The Playwriting Competition for young Aboriginal Writers was launched in honour of the Arctic Winter Games 2010 to be held in Grande Prairie in March. Sonny’s Song will be produced by GPRC Fine Arts Theatre Rising company, and presented February 25-27 and March 4-6, 2010. The story of the play follows a Métis family's dreams of success in the music world through four generations.

Since April, Dani has been working with a mentorship group led by Larry Loyie, who is a Native elder and playwright. Other members of the mentorship group are Darlene Cardinal, Donna Belcourt, Kelly Benning, Constance Brissenden, and Annie Smith. The Friendship Centre received a grant of $12,000 from the Canada Council to support Larry Loyie as the senior artist in this collaborative exchange.

Dani has been a student at GPRC since 2008 and is currently enrolled in the first class of the new Drama Diploma Program. She attended a theatre intensive conducted by The Centre for Indigenous Theatre (Toronto) this summer at the University of Lethbridge. Dani was also a writer and performer for the Heritage Theatre Project sponsored by the Grande Prairie Heritage Museum Society in 2008. She played the role of Rose in Theatre
Rising's production of BURNING VISION last winter and was the recipient of
the Sukumar Nayar Award for Drama in 2009.

Theatre Rising will present Sonny’s Song February 25 to 27 and March 4 to 6 in the GPRC Black Box Theatre, directed by Annie Smith, Drama Instructor, and designed by Jason Smith, Technical Theatre Instructor. Richard Lehman is the Music Director. This will be the first production of the new Diploma in Drama and will provide many GPRC drama students their first opportunity to be in a full-length play.

Auditions for the cast will be held November 23 and November 25. Everyone is welcome.

For more information please contact:
Annie Smith
Drama Diploma Program, Fine Arts
Grande Prairie Regional College
780-539-2882
asmith@gprc.ab.ca

OR

Kelly Benning
Aboriginal Liaison Coordinator
Grande Prairie Regional College
780-539-2020
kbenning@gprc.ab.ca