NAC Prepares All-Aboriginal King Lear

The National Arts Centre in Ottawa will stage new production of the Shakespearean masterpiece set during Huron/Iroquois wars.

An all-aboriginal production of Shakespeare's King Lear is slated to headline the National Arts Centre's English theatrical lineup next season. The five-act play, one of the Bard's most complex and political works that ponders the nature of power, will feature August Schellenberg in the role of the blind King Lear. But instead of feudal England, the play will be set during the Huron/Iroquois wars of the 1600s. Schellenberg is one of the continent's top aboriginal actors and has garnered acclaim for starring roles in Black Robe (for which he won a Genie award) and The New World. He was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Sitting Bull in the 2007 made-for-TV movie Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.