Started in 2017, the Indigenous Artist Spotlight series was created to foster greater awareness and understanding of the strength and diversity of Indigenous artist in Canada.
This month, we spoke with Joelle Peters, an Anishinaabekwe storyteller from Walpole Island First Nation and artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts. She steps away from that role this year, back into fully creative work; her play Niizh is joining Magnus Theatre's 26/27 season, and this fall she's reprising her role in Women of the Fur Trade at Neptune Theatre in Halifax.
Joelle's Links: Website • Tickets for Niizh • Instagram
Getting to Know Joelle
Aanii kina weya, hi everyone! I'm Joelle Peters, an Anishinaabekwe storyteller from Walpole Island First Nation in Southwestern Ontario. I do a ton of things in theatre like acting, playwriting, and directing. I'm also currently the artistic director of Native Earth Performing Arts in t'karonto, Canada's oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. I work in film and TV too, as an actor and screenwriter. I love comedy, with an affinity for sketch, clown, and improv. I'm very focused on telling stories that centre Indigenous joy.
When I think of Walpole, I think of fireflies dancing in my backyard among the hordes of mosquitoes. It evokes a feeling of comfort and nostalgia. I think of sweetgrass, stars, bonfires, and swimming in the river with my friends. I grew up running around barefoot, climbing trees, and jumping on trampolines with my cousins (even though my mom said they were off-limits). My childhood was full of stories waiting to be written, and I've put a lot of my own thoughts and experiences into my work. I am constantly inspired by my surroundings.
I've often said that my play Niizh is a love letter to my community and the land.
A Rom-Com on Stage
Niizh is a heartwarming coming-of-age story about Indigenous love. Set on a reserve, the one-act play weaves laughter and tenderness with Indigenous humour and dream-world interludes. Through two young lovebirds preparing to leave the nest, it captures the excitement of new love and the ache of leaving home, all set against the richness of rural reserve life and community.
Niizh was something I needed to write for myself. Growing up, I was an avid reader and loved YA romance novels by authors like Sarah Dessen. I didn’t know of any Indigenous romantic comedies, and with my budding career in theatre, it felt equally important to create something that would bring Indigenous actors to it on stage. I started working on it in 2018 and at that time, it seemed like the stories by Indigenous playwrights that were being presented in established theatres were more trauma focused. Indigenous joy, humour, and love are incredibly present within Niizh and I’m immensely proud of my theatre baby. My first play!
I’m really excited to share that Niizh will be part of Magnus Theatre’s 26/27 season!
One of the most memorable experiences I've had was being in the audience for the Mni Giizhik Theatre Ensemble production of Niizh in Minneapolis-St Paul, in May 2025. Surprisingly, it wasn't as anxiety-inducing as I thought it'd be. It was an all-Ojibwe cast, and the Ojibwe director, Sequoia Hauck, adapted elements of the script to allow Anishinaabe deaf artist Cindi Martin to play KC, the auntie in the show. She signed in ASL, with live captions projected onto the set, and Indigenous interpreters were there during specific performances. The run was mostly sold out with incredible reviews from the community, and even the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan (also Ojibwe!) came to watch it. I will never forget sitting in that audience, seeing the scenes I wrote and the characters I dreamt up, and then experiencing the cast and director make it their own. I'm still so proud of that team and the heart they put into every single detail. The synchronicities between the world premiere and second production were off the charts. Do people still say that? Anyway, they allowed me to sit back and enjoy an Indigenous rom-com on stage.
I didn’t really let myself have that moment during the World Premiere. For one, that was my first year of being the Artistic Director of the company producing the work. Then, there was the opening weekend, when I ended up going on stage for the lead actor after she got sick. As much as I handed over the work to the cast/creatives, I was still super involved! It was a beautiful world premiere production that I will treasure always, and what a gift to receive a second production that was so different and yet just as near and dear to my heart.
For real, how special it is to have people read your work and just get it.
Refilling the Cup
This year, I’ll be moving on from my Artistic Director position at Native Earth. Running things there gave me an even greater appreciation for arts administrators! There are so many people working behind the scenes (sometimes one person doing the job of three) who never get the credit they deserve. So many conversations and planning happens long before the first day of rehearsal, or even before a casting call goes up. I knew that already, but doing the work myself made me approach art-making differently. I'm walking away with a clearer understanding of the theatre machine and my place within it.
It's nerve-wracking because I'm not necessarily leaving for something or going somewhere. Usually people leave stable jobs for other stable jobs that are already lined up. I'm leaving to return to freelance. After ten years of working at Native Earth (in various capacities) and the past four in leadership have been incredibly rewarding and simultaneously exhausting. I've recognized the dire need to refill my cup. I feel pulled towards acting and writing, which I'm excited to have more time to devote to…but who knows? I'm always keeping myself open to whatever comes my way.
Writing What I Know
I'd describe my work in three words: realistic, hopeful, funny. I think that means I write what I know. I write what I hope to know, or want others to know. I want to uplift Indigenous young people, and creating work that resonates with them and their lived experiences is important to me.
Representation is huge. I hope audiences see the importance of having Indigenous bodies on stages, in productions, behind the scenes. The ripple effect can change lives; I truly believe that. I also hope audiences leave with more nuanced thinking about Indigeneity. We're not a monolith. My stories are not everyone's stories.
In 2020, Tara Beagan named me her Siminovitch Prize Protégée for Playwriting, and the relationship did wonders for my self-confidence, especially during such a dark time. No one knew what the future would look like, or when theatres would reopen. I didn't know whether I'd have jobs to return to, or if I'd need to rethink my entire life—it really did feel that extreme! I've always admired Tara's fierceness and her love of stories. Her belief in me meant the world back then, and even still now, six years later. She helped me discover my voice as an artist and a leader. I owe so much to her.
I've performed in Women of the Fur Trade several times now, and it's a huge gift. I'm honoured to be part of this play's life. I always knew this one was special, and I'm honestly still learning from it. Inflections, tonal shifts, pop culture relevance, there's a ton to play with. It's an incredible feeling, to be familiar and know where the play's going, while remaining open to the possibility of something new and getting swept up in it all. Everyone involved has an influence on what a production becomes: your fellow actors and the choices they're making, the director and the container they're building, the designers and the world they want the audience to see. I love the inherent collaborative nature of theatre. I grew up playing sports (some rugby, volleyball, basketball, baseball), so being part of a team is something that just makes sense to my brain.
My Audiences
When I come into a community to perform, I love engaging with folks who are new to theatre. Maybe it's their first show, or their first time at that specific theatre. I especially love school shows! In my experience, they're your most honest audience. I'm always trying to find new things on stage as an actor, and an audience's reaction is a huge part of that.
If you've never seen me perform, picture this: you've just read a play, and you've booked a ticket to see a local production, and I'm in it. There's a 98% chance you'll hear me deliver my character's lines word perfect. I swear this isn't me trying to humble brag; I hear how this sounds. When I'm memorizing my scenes, I'm able to visualize the words on the page in my head—this skill is great on one hand, but on the other, it means I need to work even harder on staying present, in case we lose our way on stage. I've trained in improv and clown to help me be more nimble and adaptable. Improv and clown are also simply fun!
I'm not able to share news yet about an upcoming show I'm part of in Ontario, but if anyone's planning to head to Halifax in September, I'll be reprising my role as Eugenia in Women of the Fur Trade at Neptune Theatre, co-presented with Prismatic Arts Festival, running September 22 to October 11, 2026. ■