Opening tomorrow, Gateway Theatre presents the B.C. premiere of Prophecy Fog by award-winning Indigenous artist Jani Lauzon. Prophecy Fog is based on her voyage to the sacred site of Giant Rock in California’s Mojave Desert.
For thousands of years, Giant Rock was a spiritual site for Indigenous nations. Today, it’s covered in graffiti and surrounded by broken bottles. In this autobiographical solo play, Jani takes audiences on a deeply moving and intimate journey in search of answers: can a site still be sacred if it has been desecrated?
As the play opens, we encounter a girl in the mountains of B.C. with a pocket full of stones, the rainbow warriors’ prophecy, and a mysterious inscription that obscures our past. “We come from the stars, we are star people.” Through the 80-minute performance, audiences will be taken on a beautiful and profound journey about peoples’ relationships with land, family, and sacred spaces.
“This is an intimate and meditative production that will draw audiences in as the talented Jani Lauzon weaves together the story of Giant Rock as told through her captivating performance,” said Barbara Tomasic, Gateway Theatre’s Director of Artistic Programs. “Evocative environmental designs surround the performance, and the in-the-round seating style brings the audience up close to this tale. This intimacy may affect how the audiences appreciate the sky, the stars and even the rocks.”
Prophecy Fog brings together Jani Lauzon, a multidisciplinary artist of Métis ancestry, and environmental designer Melissa Joakim, who along with director Franco Boni work to elicit a conscious remembering of ancient prophecies that speak to rock teachings, star beings, and earth changes.
Prophecy Fog is in preview tonight, with Opening Night Friday March 10th, running until Saturday March 18th at Gateway Theatre, Studio B, 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond. Visit gatewaytheatre.com for show details and tickets.