Leonard Linklater and Patti Flather founded Gwaandak Theatre in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory in 1999. Indigenous peoples have called this spectacular land home for many thousands of years before the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. “Gwaandak” in the Gwich’in language means “telling a story” – it’s the name Leonard’s father, the late Charlie Linklater, gave to our first daughter.
Gwaandak Theatre’s mandate is to develop and produce quality professional theatre. Our emphasis is on new Canadian work highlighting and involving Yukon artists, First Nations artists, northerners and underrepresented communities.
Gwaandak aims to increase the appreciation of theatre by Aboriginal, youth and rural audiences.
We are committed to providing opportunities for all northern theatre artists, including First Nations artists, to grow and gain exposure on regional, national and international stages.
Gwaandak Theatre is dedicated to establishing, promoting and maintaining programming and activities for professional theatre.
Since 2000, Gwaandak Theatre has played a prominent role in the development and presentation of new northern and Canadian plays in the North. The company has forged strong partnership with other Yukon theatre artists and community members, including Nakai Theatre, Society of Yukon Artists of Native Ancestry, and Yukon Association for Community Living.
We have toured the Yukon, northern British Columbia, the Mackenzie Delta in the Northwest Territories, and further afield to Toronto. Gwaandak has presented theatre in tiny northern communities, and to hundreds of teens as well as adults through our school matinees and community shows. First Nations access and involvement have been and continue to be top priorities.
We have presented plays that reflected northern and aboriginal experiences. Gwaandak also has been prepared to tackle sensitive and controversial material with our artistic choices; for example, the frank portrayal of teen sexuality in Yellow on Thursdays; the exploration of cultural identity, alienation and suicide in Sixty Below.
Gwaandak has provided challenging employment opportunities for both emerging and established Yukon theatre artists, who have had the chance to collaborate and work with guest artists on all of our productions.
