Emotions collide on stage in theatre company’s latest show
Nunavut Theatre Company’s production of ‘Bang Bang’ opens Thursday in Iqaluit
“Bang Bang” features actors Murielle Jassinthe, left. Krystal Mattews, Jessie Hale, Akai, who goes by a single name, and Jason Gautreau. Not pictured is narrator Maggie Hu. (Photo by Daron Letts)
Updated on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET
Gunfire, art and the ethics of identity incite debate around a play within a play in Bang Bang, the latest Nunavut Theatre Company production which takes the stage at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum in Iqaluit next week.
Billed by the five-year-old theatre group as a “dark, fast-paced dramedy,” Bang Bang was first released in 2018 by Kat Sandler, an award-winning playwright and artistic director at Toronto’s innovative Theatre Brouhaha.
“It’s a play about what responsibility artists have when they’re making art about terrible and real things,” said Jessie Hale, a co-founder of the Nunavut Theatre Company.
Presented as a stage reading of the script, rather than a fully-staged play, the narrative jabs at the traumatized psyche of a Black ex-cop, played by veteran company actor Krystal Mattews, who struggles to cope in the aftermath of shooting an unarmed Black youth.
Mattews’ character’s story ends up being appropriated for a stage play. Its success propels her tragedy, without her consent, into an adapted screenplay that promises to prolong the heat of the unsolicited spotlight.

Alex Michaud, a co-founder of Nunavut Theatre Company, directs Bang Bang during rehearsal at the Nunatta Sunakkutaangit Museum on Tuesday. (Photo by Daron Letts)
The entire drama unfolds within the confines of a single living room, forcing intense personalities from different backgrounds to collide.
The emotionally charged dialogue darts among the five actors, who also include theatre co-founder Murielle Jassinthe, Akai (who goes by a single name), Jason Gautreau, and Maggie Hu as the narrator.
“We explore how a discussion about someone’s race, for example, can’t be isolated from their gender, or their role in society,” said Alex Michaud, the director and theatre co-founder.
The theatre company received a $10,000 grant from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, a Crown corporation that raises awareness of the causes and manifestations of racism in Canada.
The show runs from Feb. 13 to 15, with performances at 7 p.m. On Feb. 15, a 1 p.m. matinee will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by performance artist Omanola Djalogue. Admission for the matinee show is pay what you can.
A link to the Eventbrite ticket sales site can be found on the Nunavut Theatre Company’s Facebook page.
Correction: This article was updated from its originally published version to provide correct information about the location of the play and its start date.
Race and identity are such a seldomly explored topic. Sounds so innovative and interesting,
Repetition is the death of art.
Thanks 2020c; but why use sarcasm?
Maybe because progressive ‘art’ is so cookie cutter and predictable these days, it’s hardly art all.
He uses sarcasm because he’s too dull to say what he actually means.
Jason is absolutely GLOWING in that picture! Lololol
In this upcoming play, six performers will take the stage from next Thursday to Saturday.
Maggie Hu will deliver a nuanced performance, conveying emotion and tone while interacting with the other five performers. The stage directions involve not only timing and setting but also significant transitions that build emotional tension and conflict among the characters. These elements ultimately enhance the audience’s understanding of the play.
I noticed that Maggie Hu is the only performer not featured in the promotional picture. Could you please provide a reason for her absence?
Let me guess… she wasn’t there when the journalist visited?
Identity politics is so hot right now…
Where are the 2SLGBTQ+ characters!
Literally half of the cast is LGBTwtv. Lol
$25 for a staged reading? It was cool when groups would actually stage a theatre production. Not charge an arm and a leg to read off a script. Why would you even need a director.
What’s being done with the proceeds?
Thanks for your comment! Since cost is an issue for you I hope you will join us for the pay what you can performance on Saturday afternoon. You can even come for free – just email NTC or message us on Facebook and we’ll reserve a seat for you. I think you’ll find it is well worth $25!
Thanks as well for your interest in NTC’s revenues. We are a registered non-profit society and our AGM is usually in September and always publicly announced – we’d be pleased to answer your questions then. Please consider joining us as a director so you can help us put on fully staged theatre productions again!
You could also just be transparent about what the money is being used for. You stated you received $10,000 to produce the show. $25/per person is steep for a staged reading at a potentially free venue. You’re using funding from a crown corporation. What is the money you’re raising being used for? I think it’s imperative the ED of the Nunavut Association of Nonprofits can openly discuss what’s being done with proceeds.
Your comment is fair and my initial response a bit snarky so I will clarify.
The money from CRRF is being used to pay for catering for the show, rehearsal space rental, licensing rights, printing of programs, posters, and scripts, equipment needed to stage the performance (such as a backdrop and some small costume items), marketing costs, photography, and administrative costs such as insurance and bank fees. All individuals involved in the show are volunteers and receive not one penny in compensation for the hours of time and effort they’ve put into this programming.
We’re not sure yet what the total cost of the production will be, since it hasn’t wrapped, but of course we will make a full financial report to CRRF as we are required to do by our contribution agreement.
Any profit from the ticket revenues will be reinvested into NTC so that we can continue to put on programming, including, hopefully, fully staged productions sometime in the future. We also put on smaller workshops and showcases throughout the year that receive less media attention and no funding.
Our AGM is open to the public every year and we are a registered society in good standing with Legal Registries.
Like many people in Iqaluit, I am involved in several different organizations as a volunteer and an employee. NTC is not a member of NANPO and NANPO is not involved in this production in any way. My role at NANPO is completely separate from my role at NTC.
I hope that answers some of your questions; I would love to see more people get involved in theatre at any level.
Thanks for your comment! I hope you were able to see our last production, How Black Mothers Say I Love You, which featured a lesbian character and explored issues of queer sexuality in Black immigrant families.
If there’s a play you’d like to see next, please tell us about it by emailing NTC or messaging us on Facebook.
I think it’s pretty common for a nonprofit to share why they’re raising money for a show—especially one that received a public grant. Is the goal to support more programming? Cover operational expenses? Did the production costs exceed $10,000? When small arts and culture organizations use overly corporate language, it can sometimes feel less inclusive or transparent. A more open approach might help engage the community and build trust! 😉
This version keeps your points clear while making the tone more inviting and constructive. Let me know if you’d like any further tweaks! 😊
Michaud is the male Blake Lively