Children of God

A gorgeous, powerful musical about an Oji-Cree family whose children were taken away to a residential school in Northern Ontario.

The story of Rita, a mother who was never let past the school’s gate, and her kids, Tom and Julia, who never knew she came, pushes toward redemption. Children of God offers a blend of ancient traditions and contemporary realities, celebrating resilience and the power of the Indigenous cultural spirit. Inspired by First Nations music, Corey Payette’s moving score also includes echoes of provocative Broadway masterpieces such as Fun Home and Next to Normal.

Children of God takes place in two time periods during the 1950s and 1970s, and is set during a time when it is mandatory by law for all Indigenous children to attend residential schools.

“Children of God is must-see theatre for Canadians.” – GLOBE & MAIL

Children of God has toured the country, garnering critical and audience acclaim, and is touring again in Spring 2025, including this presentation in Victoria.

Each performance of Children of God is followed by a facilitated conversation aimed at sparking personal reflections for patrons on the theme of reconciliation, and there is an emotional support program available in the lobby. We are also working with community partners to distribute free tickets and have a free ticket program through the RMTS box office for Indigenous community.

 

Cast:

CAST UPDATE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, the role of Tom/Tommy will be played Dillan Chiblow, and the role of Vincent will be played by Vinnie Alberto. 

Lauren Bowler (Sister Bernadette)
Lauren first workshopped this show back in 2012, and is deeply grateful to be exploring this crucial and transformative story these many years later. She has appeared on stages with many companies around the country, including the Firehall Arts Centre, Arts Club Theatre Company, Western Canada Theatre, Citadel Theatre, National Arts Centre, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Thousand Islands Playhouse, Drayton Entertainment, Mayfield Theatre, National Arts Centre, & Belfry Theatre. Lauren spent three seasons with the Here For Now Theatre Company in Stratford, Ontario, developing brand new and underproduced plays, and will be spending a fourth season with them in summer 2025. In 2010, she co-founded the Great Wall Tea Company, which she co-owns to this day. Lauren is a passionate advocate and supporter of Action Canada and the organizations that make up the UN’s Sexual Rights Initiative. In her spare time, you will find Lauren either reading, discussing politics, or watching a horror movie, usually with a cup of tea in her hand.

David Keeley (Father Christopher)
David is an award winning actor who has worked worldwide in film, television, theatre and the music industry. Highlights include Sam in the original Broadway production of Mamma Mia, Lockstock in Urinetown(Dora Award), Canadian premieres of Rock of Ages, Billy Eliot, Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, True Love Lies. David has spent nine seasons at The Stratford Festival, most recently playing Kent in King Lear. Other Stratford credits include; Hamlet, Coriolanus, Richard III, Fuente Ovejuna, Trojan Women and Much Ado about Nothing. He also portrayed Benvolio in Robert Lepage’s ground breaking production of Romeo and Juliet. His extensive list of tv and film credits include The Manchurian Candidate with Meryl Streep, Designated Survivor, Suits, Copper(series regular), Lost Girl, Heartland, Akilla’s Escape, Albatross(Austin Film Fest Award), The Barrens. Watch for David in the new Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy, coming next year. He previously released two independent cd’s with fellow actor Paul Gross and their compilation cd Holiday Heroes achieved gold status in Canada. Recently, he released his own self-produced cd, Gasoline Rainbows. davidkeeley.ca

Kaitlyn Yott (Joanna / Secretary, u/s Julia)
Kaitlyn Yott (she/they) is a Queer mixed Coast Tsimshian and Japanese-Canadian actor based in Vancouver. She has been collaborating with Corey and Urban Ink (Les Filles du Roi, Children of God, On Native Land) for nearly a decade and is thrilled to return to Children of God. Recent/Favourite Theatre credits: Women of the Fur Trade (Firehall Arts Centre), Sunrise Betties (ItsaZOO Productions), Middletown (Sticks and Stones Theatre), Peace Country (Firehall Arts Centre), Little Women (Chemainus Theatre Festival) Favourite Film/Voice credits: Charmed (CW) Another Code: Recollection (Nintendo), Querencia (Bright Shadow Productions/APTN / Leo Award Winner for Best Leading Actress in a Web Series) Les Filles Du Roi (Urban Ink Productions) Love and gratitude always to my family, friends and my dreamy, wonderful partner Kelli for their unwavering support.

Dillan Chiblow (Vincent, u/s Tommy/Wilson)
Dillan is an Ojibwe storyteller from Garden River First Nation. He graduated from Sheridan’s Musical Theatre program and holds a Masters degree in Musical Theatre Performance from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Dillan was the Syd & Shirley Banks prize recipient (2020) and a of the recipients of the Musical Stage Company’s Aubry Dan Fund for new musicals for The 7 Fires: A New Musical. The 7 Fires was selected for development at the National Center For New Musicals. He was nominated for a Dora award for Outstanding performance by an Individual for playing Hummingbird in Bentboy at YPT. This is Dillan’s 3rd time performing in Children of God, and is thrilled to be back performing again with Urban Ink !
Select Credits: Tom/Tommy-Children of God(Citadel, Segal Center, WCT, The Cultch, Urban Ink) Eddie “Star”- Starwalker (Urban Ink/Raven Theatre/The Cultch) Fulmar-Sedna (Urban Ink/Caravan Farm) Rupunzel’s Prince – Into The Woods (Koerner Hall) Hummingbird(Dora nom Outstanding Performance)- Bentboy- (YPT Toronto) Select Film/TV: Murdoch Mysteries, Run The Burbs, SkyMed. DillanChiblow.com

Danica Charlie (Elizabeth)
Danica Charlie (she/they) is a mixed Nuu-chah-nulth/settler artist from Lək̓ʷəŋən
territory, who graduated from the Canadian College of Performing Arts in 2021. She feels most empowered when working through an Indigenous storytelling lens, sharing knowledge with others, and learning more about herself as well. Thank you for coming on this journey with us. 
Some recent credits include: Women of the Fur Trade (Firehall Arts Centre), Eyes of the Beast: Climate Disaster Survivor Stories (Neworld Theatre), Father Tartuffe: An Indigenous Misadventure (Arts Club/Touchstone), The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito (Kaleidoscope Theatre), Ghost the Musical (Chemainus Theatre), Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet (Blue Bridge), Th’owxiya (Axis Theatre), The Great Bloom (Story Theatre). As always, shoutout to her cat Lily. Life: @danica_charlie_ Beadwork: @deadlydeerdesigns

Winona Myles (Understudy)
Winona is a multi-disciplinary artist from the Simpcw First Nation. She discovered her love for the performing arts as a little girl watching Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.” She grew up performing with various production companies, and is currently completing her musical theatre education at the Canadian College of Performing Arts. Recent credits include “In Her Hands” (Essential Opera), “The Incredible Adventures of Mary Jane Mosquito” (Project X Theatre), and the Canadian premiere of “Angel’s Bone” (re:Naissance Opera, Sound the Alarm/Loose Tea Theatre). Winona has had the pleasure of working on the development of “On Native Land” with Urban Ink and is so grateful to be a part of this tour and continue to work with Urban Ink.

Vinnie Alberto (Understudy)
Vinnie Alberto is a multidisciplinary award winning Indigenous artist from Treaty One Territory (Winnipeg). After graduating with an Honours and Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance, Vinnie has had the privilege to perform, write and produce primarily central and east coast in some of Canada’s most prolific companies. He is very excited to make his west coast debut and what a better way than on tour with Urban Ink. Vinnie strives to explore the arts through staying unapologetically curious. Vinnie seeks to make brave spaces; to evoke deep thoughts, create lasting stories, and to discover what a family of open-hearted individuals can create through unconditional love and humility. Recent Credits include: Gilbert Blythe in Anne of Green Gables, Jersey Boys (Charlottetown Festival); Mother Daughter, Prince Caspian, Playboy of the Western World, Antigonick (Shaw Festival); Into the Woods (RMTC); Wizard of Oz, Rock of Ages (Rainbow Stage) Sound Of Music (The Grand); Rez Gas (Capitol Theatre); Destination Wedding, 2023 UnCovered Series, Get a Life – Banks Prize Cabaret (Musical Stage Company); Sky in Mamma Mia! (Drayton Entertainment). 2023 Emerging Canadian Musical Theatre Artist Award “Banks Prize” Winner (Musical Stage Company). Kayla Gordon Musical Theatre Award Winner (Winnipeg Studio Theatre). National Mentorship Program – Kimberley Rampersad (RMTC). Vinnie would like to thank 10 Talent, Urban Ink, his family, friends and importantly YOU for attending the arts. Follow the adventure @vinniealberto

Creative

Corey Payette (Director, Writer & Composer)
Corey Payette is an interdisciplinary storyteller, writer, composer, singer, hand drummer, and director in music, theatre, and film. He is a member of the Mattagami First Nations, with French Canadian and Irish ancestry. Known for his deeply moving, large-scale original musical creations, Payette’s work challenges the public’s notion of what musicals can be, inserting Indigenous perspectives and narratives into mainstream spaces, igniting conversations that inspire social change. Payette’s work explores themes of colonization, Indigenous language revitalization, cultural healing, reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, and the complexity of historic and contemporary Indigenous experiences across music, theatre, and film. His musicals Children of God, Les Filles du Roi, Sedna, and Starwalker have won multiple awards and have toured extensively across Canada and those musical albums are available to stream and purchase online. He’s also performed his music in concerts around the world and made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City in 2023. He has won numerous awards for his writing, direction, and music compositions and received the inaugural BC Reconciliation Award, created to honour those who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, integrity, respect, and commitment to furthering reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in the province of British Columbia. coreypayette.com

Marshall McMahen (Production Designer)
Marshall is very proud to be returning to this special production. Previous design work with Urban Ink includes Les Filles du Roi and Sedna. Other favourite productions include the East Van Panto: Little Red Riding Hood (Theatre Replacement), All the Way Home (Electric Company), Avenue Q (Arts Club), Chelsea Hotel (Firehall), seven productions with Caravan Farm Theatre, and many more with Bard on the Beach, Arts Club, Gateway, Pacific Opera Victoria, and others. Marshall also works as an art director for tv and film, most recently on Avatar: the Last Airbender, Invasion, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Tales From the Loop, and The Twilight Zone. Marshall has been nominated for an Emmy, and is the recipient of the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award, Ottawa Critics’ Circle Award, Jessie Awards, and Ovation Awards. He is a graduate of UBC, and a member of Associated Designers of Canada.

Rachel Kiyo Iwaasa (Musical Director)
“Keyboard virtuoso and avant-garde muse” (Georgia Straight), RACHEL KIYO IWAASA is among Canada’s foremost contemporary music pianists. Rachel’s reputation for fearless performative risk has inspired many of Canada’s most notable composers to write for her, including Hildegard Westerkamp, Rodney Sharman, Jocelyn Morlock, Cris Derksen, Nicole Lizée, Farshid Samandari, Emily Doolittle, Jeffrey Ryan, Leslie Uyeda, and Jordan Nobles. Her album Known & Unknown was praised as “exceptional, gripping and timeless.” (Tom Haugen, Take Effect), and listed in the Top 10 Modern Composition Albums of 2024 by The Wire Magazine (UK). While grounded in the European classical tradition, Rachel’s art practice explodes expectations of what is possible at the piano, flowering most powerfully in liminal collisions between artistic genres. Her interdisciplinary adventures include work with artist SD Holman, film director Nettie Wild, playwright David Bloom, choreographers Jennifer Mascall, Idan Cohen and Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg, and multi-media provocateur Paul Wong. Rachel’s work as a recording artist is available from Redshift Records and earsay music. With SD Holman, Rachel co-founded the Queer Arts Festival in Vancouver, acknowledged as one the top three festivals of its kind in the world. Rachel lives and works on the sovereign unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, also known as Vancouver, BC. Rachel was Music Director for Urban Ink’s production of Les Filles du Roi, and is thrilled to return to work with the company again on Children of God.

Jeff Harrison (Lighting Director)
Jeff is a four-time Jessie Award winning lighting designer for his work on Carousel Theatre’s Pharaoh Serket & the Lost Stone of Fire, Patrick Street Theatre’s Floyd Collins, Pi Theatre’s Blasted and Arts Club’s Hand to God. He is a graduate of SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts, attended the Banff Centre for the Performing Arts and is a member of the Associated Designers of Canada. Other lighting credits include: Urban Ink’s Les Filles du Roi, NAC Indigenous Theatre’s Women of the Fur Trade, Savage Society’s Little Red Warrior and his Lawyer and Dancers of Damelahamid’s Raven Mother.

Helen Oro (Jewelry Design)
Helen Oro is owner operator of fashion label Helen Oro Designs Inc. Helen is plains Cree from Pelican Lake First Nation. She takes her traditional First Nation beadwork and adorns modern day accessories such as heels, sunglasses, clutch purses etc. Not only does Helen create one of a kind creations, but creates opportunities for Indigenous people aspiring to pursue careers in the fashion/model world. Internationally recognized for her designs and work, Helen aims to create a positive image for Indigenous women everywhere.

Elliot Vaughan (Orchestrator)
Elliot Vaughan is a composer, performer, and artist based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. His output includes exploratory concert music, composed theatre, pop songs, performance art, and contributions to collaborative projects. He was the 2024 Te Kōkī—New Zealand School of Music Composer-in-Residence. He has toured extensively as a viola player. For fifteen years he lived in Vancouver, where he completed a BFA at SFU School for the Contemporary Arts and made his living freelancing. His career there extended from arrangements for theatre and pop records to music for dance and contemporary classical composition. Returning to Aotearoa in 2018 to earn his MMus at Te Kōkī, Elliot has established himself as a key voice in exploratory composition and performance here. His blurring of performance art and music has been recognised with awards and commissions, including for his shows First Buzzard at the Body (2021) and Fish in Pink Gelatine (2019). Elliot is violist with the Moth Quartet, and has a pop band Eigenface. www.elliotvaughan.com

Bradley Danyluk (Sound Designer)
Brad is a Vancouver-based sound designer who specializes in musical theatre. His past work includes many productions with Theatre Replacement, Arts Club, TUTS, Gateway Theatre, Patrick Street Productions, Theatre Calgary, and others. He also works as a sound system consultant, a music recordist and mixer, and as an operator for live music and theatre shows. Post-pandemic he has shifted to primarily working as a recording and broadcast sound engineer for acoustic music, helping all kinds of productions
sound their best in recorded or streamed formats.

Alaia Hamer (Associate Production Designer)
Alaia is a Vancouver theatre designer originally from the Gulf Islands. Recent projects she has worked on include costume design for Measure for Measure (Bard on the Beach), Miracle on 34th Street, Million Dollar Quartet, Sexy Laundry, The Cull, Beneath Springhill, The Birds and the Bees (Artsclub) The East Van Panto: Robin Hood, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid (Theatre Replacement), HMS Pinafore, Carmen Up Close and Personal (Vancouver Opera), costume design for Beautiful Man (PI Theatre), set design for Midsummer Night’s Dream (TWU), The Hobbit, Middletown, Case for Existence of God, God Said This (Pacific Theatre), Seventeen (Western Gold). She has worked on a variety of smaller shows through Vancouver and has a passion for costuming dance. Alaia is a graduate of the UBC Theatre Design program in 2017 and holds an English literature degree from 2012.

Bryan Kenney (Associate Lighting Designer)
Bryan Kenney is a lighting designer with a passion for transforming spaces through light. He crafts immersive and impactful lighting experiences for a variety of projects, ranging from theatrical productions and architectural installations to corporate events and concerts. He is thrilled to be working with the team to put on this very important production again.

Melanie Thompson (Stage Manager)
Melanie Thompson (she/her) is a stage manager and arts administrator based in Vancouver, BC. Selected theatre credits include Polygraph / Le Polygraphe (Théâtre la Seizième / Pi Theatre), On Native Land (workshop), Transform Festival 2024, Homecoming and Starwalker (Urban Ink), Carmen (Pacific Opera Victoria – ASM), S’effondrent les vidéoclubs and Nos repaires (Théâtre la Seizième), Berlin: The Last Cabaret (City Opera Vancouver), Away With Home (MISCELLANEOUS Productions), The Full Light of Day (Electric Company Theatre – Appr. SM), La bohème (Vancouver Opera – Appr. SM), Les Filles du Roi (Fugue Theatre/Urban Ink – ASM), Rock Legends (Chemainus Theatre Festival – Appr. SM), Sonic Elder (The Chop), The Out Vigil (FirePot Performance), The Last Five Years (LionFish Entertainment), Underneath the Lintel (Pacific Theatre), Shrek: The Musical (Theatre Under the Stars), and Arvaarluk: An Inuit Tale (Pangaea Arts). Outside of the theatre, Melanie is the managing director of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO), and also writes grant applications and other copy of all kinds for clients in the performing arts. She is a long-time member of the Board of Directors of Theatre Under the Stars. melaniejthompson.com

Jennifer Wilson (Assistant SM)
Jennifer Anne Wilson, an SFU Fine Arts alum specializing in Stage Management, spent three years with Princess Cruises’ entertainment team before stage managing Vancouver productions like her favourite, Bacio Rosso. She toured Canada with Ballet Jörgen, enriching her stage management expertise while exploring the country. She is eager to continue creating unforgettable theatrical experiences and contributing to vibrant productions across Canada and beyond.

Mike Kovac (Fight Director)
A certified Fight Director and Instructor with Fight Directors Canada, Mike is also active in the film and television scene in Vancouver and across Canada. In between teaching stage combat at places like UBC, Capilano University, and TRU (among others), Mike has a habit of getting beaten up in various forms of stage and screen.

Halley Fulford (Head of Wardrobe)
Halley Fulford is a costume artist based in Vancouver. She is very proud to have recently provided the costume design for Urban Ink’s workshop of On Native Land. Halley has also designed for myriad smaller companies (including Impulse Theatre and Theatre Skam), served as Assistant Designer on Measure for Measure at Bard on the Beach, worked as Head of Wardrobe at The Caravan Farm Theatre on Blackhorse and The Wonderful, and has served as a stitcher on productions such as The East Van Panto: Robin Hood. Halley holds a BFA in Theatre with a minor in English from The University of Victoria.

Shane Leydon (Emotional Support Program & Outreach Coordinator)
Shane Leydon is a Michif, Irish and Mennonite artist from Treaty 5 territory in Flin Flon, Manitoba. He is currently a grateful, humble guest on the unceded territory of the Xwməθkwəy̓ əm, Skwxwú7mesh and Səl̓ílwətaʔ First Nations where works as an actor, writer, director and mental health worker.
Shane’s selected film and TV credits include: INVASION, ALASKA DAILY, and HELLO DESTROYER. He also played Métis hero Gabriel Dumont in Jay Cardinal Villeneuve’s GODS & DEVILS. He directed Teresa Rebeck’s SEMINAR to critical acclaim and was a pick for “The Best of the Year” for theatre in Vancouver in 2019 and recently directed a performance in the 2024 Or Festival. Shane is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University. He was also a member of VIFF’s Catalyst cohort in 2022. Shane is a proud citizen of the Métis Nation of BC.

Nyla Bedard (Powwow Coach & Workshop Leader)
Nyla Bedard (Tahltan, Kaska, French, Scottish) is a multifaceted performing artist currently residing in North Vancouver. She’s an actor, writer, powwow dancer and workshop facilitator. Nyla started to dance at powwows when she was a tiny tot and now has over 35 years of experience. She shares her experience by teaching the various powwow styles with focus on the fancy shawl, sharing the dance steps and the history. In 2011, in partnership with Raven Spirit Dance Company, she started the popular Powwow Bootcamp series.