Gordon Winter

By (author): Kenneth T. Williams

Gordon Winter is an RCMP hero, a life-long champion of First Nations rights, and a bigot. HeÕs challenging the next generation of chiefs to stand up to the federal government when he spews a Nazi-inspired racist and homophobic rant. Suddenly, the one of the most revered First Nations leaders is now one of the most reviled human beings in Canada. While most want to consign Winter to the dustbin of history, some are quick to defend a man who did so much good in his life. Questions get asked: how should society respond to such outrageous comments from a prominent and public figure? Is it right to condemn a man based on just one moment of his life? Where did these convictions come from?ÊThe play moves forward in following Winter as he fights the criminal charge of inciting hate. It also moves backwards to show why Queen Elizabeth II pinned a medal of bravery onto his chest in the 70s, and to a critical moment in his childhood when the seeds of hate were planted by a small act of kindness.

AUTHOR

Kenneth T. Williams

Kenneth T. Williams is a Cree playwright from the George Gordon First Nation in the Treaty 4 territory. He was the first Indigenous person to earn an MFA in Playwriting and to become a professor at the University of Alberta’s Department of Drama.

The Herd had a dual world premiere at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and Tarragon Theatre in Toronto in the summer of 2021.

Previous productions include Gabriel Dumont’s Wild West Show (National Arts Centre), In Care (Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre), Cafe Daughter (Gwaandak Theatre, Workshop West Playwrights Theatre, Blyth Festival), Gordon Winter (Persephone), Thunderstick (Persephone/Theatre Network), Bannock Republic (GTNT/Persephone), and Three Little Birds (Workshop West Playwrights Theatre).

He lives in Edmonton with his partner, Dr. Melissa Stoops, and their cats, Augustus and Drusilla.


Reviews

ÒThat racism is hateful, corrosive and self-perpetuating is hardlyÊnews. A play which captures that self-evident truth in fresh, robustÊand frequently funny fashion, however, is something unexpected. ThatÕsÊespecially so when the play poses difficult questions about theÊcomplexity of a manÕs heart, our rush to judge whatÕs there, and theÊextent of our own, unspoken prejudices.ÊGordon Winter by Kenneth T. Williams does all these things.Ó

ÑOttawa Citizen

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Gordon Winter is an RCMP hero, a life-long champion of First Nations rights, and a bigot. HeÕs challenging the next generation of chiefs to stand up to the federal government when he spews a Nazi-inspired racist and homophobic rant. Suddenly, the one of the most revered First Nations leaders is now one of the most reviled human beings in Canada. While most want to consign Winter to the dustbin of history, some are quick to defend a man who did so much good in his life. Questions get asked: how should society respond to such outrageous comments from a prominent and public figure? Is it right to condemn a man based on just one moment of his life? Where did these convictions come from?ÊThe play moves forward in following Winter as he fights the criminal charge of inciting hate. It also moves backwards to show why Queen Elizabeth II pinned a medal of bravery onto his chest in the 70s, and to a critical moment in his childhood when the seeds of hate were planted by a small act of kindness.

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

96 Pages
8.5in * 5.5in * 0.25in
0.321lb

Published:

March 20, 2012

Country of Publication:

CA

ISBN:

9781897289723

Book Subjects:

DRAMA / Canadian

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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