FILM & TELEVISION: Please support Canadian Film by catching American Hangman and Don't Get Killed in Alaska on a popular media platform. And also, Slings and Arrows!

  • Indigenous Canadian theatre actor Craig Lauzon

    Craig Lauzon

    Originally from Ottawa, of mixed settler and Anishinabe decent. A member of the sketch troupe Tonto's Nephews, former Artistic Associate at Native Earth Performing Arts. Toured Darrell Dennis’ Tales of an Urban Indian across Canada and Australia. Theatre credits: The Darkest Dark (Y.P.T), Detroit (The Coal Mine), Where the Blood Mixes (Soulpepper), Midsummer Night’s Dream (Stratford), The Drawer Boy (Theatre Passe Muraille), Thunderstick (Persephone Theatre), King Lear (N.A.C), Trudeau & Levesque (VideoCaberet) Television credits: Trickster, Murdoch Mysteries, The Guilt Free Zone, Fool Canada, Air Farce, The Ron James Show, Beyblade and Beyblade: The Movie.

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