Meet the 22 Indigenous actors who brought the This Place podcast to life
Have you listened to This Place?
The 10-episode podcast, adapted from the bestselling graphic novel anthology of the same name, launched this summer and now you can listen to the entire series on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hosted by Rosanna Deerchild, This Place tells 150 years of Canadian history through Indigenous stories, music and more. It features Indigenous creators — including David. A Robertson, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette and Brandon Mitchell — and incorporates elements of fantasy and magical realism to examine Canadian history from Confederation to now.
To bring the characters to life, 22 Indigenous actors from across the country were cast.
Here are the people behind the voices you'll hear in This Place.
PJ Prudat
PJ Prudat is a Métis Cree actor, playwright and poet from Meadow Lake, Sask., Treaty 6 Territory. She has been a company actor for the National Arts Centre and the Shaw Festival, and has performed in many Indigenous-led productions across the country. Prudat was the recipient of the 2017 Reveal Indigenous Art Award.
She voiced Annie Bannatyne in Annie of Red River.
Chris Mejaki
Chris Mejaki is an emerging actor from Wikwemikong Unceded First Nation. He grew up in Peterborough, Ont., and studied at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto in 2015 and the National Theatre School in 2018. His recent credits include Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society's dance drama Okotoks and the play Vimy, a production of the Western Canada Theatre.
Mejaki voiced Charles and Louis in Annie of Red River, Peggy and the Band member in Peggy and the police officer in Migwite'tmeg: We Remember It.
Sheldon Elter
Sheldon Elter is a Métis actor and writer from Peace River, Alta. His theatre credits include One Little Indian Productions's Metis Mutt, the Belfry Theatre's Ministry of Grace and Crazy for You, a co-production of Citadel Theatre and Theatre Calgary.
He co-created and starred in the 2016 comedy TV series Delmer & Marta.
Elter voiced Andrew in Annie of Red River.
Kevin Loring
Kevin Loring is an actor, playwright and director. He is a member of the Nlaka'pamux Nation from the Lytton First Nation in British Columbia. His first play, Where the Blood Mixes, won the 2009 Governor General's Literary Award for drama. Loring is the founding Artistic Director of Savage Society, a not-for-profit production company that tells Indigenous stories using contemporary mediums.
He was the voice of Billy Assu in Tilted Ground, Jack Fiddler in Red Clouds, the Chief and Council Member in Like a Razor Slash and the father and elder in Migwite'tmeg: We Remember It.
James Dallas Smith
James Dallas Smith is a Six Nations Mohawk actor, writer and musician who has been performing for over 20 years. He acted in the OMNI TV series Metropia and some of his theatre credits include Soulpepper's The Government Inspector and This is How We Got Here from Native Earth Performing Arts.
Dallas Smith was the voice of Wamish in Tilted Ground, Ninaabem and Norman Rae in Red Clouds, the radio reporter in Peggy, Frank T'Seleie in Like a Razor Slash and the Chief in Migwite'tmeg: We Remember It.
David DeLeary
David DeLeary is an Ojibway composer, producer and performer from the Walpole Island First Nation Reserve in southern Ontario. He has worked on everything from alternative rock productions to theatrical sound design and television scoring.
He was the voice of McDonald, Powell and the cousin in Tilted Ground, the Mountie and the judge in Red Clouds, and the soldiers and John Daly in Peggy.
Darla Contois
Darla Contois is a Cree playwright and actor from Grand Rapids Cree Nation in Manitoba. Her debut play, White Man's Indian, follows a teenage girl from the reserve, who is forced to live with her estranged father in the big city after her mother dies. Contois was the recipient of the Summerworks 2017 Emerging Artist Award presented by The Theatre Centre.
She voiced Wahsakapeequay in Red Clouds.
Marcel Petit
Marcel Petit is a playwright, filmmaker and actor from Saskatoon. He has worked on short dramas to feature documentaries. His recent theatre work includes Live Five's production of Salt Baby, Centaur Theatre's Reckoning and Dancing Sky Theatre's Blow Wind. Petit is currently the executive director of Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op, a youth centre in Saskatoon.
He was the voice of Joseph Fiddler in Red Clouds and council member 1 and the registrar in Like a Razor Slash.
Joyce Delaronde
Joyce Delaronde is a writer, director and actor originally from Duck Bay, Man. She is the creator of The Skinny Kookoo Comedy Sketch Show, which played at the 2020 Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival. Delaronde is a member of the Winnipeg Indigenous Filmmaker Collective and a coordinator for the annual Indigenous Film Summit.
She was the voice of the wife in Peggy and auntie in Migwite'tmeg: We Remember It.
Annabella Piugattuk
Annabella Piugattuk is an actor from Igloolik, Nunavut. She performed in The Snow Walker directed by Charles Martin Smith, Steven Spielberg's miniseries Into The West and The Hunt, from Jordan Tannahill. Piugattuk is the host Alianait Festival, Iqaluit's annual music festival, and she most recently hosted the first online pandemic edition.
She was the voice of Ruth, the witch and Aasivak in Rosie.
Reneltta Arluk
Reneltta Arluk is the director of Indigenous Arts at the Banff Centre. From a young age, Arluk knew she wanted to tell Indigenous stories from an Indigenous perspective. This led her to the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto when she was just 19 and then onto the University of Alberta, where she became the first Indigenous woman to graduate from their BFA acting program.
Arluk voiced the Watcher and mother in Rosie and Raven in Warrior Nation.
Lucas Wade
Lucas Wade is an actor, producer and musician.
He was the voice of the buyer in Rosie and the Chief in Nimkii.
Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen
Lisa Cooke Ravensbergen is an Ojibwe Swampy Cree and English Irish descent theatre artist based in Vancouver. Her work is rooted in Indigenous protocol, ontologies and decolonial methodologies. She is an associate artist with Full Circle: First Nations Performance and playwright-in-residence with Delinquent Theatre.
Cooke Ravensbergen was the voice of adult Nimkii and the social worker in Nimkii and elder 1 in kitaskînaw 2350.
Sarah Ellis Fox
Sarah Ellis Fox is a Métis audio producer, content creator and artist. They have worked on several podcasts including And Still We Rise hosted by Angela Marie MacDougall and Talks with Tamara Taggart from Telus.
Ellis Fox voiced the social worker in Nimkii, the grandson and student in Like a Razor Slash, Gwis in Migwite'tmeg: We Remember It and Dawnis in kitaskînaw 2350.
Cooper Vint and Isaac Vint
Cooper was the voice of Pauki in Rosie and child Nimkii and the daughter in Nimkii.
Isaac voiced Teddy in Nimkii.
Cameron Watts
Cameron Watts is a Nuu chah nulth First Nations actor and filmmaker from the Tseshaht tribe in British Columbia. He studied acting at Capilano University and made his directorial debut with the short doc A Story of Skin and Ink. His short film Pookmis screened at the 2018 LA Skins Fest.
Watts voiced the farmer in Nimkii and Washashk in Warrior Nation.
Kira Doxtator
Kira Doxtator is an Anishinaabe and Dakota artist from Ottawa. She is currently studying political science and cinema studies at the University of British Coloumbia and working in the film industry in Vancouver.
Doxtator was the voice of Kanontienentha in Warrior Nation.
Cheyanna Kootenhayoo
Cheyanna Kootenhayoo is a director, filmmaker and music industry professional, also known as DJ Kookum. She is a member of Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation and grew up in Cold Lake, Alta. Kootenhayoo is the music supervisor for the children's television series Coyote Science and the host of Immersive Knowledge Transfer, a podcast produced by the Indigenous Matriarchs 4 Media Lab.
She was the voice of Ellen Gabriel in Warrior Nation.
Art Napoleon
Art Napoleon is a television host, producer and musician from the Saulteau First Nation in British Columbia. He is the co-host of Moosemeat & Marmalade, a television series which explores Indigenous food culture, traditional cooking methods and modern culinary techniques.
Napoleon voiced the father and police officer in Warrior Nation and elder 2 in kitaskînaw 2350.
Theresa Cutknife
Theresa Cutknife is Nehiyaw and Puerto Rican actor, writer and emerging creative producer from Maskwacîs, Alta. She is a member of the Samson Cree Nation and has worked with Native Earth Performing Arts, Punctuate Theatre, Common Boots Theatre, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Young People's Theatre.
Cutknife voiced Wâpanacâhkos in kitaskînaw 2350.
Adeline Bird
Adeline Bird is an Afro-Anishinaabe author, filmmaker and producer from Winnipeg. Bird is a graduate of the CBC New Indigenous Voices program. She made her directorial debut with the short film Nappy Hair, which is available to stream on CBC Gem.
Bird was the voice of Wari in kitaskînaw 2350.