“The map of the land is in our blood.”

A woman trawls the bottom of a riverbed with a makeshift plough, hoping to dislodge something—anything. The world has drastically changed: rivers run dry, rampant bushfires leave little left to burn. Still she persists searching for the stories of her loved ones, maybe even her own. She is not alone—an ancestor watches nearby. This desolate landscape is about to unearth its long-held secrets.

Inspired by the grassroots organization Drag the Red, which searches for evidence of missing Indigenous women, girls, and 2 Spirit people in the Red River of Treaty One Territory, this ethereal and engrossing drama is a profound offering to those who persevere in spite of sorrow. Told in Anishinaabemowin, English, and French, Tara Beagan’s prophetic play draws a direct connection between the treatment of Indigenous peoples and the abuse inflicted on the land. Fluid and majestic like the river itself, Rise, Red River is an invocation, a revelation, and a call to action.

p style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class="MsoNormal"&gtspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-CA"&gtfont face="Times"&gtTara Beagan is a proud halfbreed of Ntlakaâ??pamux and Irish Canadian heritage. She is Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. Her debut play, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtThy Neighbourâ??s Wife/i&gt garnered three Dora Award nominations in â??05, winning for Best New Play. Ensuing plays include i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtDreary and Izzy/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtThe Fort at York/i&gt, for which she was head writer and co-director, and i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtMiss Julie: Shehâ??mah/i&gt, which earned five â??09 Dora nominations. Short plays include i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtQuilchena/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtHere, Boy!/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtFoundlings/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtBLUEBEARDâ??S WI7E/i&gt, i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtTransCanada/i&gt, and i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"&gtAnatomy of an Indian/i&gt. She was playwright-in-residence at the National Arts Centre in 2011, at NEPA in 2009/2010, and at Cahoots in 2007/2008. As well as a mentor for emerging theatre artists, Tara has written for film and radio, and is a Dora- and Betty-nominated actor.?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /&gto:p&gt/o:p&gt/font&gt/span&gt/p&gt

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