Waawaate Fobister
Encyclopedia
Waawaate Fobister is a Canadian
playwright and actor, whose debut work Agokwe won six Dora Mavor Moore Award
s in 2009. The play, which premiered at Toronto
's Buddies in Bad Times
theatre in 2008, is a gay
-themed play which explores the burgeoning attraction between two aboriginal
teenagers, one a traditional Ojibwe dancer and the other a hockey
player. Fobister played all of characters in the Buddies production, including both teenagers.
An Anishinaabe
from the Grassy Narrows First Nation north of Kenora, Ontario
, Fobister identifies as gay
or two-spirited. Agokwe, the title of his debut play, means "two-spirited" in the Anishinaabe language.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
playwright and actor, whose debut work Agokwe won six Dora Mavor Moore Award
Dora Mavor Moore Award
The Dora Mavor Moore Award is an award presented annually by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts which honours theatre, dance, and opera productions in Toronto. Named after Dora Mavor Moore, who helped establish Canadian professional theatre, the award was established on December 13, 1978...
s in 2009. The play, which premiered at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
's Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a Canadian professional theatre company.Based in Toronto, Ontario and founded in 1978 by Matt Walsh, Jerry Ciccoritti, and Sky Gilbert, Buddies in Bad Times is dedicated to "the promotion of queer theatrical expression"....
theatre in 2008, is a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
-themed play which explores the burgeoning attraction between two aboriginal
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
teenagers, one a traditional Ojibwe dancer and the other a hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player. Fobister played all of characters in the Buddies production, including both teenagers.
An Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe
Anishinaabe or Anishinabe—or more properly Anishinaabeg or Anishinabek, which is the plural form of the word—is the autonym often used by the Odawa, Ojibwe, and Algonquin peoples. They all speak closely related Anishinaabemowin/Anishinaabe languages, of the Algonquian language family.The meaning...
from the Grassy Narrows First Nation north of Kenora, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Fobister identifies as gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
or two-spirited. Agokwe, the title of his debut play, means "two-spirited" in the Anishinaabe language.